Winter Newsletter
On January - 4 - 2010ADD COMMENTS
Winter Newsletter
by Nicola Croote, Counsellor at Chelsea Natural Health Clinic, Fulham RD, SW10
Winter is the time when things stop growing and energy gets drawn into the earth. This can have the effect of making you feel tired and withdrawn. You may feel the need to sleep more, find yourself having less energy and probably wanting to retreat inside away from the cold. Although winter can be difficult for many due to short days and long drawn out dark nights it can also be a good time to re-connect with yourself and use the time inside to reflect on where you are in your life and to think about what you want for the year ahead. It can be a great time to meditate or to learn to as there is less distraction in the winter months and meditation with candle light can be a wonderful way of calming any stress or tension.
Winter Solstice on December 21st was the official beginning of winter and the shortest day of the year which means that from that day onwards, nights get lighter and days get longer albeit very gradually!
The New Year can be a great time for reflection on the past year “ are you in the place you would like to be both physically and emotionally? What did you do well in 2009 and what could have been done differently on reflection? New Year’s resolutions feature highly in most of our plans for change, however if you’re planning on making resolutions it may help to spend time thinking about exactly what you’d like to change in your life and plan to take small steps to ensure that you are able to achieve the goals that you set for yourself. For example if you plan to stop smoking but have failed in the past, what could you do differently this time ie. use patches, join a support group etc. Think about using the SMART method of goal setting (see my Christmas article for more information).
The weeks after Christmas and New Year can be a time when you may feel quite low as the anti-climax of the festive season sets in. Finances are low due to the big spend in December and the weather can be grey and cold. Brighten up your life by bringing in colour into your surroundings; treat yourself to some new additions to your wardrobe or home, you don’t have to spend lots, visit charity shops or go to the local car boot sale which can harbour hidden gems just waiting to be bartered for. If your outer world is bright and colourful your inner world follows. Ensure that you nourish yourself with warm, healthy seasonal food as it is widely known that food affects mood.
Winter can be a challenging time for many of us but it doesn’t have to be unbearable, use these tips to help yourself have a memorable and reflective season and if you decide that its time to invest in a psychological cleanse in the form of committing to attending counselling/psychotherapy, get in touch and we can discuss how you can start working towards obtaining those goals that you would like to set for yourself.
All the best
Nicola
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Has Your Christmas Lost its Sparkle?
On December - 7 - 2009ADD COMMENTS
Has Your Christmas Lost its Sparkle?
by Nicola Croote, Counsellor at Chelsea Natural Health Clinic, Fulham RD SW10.
Christmas is drawing near and for a lot of people it means spending time with family or loved ones, indulging in lots of rich and decadent food, drinking alcohol and general merriment and enjoyment. However Christmas can also be a time of reflection and can often highlight what we have or haven’t got in our lives. This can bring up difficult feelings for many and Christmas ends up being a struggle to get through rather than something to enjoy. The media often triggers feelings of inadequacy as were constantly bombarded with happy family scenes when actually its the time of year when arguments are more likely to happen in the home, purely because of the amount of pressure were all under to have a good time! Its also a time when debt is accrued by many in the desperate attempts to fulfil their loved ones Christmas wish list, only to be followed by a major financial hangover in the new year when debts need repaying.
There are ways that you can get through this testing time. Try not to buy into the media hype and see it as a time for you to give to yourself, notice what you are saying to yourself; is it kind and thoughtful or critical and negative? Nurture yourself with loving and positive thoughts and take the extra time you have off over the holiday season to reflect on the past year and to think about where you want to be this time next year. What do you want to achieve and what do you need to do in order to attain this? Set yourself goals and break them down into small manageable steps using the SMART method as follows:
Specific – write down exactly what you want to achieve
Measurable - ensure that you are able to measure your progress along the way
Attainable - when you set your goals ensure that they are achievable and you are able to take the steps needed to reach them
Realistic - make sure that your goals are do-able and realistic for you
Timed - set a time frame for your goals. Putting an end point on your goal gives you a clear target to work towards.
When it comes to presents, buy gifts that are thoughtful rather than extravagant or expensive, you could even try making something which not only help you to get in touch with your creative side but can also be very therapeutic and you will be giving something unique to your loved ones.
If, however you find that Christmas is just too much, you find that you are struggling with your feelings for yet another year and none of the above is working for you, maybe its time for you to invest in yourself and your emotional well being by giving counselling a try. Counselling can be useful in helping you to understand your difficult feelings, help you to work through them and learn how to manage them instead of them managing you. It can be a way of setting and attaining your goals for the future and ensuring that from now on Christmas is on your terms and no one else’s.
If you would like to book an appointment or call to discuss how counselling can help you please contact me on 0207 352 3087/07841 420067 or alternatively use the form to email me at the clinic
Seasons greetings