You may well have heard this story before, but it’s a great one to be reminded of from time to time, particularly at the start of a new year. 

 

An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. 

 

“A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy. 

 

“It is a terrible fight and is between two wolves. One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority and ego.” 

 

He continued, “The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith. 

You may think us a tad over optimistic (!) but we would like to think that the majority of topics we cover in this blog – and suggestions made – boil down to simple commonsense. Or, as an online dictionary so beautifully put it: 

 

“the basic level of practical knowledge and judgment that we all need to help us live in a reasonable and safe way.” 

 

Sadly conversations with clients – and sometimes with family and friends too (!) – often show that this is not the case at all. 

Now, before you panic, this isn’t a follow on from our last post about New Year’s resolutions... We’re not going to advocate a 5 mile run followed by a bracing cold shower and finished off with carrot sticks for breakfast (!). That’s unless you want to, of course!?! 

 

So what are we going to talk about? 

 

Well, in fact, almost the opposite. A gentler start to the day. One which sees you leaving home feeling calm, relaxed and ready for the day; rather than frazzled and, probably, bad tempered too. 

It’s that time of year – again (!) – so time for a different perspective on the dreaded New Year’s resolutions. 

 

Last year we suggested a kinder – and gentler – way to start the year. Ditching the big life changing resolutions, which rarely make it past twelfth night and are so negative.  

 

Focussing on the things you’re not going to do this year, rather than those you are. NOT drinking. NOT smoking. NOT vegetating on the sofa. NOT ……………………….. (fill in the blank). 

 

Is it any wonder that so many people start the New Year feeling miserable? 

Not surprisingly, the subject of Christmas – AHHHH!!! – has been coming up with patients over the last few weeks and we thought it was about time to suggest a NEW, LESS STRESSFUL approach. 

 

Even though you probably don’t want to be reminded of it (!) let’s start with a quick reminder of the traditional recipe for Christmas: 

Continuing on the festive theme from last week, do you ever spare a thought for the person who clears up all the mess after the office party? Probably not. 

 

So what about your own personal cleaner who’s on the job 24 hours a day, 7 days a week? Who has a host of other duties as well. Even less likely. 

 

In fact we’d be prepared to bet that the only time you think about your liver is when things go slightly awry. Say, a hangover. Or, perhaps, indigestion. 

With the festive season already upon us – and stress levels rachetting up to danger levels (!) – this week we’re going to give you a way to instantly bring a little sanity back into your life. Not to mention control. 

 

And “yes” that really is possible, even if it seems to go completely against everything you’ve ever done before. 

 

So how is this miracle performed?  

 

Well, quite simply, with a little acceptance. 

 

As regular readers may have noticed we cover a wide range of topics in this blog. Our aim is always to get you thinking – whether it’s about a completely new topic or to see a familiar one from a different perspective. In doing this, it can be easy to miss the links between all the various topics and this is what we’re focussing on today. 

 

So if you’re still thinking that this is a very strange question – and choice of picture below (!) – read on, it’ll all make sense in a minute. 

We heard this lovely story recently and thought we’d share it with you. It also follows on neatly from our recent blog post about how easy it is to ask for advice from the wrong person. 

 

So, here goes. 

 

A Psychiatrist, Engineer and Doctor got lost in the woods one dark winter’s night. Stumbling on a log cabin, they knocked on the door and, getting no answer, went inside for shelter. 

This week we’d like to give you a completely different perspective on illness. One you’ve probably never considered before. And that is the amount of energy it takes to be ill. 

 

Confused? Then read on and it’ll all become much clearer in a minute. 

 

If you’ve ever been unlucky enough to have Flu, the one thing you’re likely to remember above all others, was how exhausted you felt. As one client so eloquently put it, if someone had offered him a £50 note to get out of bed and run downstairs, he wouldn’t have been able to do it. 

 

So why is that?