Tag: Mindfulness

Anxiety, Health, Neurodiversity, Self Help, Wellbeing7 Comments

Deep Breathing

Change Therapy

Breathing exercises are a powerful way to manage Stress. One particular method that is becoming more popular worldwide is Deep Breathing. There are many benefits of practicing in this way of which I will explain shortly, so please stay with me. Do you ever stop what you are doing and think exclusively about breathing? It is an automatic function, where we breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide. Breathing is a conscious and a sub-conscious process. When you think about it, breathing is one of the most important and powerful resources you can tap into, as it is the … Continue reading Deep Breathing

Bird Therapy, Inspirational, Mental Health, Mindfulness, Nature, Psychology, Wellbeing16 Comments

Watching Birds – The Dawn Chorus

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The post celebrates International Dawn Chorus Day, encouraging mindfulness through birdwatching and listening to birdsong. It highlights the significance of this annual event, where people enjoy the morning symphony of birds worldwide, even suggesting a virtual playlist to recreate the experience for those unable to participate outdoors. Richard Bostock’s art complements the theme. Continue reading Watching Birds – The Dawn Chorus

Anxiety, Meditation, Mental Health, Mindfulness, Wellbeing11 Comments

Mindful Browsing

Change Therapy

Personally I have used a few different browsers while surfing the internet and I am always looking out for a browser that can offer a better experience, whether that is one of greater security or a faster more user-friendly one. If I am honest, it would be good to have a browser that was more relaxing to use. While not wishing on AI to take over, I often get more stressed trying to navigate the interface, finding the ‘print’ or ‘download’ icon, or staring at the screen which shows screensavers that are dull and boring. Oh, how I wish for … Continue reading Mindful Browsing

Anxiety, Mental Health, Mindfulness, Nature, Neurodiversity, Wellbeing4 Comments

Relaxation Walk

Change Therapy

Recently, while working in collaboration with an Edinburgh charity, get2gether, to provide a relax in nature walk, we decided on a location a few miles from Edinburgh city centre, which is aptly named Saughton Rose Gardens. Even at the end of the season there were still a few roses in bloom; it was evident that the local community who tended this area, had done a remarkable job producing healthy plants and flowers amongst beautifully landscaped gardens. I was surprised to see a statue of Gandhi as we entered at the East gate. The beautifully managed gardens that met us as … Continue reading Relaxation Walk

Bird Therapy, Inspirational, Mental Health, Mindfulness, Nature, Wellbeing19 Comments

Watching Birds – The Robin

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National Robin Day on December 21 raises awareness for garden birds and wildlife in winter. Initiated by Songbird Survival in 2016, it highlights the robin, Britain’s national bird. With connections to Christmas cards and Victorian postmen, the robin symbolizes companionship and mindfulness, evoking a deeper connection to nature. Continue reading Watching Birds – The Robin

Anxiety, Bird Therapy, Mental Health, Nature, Self Help, Wellbeing8 Comments

Birdsong for Wellbeing

Change Therapy

Looking to improve your overall wellbeing, please read on and learn about the positive relationship between birdsong and helping to decrease anxiety and negative thoughts. When was the last time you stopped what you were doing to observe and listen to our feathered friends? No matter where you are in the world, we share our space with over 50 billion birds, consisting of 11,000 species. How can birds help improve our Mental Health and Wellbeing? Well, listening to birdsong is an option. It promotes a sense of freedom, and re-balancing your life; imagining being up there in the trees, singing … Continue reading Birdsong for Wellbeing

Meditation, Mental Health, Mindfulness, Self Help, Wellbeing4 Comments

Morning routine

Change Therapy

My favourite part of the day is the Morning, the earlier the better. It is usually anywhere from 6am to 7.30am, before the neighbourhood starts to get busy getting ready for their day ahead. There is a calm around my property, with the noise of the birds still singing their songs, and somehow the weather fronts feel far away; almost like there is a kind of bubble surrounding this particular part of my world. This feeling of security comes about through my daily practices of Meditation, two or three at different times of the day. I would like to share … Continue reading Morning routine

