If someone asked you to define your top work-related strengths, how would you respond? Can you give robust examples of these strengths in action? What parts of your job do you really enjoy, feel energised by and connected to? When I ask my coaching clients these questions many have no idea what their strengths actually are. On the flip side they are great at naming their weaknesses and faults and spend way too much time and energy lamenting those and trying to ‘fix’ them. 

Burnout and stress are terms I frequently encounter in my coaching sessions. While they share similarities, they're distinct in nature. Stress is generally a response to handling too many tasks and tends to dissipate once the stressor is removed; it can often be mitigated through specific coping strategies and learned skills. Burnout, on the other hand, stems from prolonged and unresolved stress. By the time burnout sets in, merely eliminating the stressor or taking a break is insufficient for recovery. At this stage, an individual's resilience is severely diminished, rendering them unable to effectively manage any work-related stress. Comprehensive support is essential for facilitating a complete recovery.

Summer always seems so short, and I remember as a child believing those long summer days would never end, with September somewhere in the very faraway distant future. Even as adults, we tend to slow down our busy routines and relax more, engaging in more fun stuff and spending more time with friends and family, etc. And then September looms - it’s like coming home from the beach after a gorgeous day out but now there is gritty sand everywhere and everyone is hungry, tired and cranky!! 

September can feel like summer's serious best friend, reminding us of all we need to accomplish before the year ends and urging us to get moving fast. It's similar to New Year, with a refocusing on healthy habits and routines. 

n today's fast-paced and high-pressure work environments, managing stress has become a familiar challenge for many. Common causes of workplace stress are numerous including heavy workloads, long working hours, tight deadlines, lack of control or autonomy, work-life balance issues, interpersonal conflicts and organizational changes. Whilst stress is a natural response to real (or perceived) threats or challenges, chronic stress can take a toll on our physical and mental health negatively impacting not just our job performance and productivity but our overall physical, emotional and mental health. It is essential to take the best care that you can of your health even in a stressful and busy workplace environment. There are various strategies that you can use to manage your stress effectively which may improve your overall physical, emotional and mental health including your well-being, resilience and productivity. 

In my coaching practice, I see an increasing number of clients, both men and women, who are exhausted and struggling in many areas of their lives, uncertain about how to move forward effectively. These hardworking and successful individuals find that being a high achiever is more challenging than ever.

Last weekend I went on a mountain hike with my local mountaineering group. It was lots of fun and a little tough! Outside my comfort zone at times and a little daunting reminding me of the parallels between climbing mountains and mastering stress management.  Climbing mountains much like navigating the complexities of daily life—whether in our work, home, relationships, or health—requires strategy, resilience, and determination. 

Here are some insights that occurred to me after our hike that could apply to effective stress management:

We all want to live a life that is feels meaningful and purposeful to us and this can be easier said than done! By identifying your core values and aligning your life with them is an important gift to give yourself – the gift of inner peace and a more meaningful purposeful life. 

What do I mean by values and core values and why are they important? 

Our value systems were developed as we moved through childhood into adulthood and were strongly influenced by our earliest caregivers including society, culture and other systems we belonged to

As the festive season season approaches with its bright lights and festive music, the pressure to create a perfect holiday can make this time of year a stressful time for many of us! There are many reasons why people find the Christmas period to be so stressful – including pressure to create the perfect family gathering, comparing our lives to the unrealistic perfect versions we think we ‘should’ be living and of course the financial pressure associated with this time of the year. However, there are ways to manage this stress and enjoy the holiday season.

Create Realistic Expectations: One significant source of Christmas stress is the pursuit of perfection. Remember, perfection is an illusion. It's essential to set realistic expectations and accept that things might not always go as planned. This Christmas, set realistic expectations for yourself and others. This means accepting that things may not always go as planned and being okay with that. Do you and what is right for you and yours. Embrace imperfection and the uniqueness of your celebrations. 

