Guest Post

Please welcome Maggie Stanley as she shares her experiences living with the effects of chronic illness and pain, and learn how she now helps others – as a positive bi-product. Maggie has been a therapist and trainer for over 22 years and owns Pace for Living. She lives in Somerset with her husband and two dogs. Maggie has a passion to help people gain their inner peace and calm. She believes that there are different ways to find the path to our inner peace and calm. The past 22 years of learning and teaching has given Maggie the skills and experience to guide people to find what path to take to find calmness and peace within.

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Jo Gifford introduces this series ‘Living with Chronic Pain’ with her own inspirational account of how she lives with her unique challenges – whilst working as a mum – and a creative entrepreneur living with long-term pain. [Read more…]

I am so very grateful to Tim who has become our resident guest post author on matters ’emotional well-being’ within some of the societal confines of being gay. [Read more…]

Anger is a natural, healthy emotion in moderation. Too often we hear ‘angry’ parents speaking angrily to their children and yelling “calm down”! Society is much the same, we get angry when someone transgresses our beliefs and values, yet we may rarely ask why. [Read more…]

From the perspective of the patient, Tim talks about his experiences in finding a talking therapy – and the obstacles and challenges along the way.

I saw my first psychotherapist in around 2002. I didn’t want to, but I went anyway. I didn’t like the idea and it wasn’t unduly helpful, either. Wisely, I let the experience colour me against that individual, not the profession as a whole. It made me selective. I wondered if you might like to learn a little more about that. [Read more…]

Many great thinkers throughout human history have asserted that less than 15% of people are truly “self-actualised.” That means that only a fraction of us are making the most of our potential and our mental capacities. This wonderful guest post provided by my friend, Dane Findley an international relocation specialist who – together with his partner David – help people buy and sell luxury lifestyle properties in warm-weather climates. In his free time, Dane enjoys writing health articles for an online community for creative types over 50 who want to improve their daily quality of life. Dane also holds a masters degree in counselling depth psychology and runs Over Fifty and Fit. [Read more…]

Life is full of unexpected happenings and today our guest author, Tim, shares what for some will be a biggie. For others, they can find acceptance quite easily. So, why is that?

It’s a dilemma, is sexual orientation. Unless you are heterosexual and conform to the heteronormative society we live in, that is. Then it isn’t a dilemma at all. The rest of us either conform, or we don’t. So, the question “How do you react to the unexpected?” needs to be asked.

Actually, it needs to be answered.

If you’re a people person then a surprise party held for you won’t worry you… or will it?

• Unexpected inheritance beyond the dreams of avarice, that’s great, isn’t it… or are you not so sure?
• Fred, the chap who’s the lifeblood of the office is going out with Mary, they look so good together, but they’ve kept it a secret forever.
• The company is downsizing, and I’m afraid your job is one of those that is being removed. We’ll give you outplacement consultancy.
• Alan, happily married for the last 15 years with a couple of really sweet children, one 12, one 10, long-term friend, guest at your wedding with his wife Andrea, tells you he is gay.

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Eva closes the series, observing gratitude for the snapshots of all the contributing authors who have selflessly created this opportunity for those who haven’t experience of Bipolar Affective Disorder to begin to understand, even a little bit more. Eva is keen to demonstrate the positive aspects of individuals – and their bipolar. [Read more…]

In this penultimate post in the series ‘Living with Bipolar Affective Disorder’, Kevin E. Cranston shares his profound observations in a telling way. Awakening from dreams has a whole new slant when recounted by Kevin. [Read more…]

Chantelle shares how, with the crucial support of her husband, she tackles managing Bipolar without the full medication regime. A powerful account follows around how she copes, to what extent, and the highs and lows associated with her Bipolar condition. [Read more…]