Your Happiness Factor

Robert Plutchik's Wheel of Emotions (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Developing Empathy – Playing Emotional Charades I truly believe the greatest gift we can give ourselves and our children is the gift of empathy. That is the ability to see and feel life from someone else's perspective. Empathy is at the root of compassion and positive relationships as well as all good communication. Empathy is behind our ability to listen well and really understand what someone else is trying to tell us. It helps us to to frame and convey our messages to others. But, sadly, not all of us seem blessed with empathy by birth and up bringing. So, what can we do to develop our empathy skills? The following is a little exercise for children taken from a book that now sadly is out of print “Adventures in Guidance: How to Integrate Fun into Your Guidance Program ”. I believe it can easily be adapted for adults who would like to polish up their empathy skills. Emotional

Is shame spoiling your life? Shame is a hard emotion to deal with. Usually it happens when we start to believe something about ourselves that we think others will criticize. Or it can happen because of the way someone else treats us. Sometimes it combines with guilt about something we've done that offends our values. But it can poison our relationships and erode our confidence. Here are some steps you can take to help to confront and overcome shame.   What is this issue? Spend some time alone, or with someone you trust like a coach, really exploring the cause of your sense of shame. It helps sometimes to write things down. Try to sort out the various strands that contribute to your feeling, It may be very complex so take it right down to its constituent parts. Don't rush it – take the time and space you need to make it clear to yourself. Who is causing you to feel shame? Is it you? Is it the way someone else is behaving? Or is it how you t

“My clients are genuinely surprised when we start working together – they think that I am going to tell them what to do, but it’s not like that. They also come in feeling nervous and apprehensive but once we have met a few times, they even start to enjoy it. At the end of the day, it’s a brave move to come to Relate, but for almost everyone, it’s one of the best moves they have made.” This video explains how relationship counselling works If you are facing divorce or separation, dealing with an affair or a major conflict in a relationship, then relationship counselling really can help. Relationship counselling helps you to make the most of your relationships, past, present or future. Working with relationship counsellor can help you, even if you are not currently in a relationship and worried about it.  Many people believe that relationship counselling is only there to help with the major crises in people’s relationships.  But they are also there for th

The Android Emulator home screen. (Photo credit: Wikipedia )  Monday Quotes - Time Management Time = life; therefore, waste your time and waste of your life, or master your time and master your life. Alan Lakein The key is in not spending time, but in investing it. Stephen R. Covey This time, like all times, is a very good one, if we but know what to do with it. Ralph Waldo Emerson If you want to make good use of your time, you’ve got to know what’s most important and then give it all you’ve got. Lee Iacocca You’re writing the story of your life one moment at a time. Doc Childre and Howard Martin One cannot manage too many affairs: like pumpkins in the water, one pops up while you try to hold down the other. Chinese Proverb Never let yesterday use up today. Richard H. Nelson Realize that now, in this moment of time, you are creating. You are creating your next moment. That is what’s real. Sara Paddison Until you value yourself, you will not va

34 diet & fitness tips you need to know iVillage have picked 34 of the best tips from the world's top diet and fitness gurus, to help you get started on your plan, stay motivated and reach your goals: 1. Diet for the season 'Get up earlier in summer and later in winter, in line with natural sunlight hours. Don't eat late at night or before you're fully awake.' Nutritionist Patrick Holford, author of The New Optimum Nutrition Bible (£9.74 Piatkus) 2. Stay hydrated at the gym 'Your gym may have drinking fountains but they won't help you keep an eye on how much you drink. Make sure you take a large bottle with you to the gym and keep it to hand whenever you are in class or on a machine.' Steve Shipside, author of Win at the Gym (£9.74 Infinite Ideas) 3. Shake things up 'Though there's not much scientific proof that it works, some dieters find that changing some of their meal plan selections from week to