Adult brain vs inner child - who wins?

When was the last time you were drawn to something that was not good for you? Was it savoury or sweet? Going out with some friends the unmistakable mistake was there. I saw it right away, drawn magnetically to it, before even ordering my meal.

I’d been pointed in the direction of it from the start: a ‘specials’ menu. As I stepped in the room, a smug smile fleetingly spread across its face. The gentle, unmistakable draw of it from across the room. At first a gentle, sweet voice spoke softly in my head as my main course was enjoyed. As my tummy continued to fill, it began pleading childishly. Feeling fuller, the noise in my head got louder and louder, heading towards a meltdown. I could have ignored it. With my full tummy it was time to order coffee and just enjoy the conversation. However, that childish voice in my head was nagging me ceaselessly. ‘Go on, you know you really would love it, remember how good it tastes? Mmmm’. Louder!

The dessert tray arrives. You see a grown woman with a puzzled look, faced with an internal dilemma as the picture perfect merits of the dessert tray are laid out before her. The large, smiling face of the banoffee pie, with a fat tongue of goo oozing out the side.

Irrationally I’m thinking ‘Bananas’. That’s it! My inner child wins with a simple negotiation trick: a faint reminder of some nutritional basis for choosing an extremely calorific and fattening slice of dessert. I said 'yes' to banoffee and manage half before nearly being stuck in the chair with fullness. In the afternoon, a stomach ache and feeling tired and tetchy with all that sugar having given in to the temptation of that sweet and clogging dessert.

My adult brain took over the next day, not wanting to feel ill again and my inner child was noticeably quiet as I was in the gym, methodically working off that fattening dessert. As I made a choice to eat it, I can choose to get active and make amends. I can feel OK about that. I can choose to say ‘no’ too. Choice and balance is what it’s all about, isn’t it? What will you choose today? 

My spa makeover of the body and mind

I promised I would post my makeover experience (with Imagine Spa at Blofield and Dream On organisation) right here on the blog once I'd seen it on line. So, here it is!  Angie's makeover experience in the Evening News

It was most refreshing and enjoyable and I've remembered and used the hints and tips I received on the day. A very special treat and I thanked the Evening News for inviting me along.

We all need time for ourselves, to recover from life's little drama's. A cheaper option is a good splurge of bubble bath - it can soothe you if you've had a tough day. Relax and enjoy a little time-out, I did.

I hope you are having a good week.

When you dream...

It's been a busy week for me. I know there are times in life when there does not seem enough hours in the day for all the things that we want to do, right? I was sorting out paperwork for the last couple of weeks, in between seeing clients. I learnt a valuable lesson to be more organised in many ways.

I also was pleased to get a day out at a spa (with a company called 'Dream on'), courtesy of a competition win earlier this week. How lucky I felt!  Once this article has been published I will post it here. As part of the day, I was asked why I had become a therapist and about my transition to being self employed after working in the employed world for many years.  There's many reasons of course why we do what we do. What motivates us can sometimes be negativity (surely bad for Karma in the long run?) and there is also good stuff. Things that help us to push through - and way beyond - what we actually thought we were capable of. For me, opening up and saying my reasons and my background was challenging. I know that everyone has their own personal journey and mine is considerably easier than many other people. What I got from doing it, was a sense of pride to look back and see that despite doubting my own abilities over the years, I was following my dream.

It made me think. I suppose I am most of the time what some people call 'glass half full'. In reality a part optimist, part realist. I do have the odd day when the liquid drains right out too. Days when I need a way of recapturing my 'mojo'. I have a few personal ways of doing this. One is to watch a video of myself (a real one) of when I felt really good achieving something I worked hard to do. I feel really positive about it too. I would also encourage you to find a way of respecting your abilities and strengths. One simple way is to keep a photo memory on your desk or with you. Something to make you smile, or play music to lift your mood. A little 'pick me up' that you can dip into at any time.

I give my clients self help techniques, and they like it as they gain control. I hope to share these with you too perhaps, if you are interested? I can be contacted for an initial free consultation on 07773 610816, if you are ready to take a step towards realising your potential and going for your dreams. Just like I did.