Does your life often feel unbalanced? Do you feel tired much of the time? Falling asleep on the sofa after work? Feeling like your work is consuming you? You may be experiencing job stress or job burnout. Taking care of your family, climbing the corporate ladder, or working for that new house or car can make you feel like you should devote excessive hours to your job. Or, maybe some areas are short-staffed, with everyone working above and beyond their regular capacities. You could even get so used to this routine that you become addicted to the stress that comes with this imbalanced approach t ..read more

I am a struggling, and hopefully recovering perfectionist, which is probably why I write it about it often. To get an honest answer you’d probably need to check in with my children and friends. Today, I want to talk about that all-too-common struggle between perfection and happiness. It’s a tug-of-war that many of us face, but it’s a battle I think we can win. If you think you too might have perfectionist tendencies, here are a few questions to start us off. You can either ask them standing in front of a mirror or write the answers in your journal… Can you think of an instance in which perfec ..read more

“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”  Ralph Waldo Emerson In a time and a world full of uncertainties, it is still essential that we work on all aspects of our lives. Feeling that were are enough in life means the complete harmony of our minds, bodies, and spirits. It means physical, emotional, social, and intellectual completeness and integration. It means integrity in all aspects of who we are and how we are in the world. Is it that easy to feel like you are enough in a world where we are bogged down by the di ..read more

Overcasted day Gloom slipping through my windows Awaiting release. © Copyright 2024 Martina Green McGowan Images by Waqutiar Rahaman from Pixabay ..read more

The way we talk to ourselves can build us up or tear us down. When our inner dialogue is harsh, it’s usually because we’re repeating things we heard from our parents or other authority figures when we were growing up. If the criticism goes too far, it can discourage us from trying and taking the joy out of our lives. We must break free from the voices in our heads, especially the negative ones. Sometimes it can feel like a never-ending struggle. But there is hope. Here are some techniques that show that there is more than one way to make peace with our inner critic(s). “The constellation of o ..read more

“Self-talk reflects your innermost feelings.” Dr. Asa Don Brown We all talk to ourselves, carrying on a continuous internal dialogue. Self-talk can be helpful or hurtful. How Negative Self-talk Can Affect You Do you ever hear yourself saying things like, “Urgh, I’m late again,” or “It would be just like me to mess up this presentation?” Wouldn’t you rather hear something like, “I did a fantastic job on that project,” or “My clothes are fitting better now that I’m exercising a little more?” Do you ever find yourself talking yourself out of being excited and hopeful when you begin to feel good ..read more

Last week I was working at my computer doing some writing, revising, reorganizing, and general catching up. This activity involved rearranging many files. Because as we change, the way we see how things are related changes. At least that’s been my experience with computer files, things, and people. We all change… As anyone could have predicted, my file movement started to slow down, a little, then a lot. Then my printer started to act out. I found that I was putting more and more effort into the project while getting diminishing returns. Admittedly, it has been a busy couple of weeks, and I wa ..read more

And that’s what we want, isn’t it? Peace! Peace in our minds, peace in our spirits. But toxic thinking pulls us away from that. Toxic thoughts can stop us from enjoying life, peace of mind, and finding true happiness. Such negative thoughts and emotions drain us. They can affect each experience we have and make us feel resentful of the people around us. “To build self-esteem, you have to outface your negative beliefs about yourself and change them.” Asmaa Dokmak Beware of these toxic thoughts and use counter-strategies to increase your happiness: I’ll always be alone. Being lonely and feeli ..read more

Hope brightens my days. An affirmation… Thanks for listening. I always hope it helps. Chat soon… Martina ..read more

“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.” Dalai Lama The holidays can be very challenging for many of us. We may have ongoing concerns about our weight, trepidation about reuniting with some of our family members, fears about work, anxieties about money, worries about life in general, and any number of other things. Life can be tough! The good news is that, even with all this stuff going on, we can keep our mental health strong and vibrant during the holiday season. We can still find great joy during the busiest of seasons by activel ..read more