Derval

We often imagine that at some point we'll feel ready. Ready to have the conversation, apply for the job, make the change, put ourselves forward, set the boundary or start something new. We tell ourselves we're waiting for the right time, or until we feel a little more confident, have more clarity or know exactly what we're doing. And sometimes that is exactly what we need. There are times when waiting is wise, when we need more information, more support or simply more time. But there are...

When we hear the word practice, we tend to think about something we are deliberately trying to get better at. Learning a language, training for something, preparing for a presentation or developing a new skill. But we are practising ways of being all the time, often without realising it. If you regularly say yes when you really want to say no, you are getting very practised at overriding yourself. If your response to a busy period at work is to speed up, work later and take more on, you're...

There are moments in life when we look at ourselves and think:"Why am I making such a big deal out of this?" Maybe it is the email that sits unanswered for three days even though it would take five minutes to reply or the conversation you rehearse over and over in your head before finally having it. Or maybe it is the tears that arrive out of nowhere over something that "shouldn't" upset you this much or the snapping at someone you love when really you were exhausted long before that moment...