Broadly speaking, the left hemisphere of our brain is where our rational logical mind lives, and our right hemisphere is home to our sense of peace and creativity. At work, we can tend to get stuck in left brain dominance, very task focused and logical: all good things. However, if you want to find a little moment of peace in your day, take 60 seconds to consciously activate more of your right brain. Simply use a few rounds of the Alternate Nostril Breathing that we start class with, OR, you can simply close your mouth AND your RIGHT nostril and breath in and out 10 breaths just through the LEFT nostril SLOWLY to energise the right brain. Take 60 seconds to do this before a meeting and notice how much more calm and focused you are. Spooky.

#2. Relax the face

So much tension can build up in the face, we are sending stress messages to our body just from the determined set of our jaw and our wrinkled brow. Try this great yoga asana ‘Lion’ to release the tension from your face and to send relaxation throughout your body.

You will need to work in an office where you can close the door for this one, or pop to the bathroom to try it unless you have very  incurious colleagues in your open-plan office!

So, sit quietly, put your hands in your lap, then scrunch your face up, tight tight tight, scrunch the forehead, wrinkle the nose, grit the teeth: make a real scrunched old prune face…then…big exhale…do the lion face: open your mouth WIDE and stretch your tongue out, curling its tip down toward the chin, open your eyes wide, contract the muscles on the front of your throat, and exhale the breath slowly out through your mouth with a big “ha” sound. Then just check in with how you are feeling. Better, huh? I know, you don’t realise just how much tension you are holding in your face until you release it. Nice.

#3. Relax the mind

If  you are getting super stressed by a particular task or person ask yourself: how much will this thing, or this person’s opinion of this thing, matter to me 5 years from now? 99% of the time the answer is ‘hmmmm, not so much actually’ and simply, asking the question is accompanied by a release of mental tension. So, just realigning your long-term perspective with this simple question can take much of the emotion and the frustration out of the task or the interaction and make it much simpler to complete. All it takes is 60 seconds to press pause and your body and mind will thank you for it.

The post De-stressing at Work in 60 Seconds 🧘‍♀️ appeared first on Louise Thompson, Life Coach, Wellbeing Writer and Speaker.

Be. Kind. To. Your. Mind.

Find something that works for YOU to switch it off.

Might be baking

Might be running

Might be one of those meditation colouring books (so not just for kids!) (that’s why I include a new design each month in the Coaching Academy!).

For me, nothing breaks the chatter in my head like smacking the boxing bag. Real hard! Everything else just melts away. 

Whatever your thing is, engage in it with enthusiasm and consistency and (crucially!) without guilt.

The post Be kind to your mind 🧡 appeared first on Louise Thompson, Life Coach, Wellbeing Writer and Speaker.

What to do, what to do? 

There are TWO important strategies for you to get unstuck: 

1. Create increased MOMENTUM in an area of life that is going WELL, where there is NO confusion. Take a step forwards or up or just any kind of simple positive action to AMP UP what is going WELL. Make what is going well go even BETTER. 

Why does this work to get you unstuck on the OTHER thing? 

By UPPING your focus in a positive direction you naturally REDUCE it on what is negative. This can unlock what is not going so well as you have stopped trying to FORCE a solution to something you haven’t been able to solve. You get in the groove of what’s going WELL and that positive energy creates a ripple effect that helps the OTHER thing start to solve not you are not poking at it the whole time. 

2. Take ONE SMALL STEP towards resolving THE THING that is stuck. You don’t need to see HOW THE WHOLE THING will solve or work out or fix itself. You don’t need to see 3 years down the track and how it will all unfold. Just take one small step, one tiny action on it, that feels even just slightly like relief or lightness. Just take a TINY STEP. Don’t think its pointless because it’s small, do it anyway. 

Why does THIS work to get you unstuck? 

Firstly because you will feel a tiny bit of relief from your tiny step, and relief is always good. Secondly, and more importantly, you will gain a NEW PERSPECTIVE from the place just one tiny step further on that you may not have seen. Think of it like a fiendishly hard 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle. Putting in ONE puzzle piece doesn’t seem like its really doing anything, drop in the ocean when there are still 946 still to place, BUT, that one clicking into place makes just one of the others make a bit more sense, you can see just a hint more of a pattern than you could before which unlocks the next tiny step and tiny piece of the puzzle. Each piece CHANGES THE PERSPECTIVE AVAILABLE to you of the NEXT one. You don’t NEED to see the whole thing to take the next small step, you trust that one will start to REVEAL the other.

(Image credit: wonder_doodles)

___________________________________________________________

While you’re here I have a question for you.

Does overthinking keep you awake at night?

Does this lady provide an accurate representation of how you often feel?!

If so, I would love to help you.

Join me in July 2024 for

The 30-Day Shrinking Overthinking Bootcamp

Stop negative spirals and make your mind a nicer place to live in 30 days.

Join me in July 2024 to learn 6 powerful techniques to manage your mind and reduce anxiety.

As someone who overcame extreme burnout, I’ve helped thousands of women stop overthinking.

