Category Archives: Stress and resilience

Tackling Our Culture of Cruelty

Posted on December 6, 2012 by

A recent Panorama investigation found systematic abuse of elderly residents going on in a UK care home.  Some of the most vulnerable people in our society were being ritually abused by their so-called carers: On the top floor of a … Continue reading →

Posted in Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT), Behaviour change, Psychological Flexibility, Stress and resilience, Values, Work | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Having The Courage To Be Vulnerable

Posted on September 10, 2012 by

You know, sometimes all you need is twenty seconds of insane courage. Just literally twenty seconds of just embarrassing bravery, and I promise you, something great will come of it – Benjamin Mee (Matt Damon) in ‘We Bought a Zoo’ … Continue reading →

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

Why I Am Not As Empathic As I Want to Be

Posted on August 29, 2012 by

Last year, my daughter Ellie, had her wisdom teeth out. It was horrible. It is a painful and unpleasant procedure and, to make matters worse, Ellie has a needle phobia. Ellie felt terrified but she hid it well and looked completely calm. … Continue reading →

Posted in Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT), Psychological Flexibility, Stress and resilience | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

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 →

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The Benefits of Accepting Your Emotions and Treating Yourself Like A Child

Posted on May 2, 2012 by

Recently I was a bit upset. I was feeling sad, anxious and angry about a challenging situation in my life. I am not good with anger. My natural tendency is to fight it. I try to fix the feeling. My … Continue reading →

Posted in Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT), Stress and resilience | Tagged , | 1 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

Successful People Often Feel Bad Too

Posted on March 28, 2012 by

For most of my adult life I have worked in roles where people told me the truth about how they felt. This privilege has meant that I know an important secret. The secret is that most of us have good … Continue reading →

Posted in Meaning, Mindfulness, Stress and resilience | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

The Flaw

Posted on November 28, 2011 by

I recently watched a brilliant film, called The Flaw which explored the global financial crisis and its causes. Capitalism is a system which, through its invisible hand is able to benefit the many via the self interest of the few.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT), Meaning, Psychological Flexibility, Stress and resilience, Values, Work | 10 Comments

Self Compassion and Stress at Work

Posted on October 13, 2011 by

Next week I am giving a speech at the Queensland Nurse Leaders Conference on the topic of ‘Stressed Organisations, Distressed Staff’. One of the ideas I will be exploring is self-compassion. The evidence suggests that self-compassion can help when we are … Continue reading →

Posted in Psychological Flexibility, Stress and resilience | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Handling Painful Thoughts and Feelings

Posted on September 29, 2011 by

If we are to live rich and meaningful lives, painful thoughts and feelings are going to come along for the ride. If I love with all my heart, at some point I will get hurt. If I value doing a … Continue reading →

Posted in Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT), Meaning, Stress and resilience, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment