What is procrastination and why do we do it?

Let me start with a confession: I’ve been wanting to write an article about procrastination, but have been putting it off for a long time… so ironically, I’ve been procrastinating about procrastination (writing). What is procrastination? Procrastination refers to delaying or not completing a given task, and instead engaging in a less important one, despite …

Assertiveness: The Goldilocks of Communication

Assertiveness is the quality of expressing your views, opinions or feelings, in a calm and clear manner, without becoming either verbally aggressive or too passive. It’s a fine balance to strike, and we don’t always get it right.  Let’s have a look into the 3 most common styles of communication that people generally use. I’m …

Mindfulness and Mental Well-Being: Part 2

Mindfulness has been incorporated into several psychological interventions, either as a sole or core component of the intervention. A body of research has examined the effects of mindfulness on psychological health and has suggested that mindfulness training is associated with positive psychological effects, including increased subjective well-being and positive emotional states, reduced stress, improved regulation …

Mindfulness and Mental Well-Being- Part 1

What is Mindfulness? Mindfulness has been defined as the awareness that arises through “paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally” (Kabat-Zinn, 1994, p. 4). Other similar descriptions of mindfulness have emphasised “the non-judgmental observation of the ongoing stream of internal and external stimuli as they arise” (Baer, 2003, …

To Engage or Not To Engage in Therapy: That Is the Question

At some point in your life, you will have felt sad, demotivated or anxious. This could be associated with a particular negative life event, such as the loss of a loved one (through death, separation, divorce), loss of career (with potential financial difficulties), illness/injury/ loss of health, or relationship struggles. The impact these negative life …