Three Choices CALM People Never Make
“This is the root of Self. You are not your thoughts; you are aware of your thoughts. You are not...
Nadene van der Linden
How to Lift Your Mood and Live Life to The Full
“You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.” – Jon Kabat- Zinn Sometime after having my...
9 Awe-Inspiring Life Lessons I Learned in the Garden
It was the first time in a year that I had got in the vegetable garden other than to forage for ingredients. The job ahead was large and felt overwhelming. A year without maintenance in a vegetable garden is long, too long for any hope of a healthy garden as any avid gardener will know. As I weeded, I considered the many things I’ve learned from my garden and how the lessons also apply in life more broadly. Read More...
Quitting This Will Make You Feel Calmer and Peaceful
Despite my attempts to limit the impact of the news cycle, a 6-week vacation this year proved I was being exposed to a lot more than I realized. Some of the destinations through which I traveled had limited or no access to wifi and on top of that I had not paid for an extension of my cell data for international travel so I was essentially cut off from the online world for most parts of a day if not all of it. Read More...
Releasing Resentment: How to Stop Swallowing Poison From the Past
Although normal, resentment is only useful when occurring in the short term. When it persists in the longer term, simmering under the surface, it becomes toxic for the individual experiencing it and also impacts on others they interact with. Like the old saying goes “Resentment is like swallowing poison and expecting the other person to die”. A bitter person is usually someone who has been swallowing the poison of resentment for too long. Read More...
5 Useful Tips For Instant Calm and Peace of Mind
Calm. Feeling anchored. That space from which you can choose clearly what to do rather than be reactive. Feeling at peace with yourself and the world. Who wouldn’t want that? Modern living can severely challenge a person’s capacity to stay...
Tackling Insomnia: How to Get a Good Night’s Sleep
Can't sleep? Thinking too much? If you’ve ever had insomnia you probably know how sleep problems can affect your wellbeing, in particular, your mood and anxiety levels. Thinking often plays a role in maintaining sleep problems, such as insomnia. Today, I’m going to walk you through what sleep problems or insomnia look like and then how to address problematic thinking styles that contribute to sleep problems. Read More...
How Acceptance Can Help in Coping with Chronic Pain
If you or someone you love has chronic pain consider utilizing acceptance-based strategies. Reducing the struggle with and having a more peaceful relationship with pain means better outcomes. Read More...
How to Break Free From the Perfectionist Trap
By Nadene van der Linden “I have done my best. That is all the philosophy of living one needs.” – Lin-yutang When clients are stuck, I sometimes find we have encountered perfectionism at play. Perfectionism has many guises. Perfectionism can...
How to Heal and Recover After Ending a Friendship
“Celebrate endings, for they precede new beginnings.” – Jonathan Lockwood Huie Some friendships end with a bang. Others dwindle away...
Expert Tips on How to Improve Your Sex Life
In my clinic, I often see people seeking help for lack of sexual intimacy in their relationship. Both men and woman present with this problem and there is often concern about what is normal. People want to know “how much sex is normal in a long-term relationship?” Often they have read the statistic that married couples have sex on average three times a week, and they are worried. Read More...
When The Bottom Drops Out: How to Keep Living After Loss
Part of my role as a clinical psychologist working with someone who is grieving the loss of a loved one is to explain that the physical pain and sense of being lost are normal. It’s tough to handle, but it’s normal. Read More...