February 18, 2022
- in The Mind Minute by Sam
How To Salvage A Bad Day
Sometimes you wake up and it’s just one of those days. Here’s five ways to save the day. Move Yourself. It seems to me that there inverse relationship between physical activity and overthinking. The more you sit, the more your mind moves. The more you move, the more your mind naps. Go outside. Fresh air solves a […]
Continue reading January 8, 2022
- in The Mind Minute by Sam
10 Brilliant Books To Read (and a special one to pre-order)
Here’s an eclectic selection of books which I read in 2021 which I wanted to share with you in case you are struggling for your next good read. If you are super busy, then just scroll to the last book on the list…you’ll see why I am plugging it! Books to help you understand the […]
Continue reading December 6, 2021
- in The Mind Minute by Sam
How To Cope With An Emotional Storm
This is a great exercise to do when you find yourself in an emotional storm. It will keep you steady so you can choose what actions you take rather than switching on your autopilot. It’s called Dropping An Anchor (Harris, 2009)Push your feet hard into the floorSit forward in your chair, and straighten your backPress […]
Continue reading October 25, 2021
- in The Mind Minute by Sam
One Key Question To Ask Yourself
The key question to ask yourself is this: ‘What am I willing to feel in order to live the kind of life I want?’[KM1] instead of this: ‘What can I do to stop feeling this way?’ You and I are not in total control of our emotions. We can influence them at times and avoid them for a bit, […]
Continue reading October 11, 2021
- in The Mind Minute by Sam
How To Take An Emotional History
It can be helpful to ask yourself what you have learnt in your life, and especially in childhood, about emotions. Think about the following:What emotions were off limits?What emotions were openly expressed?What did the adults around you do or say when you were upset?What strategies did people around you do to deal with difficult emotions?Do […]
Continue reading September 27, 2021
- in The Mind Minute by Sam
Clean Pain Vs Dirty Pain
There’s a lot of fake news going around about happiness. Perhaps the most pervasive one is that the normal state for humans is to be happy. We did not survive by being chilled out and happy. Now when we feel a so-called natural and normal ‘negative’ emotion, which might be totally appropriate, we think we have […]
Continue reading September 13, 2021
- in The Mind Minute by Sam
On Toxic Positivity
Positive thinking isn’t always the panacea it’s cracked up to be. It all depends on context – when and why you use it. Sometimes it’s fine to fuse and really buy into ‘I am super-duper brilliant at parking’ or ‘I nailed that interview.’ But you can fuse to a point of toxicity – ‘I am […]
Continue reading August 2, 2021
- in The Mind Minute by Sam
How To Improve Your Worrying
Our minds, sadly, are programmed to think about the future and predict what might go wrong and ultimately kill us. This jolly pastime is also, of course, known as worrying. You probably spend a lot of time worrying about how to worry less. This might include trying to drown yourself in positive thoughts or talk yourself […]
Continue reading July 12, 2021
- in The Mind Minute by Sam
On Coping With Disappointment
So, England lost. Not what I’d hoped for. I had face paints and bunting and everything. I feel pretty flat this morning. But it does feel different to other England footballing disappointments I’ve lived through (which have been numerous). And I think it’s this: because whilst we lost, I feel oddly hopeful. Hopeful because we […]
Continue reading July 5, 2021
- in The Mind Minute by Sam
Why You Should Throw Away Your To Do List
I am a list addict. If I had a personal catchprahse, it should be ‘Me Love Lists’. However, however. It has dawned on me that lists, as with everything in life, can become sticks with which we beat ourselves up. And the reason is this – the list can never end. Because that is the nature […]
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