Category Archives: Mindfulness

The Dangers of Language

Posted on March 5, 2013 by

“So, how do you feel?” “I feel like I’m grinding through life, sort of like I’m pushing a heavy boulder uphill.  Every day I’m grinding forward, but it feels relentless.” “So how does this feeling of ‘grinding’ actually show up … Continue reading →

Posted in Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT), Behaviour change, Mindfulness | 8 Comments

Noticing How Desire Can Pull You Away From Your Values

Posted on February 26, 2013 by

When does desire pull you away from your values? It might be the impulse to buy more stuff that you don’t really need; watch TV instead of doing some exercise; let work dominate your  life; make poor choices that change your … Continue reading →

Posted in Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT), Decision making, Mindfulness, Values | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Closing the intention-behaviour gap

Posted on February 16, 2013 by

Over Christmas I put on an additional 3kg. I have been getting rid of it ever since and I have realised that losing weight is a fantastic practice in psychological flexibility.  Just about every minute of the day there are … Continue reading →

Posted in Behaviour change, Fitness, Health, Mindfulness | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Growing Compassion in Organisations

Posted on December 20, 2012 by

Hello! I am so excited to be joining “Working with ACT” exactly two years to the day since Rob and Rachel started this wonderful blog. Working with mindfulness and values is a big part of my professional and personal life. … Continue reading →

Posted in Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT), Mindfulness, Psychological Flexibility, Work | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

What To Do With Feelings of Shame

Posted on October 11, 2012 by

Do you think it is bad to feel ashamed? In this interview, Maarten Aalberse suggests that we have a tendency to feel ashamed about feeling shame and that this causes us problems. He suggests responding to those feelings with empathy … Continue reading →

Posted in Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT), Mindfulness | Tagged , , , | 9 Comments

Using ACT in Career Change

Posted on June 24, 2012 by

Why do bright, motivated people get stuck in their careers? I’ve spent the last 10 years or so thinking about the issue and working with people who are stuck in this way. I write about this in my other blog, … Continue reading →

Posted in Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT), Careers, Decision making, Meaning, Mindfulness, Organisations and careers, Psychological Flexibility, Values, Work | Leave a comment

A Start

Posted on June 12, 2012 by

Sometimes it’s hard to know how to start things.  Especially big, important things.  It feels like that first step has to be right or the plan has to be bottomed out, or the whole thing will fall apart. But one … Continue reading →

Posted in Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT), Behaviour change, Mindfulness, Psychological Flexibility | 4 Comments

On Holding Our Feelings Gently

Posted on June 8, 2012 by

This post is based on some writing by Dr Hank Robb. Hank is a deeply wise psychologist based in Oregon. You can see a video of him here. Sometimes, when we act to make something important in our lives, we experience painful … Continue reading →

Posted in Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT), Mindfulness, Stress and resilience | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

If You Had a Couple of Extra Hours In The Week, What Would You Spend Them On?

Posted on June 4, 2012 by

Just imagine, something magical happens and you suddenly find yourself with two extra hours in the week. Empty…waiting to be used. What a delicious thought! How would you choose to spend those hours? Would you: Work on a pet project … Continue reading →

Posted in Meaning, Mindfulness, Values | Tagged , | Leave a comment

How Promising Managers Sometimes Derail Their Careers…and How to Prevent It

Posted on April 19, 2012 by

According to The Centre for Creative Leadership almost 1 in 2 of the managers who have the makings of success fail to reach their potential. They ‘derail’ and are either demoted, fired, plateau or opt for early retirement (William A Gentry). … Continue reading →

Posted in Careers, Mindfulness, Organisations and careers, Psychological Flexibility, Relationships / communication, Stress and resilience | Tagged , , | 3 Comments