Harry* had come to see me for stress and sleeping issues. “I’ve had insomnia before, but this is getting out of hand”. He had recently taken on a new role at the same time as starting an online diploma. He was surviving with the workload (and thriving – his grades and work performance were excellent) but was sleepless and irritable....[ read more ]
Kids are frustrating because they don’t listen. You tell them not to run on concrete, they ignore and then fall and scrape their knees. You tell them to get ready for dinner, they keep playing and a shouting match ensues when they arrive late. If only they would do what the bigger, stronger, wiser person (i.e. you) told them. Wouldn’t...[ read more ]
This is the last post on the series of Thinking Traps. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading these! If you want to know more about these traps, I suggest researching and reading about Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy. Overgeneralisation – Not seeing the trees for the forest “I always come last, I’m a failure!” “Nothing ever goes my way!” “Everyone can’t stand me!”...[ read more ]
This is the first in a series of articles on antifragile living. These articles are based on the concept of antifragility coined by statistician/philosopher/stockbroker, Nassim Nicolas Taleb. See here for my introduction to antifragility. These articles will introduce lifestyle heuristics (rules of thumb) for thriving, not suffering from the chaos of life. Taleb is famous for highlighting the power of...[ read more ]
“I just know myself, I won’t be able to see this through”. Tim arrived at therapy already predicting that he would drop out. Tim was his own worst enemy – drug use, broken relationships, promising jobs squandered – Tim had impulsiveness issues. “I self-sabotage, I probably have ADHD, never diagnosed though.” Children are immediate. They want what they want, and...[ read more ]
“They should’ve never had me lifting pallets. They should’ve admitted they stuffed up. And they should’ve never stopped paying for my chiropractor”. It was hard to argue with Gavin*. He had been a hard-working storeman and his employee hadn’t shown much care for him when he injured his back three years ago. “I have to live with this pain every...[ read more ]
“I can’t cut down on work hours because there are a set of redundancies coming up. I can’t settle down at home because of my wife’s thyroid problems. My youngest has got Naplan coming up, so I have to be there for her. My parents are elderly, and I can’t worry them with my problems”. Herman* was on a roll....[ read more ]
People suffering from a narcissistic family member or work colleague, take heart! Things are looking up! That’s the message from a recent study led by Eunike Wetzel. Eunike and her team analysed the data from a sample of American college students who, 23 years ago, measured highly on three scores of narcissism: Entitlement, vanity and self-perceived leadership qualities. They found...[ read more ]
“It’s weak, pathetic”. Brad spat out these syllables in a seething, bitter snarl, when asked how he felt. He was angry, and it felt like he was unhappy with me. But he wasn’t, he was unhappy with himself for being in a psychologist’s rooms. Talking to yourself can be helpful. Motivation is one of the most helpful aspects of self-talk....[ read more ]
Figure, Ground and Frame Our sensory organs are relentlessly bombarded with information. A newborn baby does not know what to look at, what to listen out for. Their world must be chaotic and disorienting. But over time they learn what demands their attention – they see patterns and then seek out these patterns. And the rest gets filtered out. The...[ read more ]
