the paradox of change

The Paradox of Change: Why Acceptance Comes First

by Chriscounselling, inner criticPosted on No Comments

The paradox of counselling is that often the best, longest-lasting change comes when we accept ourselves where we are now. But it’s tricky. Of course, most people come to counselling because there is something that they want to change. Accepting themselves feels like the opposite of change. But how do we do acceptance? In this article, I hope to show how and why acceptance is so fundamental to lasting change and what we can do to be more accepting of ourselves.

breathing

Breathe: How Breathing Can Hack Your Nervous System

by Chrisanxiety, neuropsychologyPosted on No Comments

“Take a deep breath”. It’s well-meaning advice, but it often falls flat because most people don’t understand why breathing works or how to do it effectively.

Your breath isn’t just about getting oxygen into your lungs. It’s one of the most direct ways to regulate your nervous system – your fight, flight, or freeze responses.

But while you can’t directly control your heart rate, blood pressure, or stress hormone levels, you can control your breathing. And when you change your breathing, everything else follows.

fight flight or freeze response

Understanding Your Nervous System: Why Fight, Flight or Freeze Happens (And What We Can Do About It)

by ChrisneuropsychologyPosted on No Comments

You may have heard of your nervous system’s fight, flight or freeze responses but they can be difficult to deal with. Most people try to ignore them, finding them uncomfortable and annoying. But this rarely works. They are evolutionary and kept our ancestors alive for millions of years.
In this article, we’ll look at the reasons they are triggered, what they feel like so you can recognise them, and practical tools to work with them instead of against them.