Everybody makes mistakes. Every parent makes mistakes. And they aren’t always little ones. So, how do you recover and move on when you recognise that you’ve stuffed up? Start by treating yourself with compassion. Recognise that you aren’t alone. You are an imperfect human being, just like the rest of us and we all stuff […]
So, here’s a confession: I have a nasty voice in my head. On a good day, the voice is just a bit picky and pushy, pointing out my mistakes and generally taking a pessimistic view of life. At its worst the voice is an out and out bully! And gosh, is she loud whenever something […]
Experiential acceptance, the ability to sit with difficult thoughts, feelings, sensations and memories, as they arise in the lived present moment, is a cornerstone of the latest psychological therapies such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Sometimes, within ACT, experiential acceptance is described as willingness, as in willingness to have difficult thoughts, feelings, sensations and […]
I’m currently participating in a series of podcast interviews with Nicky from Practical Research Parenting. The latest podcast is part two of the Possums Sleep Intervention. During this podcast, I discuss the new approach to parent-infant sleep that I developed working with Dr Pamela Douglas, and that is in use at the Possums Clinic. You […]
I’m currently participating in a series of podcast interviews with Nicky from Practical Research Parenting. Part two of Angry Parents is up! To access this second podcast click here: Angry Parents Part Two
One of the most incredible and unique aspects of being a parent, just at this point in human history, is the fact that we are saturated with parenting rules. One hundred years ago, parents may have received advice from their own family, their neighbour, and their local doctor or nurse. Nowadays the shoulds of parenting […]
I’m currently participating in a series of podcast interviews with Nicky from Practical Research Parenting. The first podcast focuses on why Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is useful to parents and how ACT can help you to manage anger as a parent. To access this first podcast click here: Angry Parents Part One
We have a tendency to make one big mistake when it comes to managing stress: we look inside ourselves. Basically, we think, ‘hmm… I don’t like this feeling of stress, how can I make it go away? How can I change my thoughts and feelings and take away this stress?’ And all that trying to […]
Ever been in one of those moments that renders you speechless? Perhaps something tragic and unexpected happened to someone you know. You watched the horror unfold. You searched desperately for the right words and just couldn’t find them. Or maybe you weren’t on the sidelines watching the horror unfold, maybe the loss was yours too. […]
Mindfulness involves practising keeping your awareness in the here and now, with an accepting, compassionate stance towards your own moment to moment experiences. Regular mindfulness practice has many benefits including lowering stress and preventing and treating depression and anxiety. You may already be familiar with mindfulness practice as sitting meditation, zazen, yoga or even tai […]