Its my birthday today, and whilst I am still hanging onto the last little bit of my forties, I find that I start to reflect on the last decade, and what has happened in my life, as well as what I am hoping for over the next few years.
For several years now, we have not tended to print photos out, so like many people, they are all 'trapped' on discs and PCs. So yesterday, we decided to have a good trawl through of all our photos from the last few years, and it was amazing to see all the places that we have been to, and the family and friends, and how they have altered over the years. I was surprised to find out that there were many events and trips that I had completely forgotten about.
Sometimes we tend to go through life in a sort of fog, not really taking note of what is happening around us, so that those really special times are just rolled into the hubbub of the rest of our lives, and not lived to the full.
I am so incredibly lucky that I have reached a stage in my life where I feel settled in both family and career, and although I have the usual worries of people in mid-life (teenage children, university fees, elderly parents with health problems) I am grateful to have good health myself, be surrounded by a wonderful friends and family, and to live in a really nice part of the country.
Above all, what I find particularly satisfying is to be able to have a job where I am able to change peoples lives (that sounds a bit boastful, doesn't it?). Very often my clients come to me in the depths of despair, as they feel completely helpless to get themselves out of their situation. Through hypnotherapy and NLP, we can start to find a pathway out of this negativity, which leads them to a solution. As this is a solution which THEIR subconscious mind has found, this tends to be much more healthy and sustainable in the longer term. There are not many jobs where your clients ask if they can give you a hug, because they feel so much better.
So, on this my birthday, I am going to make a little wish to be able to carry on helping lots more people with hypnotherapy, in addition to making the most of all the special moments in my life which all too often pass by without me taking notice of them.
Wendy
x
Monday, 22 August 2011
Tuesday, 16 August 2011
For the journey
When my son rang me to tell me that he had passed his driving test, I tried not to be too surprised. In truth, and this sounds really negative, I did not expect him to pass first time. Very few of his friends had passed first time, and from what I hear about the driving test now, it is significantly harder than it was 'in my day'. We did not have a written exam, and the actual practical test was only about 15 to 20 minutes long, with a couple of questions at the end.
I really do not believe that we are 'good' or 'bad' drivers. It is rather our ability to learn, and then apply this practically which is key, being able to maintain that state of focus and concentration, so that we are constantly aware of potential hazards. The difficulty then comes (and this has happened with several of my sons' friends) that in an exam, people can often be so overcome with nerves, that to achieve this state of focus, whilst at the same time being fairly relaxed becomes impossible. If the result of the driving exam is then a failure, the memory of this can be sometimes 'locked-in' to the student's head, and cause even more nerves at the next attempt.
Hypnotherapy is excellent in this case, in eliminating those exam nerves and enabling you to get into that state of what I call 'relaxed alertness', feeling in control, calm and steady. It is also possible to mentally 'scramble' past failed attempts, so that they no longer have a negative effect on your ability to remain calm.
It is also really helpful for people who have actually been driving for a number of years, but are very nervous drivers, perhaps due to an accident.
Sometimes, all that is needed is a couple of sessions to boost confidence, and to learn to deal with nerves or any past negative experiences, and you actually feel so much better.
Living in the countryside as I do, driving is an essential skill for many of us, and if we can make it a pleasurable and safe experience, this is all the better.
If you would like to have a chat to me about this, or any other issue, please get in touch on 01449 780352, or 0781 7158429, or email me on wendy@wendychalk.co.uk.
I really do not believe that we are 'good' or 'bad' drivers. It is rather our ability to learn, and then apply this practically which is key, being able to maintain that state of focus and concentration, so that we are constantly aware of potential hazards. The difficulty then comes (and this has happened with several of my sons' friends) that in an exam, people can often be so overcome with nerves, that to achieve this state of focus, whilst at the same time being fairly relaxed becomes impossible. If the result of the driving exam is then a failure, the memory of this can be sometimes 'locked-in' to the student's head, and cause even more nerves at the next attempt.
Hypnotherapy is excellent in this case, in eliminating those exam nerves and enabling you to get into that state of what I call 'relaxed alertness', feeling in control, calm and steady. It is also possible to mentally 'scramble' past failed attempts, so that they no longer have a negative effect on your ability to remain calm.
It is also really helpful for people who have actually been driving for a number of years, but are very nervous drivers, perhaps due to an accident.
Sometimes, all that is needed is a couple of sessions to boost confidence, and to learn to deal with nerves or any past negative experiences, and you actually feel so much better.
Living in the countryside as I do, driving is an essential skill for many of us, and if we can make it a pleasurable and safe experience, this is all the better.
If you would like to have a chat to me about this, or any other issue, please get in touch on 01449 780352, or 0781 7158429, or email me on wendy@wendychalk.co.uk.
Monday, 8 August 2011
La belle france
Last week Mr Chalk and myself were sunning ourselves on the marvellous Normandy coast, near to Arromanches. A wonderful time we had too, the first time away without the children, so we were able to do as we pleased, and not spend our time hunting down theme-park/sporting/generally expensive activities which could keep our teenagers amused.
Simply enjoying the wonderful food, scenery, going for loads of walks and reading was enough to keep us very happy indeed, and we have both returned feeling refreshed and relaxed.