Now, I am looking for 50 women who want to learn how to reduce stressful loops of overthinking, stop negative spirals, declutter their mind and feel more in control, to join me for this 30-day challenge inside my Coaching Academy, from 1st July 2024.

It’s £39/month | Risk free | 30-Day Guarantee | Cancel any time!

Click here to learn more.

The post What to do when you don’t know what to do appeared first on Louise Thompson, Life Coach, Wellbeing Writer and Speaker.

If you are anything like me I expect you do a bit each day…put this and that away, unload the dishwasher, wipe the surfaces, pick up that towel (that only I seem able to see ) and so on…

Why? Well again, same as me I guess you do a little bit of a tidy up each day for the same reasons:

If you leave it more than a few days it’s just so much harder to sort out, mess seems to breed mess!

I can’t RELAX in a messy space, I don’t work well, but I also don’t relax well either

  I just feel better if I keep on top if things

Same, yes?

So, that’s what we all do to keep on top of our living space, to ensure it’s a clean and tidy place to live, rest and work. Somewhere we enjoy spending time. Enjoy connecting. Enjoy hanging out. 

Now then {first_name}, what if I asked you the same about your INTERNAL SPACE? Your brain and mind .

How do you tidy THAT each day? 

How do you ensure that you do a little and often to keep your internal space (your mental health) clean and ordered so it’s a space where you are happy hanging out and spending time? How do you clear up so small issues don’t become big ones because they have been left ignored in a pile or swept under the carpet? Do you feel relaxed and connected in your own mind?

Much tricker question, yes? 

We are so much better at prioritising our EXTERNAL living space, to our INTERNAL living space, and yes…and yet…the one that has the biggest impact on our mental health? INSIDE OUR OWN HEADS! Remember, we take that space everywhere with us! It’s at home, at work, in the car, at the airport, at the dentist’s office, at the concert, in the supermarket…we are IN that space every waking moment of every single day. It’s actually our MOST IMPORTANT SPACE. 

Given that’s the space we actually spend the most time in – how do we make sure we keep that clean and clear and that it’s a nice place to be?

___________________________________________________________

While you’re here I have a question for you.

Does overthinking keep you awake at night?

Does this lady provide an accurate representation of how you often feel?!

If so, I would love to help you.

Join me in July 2024 for

The 30-Day Shrinking Overthinking Bootcamp

Stop negative spirals and make your mind a nicer place to live in 30 days.

Join me in July 2024 to learn 6 powerful techniques to manage your mind and reduce anxiety.

As someone who overcame extreme burnout, I’ve helped thousands of women stop overthinking.

Now, I am looking for 50 women who want to learn how to reduce stressful loops of overthinking, stop negative spirals, declutter their mind and feel more in control, to join me for this 30-day challenge inside my Coaching Academy, from 1st July 2024.

It’s £39 | Risk free | 30-Day Guarantee | Cancel any time!

Click here to learn more.

The post How often do you tidy the house? 🏡 appeared first on Louise Thompson, Life Coach, Wellbeing Writer and Speaker.

When a whole new decade is bearing down on us we seem far more likely to ask ourselves if our life is all that it “should be” by this stage. Are we hitting the milestones we had always privately set for ourselves at this marker? Life can be thrown into sharp relief by contemporaries around us ticking past the same clock and the same milestones.

A change of decade can be the most incredible kick up the pahootie to refocus and get serious about what we want to achieve in the next decade, harnessing that natural motivation can be all powerful. But I also see it as a time where more regret will also surface as a result of the reflection. 

Of milestones not met or exceeded, statuses not reached. 

The trick here is not to get sucked into a whirlpool of regret, but to take any relevant lessons and use them to push forwards once again. 

To not look sorrowfully at the time that has been “lost” but focus all that is to come. To take it as a clean fresh page and begin again. Start anew. Double down. Make it happen. 

The quote attributed to C. S. Lewis says it best “You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending”. 

We have the power to write ourselves a new ending any time we choose. We can do it whenever we take the time to reflect and refocus: not just when the year reads “9”, or a day of the week starts with an M. That no matter what is past, we get to say how our story will end. Starting now.  You can write yourself a new ending, starting today. 

The post Write yourself a new ending 💞 appeared first on Louise Thompson, Life Coach, Wellbeing Writer and Speaker.

It’s this one:

It’s a Chinese proverb which says “The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second best time is now.” 

So good, yes? 

When was the best time to take up yoga, and keep up your practice every day? Well, twenty tears go, but the second best time is NOW. 

When was the best time for you to have started that amazing skin care routine? Well, twenty tears go, but the second-best time is NOW. 

When was the best time for you to have started saving extra for retirement? Well, twenty tears go, but the second-best time is NOW. 

When was the best time for you to stop eating sugar/start doing 10000 steps a day? Well, twenty tears go, but the second-best time is NOW. 

You get it. 

Anything seriously life-enhancing benefits from longevity and the benefit of compounding returns. From it becoming so routine and such a habit it just becomes our natural baseline of how we take care of ourselves. 

