Self-worth, one of those buzz words that we hear so often now, but what exactly does it mean? There seem to be so many “self” words, from self-worth, self-confidence, self-esteem, self-care, that it is hard to distinguish one from another.

Self-worth comes from within, it is an internal sense of being that is achieved by acquiring self-love, self-acceptance, and self-understanding.

At different times in our lives, we are all required to take risks; without them, there can be no real growth in life. This ability to take risks and step outside of our comfort zone can change our lives in many ways.

For many though, the mere thought of stepping out of their comfort zone brings about severe anxiety which leaves them rooted in the same place in life.

What to wear, what to eat, what to watch on Netflix, what to do at the weekend?…….the list of questions that we ask ourselves and decisions that we have to make on a daily basis sometimes seem exhausting. And for the most part, the smaller, more inconsequential questions are the ones that cause us so much deliberation, whilst more important life-changing decisions can be made in what seems a fraction of the time.

From time to time, we’ve all had that feeling, a sinking sensation in the pit of our stomach when we realize that we have done something wrong; forgotten someone’s birthday, spent too much money on a purchase, made an excuse to not socialize with a friend, usually harmless occurrences, but they leave us feeling guilty none the less. Guilt, a powerful emotion that we have in life that can overtake us at times.

We are often led to believe in life that following a certain path and achieving set goals will give us everything that we want and that this will lead to us being happy as if in some way, happiness is a goal to be reached, an endpoint in life. This is not what being happy is about. Happiness is not some final destination or something to be earned once you have put in the hard work, happiness is about living, day to day doing things that you love, that bring you satisfaction, and things that you want to be doing.

We will all have many varied relationships during our lifetime, from school to work to home life and social life. These relationships will bring us joy and sorrow, will be complex and long-lasting, fun and fleeting. They will see us through the good times and the bad times of our lives.

We live in a society where we are led to believe that there are certain markers we should hit by a certain age; finishing school, college, getting your first job and meeting your life partner usually by your late 20s. Then marriage, family, buying a home, career advancement by your late 30’s. Life up until this point is all mapped out. We are programmed from an early age to follow this formula to bring us success and happiness, and to set us up for our later years, with a family we can rely on as we get older, financial security as we retire, and all the trappings of the world that we live in.

When people think of investment their minds will go straight to shares, hedge funds, property, or business. These are the areas in life that people tend to place real value on when it comes to investing short-term for long-term gain. The reason generally is, that people value wealth and material possessions above everything else. For many, it’s a way of showing their worth, other people can see how far they have come.

CBT or cognitive behavioural therapy is a non-medical treatment that focuses on how what you think and believe has a direct effect on how you feel and behave. It teaches you tools and techniques for coping with the problems that you are experiencing. CBT as a treatment involves talking with someone to identify any negative thoughts and patterns that you may have and then investigates ways that you can change your thinking and feeling enabling you to make changes in a positive way behaviorally in the future. CBT treatment combines cognitive - things that you think and behavior - things that you do. It is a common treatment for a range of mental problems such as anxiety and depression.

Do you ever feel that you have never lived up to your true potential? Are there areas in your life that you have always wanted to transform? Are there goals and ambitions that you have wanted to achieve but have never managed to?

The brain is a very powerful organ, a supercomputer capable of the most amazing feats. It manages the activities that our bodies perform on a daily basis. It processes the information that comes into and goes out of our bodies and it operates our emotions and all of our cognitive abilities, such as our memories and our thoughts.

Are you the type of person who finds it hard to say no? Do you say yes to everything even when sometimes you are screaming No!! inside? Do you want everyone to like you and so find that you are never true to yourself? If this is you then it’s time you learned to stop trying to please everyone and focus on yourself.

Are you experiencing a midlife crisis? How would you know if you were? Are the symptoms that you are feeling to do with hormonal changes, is it the onset of menopause that is making you feel the way that you do? Are you suffering from a bout of depression and can’t identify why? As many women move into the second half of their lives, they have a feeling that they are at a crossroads in life and they are not sure which direction they should be going in. They are dissatisfied with their life but don’t know which way to turn to fix them. There are ways though, to make the second half of your life the best half, to move you away from feeling dissatisfied and stuck to feeling fulfilled and free to live your life the way that you want to.

As revolutions go, the Pro-aging revolution will have up to now have passed many people by. But that is something that is changing. This is a movement that is starting to take hold of the beauty industry, bloggers, media, and major influencers. This is a revolution that is changing the way society views age and all the connotations that go with it.

We all know the benefits of a good diet and exercise for the well-being of our physical health but they are also fundamentally important for our mental health as well. Following good holistic practice in life is one way that will keep you mentally fit and healthy. More and more people are seeing the benefits of following a holistic lifestyle when dealing with conditions such as anxiety, stress, and depression as a way to deal with their symptoms.

Practicing gratitude is one of the simplest, quickest, and most effective ways of transforming your life for good. It costs nothing but can bring you all that you want from life. Apart from giving you your material desires, it can enrich your life in so many other ways, from emotional well-being to healthier relationships to an overall feeling of satisfaction and abundance.

As a new year dawns, it is very tempting to start a list of resolutions that will often be abandoned halfway through the month. Let’s face it in the Northern hemisphere, when we are confronted with long cold days, very little sunshine, and are having to spend a large part of our time under artificial lighting, setting resolutions and sticking to them is destined to failure. It is the time of the year that our bodies crave carb-rich foods, chocolate, and the odd alcoholic drink. We don’t fancy going out into the cold to exercise and on top of all of that, we have the comedown from Christmas and New Year celebrations.

As we move into the final days of the year, many of us will start to set goals and resolutions for the coming year. Whether it is wanting to lose weight, get healthier, exercise more, get another job…..whatever it is, the New Year always seems like the ideal time to start a new chapter in your life.

We can all feel lonely from time to time it is a normal human emotion and there are many reasons for it. One person’s experience of being lonely may be different from another, each experience will be personal to the individual. Many people choose to be alone, they prefer living alone and they are happy to be away from busy social situations. For many though, loneliness is not a lifestyle choice, the ONS in the UK has found that 45% of adults feel lonely from time to time which equates to roughly 25 million people.

Loss is an inevitable part of living, we can’t go through life without experiencing loss of some sort or another and grief is the natural process that we will go through to help us to heal from it. There is no quick fix to dealing with grief and no one-size-fits-all either. Whether it is the death of a loved one, the loss of a job, moving home, the loss of a beloved pet, loss of physical ability, or loss of financial security. Whatever the circumstances the feelings of grief and loss will be present and knowing how to deal with them and how to get through the period is crucial.