Anxiety, Health, Meditation, Mental Health, Self Help, Wellbeing1 Comment

Focused Meditation

Change Therapy

When we use a Focus Meditation, the object here is to concentrate on one object, for a short time, while immersing yourself in the experience. This helps give you a sense of calm, peace and for balance that can benefit your emotional well-being and your overall health This mediation invites you to tune into your environment by focusing on a simple object. You can use any object you wish. Perhaps an object close to you on your person, like a key, paper or phone?   A Focus Meditation is a great exercise to learn. Do you have 2 minutes to … Continue reading Focused Meditation

Anxiety, Diabetes, Health, Inspirational, Meditation, Mental Health, Mindfulness, Nature, Neurodiversity, Psychology, Self Help, Weight and Diet, Wellbeing8 Comments

Mindfulness Walks

Change Therapy

The work I do every day makes a difference to others – mostly, I hope, for the better. Take a break from your routine and practice slowing down during this unique Guided Mindfulness Session. I was the first therapist to offer Mindfulness Walks in this part of the UK and many others continue to follow my lead in this field, which began around the start of the 2003. There is a difference having someone who is a highly qualified Psychotherapist and Counsellor by your side. I have a Bachelor of Science degree, with Honours, in Psychology and Counselling, and I … Continue reading Mindfulness Walks

Anxiety, Health, Meditation, Psychology, Self Help, Wellbeing1 Comment

Blood Test Phobia

Change Therapy

Personally, I used to find the experience of having a blood test quite uncomfortable, and at times found that the journey there could be unsettling to say the least. It has only been through using distraction techniques, like playing music or mindfulness meditation that have got me over the fear, and over time, it is became much easier. Blood tests at your medical practice can be quite uncomfortable to some, neither here nor there to others, but to around 20% of the population, a very nervy experience. It is the latter category that concerns me, and I include some suggestions … Continue reading Blood Test Phobia

Meditation, Mindfulness, Nature, Self Help2 Comments

Gratitude

Change Therapy

It’s Not Happiness That Brings Us Gratitude, It’s Gratitude That Brings Us Happiness. If you have food in your fridge, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep, you are richer than 75% of this world. If you woke up this morning with more health than illness, you are more blessed that the million who will not survive this week. If you have money in the bank, in your wallet and spare change in a dish, or moneybox somewhere, you are among the top 8% of the world’s wealthy. If you can attend a church meeting … Continue reading Gratitude

Meditation, Mindfulness, Nature, Wellbeing3 Comments

A quiet corner in the City

Change Therapy

We had a really nice summer this year, and with it the opportunity to get outside more than usual, as more people were mixing outdoors again. Working in collaboration with the well-known charity, Get2gether, I offer Mindfulness Walks in the Edinburgh area, and these have proved very successful. We have visited the beach at Portobello in June, and everyone really enjoyed a couple of hours of mindfulness meditation, talking, and meeting new people. The added bonus of a free ice-cream helped soothe the sore feet from walking too! The next Mindfulness Walk was arranged for mid August at The Thistle … Continue reading A quiet corner in the City

Anxiety, general health, Health, Mindfulness, Psychology, Wellbeing8 Comments

Loneliness

Change Therapy

One of the most frequent issues that clients bring to my sessions is loneliness. One general assumption of loneliness is that you are an elderly person with little contact with the outside world. From my experiences these past few years, the people that are lonely, come from age-groups starting in late teens upwards. One individual’s story springs to mind, where they said they were lonely, and could not fathom out what to do. A young man with a job and a house, with lots to offer, but no-one to share life with. He wanted to go on holiday abroad, go … Continue reading Loneliness

Anxiety, Diabetes, general health, Health, Meditation, Mindfulness, Nature, Psychology, Self Help, Wellbeing3 Comments

Mindfulness

Change Therapy

The term “mindfulness” refers to a compassionate and clear-headed awareness, or the awareness of what is occurring simultaneously in the external and internal worlds. The majority of us are more accustomed to its opposite: mindlessness, which refers to situations in which we are not fully aware of what is happening and are therefore more likely to make mistakes. In order to make informed decisions, mindfulness entails waking up and paying attention to the present moment. A specific method of being present in the moment is mindfulness. The mind is less prone to become ensnared in negative thought and emotion patterns … Continue reading Mindfulness