By simply reflecting on your weekly wins using this simple practise you can boost your wellbeing, give yourself more perspective and develop a higher level of self-awareness. Now, whats not to love about that!  This is a great exercise to take you out of your busy, judgmental, overly critical mind and into a calmer, compassionate and curious mindset. This will give you a more balanced and dare I say it, a more accurate reflection of what you actually achieved this week- think of all those important conversations you had, all those next steps taken, actions closed off and this happy list will go on - trust me!

In today's crazy world, finding any sort of balance between our personal and professional lives can be a challenging and frustrating endeavour. I know this from my own experience and also from working with clients as everyone I trying to juggle family responsibilities, work commitments, social activities and everything else that makes up a modern-day life! 

And when I ask clients about a self-care routine /practise I can see the blood drain from many a face!   

Sometimes even having that discussion about creating a better work / life balance can trigger not just frustration but also overwhelm and anxiety. With some support and proactive thinking, we can prioritise simple yet effective strategies to help create a sense of balance between work and our personal life keeping unhealthy stress, potential burnout and a diminished sense of well-being in check. 

Undergoing a minor surgical procedure can be a nerve-wracking experience, even when it's technically "routine." Recently, I found myself on the operating table, receiving a local anaesthetic on my forehead to remove a sebaceous cyst. What appeared as a simple procedure from the outside was an entirely different story within my mind. My brain perceived this minor surgery as a life-threatening event, triggering my fight or flight stress response. In this article, I'll share my experience and how understanding the brain's response to perceived threats can help manage stress and anxiety.

Living a meaningful and purposeful life is a universal human aspiration - even at work! 

One powerful way to achieve this is by identifying and aligning with your core values. We all have a good idea of what we value in life and what is important to us so when we take a moment to reflect many things come to mind for example ‘Health’, ‘Family’, ‘Respect’ etc. However, your core values are the core principles that you live by, that permeate all aspects of your life (including your work life!) becoming your code of conduct. 

Life is a complex tapestry interwoven with imperfections, where setbacks, adversity, and challenges intertwine mercilessly, shaping and defining our lives. These setbacks come in various forms, including personal loss, health issues, career obstacles, relationship challenges, and financial struggles. However, our ability to recognize, manage, and overcome these obstacles lies within our resilience.

Spring is finally beginning to spring and I’m getting a real sense of longer, brighter days as trees are coming into bud, daffodils are beginning to show and the countryside is coming alive with the noise of new life (including hundreds of frogs!!) 

Winter and spring are two very different seasons, and they have very distinct energies. Moving out of the restful and reflective energy of winter where typically everything feels more subdued and introspective. As the days are shorter, and the weather is often cold, wet and grey we tend to spend more time indoors, reflecting on what’s working in our lives and what needs to change.

Are you happy at work these days or do you dread every Monday and race desperately to each weekend? How much energy do you have at work and for the office dynamics? Do you feel invigorated and engaged or down and disengaged?

Striving to be happy at work is a common goal for individuals everywhere. Many scientific studies have shown that happy employees are more productive, engaged, motivated, and resilient in many aspects of their lives.  And you might wonder why is wellbeing (rather than salary, job-title etc) linked to successful outcomes? The research confirms that when we feel positive and well, we think, feel and act in ways that create more success for us becoming more solution-focused and resourcefu

Coaching is on the rise! The second fastest growing industry on the planet is not healthcare, engineering or even food services. It is in fact Coaching – a relatively new industry - approx. 30 years old -and according to many stats this newbie is expected to reach a value of $20B in the next couple of years! According to the 2020 Global Coaching Study released by the International Coaching Federation (ICF; 2020) there are now more than 71,000 coach practitioners worldwide, an increase of 33% from 2015. Coaching is growing in popularity as people are simply realising that they have a lot of control over their own lives and if they want to live their best life it is up to them. Coaching can be applied in many different contexts, such as personal development, professional and career development, business, education, health and wellness, sports etc. As the industry grows, you can find a coach for almost anything!