In overloading our brain we limit our ability to perform. This is why finding ways to manage how we use our brain and reduce the amount of stress we place on it, is important to our wellbeing and effectiveness.

Each day we’re faced with making thousands of decisions. Some are mundane, like what cereal to have, whilst others are more serious, like whether to sell our home or undergo surgery. Decision making is also taxing on our working memory - our ability to hold, process and use new information to guide our behaviour (Hall & Jarrold, 2015).

Similarly, as we use our decision making muscles, our ability to self-regulate and make sound choices reduces. This results in an increased risk of making poor, unethical, and possibly costly decisions (Kouchaki & Smith, 2014). So what can we do?

The mental demands of responsibility

It's not uncommon to feel overwhelmed by the number of decisions you need to make on a daily basis, or to even find it difficult or unpleasant (Luce...

The most common self-care habits tend to be practical activities. For example, getting a good number of hours sleep, exercising regularly, and maintaining a healthy diet.

Each can be effective, but what might surprise you is that there are other habits you can develop to help lay a foundation for even better self-care.

In this video, I share three self-care habits you may not have ever considered, that when practiced, could actually change your life!

The idea of creating a plan for your personal development might conjure up feelings similar to when you're invited to attend a work appraisal. But, when it comes to your growth, it's worth giving it some attention.

A clear vision of your ideal future is a sure fire way of boosting your chances of living a meaningful life. And as part of that, having a personal development plan, is key to you making progress.

In knowing what you want for your future, a personal development plan can provide clarity and focus. In other words, it can act as a roadmap to help you stay on track to achieving your goals.

But if you've never given thought to creating a personal development plan, you might be listening to me wondering where you'd start, or what one could look like.

And if that's the case, no problem, I'm going to share a seven step process that can get you going on creating your own personal development plan and giving yourself a better chance of success in life.

1. Envision...

If you're into personal development and want to see yourself succeed in life, you'll know growth and success don't come easy.

Among other things, one of the benefits and outcomes of personal growth and success can be increased confidence.

But what if a lack of confidence is the very thing getting in the way of your success in the first place?

In this video, I'm discussing five habits shared by confident people, and how you could start to develop them to boost your confidence too!

Okay, so you've been inspired by a song, book, or movie, and decide it's time for change. Upon making your decision, you elicit the support of a coach or counsellor and start the work.

Growing in awareness, you identify areas where change is needed to improve your life. However, you soon realise that some have an opinion about your decisions, and that others are expressing their unhappiness.

These responses to your efforts may not be what you'd hoped for. In fact, you might feel disappointed or frustrated at what feels like a lack of support from those you'd have expected more from.

As a result, you may start to question your decision to make the changes you believe will improve your life, or consider giving up. And if this was the case, you wouldn't be alone. Why?

Because when you determine to better your life, you'll likely encounter three types of people:

1. Those unable to understand your motivation for wanting to change,
2. Those unable to envision...

If you're considering working with a coach, you might find it helpful to know about the various types of coaching available. In fact, being aware of what coaching is available will make it easier to find a good fit.

More people who enquire about working with me in a counselling capacity, are also expressing interest in how I might help them in a coaching context too.

Consequently, I explain the difference between counselling and coaching before helping them decide the best option for their needs.

Coaching is not Counselling

Importantly, I point out where there is a distinct difference between coaching and counselling intervention. Essentially, I explain how when working with me in a coaching capacity, they'll be less of a focus on addressing emotional distress or crisis.

In other words, rather than helping them to manage emotions, I emphasise where our efforts will focus primarily on goals. And with this focus, my aim will be to help them...

Mistakes are an unavoidable mark of our humanity. And though the extent of damage caused by them varies, as will the steps required to address them, we all have the opportunity to learn and grow from them. So, to simply ignore our mistakes is a mistake in itself.

1. Own your mistake

Why is it some individuals continually achieve their goals while others repeatedly fail? Though success may typically be attributed to intellect, strategy, talent or even genetics, there's one aspect of high achievement which can easily be overlooked. Mental toughness.

What is mental toughness?

Mental toughness is a mindset or personality trait which helps to enable consistent performance under stress. Put differently, it's how well you manage your behaviour when faced with varying degrees of pressure. As such, mental toughness is considered a valuable asset, which when applied, can lead to you excelling in your personal and professional life.

Indeed, we all face struggles, with some being more difficult to manage than others. However, what mental toughness does is allow you to persevere when the odds are against you. Becoming mentally tough is learning how to resist and manage the doubts, setbacks and worries which would ordinarily prevent you from achieving your desired outcomes....

Are you looking for an effective way to manage stress? Have you ever wondered how you might be able to improve your quality of life? If your answer was, "Yes", then writing a journal could be a solution. But there could also be other benefits to journaling which you may not have anticipated.

Overview

Typically speaking, journalling involves writing out your thoughts or feelings. Put differently, it's a practice which enables you to explore life events and the surrounding emotions and thoughts relating to them.

Because of its nature, you may find you write about things you'd ordinarily take to counselling, for example. As a result, journal writing, can be both strategic and therapeutic, whilst simultaneously forming part of your personal learning journey.

The power of journalling

Journaling can be done in various ways, but will usually involve writing in a notebook, diary, or on an electronic device. Writing a journal, even periodically, can be a powerful tool for increasing...