Anxiety, general health, Health, Mindfulness, Psychology, Wellbeing1 Comment

MBCT

Change Therapy

Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy improves on the ideas of cognitive therapy by teaching people to deliberately pay attention to their thoughts and feelings without passing judgement on them, utilising techniques such as mindfulness meditation. Cognitive therapy’s basic tenet is that incorrect self-beliefs cause unpleasant feelings like depression and that thoughts come before moods. To assist you in identifying and re-evaluating your negative thought patterns and replacing them with more realistically optimistic ones, MBCT makes use of cognitive therapy techniques. This method enables people to reflect on their ideas without being pre-occupied with what may have been or what might happen in … Continue reading MBCT

Inspirational, Meditation, Mindfulness4 Comments

Thich Nhat Hanh

Change Therapy

One of the most influential individuals to me and millions around the world, Thich Nhat Hanh, an Vietnamese Buddhist monk, has died at the age of 95. I thought that it was appropriate that I share a little about who he was and what he achieved throughout his life as his work and studies had a massive influence on my own learning of Mindfulness and how to apply this to everyday life. His Zen teaching organisation, Plum Village, said the monk “passed away peacefully” at the Tu Hieu Temple in Hue, Vietnam on Saturday. A prolific author and peace activist, … Continue reading Thich Nhat Hanh

general health, Health, Meditation, Mindfulness, Nature, Psychology, Self Help, Wellbeing11 Comments

Secret Garden – Mindfulness

Change Therapy

Recently I held a Mindfulness session at one of the most beautiful and serene places in Edinburgh, and it has had such an impact on many people, that I wanted to share this with you. Thankfully we arrived on a day where the weather was almost perfect, with a little frost underfoot, yet we were fortunate that the usual cold biting wind from the adjacent loch, was not present by late morning. The Secret Garden is formally known as Dr. Neil’s Garden, which lies next to Duddingston Kirk, built in 1124, at the foot of Arthurs Seat, which is an … Continue reading Secret Garden – Mindfulness

Health, Inspirational, Mindfulness, Nature, Wellbeing8 Comments

Hope

Change Therapy

“Life is available only in the present moment.” “No one has ever lived in the past or the future, only the now.” “The present moment is filled with joy and happiness. If you are attentive, you will see it.” “While you are walking, smile and be in the here and now, and you will transform that place into paradise.” “Yesterday is already gone. Tomorrow is not yet here. Today is the only day available to us; it is the most important day of our lives.” (Courtesy Thich Nhat Hanh) Continue reading Hope

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Stay in the Present

Change Therapy

Mindfulness can be thought as a way of being.. that helps us be in contact with our experience on a moment to moment basis. Mindfulness can help improve Wellbeing. In its simplest form, use Sight, Sound, Taste, Touch and Smell to centre yourself in the PRESENT moment – rather than concentrating on what may happen in the future or what might have happened in the past. I can offer you online sessions in guided Mindfulness, from the comfort of your own home, so get in touch here. Continue reading Stay in the Present

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A good therapist

Change Therapy

  The talking therapies are a form of storytelling, where many conclusions are possible. A good therapist teaches you to get along with the world, not to blow it up. Mindfulness walks can help you get some peace and quiet in your mind, and help to offload some of the negativity surrounding your life. Come and join me for an hour that will start to change your life.     Continue reading A good therapist

general health, Health, Nature, Weight and Diet, Wellbeing2 Comments

Can you train yourself to be more optimistic?

Change Therapy

  Can you train yourself to be more optimistic? In this current pandemic you may ask? With so much depressing news filtering in to our living rooms these days, the general mood of society is one of despair and sadness. Lockdowns restricting where we can go, and social distancing in place preventing us from human contact that we seek. If you want to change the way that you feel, try and learn one of, or all of the following: Widen your possibilities. Whenever you catch yourself expecting a catastrophe, stop. That is only one possibility. Imagine two other outcomes, one … Continue reading Can you train yourself to be more optimistic?

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A time of uncertainty and compassion for others

Change Therapy

As the country seems to be going through yet more turbulent times, it is good to have our mindfulness practice to see us through whatever arises, giving us a little distance, a little breathing space, between ourselves and the haunting headlines which seem designed to scare us. It is hard not to feel overwhelmed by the events around us, and so we can offer ourselves a little self compassion and send that compassion out to those around us and further afield who are also suffering with the events that are unfolding around them. Continue reading A time of uncertainty and compassion for others