The same goes for taking care of our mental and emotional health. 

“The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second best time is now.”

The post The quote on my wall… 🌳🌳 appeared first on Louise Thompson, Life Coach, Wellbeing Writer and Speaker.

​​Your brain defaults to seeing “The Gap” of where you want to be…the chores undone, the emails not replied to, the yoga class not made, the story not read, the kitchen bench not decluttered…you know, The Gap between YOU and Superwoman who is “on top of everything”.

This default perspective is unhelpful. Makes us feel bad. We need to consciously direct our brain to “The Gain” instead. The sore knee kissed better. The midday meeting that got an outcome. The lunch boxes were packed. The kindly Good Morning to the elderly neighbour. The bins put out. The swift lunchtime walk. The dentist appointment booked. The twenty six emails that DID get replied to.

Look. Life is LIFE. It will NEVER be complete til we are

There will ALWAYS be stuff that’s UNDONE.

You can’t use DONE-NESS as your measure of how good your day was.

Train your brain to see not The Gap, but The Gain.

I promise you: you are doing better than you are judging yourself for. 

Remove the unattainable yardstick of “done”, you will never reach it anyway.

Redirect your attention, and your COMPASSION to give your sweet self a break: I promise you, you are doing better than you think you are. 

The post You are doing better than you think 💞 appeared first on Louise Thompson, Life Coach, Wellbeing Writer and Speaker.

If you are NOT (whether you are single, or in a currently less than loved up but partnered state) this can be one of THE most triggering + tricky days of the year. 

It can be HARD to see an endless parade of flowers being delivered in the office and a social media love fest of proclamations and grand gestures. However much you wish everyone else love, it can be HARD. 

It can make your heart hurt. 

If that’s you today, I am sorry. 

Have a big HUG from me. 

Please, KNOW you are special. 

YOU. ARE. SPECIAL. 

And that all this shows is that there is an abundance of love in the world, which is a good thing. 

But … you don’t have to tune into it. 

And IT DOESN’T MEAN ANYTHING ABOUT YOU. 

It’s just a day. 

I recommend the following recipe:

A generous helping of STAY THE HELL OFF social media

A dollop of extravagant SELF CARE such a pedicure

A sprinkling of distracting boxset or a drinklette with friends

A dusting of love to someone else who might need it today: a cheery hello to your lonely old neighbor, or an extra long walk with the dog, or playing cards with your kid. 

Stir and serve with a smile

With big love this Valentine’s Day, from my heart to yours

The post Some words of wisdom on Valentine’s Day 💗 appeared first on Louise Thompson, Life Coach, Wellbeing Writer and Speaker.

Have you noticed how much (especially as women) we tend to over-apologise and say sorry when it’s not actually required?! It’s a weird habit, and one worth revising. Things I am no longer apologising for:

Not always being available (time, attention and energy are limited, it’s not personal, it’s just freaking MATHS)

Prioritising the things that matter (to ME)

Not giving an answer right away (it’s ok to think about it)

  Working at the pace that’s right for me on voluntary projects (it needs to fit in with my life, not the other way round!)

When it’s not actually MY FAULT there is an issue! (why the hell am I saying sorry – YOU say sorry!)

Forget the bubble bath. This. Is. Real. Self. Care.

The post STOP apologising! appeared first on Louise Thompson, Life Coach, Wellbeing Writer and Speaker.

The only thing you have to do is BREATHE. Everything after that is a CHOICE.

Life becomes very different in a very short space of time once we truly grasp this fundamental truth. 

Go through every statement you have made about why you can’t improve your health, or make time for yourself, and substitute the word ‘choose’ for any of the ubiquitous “I should / I can’t / I must / I need to / I have to”.

What I want you to realise is that “I should / I can’t / I must / I need to / I have to” are stories. Stories that you tell yourself over and over and over, that keep you trapped in a place of disempowerment and fatigue.

How are they stories? Well, let me repeat the secret I told you earlier: The only thing any one of us has/must/needs to do is breathe. Everything after that is a choice. What a revelation.

Right. So, let’s see how this works in practice. I just love the power of this exercise. It truly is a life-changer.

The important thing to note here is that after you make your choice, you just move on. Make the choice knowing that this is what is right for you. Choose it and move on, releasing any guilt around it. Fully enjoy that choice and that time without thoughts of guilt. 

State your position and stand in your truth: with your boss, your client, your parents. You can’t control their reaction, but you can honour yourself and stand firm in your truth with clarity over your choice. 

Your highest purpose on this earth is to honour your authentic self, your true emotions and your physical body. You should never feel guilty about making that choice. Sure, someone else might not like your choice, but that is then their choice about how they react to it.

You can choose to work late every night, rather than have one potentially uncomfortable conversation with your boss. But at least be honest with yourself about it. You are choosing it. If that’s what you want, that’s fine. Choose it and move forward with the energy of empowerment, even if it’s not a choice that makes you happy.

The post I have a secret to share with you 🤫 appeared first on Louise Thompson, Life Coach, Wellbeing Writer and Speaker.