Particularly if we grew up in a family system which was dysfunctional or alcoholic, we’re likely to have developed an acute awareness of other people’s moods and internal states. A hypervigilance occurs where we learn to be incredibly attuned to cues signaling a shift in mood – a tone of voice, a facial expression, a hand gesture.
Like sponges, children unknowingly soak up …
There are invariably going to be times when we find ourselves in the corridor. No doors are opening. No answers are forthcoming. Nothing seems to be moving and we’re just sitting there in the unknown. It’s that tunnel of uncertainty.
There’s often at least one area of our lives where we feel we’re not where we’d like to be. Perhaps we’re struggling with …
We all have different ways of expressing anger. For some of us there’s an audible explosion – we raise our voices, shout and scream or even get physical. For others, there’s an internal contraction or shutting down. We go silent, give clipped one-word answers and radiate that unmistakable energy of hate or contempt.
Some people appear angelic to the outside world but then …
Some women know from a very young age that they want children. Others are hit by that realization at 30 or 35. And others still are quite certain they don’t want a baby but then in their late 30s or early 40s suddenly doubt that decision and find themselves desperate to have a child after all.
Men are all too familiar with the …
Our email inboxes have a tendency to overflow. Certain errands are on on our to-do lists for months on end. And we have a whole host of people we’ve been meaning to get back to or catch up with. Having a full life can be wonderful, but it’s only really enjoyable if there’s enough space around the fullness. Otherwise, it’s like having …
You’re in the bathroom or raiding your wardrobe, trying to find something to wear. You turn to the mirror and there it is, that same thought, “I should be thinner”. The thought shows up so quickly you may not even notice it. You’re immediately swept up in the visceral experience of the hopelessness, despair or anxiety that can accompany mental loops about …