Clive Bennett’s guest post explores haiku as a mindful practice emphasizing present-moment awareness and nature. Originating from Japanese poetry, haiku captures fleeting experiences through structured form. Modern haiku celebrates simplicity and sensory language, inviting readers to reconnect with the world. The practice encourages observation, reflection, and emotional engagement with life’s beauty. Continue reading Haiku – A Mindful Practice
Andrew Lim and colleagues at Toronto University carried out tests on 3000 ‘older’ participants at different times of the year to assess cognitive functioning, measuring thinking and concentration skills, as well as physiological tests to look for early signs of Alzheimer’s disease. The outcome was that people who tested in Summer and early Autumn obtained significantly higher scores, than those tested in Winter and Spring. “There may be value in increasing dementia-related clinical resources in the winter and early spring when symptoms are likely to be most pronounced,” the authors say. “By shedding light on the mechanisms underlying the seasonal … Continue reading Be smarter for a longer life.
How electronic focussed are you? We live in a world that revolves around devices like smartphones, tablets and laptops. Having access to electronic devices that stream information to you 24/7 is not healthy for your Mental Health and Wellbeing as a whole. At the touch of a button, you have access to enormous amounts of data on every conceivable subject, including video, photos and audio to reinforce that knowledge. Perhaps it is the attraction of instant updates to your favourite person or event, and the need to be ‘in the know’, to stay on par with your peers which means … Continue reading Take a Device-Free break
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
Setting an intention for the day is a great habit to get into. I do this as part of my daily morning meditation. I also visualise what I would like to happen during my day. Being thankful for everything that I have experienced, even the negative ones, as they are life’s lessons to be learned from so as not to repeat them. Think of an important goal that you have for the day, anything at all, and focus on that goal. See it, by visualizing the goal and tell yourself how you are going to achieve what you set out … Continue reading Set an Intention
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
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
“Mindfulness is about being fully awake in our lives. It is about perceiving the exquisite vividness of each moment. We also gain immediate access to our own powerful inner resources for insight, transformation and healing” – Jon Kabat-Zinn. Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction comes under the umbrella of Mindfulness Based Interventions (MBI’s) which are intended on helping people improve their health and wellbeing. Change Therapy delivers MBSR Certification courses – get in touch for more information, using this link. Intended to increase consciousness and encourage the connection between your body and mind, MBSR uses techniques that target negative subconscious thoughts, behaviours … Continue reading Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction
Chronic pain sufferers should take exercise, not analgesics/medication/prescribed drugs says NICE. Medicines watchdog recommends physical and psychological therapies when treating pain with no known cause. People suffering from chronic primary pain which is labelled as having, no known cause, should not be prescribed painkillers, the medicines watchdog has announced, recommending such patients be offered exercise, talking therapies and acupuncture instead. In a major change of pain treatment policy, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) say that in future, doctors should advise sufferers to use physical and psychological therapies rather than analgesics to manage their pain. Medical teams … Continue reading Exercise over Medication?
It feels like such a long time ago, preparing for the Festive period, in December 2023. All the planning of family events and purchasing gifts for loved ones and friends. We went to the theatre and attended outdoor parties where everyone would be in a joyful mood and there was a never-ending supply of festive food on offer wherever we went. December was such a happy month, and expensive, but it was the Festive season after all! We looked forward to a New Year approaching, 2024, wondering what it would bring. After the celebrations of Hogmanay and eating the left-overs … Continue reading February
This is my interpretation of a profound life lesson about giving, protecting your personal strength and being selfless—especially so from negative individuals who can drain your energy if permitted. Buddha travelled for many days before coming to a tiny village to deliver a speech. There was a young man standing in the road, who was the only one nearby who wasn’t thrilled to see the Buddha. Buddha heard the young man yelling at him during his speech. Buddha ignored the situation and went on talking. The young man was even more enraged by this. He walked directly in front of … Continue reading Buddha and the angry man
I came across this short story about prioritizing life which I want to share with you. It helps me throughout my life, as I often have to remind myself what is important in my world and needs more attention. Sometimes I can spend too much time on the less important things, when I should be looking after the main things like my health, partner and children. The story There was a philosophy professor who was giving a lecture to his students. In front of him, he had a big glass jar, a pile of rocks 2” in diameter, a bag … Continue reading Jar of Life
Every so often I come across an inspirational story, and as such, I would like to share this particular one with you, with the aim to hopefully brighten your day. This is a sweet tale of a senior college student. Her message that “Growing Old is Mandatory, Growing Up is Optional” is unique. Hopefully, we’ll live to a ripe old age as she did. Our professor greeted us on the first day of class and urged us to get to know someone we didn’t previously know. When a soft hand brushed my shoulder, I got to my feet to take … Continue reading Growing Up is Optional
A sign above the pet store, read “PUPPIES FOR SALE”. These signs are designed to grab people’s attention including children, to the possibility of getting their own puppy, perhaps their first pet! Soon a little boy appeared at the sign and asked, “how much are you going to sell those puppies for?” The store owner replied, “Anywhere from £30-£50.” The little boy reached into his pocket and pulled out some change. “I have £2.37, can I look at them?” The store owner smiled and whistled. From the kennels 5 dogs came running out. One puppy was lagging considerably behind. Immediately … Continue reading Puppies for Sale
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
Every so often I come across a gem of a story or poem that I want to share, in the hope that it will help someone to change their life for the better. This particular poem is timeless, and one that has helped many people that I know over the years. I hope that you enjoy this too. “Autobiography In Five Short Chapters” Chapter One I walk down the street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I fall in. I am lost … I am hopeless. It isn’t my fault. It takes forever to find a way out. … Continue reading Autobiography In 5 Short Chapters.
