Joy

What gives you joy?  When did you last really experience it? Why do you think that was?

Joy may sometimes seem like such a profound feeling and yet we normally find it in the simplest of things.  I remember feeling pure joy when I watched my toddlers playing (many years ago now). Their simple enjoyment of life translated into a feeling of perfect happiness for me. Sometimes I may notice a seemingly perfect view in nature and experience the joy of knowing that everything is just how it should be.

I don’t believe that joy is something that can be chased or looked for, it is just there in the simplicity of the moment or the purity of the experience.  So maybe the answer is not to look, but to feel and experience instead.

And maybe the easiest way to do that, as an adult, is to connect to our inner child.  To most children, life is simply there to be lived.  Children will naturally discover fun and pleasure in the simplest of activities.  Maybe we should take a leaf out of their book, and cast our cares and concerns aside for a time, whilst we engage in the joy of life.

 

 

I – Into 2014

A belated “Happy New Year” to you all! 

Whether you visited my site through an interest in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, or Yoga Relaxation and Mindfulness, you are very welcome and I hope this site serves to encourage and inspire.

So how do you view January?  As a chilly month in the depths of winter, or as the opportunity to renew, replenish and refresh?

If you are thinking about CBT, then the chances are you are not feeling your happiest and so this month may well be the former. Winter has the effect of keeping us closed in, both in terms of where we are physically, and our emotional and psychological Selves as well. It is all too easy to become enmeshed in any negative feelings. This time of year encourages us to hibernate and take stock. When we are feeling positive and mentally strong, this is good for us.  However, if we are feeling down or dejected, having too much opportunity to contemplate our woes is rarely beneficial.

If you are interested in yoga, then your interpretation of January may be entirely different.  This is because, for a yogi, every day is a new beginning, bringing with it the opportunity to grow and develop all aspects of our Self. From respecting our physical body when we eat and drink healthily, exercise regularly and relax properly, to improving mental strength and focus through mindfulness, meditation and resilience, we yogis seek to improve and develop through every day of our lives.

So how do we move from viewing January as a depressing month, to seeing it as an opportunity to move forward and develop?

It is all a matter of perspective. Firstly consider what it is that is holding you back and causing you to feel whatever negative feelings you have. Then decide if you feel strong enough to tackle these issues on your own. Can you call on support from people around you?  Do you want to tackle your issues at all?  Or is fear of the unknown holding you back?  It takes a brave person to look their life squarely in the face and admit there is a problem!

For more help and advice around these areas, you can click on the links above, read previous blogs, or just email me or give me a call.

 

SO WHY NOT WORK ON ENABLING THIS NEW YEAR

TO BE THE ONE THAT YOU WANT IT TO BE!

Yoga Classes Update!

 

 

Yoga Classes Available In Bourne From September

An opportunity to see why yoga is so popular.

Improve your ability to relax.  Become more flexible, toned and strong.  Be more focused and co-ordinated.  Breathe better.

Come along and try it for yourself. Suitable for all ages and abilities.

For more information, please click here.

Workshop This Saturday – 18th May

Just to remind anybody who may have been planning to come along to my next workshop: It’s this Saturday, from 10:am to 3:00pm, and we will be exploring the subtle energies of the body.

Have you ever wondered why you automatically like some people and not others?  Or how we are so good at detecting other people’s emotions?  Why do we always sense somebody when they are standing very close to us?  If you would like to know more then why not come along and find out.

This is also an ideal opportunity to give yourself some important ‘me time’ in  a relaxed and friendly environment … What more could you ask for!

The cost of the workshop is £25.00, drinks and light snacks and a workbook/journal are included.  To book, or for more information email me at [email protected] or call me on: 07817623330.

E – Effort

 

As you read this, how much effort are you putting into it? Are you relaxed?  Or tense and conscious of the time it is taking you?  Are you reading it slowly because you are interested?  Or scanning through because you have a to-do list as long as your arm and you should really be getting on with something else?    

How much effort do you put into the following areas of your life?:

  1. Work/business/career/running a home?
  2. Your partner/children?
  3. Your friends and wider family?
  4. Your hobbies and interests?
  5. Your self and your own personal development?

Would I be right in saying that the majority of your efforts go into the first three categories?  Have you ever stopped to consider why this is?  Is it because you believe it is “selfish” to put your interests and your self before others?  Is it because you “don’t have the time” to think about your self, let alone actually have hobbies and interests? 

If you have just read the above and agreed with even some of it, then just stop for a moment and think (yes, you can spare a moment).  Whose life are you living?  Your bosses? Your clients? Your childrens? Husbands? Parents? … or Yours?  Who is the only person who can ever really know exactly what it is that ensures your happiness, peace of mind, contentment? And who is the only person who should really be expected to put in the time and commitment to ensure that happiness, peace of mind and contentment?

Putting a little effort into You will help to build your resilience, improve your self-esteem, your mood, your health and your relationships, it will have a dramatic effect on the whole of your life.

Food for thought … it just takes a little effort.  Every now and then take the above five categories and turn them upside down … It will do you good!

Welcome to my new website

Welcome to my new website.  I hope you find it enjoyable, informative and thought provoking.

Free to think is here to help you free your thoughts enabling you to more freely and easily live your life.

There will be articles on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Stress Management, Relaxation and Mindfulness, Yoga for Children and Adults and much more.