05 November 2015

Recommended reading: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying
by Marie Kondo

This book is a must have for any person struggling with clutter or letting go of their excessive possessions. Give it to your fellow "hoarders" for Christmas and free them and yourself from being surrounded by overcrowded space. It is for children as well as adults. Marie's talent for tidying will bring joy, energy and more space into your life.  I can't recommend it highly enough.

Available to purchase on Amazon and at all good bookstores.

Ideas for Christmas made easy



Okay, so Christmas is coming and the stress levels are too, so here are our tips on making it go smoothly.


  • Make lists for what needs to be done (decorating, food shopping, gifts) and start early. 
  • Use a calendar and get family involved. 
  • Make your list on a notebook that you can use again next year and even list names of babysitters and taxi companies.  
  • Make sure you prioritise what is most important to focus on first.  Is it ordering party food to be delivered or lining up the babysitters?
  • Set a budget and stick to it.  
  • Schedule in quiet / quality “me” time.
  • Gift buying made easy.  Gift tokens are great gifts and easy to buy.  Or take advantage of Snappy Snaps special offer of 3 for the price of 2. Last year we took a memory stick and created a personalized travel bag for everyone.  Everyone loved it.  It looked great and didn't cost a fortune.
  • Do it all on one day as it will focus the mind and it will be another thing off the list.  You will get the best prices on line.
  • Christmas card list.  Make it a family event and make sure you have enough pens and stamps.  Or you can each do 5 cards a night until it is done.  To save money, hand deliver the cards and get some exercise as a bonus.
  • Get family members to help and allocate tasks over the whole Christmas period.
  • Don’t go to a Christmas event or party out of guilt.  Save your energy for the most important ones.
  • Have a cut off point.  Then you can stop planning and start enjoying the spirit of Christmas.  If you work towards a goal you are more likely to stick to it.

Hypnotherapy to reduce anxiety



If you are feeling anxious, it will be the result of what you are thinking about the situation that is causing it.  The best way to reduce the effects the anxiety causes is to get focused on how to improve the situation.

We discuss two anxiety case studies below: work and illness.

It could be you are anxious about being made redundant, so instead of just living with it, ask yourself “what can I do to take control?”.  You can get your CV updated and start sending it out.  You can network on LinkedIn.  Try sites like Gumtree or Peopleperhour.  You don’t have to accept an offer if you go on the job interview but it could be a good experience to practice interview skills.  Be flexible about job positions.  Consider getting your foot in the door by taking a lower position and ask to be reviewed in 6 months.  Or retrain while you still have work in the evenings or weekends to add to your skills.

If you are constantly worried about ill health -  yours or that of a family member  -  again, ask yourself “what can I do to improve this situation?”.  If you have an illness like cancer, get active and do research on things you can do to help your body fight it.  My brother-in-law was given 4 months to live and surpassed it by almost 5 years by changing his lifestyle habits and following The Rainbow Diet.  He got active in his own cancer research.  There is a whole community online of people who have had the same experience.

You can also try new therapies, like acupuncture or cranialsacral therapy.  You can use hypnotherapy to change your thinking and get motivated to take action.  The time you waste “worrying” is draining and non-productive.

If you have pain, again, try other therapies and take exercise classes to keep your other muscles moving.

Remember most importantly, you do have a choice.  To worry or not to worry.  Enjoy your success.