Amisfield Walled Garden was our destination for my Walk and Talk therapy for groups. The garden and grounds of are part of the Amisfield House Estate, with the mansion built by the Earl of Wemyss in the 1750s. The garden is tended to by volunteers with the charity Amisfield Preservation Trust and is open to the public. It is early morning, and the sun is out, with a soft glow that is neither warm nor inviting, yet the world always seems more cheerier with this great solar giant so prominent in the sky. It is the anticipation of when the … Continue reading Walk & Talk March 2023
An important part of my life when I practice Positive Psychology, is showing gratitude or thanks for everything I am in touch with; my emotions, my being and social world that I am part of. Gratitude is something we can overlook and yet it offers such powerful benefits to our mental health. There are many benefits of expressing gratitude ranging from better physical health to improved mental alertness. Let me explain further. The word gratitude comes from the Latin word gratia, which means grace, graciousness or gratefulness (depending on the context). In some ways gratitude encompasses all of these meanings. … Continue reading A positive start to 2023
Following on from the last Mindfulness Walk in collaboration with Get2gether, we chose Edinburgh’s Botanic Gardens as the ideal location for our Walk in September 2022. This fabulous place is very popular for locals and tourists alike, and has so much space to walk around in, with plenty of benches for the weary traveller too. The massive greenhouses that hold hundreds of species of plants from around the world were closed for maintenance when we visited, yet we found that everything around us in nature was plentiful and free. Some fortunate couples choose this location to get married at, and … Continue reading Botanic Gardens
Assertiveness is a positive communication style. It’s the ability to stand up for ourselves in an open, courteous manner. Here’s what assertiveness entails: You have the option of expressing your thoughts or feelings. You have the option of requesting what you want or require. You can respectfully disagree. You have the ability to speak up for someone else. You are welcome to provide your thoughts and suggestions. You don’t have to feel bad about saying no. How to become more Assertive takes practice and committment. Sometimes assertive and aggressive behaviours get mixed up. The main difference between assertive and aggressive … Continue reading Being Assertive
How many of you reading this get distracted? Whether you are reading, talking or listening, many a time you will have experienced being distracted. It can be annoying, frustrating and takes you out of your stride until you can focus again. What about when we are listening to someone speak. It can take a lot of concentration to hear their voice and what subject they are talking about. Listening takes a lot of effort, and sometimes it is hard to shut out other noises. Can you think of times this happens to you? Sometimes it is not just noises that … Continue reading Distractions
The subject of Child Development was one of my favourite parts of learning while studying Psychology, and to this day, I continue to seek out different ideas from Therapists around the world to continue my development in this field. I believe that our childhood interaction with parents/carers contributes to the way in which we behave as an adult. As children are growing up, positive parenting improves their cognitive, social, and problem-solving skills. Positive parenting also influences the child’s reactions and helps them become more self aware adults. Therefore, in my opinion, positive interaction and stimulation are essential in the early … Continue reading Children learn what they live
Abraham Maslow was a psychologist in the twentieth century who pioneered the humanistic approach to psychology. He is best known for his hierarchy of needs. Maslow believed that human wants may be structured into a hierarchy, in order to better understand what motivates people. This hierarchy includes everything from basic needs like food and water to more complex ideals like self-fulfilment. When a lower need is met, the following needs in the hierarchy become our centre of attention, according to Maslow. These are the five categories of needs according to Maslow: Physiological Physiological needs – these are biological need for … Continue reading Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Gratitude Meditation – (Being Thankful) By taking a couple of minutes first thing in the morning when I wake, and then just before I retire for the night, I read the following gratitude statements. These help me to put life into perspective. Have a try and see for yourself? I am grateful for the air in my lungs. I am grateful for my heart that beats and keeps me alive. I am grateful for my senses that help me perceive the world. I am grateful for my comfortable bed. I am grateful for my clothes that protect me and keep … Continue reading Being Thankful
Do you make choices of your own free will, or are you being nudged along by an unseen force to comply? The Government, Retail and Medical professions, amongst many other industries employ strategies to shape your behaviour. Nudge theory is the science behind subtly leading people to the ‘right’ decision. It works on the principle that small actions can have a substantial impact on the way people behave. For organisations wanting to drive positive behaviour change, it’s a handy concept to know about. Nudge theory is also concerned with the design of choices, which influences the decisions we make. Nudge theory … Continue reading Are you being nudged?
All around the world, people remain uncertain about the future. I don’t know what the outcome will be, however I have continued to use some strategies to keep myself going. I want to share them with you, in the hope that you may get some benefit from this particular method. A) Do something every day to reduce anxiety; whether it is a relaxation technique, exercising or getting in touch with some friends. This all amounts to finding some calm in your daily existence. B) Stay informed. Decide to allocate yourself 30 minutes each day to check the Local news and … Continue reading Uncertainty
Laurel and Hardy? Charlie Chaplin? Who are they Dad, asked my kids recently. This made me feel a 100 years old and so out of the loop! Here I was trying to make Saturday afternoon more interesting and spending some … Continue reading Never heard of Laurel and Hardy?
Character My mother says she doesn’t care, About the colour of my hair. Or if my eyes are blue or brown. Or if my nose turns up or down. My mother says she doesn’t care, If I’m dark or if I’m fair, Or if I’m thin or if I’m fat. She doesn’t fret over things like that. It really doesn’t matter. But, if I cheat, or tell a lie, Or do mean things that make folks cry. Or if I’m rude or impolite, And do not try to do what’s right, Then that does really matter. It isn’t looks that … Continue reading Character
Change Therapy 