Did you know that travel broadens the mind? Well, it does though in my case it also broadens the waistline! A few days in France. tucking into exquisite food and wine helped me to relax and take stock. Now how can we resist that croissant for breakfast?
We can take a different perspective on life when we are away from the familiar and having time to rest makes us open to fresh ideas. Comfort food is just that, comforting, and only to be eaten on occasions!
Life is challenging right now, but I had a call from an old client recently who want some more sessions with me and has waited patiently for me to return from holiday, and I now see what I can do to help her.
The back story is that Sheila, not her real name, is of a similar age to me, in her late 70s and had been estranged from her family for many years. In her eyes there was no reason they no longer wished to talk to her; she saw no fault in her behaviour. But seeing the other side of the issue, although I was not happy with her family’s response, I understood it.
Part of my work over the years has been in family mediation, and there are so many families broken by words, more so than by deeds. Sheila’s case was difficult though not unusual, she could not help herself commenting on how her two children and their choice of spouses managed their lives.
Her comments were often cruel and unkind, so rather than disrupt their marriages her children had abandoned her. Sheila thought she was helping by her criticisms, telling them how to do things her way, as that was the best way, the only way to live. As you can imagine, there is only so much a person can take!
She became desperately lonely; this was made worst as her groups of friends were dying off or moving away to live with their children.
During our mediation work, we made great progress and reconciled with both Sheila’s daughters and their partners, they all gained understanding and started to see each other in a better light. They regained their mother and Sheila found her daughters and grandchildren again.
Now Sheila wants to understand her behaviour as she still tends to criticise, though now not in anyone’s hearing!
So, in the next few weeks, we are going deeper; I feel that the issues are her inability to see she may be wrong. Maybe her ‘inner child’ is still suffering, that is one possibility, another one is her trauma. We all have trauma to various degrees and I have ways to find and resolve Sheila’s.
I will keep you posted on her progress, so if you have issues, including trauma please contact me to find out how we can get through the pain and stress.
If you would like to try the No Worries – a course in emotional control you will find ways to understand yourself and your feelings and learn how to change them for the better.
Diane – blessings and love
Diane K Holliday
Life Coaching with Wisdom & Integrity
Top Quality Confidential Coaching to get you through the changes you need, to achieve wellness in mind, body and spirit.
Tel: (44) 01273 640895/ 07989 078556