September. Back to school. Kids ´leaving´ home. Going to uni, on a gap year, moving forward with their lives. The seasons change. The photos of our kids on their next first day of school/uni, compared to their first day at school looms in our memory. Lists and preparations for those leaving home for the first …
Midlife Realities – Empty nest and facing our kids growing up Read More »
Right now, many of us British parents are waiting for our kids´ exam results. Whether it is for A Levels (at 18 to go to uni/college) or GCSE´s (16 to continue onto A Levels or other higher education) it feels like quite a lot is riding on it (granted more on the A Levels than …
As summer arrives and the school doors close, mums (and dads!) find themselves facing a new challenge: navigating the school holidays with teenagers. Here in Spain these last a loooooooong time from mid/end June to mid September. The relaxed schedules and increased free time can sometimes lead to chaos and stress. However, by incorporating essential …
Exposing 4 myths and misinformation about midlife. Contrary to popular belief, many people experience increased happiness and life satisfaction during midlife. Would you agree? From my personal experience I certainly feel freer to do things and care a bit less about what people think now I am 50 (but it is still a work in …
Why feeling invisible is a common experience for midlife women and mums Feeling invisible, overlooked, ignored, or unnoticed by others is something we can all experience at some point during our lives. It can manifest in any area of our life, whether in our relationships, work, or social interactions. Being aware of feeling invisible is …
Understanding the People Pleasing Phenomenon People pleasing is pretty common, especially amongst us women. In fact, perhaps unsurprisingly approximately 85% of people-pleasers are women. So what is people pleasing? Prioritising others, doing or saying what we ´think´ we should do and generally thinking about everyone else. People pleasing is a behavior pattern in which individuals …
I don’t know about you, but I have noticed that most of the time I am living up in my head. In other words focusing on doing, planning, ruminating and sometimes not being really present when my kids or partner are talking with me. It is actually not a nice feeling. Pretty numb. Feels like …
One of the great things about having lived in a few different countries is that you have friends all over the world. One of the not so great things about having lived in a few different countries is that you have friends all over the world. It is obviously wonderful in so many ways to …
I don’t think I am alone, but sometimes it feels lonely. Maybe that’s life. We all feel lonely sometimes. But the pandemic has certainly heightened and exacerbated any loneliness or isolation we might have felt beforehand. As Sheryl Paul so eloquently puts it: “There’s a fundamental loneliness that is part of the fabric of being …
One question that I have been asking myself a lot recently, is where do I belong? I have lived in the UK most of my life, but leaving there to live abroad in Australia nearly 15 years ago, then Costa Rica and now Spain. I am relatively used to the feeling of not belonging …