One day, my therapist asked, "Where does your self-esteem come from?" I looked out through the window into his lush green garden and at the woodlands beyond, wishing myself in amongst the trees. I didn't know where my self-esteem came from, I just knew that I wasn't generating much of it … [Read more...] about Why Comparison Is Largely Unhelpful
Gratitude
An Alternative To Burnout
I had a question from a client this week variations of which I receive regularly. "I feel I've hit burnout and I don't know what to do about it." I opened with something like, "I spent a while wondering how to answer you and thought about it while I walked my dogs and looked at the trees … [Read more...] about An Alternative To Burnout
Why Every Therapist Needs A Therapist
My therapist reaches into an old A4 envelope for my notes down at the side of his chair wedged between whichever book he's reading and a travel mug I have never seen him sip from. These beginnings always take an age, a ritual of sorts. While he shuffles pages into order I look out of the … [Read more...] about Why Every Therapist Needs A Therapist
Why Screen Time Hurts You More Than Your Kids
I wrote this post a few years ago but it seemed a good time to publish it as I’m helping my son and his girlfriend move into their first house this weekend which means I don’t have the time I usually have to write, and I’m thinking a lot about what a joyful life it’s been watching my kids grow up … [Read more...] about Why Screen Time Hurts You More Than Your Kids
Holding It Together
There's a column in The New York Times entitled "How I Hold It Together" in which writers from the paper list six things that they find helpful when they are feeling anxious and stressed. It's unlikely that I will ever be a columnist for The New York Times but I don't see why I should have to … [Read more...] about Holding It Together