Alla inlägg märkta: psychology

How to find peace amidst of it all

”Everything will be okay in the end, and if it’s not okay, it’s not the end.” To embrace peace in moments of distress and chaos may not be the easiest thing to do. However, in times like these it’s more important than ever that we take that deep breath, and let go of feelings such as anxiety and fear. When our bodies are stressed they are more receptive to diseases. Therefore, it’s of utmost importance that we act from wisdom and rationality, rather than from fear and panic.  With that being said, what can we do right now, in order to diminish distress and worry? I’ve listed significant steps and habits to adopt that can be helpful in reducing stress in our lives. To find balance between being aware of what’s going on, but at the same time – don’t let it consume our inner state of being in a way that may become fatal. It’s a difficult time for all of us, as a great amount of people will suffer not only physically and mentally, …

How to set healthy boundaries

Silly darling, stop craving her attention if you can’t handle her love.”   In order to build your own personal and emotional space you need to know how to set and communicate healthy boundaries. It’s essential to establish and communicate personal boundaries for our mental and emotional wellbeing, and sometimes even our safety. But why can communicating boundaries be so darn difficult at times? And how do we set compassionate boundaries within our relationships? To begin with I would like to mention that I’m far from perfect when it comes to setting and communicating boundaries. However, I’ve learned a lot the past years by being in challenging relationships. And while I may not have understood how to set boundaries then, I now know better, and can see things (the past) with much brighter eyes. We learn by going through different life experiences, since they are here to teach us, not to punish us. And I guess some things require plenty of trial and error before we can finally say – I think I know better now. I believe …

What would you do if you weren’t afraid?

”Darling I know, some things take insane bravery. But after that you’ll be free.”   Fear is always about the next moment, not about what is happening right now. Fear is something yet to be, or something that does not exist. The fear is simply existing because you’re not living with life, you’re living with your mind.  I’ve been thinking a lot about fear lately, and why it’s so common that we humans are so afraid of the unknown, afraid of taking risks and going after our dreams (at least I know I struggle with feelings like these more often than not, and I bet I’m not the only one). But the more I think about it, by letting fear take over we let our imagination run wild (in a negative sense). We focus on questions such as – what if I fail? And what if it works out, what then? These are questions that keep us stuck in our comfort zones, questions that prevent us from even trying. A question I like to ask …

Authenticity

”Thou may be kind, but that doesn’t make thou naive. Thou may be vulnerable, but that doesn’t make thou weak.”   Authentic: Not false or copied; genuine; real. Representing one’s true nature or beliefs; true to oneself or to the person identified.  Authenticity. What does it mean? What does it mean to you? Who are you, when you’re your most authentic self? And why is it, that at times, it makes one feel weak when showing one’s true nature? It makes one feel exposed. Vulnerable. You peeled off all of your layers, you ripped off all of your clothes, standing bare naked, hand in hand with your soul.  I believe in being genuine. To myself and to the people around me. However, that doesn’t mean that I’ve always succeeded in showing my true self. Far from it. Nonetheless, I can honestly say that there has been a tremendous growth within me when it comes to being honest. And I kinda like that. It makes me feel powerful. Far from weak. Some people might call me naive. On …

Beautiful minds

”If you only knew all the things you’re capable of… Darling, imagine all that you could do!”   We’re amazing creatures. We’ve travelled to the moon, cured illnesses, developed micro processes, written master pieces, created astonishing art and breathtaking architecture. The human mind is impressive. You’re impressive. Don’t you ever forget just how extraordinary you are. Cultivating the power within will help you reach goals more easily. It will help you create a life filled with happiness, love and abundance. A life blooming with opportunities. With cultivating the power within I mean having trust and faith within yourself; a deep trust that you’re capable of achieving all of your desires. You see, it all starts with believing in yourself. You have to rewire your thoughts if that’s what it takes – shift the way you perceive yourself, and become aware of the words you use to describe yourself. If you’re constantly doubting yourself, and your ability to accomplish certain things you’ll have difficulties proceeding and succeeding, and most likely your life will become stagnant. With that …

Happiness comes from setting goals?

”The secret of your future is hidden in your daily routine.”   A couple of days ago I read an interesting article in the Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat – ”Onni tulee tavoitteista.” (Roughly translated; Happiness comes from goals.) The article is an interview with 40 year old Satu Pihlaja, a Finnish psychotherapist. At the moment she is working on a dissertation, while studying two other degrees and operating a privat clinic as a psychotherapist. In her spare time she practices yoga, sings in a rock band and spends time with her friends. (How many hours does she have during a day?!) Setting and accomplishing goals is, however, possible for every single one of us. It can be regarded as a characteristic that can be taught.  Satu Pihlaja does not regard herself as a ”doer”. During her teenage years she started to ask herself why she didn’t have any goals. She realized how dissatisfying it was to start studying the night before an exam. It was when she applied for the university that she understood that she won’t …

What I learned working in Customer Service

”A simple act of kindness costs very little, but the dividend is remarkably powerful.” Most of my adult years I’ve been working in customer service, either as a full-time job or as a part-time job while studying. You might not expect a slightly introverted person to be working in customer service, but besides being more of an introvert I’m very kind-hearted, and I don’t mind helping people. In other words; I thrive off being able to help others. Even though some of the jobs drove me a bit crazy at times I wouldn’t be the person I am today if it weren’t for all the experiences I’ve gained. In my opinion working in customer service is a wonderful life lesson. It’s the most perfect way to learn more about human beings, and the way we behave in different situations. With that said, I’ve gathered some of the most important things I’ve learned after many years of serving people. Don’t take anything personally  What a person says to you says more about the person than it …