The French seem to do many things really well, and this includes food - those wonderful displays of cakes, biscuits and chocolates in their patissiers really are quite wonderful to behold, and Mr Chalk and I could regularly be found dribbling at shop windows in awe. Presentation seems to be something that they pride themselves on, as well as taste. Markets show colourful, and spectacularly displayed arrays of fruit and vegetables, and restaurants and cafes pride themselves on the way they serve their food, from a magnificent tray of seafood, to a little cafe creme, served in a dainty cup.
This makes it all the more strange that, in other areas, they do not appear to be bothered at all. At the risk of sounding like a grumpy old woman, I was dismayed at the amount of dog poo on pavements and along the beach promenade. It was a resort where there were a lot of families on holiday, and so really this was inexcusable. There was even a bag dispenser on the beach front, which dog owners could use, if they had forgotten their own, but sadly this was not being used.
Public conveniences on some beaches, too, were really quite disgusting, involving the dreaded footplate (never a good way to keep toilets clean and hygienic) and the smell was enough to put you off your croissant.
This attention to detail and pride for some areas of life, in contrast to a seeming disregard for other areas, is quite strange. It is as if there is almost a 'blindness' or a selective filtering of information which is important, and that which is not important. Every country probably has their different cultural idiosyncracies, and sometimes these can seem conflicting to the outsider. But actually to the natives, this is the way they live, and they themselves do not find anything strange about it.
In the same way that a country can have its strange quirks, as individuals we can also possess characteristics that, to another person, would appear strange and contradictory. But, we are all unique individuals, and we have all faced a whole range of life experiences, lived with different stresses and had to cope with differing family circumstances.
What is important is that through our experiences, our subconscious minds always work for our benefit, protecting and looking after us, even if this means that the resulting behaviour is unpalatable. So, for example, a person who comfort-eats may have began doing this in order to make themselves feel better about a situation. Similarly a person who is anorexic, limits their food in order to have some control in a world which to them, feels very out of control.
In order to address these sort of negative behaviour patterns, it is necessary to re-direct the subconscious mind to find better, more appropriate ways of feeling good, other than resorting to destructive and life-limiting habits. Hypnotherapy does this brilliantly, by gently guiding the subconscious mind to make its own search for positive and life-enhancing ways that the individual can feel good about themselves again.
If you would like to have a chat with me to find out how hypnotherapy could help you, please do not hesitate to contact me on 01449 780352, or 0871 7158429, or email me on wendy@wendychalk.co.uk.
And no, of course the poo problem has not put us off France .....
Simply enjoying the wonderful food, scenery, going for loads of walks and reading was enough to keep us very happy indeed, and we have both returned feeling refreshed and relaxed.
The French seem to do many things really well, and this includes food - those wonderful displays of cakes, biscuits and chocolates in their patissiers really are quite wonderful to behold, and Mr Chalk and I could regularly be found dribbling at shop windows in awe. Presentation seems to be something that they pride themselves on, as well as taste. Markets show colourful, and spectacularly displayed arrays of fruit and vegetables, and restaurants and cafes pride themselves on the way they serve their food, from a magnificent tray of seafood, to a little cafe creme, served in a dainty cup.
This makes it all the more strange that, in other areas, they do not appear to be bothered at all. At the risk of sounding like a grumpy old woman, I was dismayed at the amount of dog poo on pavements and along the beach promenade. It was a resort where there were a lot of families on holiday, and so really this was inexcusable. There was even a bag dispenser on the beach front, which dog owners could use, if they had forgotten their own, but sadly this was not being used.
Public conveniences on some beaches, too, were really quite disgusting, involving the dreaded footplate (never a good way to keep toilets clean and hygienic) and the smell was enough to put you off your croissant.
This attention to detail and pride for some areas of life, in contrast to a seeming disregard for other areas, is quite strange. It is as if there is almost a 'blindness' or a selective filtering of information which is important, and that which is not important. Every country probably has their different cultural idiosyncracies, and sometimes these can seem conflicting to the outsider. But actually to the natives, this is the way they live, and they themselves do not find anything strange about it.
In the same way that a country can have its strange quirks, as individuals we can also possess characteristics that, to another person, would appear strange and contradictory. But, we are all unique individuals, and we have all faced a whole range of life experiences, lived with different stresses and had to cope with differing family circumstances.
What is important is that through our experiences, our subconscious minds always work for our benefit, protecting and looking after us, even if this means that the resulting behaviour is unpalatable. So, for example, a person who comfort-eats may have began doing this in order to make themselves feel better about a situation. Similarly a person who is anorexic, limits their food in order to have some control in a world which to them, feels very out of control.
In order to address these sort of negative behaviour patterns, it is necessary to re-direct the subconscious mind to find better, more appropriate ways of feeling good, other than resorting to destructive and life-limiting habits. Hypnotherapy does this brilliantly, by gently guiding the subconscious mind to make its own search for positive and life-enhancing ways that the individual can feel good about themselves again.
If you would like to have a chat with me to find out how hypnotherapy could help you, please do not hesitate to contact me on 01449 780352, or 0871 7158429, or email me on wendy@wendychalk.co.uk.
And no, of course the poo problem has not put us off France .....
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