Our self-talk is an indicator of our relationship with ourselves. Our internal dialogue and repeating thoughts affect how we feel. Negative self-talk, self-judgement and criticism make us feel terrible. People have this mistaken belief that if they criticise themselves enough, they will improve. This is NEVER the case. Criticism never leads to improvement. It just [...]
When we get stressed or triggered, our nervous system goes into fight or flight mode. And this affects our brain and thinking. The calm part of our brain that’s responsible for rational thinking shuts down when we’re in fight or flight. This is why we can’t think clearly, our thoughts become negative and our mind [...]
There is a close relationship between the state of our nervous system and our state of mind. When our nervous system feels unsafe, our brain automatically becomes more anxious as the fear centre of the brain (amygdala) takes over. When we’re stressed our thoughts are automatically more negative, impulsive and focused on worst-case scenarios. Trying [...]
Recently I won Bronze in the AusMumpreneur Awards for Overcoming the Odds. I shared my story of thriving after adversity and turning my wounds into wisdom. Shortly after my birthday in 2015, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I was already in a dark place as my Dad was dying and my marriage had just [...]
Breathwork is gaining popularity as a way to bio-hack our nervous system. But, not all breathwork is suitable for people with trauma. What is trauma? Trauma is any event that overwhelmed our nervous system and our capacity to cope. What distinguishes trauma from stress is that when we're faced with a stressful situation, we [...]
Most of us are familiar with the adage: prevention is better than cure. It's easier, cheaper, and less time consuming to stop something happening in the first place than to repair the damage after it has happened. We know that eating well can help reduce our risk of illness. We know that brushing our teeth [...]
Ever been told to calm down when you're stressed? Or don't sweat the small stuff when you're clearly sweating the small stuff? These well-intended statements often have the opposite effect. Not only are they unhelpful in the moment, but they also make us feel bad for reacting the way we do. [...]
As a recovering stress junkie, I know first-hand how burnout feels. It's a horrible combination of complete physical exhaustion with an over-stimulated mind. The phrase tired and wired sums it up. Our mind is in overdrive and unable to stop while our body is begging us to slow down and rest. Burnout is usually the [...]
We all encounter resistance. And what's really interesting is why we resist the things that we KNOW are good for us. While conventional wisdom would have us believe that we need to try harder, be more disciplined, and use our willpower, there is a deeper reason we resist doing things that are in our best [...]
I used to believe that being hard on myself was a good thing and that criticising myself would make me better. Yet we know how we feel when a friend criticises us, we contact, shut down or get defensive. Or we ruminate for days on end. Unless the criticism is constructive and said to highlight [...]