The art of keeping everything simple. — It’s that time of year again. The time when you get down and dirty with what you’ve done with the year just gone and give yourself a pass mark. Or a could-do-better. Or a (deeply compassionate) fail. I’ve done these year-end reflections for years with my clients — at least…

Suit up with the right weapons to take on life’s daily battles. — In the world of personal growth, there’s often immense emphasis on the idea of a complete overhaul. Books, speakers and blogs will offer a step-by-step process for transforming your life completely — habits, hobbies, diets, work…everything. But while drastic measures may have their place, it’s generally not necessary to shift…

Who are you revealing when you write? — Writers are addicts. If you’re a writer at the depth of your being, you’ll know what I mean. Somehow, something — or someone — hooked you on writing once and now, even when you’re mad as hell at it, you can’t give it up. Or when you try to take…

“Life never ends when you are in it.” — Lemony Snicket Do you want to FEEL better? Or BE better? Everyone who signs on for therapy or coaching wants one of these two things — or, often, both. Sure, the context and story changes (a lot) between people, but this…

When the reality of your relationship lives in your head — I was working with a man who’d just ended a two-year emotional affair. His emotional “affairee” (my word for person-you-were-with-but-not-really-with) had moved away and they’d agreed to cut all ties. While they could have stayed in touch they both realised there were no gains. …

Copy them to improve your life. — “I’m a huge optimist,” my client said. “I always look for the good in things. The bright side. My family say I’m annoying. But I still think it’s a better way to be when the world’s so damn gloomy.” Psychologically speaking, she’s right — and she’s wrong. Excessive or “toxic”…

Can you still find that loving feeling? — A woman wanted to end her new relationship. The first few dates were promising but — suddenly — the attraction was gone. “It’s the way he stands,” she said. “It’s like his feet are too far apart.” She said he was a nice guy and she felt bad about ditching…

Or at least remove those inclinations — Perfectionists are all around us. In my photo-editing work, I spend hours going back and forth with photographers and editors who never cease to remind me to paper over people’s skin blemishes and pimples in Photoshop. Part of me wants to cut them out of my work life because it’s…

Simple but effective methods to stop overthinking and start living. — Ever since I hit adolescence, I’ve been troubled by anxiety in one form or another. I can’t pinpoint the moment it began. I just know that at some point, the sense of calm and freedom of my childhood was replaced with constant unease and worry. For a long time, it…