A better way to fight
- posted in relationships
You may have read the title of this article and thought you were going to learn some devious strategies on how to beat your partner in an argument. And I guessed that most people would jump to that conclusion because it’s in our nature to try and win when we argue. We might try to justify it by telling ourselves that our point of view is better than theirs and we are only trying to be helpful – but essentially, we are usually trying to win.
Psychotherapy and old shoes
- posted in psychotherapy
During a recent recurrence of back pain I remembered one of the first times I sought treatment for this problem. It was about 20 years ago and a friend had recommended a physiotherapist to me. When I phoned to make an appointment I was surprised when she asked me to bring along a pair of old shoes.
Nobody else feels this bad
- posted in Depression
Emotional wellbeing is not something we usually pay much attention to – our own nor anybody else’s – and it is often an unspoken part of our lives. Unless somebody has suffered a significant event such as bereavement or divorce, we rarely talk about how people are feeling. And even then we often avoid directly asking because we are unsure what to say and we don’t want to pry. So we spend a lot of our time guessing how other people are feeling but unfortunately when we fill in the gaps we usually get it wrong.
Feeling down? Use a list
- posted in Depression
When you find yourself going through a rough patch, a list can make a huge difference to getting through it. Not a list to tackle the problems that you are facing but a list for looking after yourself.
Because as you know, when you begin to feel a bit down it is very difficult to think of anything you enjoy. And even if you do manage to recall something that usually gives you pleasure you can probably do a pretty good job of talking yourself out of it. Then the negative cycle begins and once it gains momentum it can be difficult to stop.