How to cope when others resist you changing
Most people resist change. Even if they’re unhappy, they avoid taking action to make life better. But what if you want to change, while others round you don’t? They may even oppose you moving towards...
unhelpful thinking styles
Why naïve optimists don’t cope when life gets messy
If you’re a naïve optimist, life sometimes takes you by surprise – and not in a good way. For instance, you can be shocked by the unthinking or even callous way that some people behave....
What you believe is true isn’t always right
Adults tend to leap to conclusions without enough evidence to back them up. If they’re not careful, these assumptions can lead to bad decisions. Are you aware that what you believe is true isn’t always...
Close enough: successive approximations are better than perfection
“If you can’t do it properly, don’t do it at all.” Did people say this to you all the time when you were young? Does it still echo round your head? This common saying is...
How to make positive affirmations work better for you
You’ve all heard the folk wisdom: positive affirmations change how you see yourself. But how can you make positive affirmations work if you have low self-esteem? According to the theory, you repeatedly tell yourself you...
Simple way to make positive affirmations effective
Jessie wants to feel more competent at work. But positive affirmations have made her feel worse. Unfortunately, she’s not using them the right way. Read on to learn the simple trick to make positive affirmations...
Can you see the future? Only with magical thinking
Can you predict the future? Or is this magical thinking? Anyway, how would that actually work? As humans, we make lots of mistakes in the way we think. Often these are short-cuts taken by the...
Blaming yourself? Maybe you don’t know the real story
Young children only see a limited slice of life. So they can misread situations that happen around them. Then they may jump to the wrong conclusions about why things happen. In fact, they may end...
Sleep: fix the habit that makes the most difference
Bill needs to improve his sleep habits. Over the past year, fatigue has caused a cascade of problems in every area of his life. So if he tackles the one habit that makes the most...
Avoidance shrinks your world and erodes skills
People who are anxious often start to withdraw from anything that causes them worry. It might only be in minor ways to start with. But over time, avoidance erodes your skills until life is narrow...
Worry seems rewarding but it’s magical thinking
Nobody likes how worry makes you feel – panicky, tense and out of control. So why do we keep worrying? Part of the answer is, that in a peculiar way, worry seems rewarding. Weird, right?...
Do you think worrying is useful? Think again
Do you think worrying is useful? Is the stress is causes really worth it? Many people think so, but they often don’t realise there are better ways to deal with issues. Learn from the experience...
Worry is self-defeating and ruins happiness
All her life, Sarah confused worry with problem-solving. Now, we’ll find out how self-defeating her beliefs about worry were. So if you believe there are benefits to worry, think again. We first met Sarah when...
Stick to goals using mindfulness: be more consistent
Do you set goals and then ditch them after a few days? Lack of follow-through is so frustrating. Yet it’s so common. Well, don’t worry. Learn to be more consistent and stick to goals using...
Be realistic – you can’t always make someone else happy
Do you give yourself a hard time for minor lapses? If so, learn to identify your unhelpful self-talk. In the process, let go of unreasonable rules you hold for yourself. For example, you may believe...
Is blaming yourself for everything making life hard?
If you’re always blaming yourself for everything, take note. It’s not always your fault! You don’t possess super powers. You can’t predict everything bad or that will ever go wrong. So why are you taking...
