10 years ago, I was enrolled in a course on positive psychology, my favorite type of psychology! Traditional psychology mainly focuses on dysfunction and what does not work. On the flip side, positive psychology aims to understand what does work, meaning what contributes to our flourishing, increased happiness and life satisfaction. I don't recall a …
Continue reading A simple exercise to feel better (the power of gratitude)
My name is Nouseibah and I’m a recovering people pleaser (“Hi Nouseibah”). People pleasing is a well hidden, dysfunctional yet socially awarded way of living. The mechanics of people pleasing are simple: it's an exaggerated agreeableness and helpfulness at the expense of oneself. Behaviour wise, the primary motivation is externally driven: moving according to other …
Autumn used to be the most dreaded season for me. I believe it was mainly due to leaving summer behind, meaning; sunlight, late nights, spontaneity, adventures abroad and an overall freedom. Autumn in contrast meant the prospects of routine, predictability and obligations (school, university or work). The major difference between the two seasons combined with …
Before a session with a client I always need to meditate and make sure I’m a clean slate mentally and emotionally, creating a non judgmental and receptive atmosphere. I truly wish I could stay in a similar state of being during my leisure time too. By no means am I a pessimist or overly judgmental …
Continue reading Shifting to neutrality when hitting everyday bumps
As I was flipping through my diary from last year, I was reminded of the sleep troubles I used to have. Not only would it take hours for me to fall asleep, it was shallow and inconsistent with me waking up at 4 a.m (every night!) unable to smoothly doze off again. I made a …
I’m always open and curious to seek out different teachings hoping it will add to the understanding of myself and others. Alternative doctrines such as astrology, numerology and Ayurveda are only few which have peaked my interest. Although theories viewed as “alternative” don't hold the same status as scientific information in today's world, there can …
Have you ever found yourself in a mental loop? Excessively thinking about something with no resolution? You might be fixating on something which happened in the past or potentially might or might not in the future. Or perhaps you fill your head with endless negative self chatter? How about repeated trails of thought that keep …
Continue reading Using a rubber band to snap back to reality!
I was woken up at 5 a.m by a youtube automatic playlist clip (no I did not switch off my phone before bed) with Sadhguru, a spiritual teacher/guru. I’m not one of his followers, it's just what Youtibe decided to interrupt my sleep with (no offense to him I’m just drawn to other sources). He …
Continue reading Why work (is it inspiration or resistance)?
In the previous post I touched on unhealthy approaches in regards to anger instead of the “abc” way which is my own simplified explanation of the underlying intention of and potent responses to, our emotions. If you haven’t read about it or need a reminder check out "Get bleepin angry (part1/2)". Now I’ll focus on …
Continue reading Get bleepin angry-what do to when you’re angry (part 2/2)
I’m a huge advocate of accepting and having a dialogue with our emotions. At the core I believe the purpose of each emotion is to a) deliver a message and b) be experienced physically in the body. These steps aren’t necessarily chronical but simultaneous. For a set of emotions there’s a third crucial aspect which is …
Nouseibah 