Why we should embrace our contradictory beliefs...

Can you relate to feeling ambitious, but also lazy?

Maybe sometimes you feel excited and scared at the same time or maybe you feel 'happy-sad'.  If you can relate to feeling any of these contradictory beliefs, know that you're not alone.  Not by any stretch of the imagination.

You see it's human nature to feel these seemingly opposite feelings and have them sit side by side, jostling away somewhere in the background.  What usually tends to happen is they come up in conversation or when something happens in your life that has you stop and think and notice that you're thinking or feeling or experiencing thoughts or even exhibiting behaviours that are contradictory to one-another.

Well, in this weeks video we explore this funny human 'quirkism' a little more, looking at why there is power in embracing these contradictions and also how they can sometimes hold you back from moving forward...

Do you relate to this?

Do you notice what your own contradictions are and are you happy with them or are there any you'd like to change? I'd love to hear from you below if you're brave enough to share.

Before you go, if you’d like to have this delivered to your in-box every week, in which I share some behind the scenes stuff too, then do CLICK HERE to be taken to the sign up page (this is just a sign up to the weekly blog update).

Until next week!

How to instantly boost your mood...3 simple things you can do today!

Do you ever feel like even though everything seems to be ticking along fine, you just feel low in your mood?

You feel a bit down, like there's a little cloud following you around and casting a shadow over how you're feeling?

Maybe you feel like this a lot, maybe you feel like this sometimes, maybe you feel like this around 3pm every day when you get that afternoon slump and you're craving a coffee to give you the boost to get you through the rest of the day (like me!).

There are obviously lots of things that impact how we feel.  You need to feel like you're doing meaningful work, you need to feel healthy and eat the right foods, be happy in your relationships, get good sleep etc. etc...I'm sure you can think of things straight away that you know impact how you feel.  Today though is more for those of you that are doing many of these things, are generally happy, but like I described at the start of the piece, sometimes you just can't shake the down feeling.

So, today I'm sharing with you a few things that you can do that involve being in 'motion'...in other words moving your body.

There is a lot of good research and science that links movement, so exercise and other modalities that show irrefutably that exercise and moving are directly correlated with a positive mood, as well as having other associated health benefits including better functional capacity.  So I dig into this today...and I have to warn you, some silliness takes place.  But you probably guessed that!

What do you think?  Do you already do any of these things....I can't be the only one dancing around their office at 3 in the afternoon?

I'd love to hear from you if you do this as as well.  What's your favourite tune...I'll be sharing mine over on Facebook so click here to see what I boogie to!

Also, if you'd like to get delivered to your in-box every week, in which I share some behind the scenes stuff too, then do CLICK HERE to be take to the sign up page (this is just a sign up to the weekly blog update).

Until next week!

Car-e-oke with Jade Shaw...Out of Body researcher and teacher!

I'm so excited to bring you this week's blog post and interview..

...which is with the incandescent Jade Shaw, Out of Body Researcher and Teacher.

At APE Model Psychology we're focussed on helping people make big changes in their life and we do this through via the APE Model.  As part of the process we also look at up-to-date research, theory and importantly the stories and experiences of others who paved the way; challenging our thinking about how we live our lives and ultimately what is possible...and that is exactly what Jade will do for you this week.

 In this interview Jade tells you all about her journey into the world of OBEs, which she not only teaches others about but practices herself!

She also generously shares some personal stories, all in amongst a lot of laughter and some, well kind-of-singing!

If you've ever been curious about transpersonal psychology, consciousness and what is truly possible then get stuck into this fun interview.

So without further ado...

WOW!  Am I right?

I'd love to know if you're going to be trying some of these techniques and if you do, or indeed if you've already experienced an OBE, I'd love it if you were brave enough to share your experience here! If you have had one, how did it change you?  What do you feel you learnt from the experience?

Thank you for sharing.

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I'd also love for you to come over and sign up to my mailing list.  In the new look weekly email, I share a little more than I do here about the week's blog and also some other things that I don't share anywhere else.  To sign up you just CLICK HERE to be taken to the sign up page.

Til next week!

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Find your purpose...4 things you can try to today!

Do you know what you are on this earth to do?  Why are you here?

What do you want your legacy to be?  What do you want people to think about you long after you have left this fine place?

It may sound a little morbid to some, but finding your purpose, what your gift to the world might be, can be deeply moving and deeply motivating.

It's certainly not something that everyone will consider.

In fact it seems to be that most people bob through life not really pondering the big stuff...but not those that APE Model Psychology!  In fact APE was born out of desire to rebel against the apathy that seems to be creeping into society.  The act of falling into one thing and then another, waiting for tragedy, illness or impending death to finally think..."did I do I what I was here to do?'....'did I really do what makes me happy?'..'did I make a difference?.

Some people have no trouble finding their why, their purpose.  They seem to have been born with the idea clear in their mind, and seem to be on a linear and fast-track trajectory to achieving said thing.  Then there are us who feel that deep niggling in their soul. The knowing that there is something bigger, something more important or fulfilling we should be doing, our lives feeling like trial and error on our path to achieving it, whatever it is?

It's been said that if you're struggling to find your purpose you need look no further than at the things that 'breaks your heart'...that is what you should be doing. That is where you should be.   But this doesn't always feel like a good fit, so in todays video I take a slightly different approach and give you a few things you can do to help you identify what your purpose might be, so here we go...

Will you be using any of these tips to find your purpose?

If you do, or indeed if you've had any experiences of your own that have helped you on your own journey then I'd love to hear from you. I'd also love to hear from you if you feel that your purpose is something others would like to hear about as we are looking for more inspirational stories to share with our APE followers, so please get in touch at serena@apemodelpsychology.com

In the meantime, if you'd like to have this delivered into your inbox every week with a little additional information about what's going on behind the scenes then please CICK HERE to sign up to find out first.

Until then, I hope you have a fantastic week!

Interview with APE client..Claire Lyons

Have you decided that 2018 is the year that you're going to make some big changes?

What is it you want to do?  Leave your job, start your business, write that book, lose weight or change your mind-set?

We often use the momentum at the beginning of a New Year and feelings of a fresh start to do things outside of our comfort zones, to try new things and to try and implement changes that we've wanted to for some time.

Well someone who did just that is Claire Lyons, who I've had the pleasure of interviewing for this week's blog post.

Claire is an ex-client and someone who I worked with at APE, helping Claire to make some big changes in her life.  When I met Claire she was working as a Mental Health professional, juggling multiple passions including writing, blogging and crafting not to mention looking after her 4, yes 4 children!

Though Claire, like most of my clients, is driven, accomplished and has many talents she can turn her hand to, she also had the insight that it would take an outside perspective and objective view to help her see things differently.  This she knew would  not only help her to actively move forward, but also challenge her and help her step outside of her comfort zone and help her ultimately make some changes she had been pondering for a while.

And that is exactly what she did!  Claire came to see me for 1:1 Psychology Coaching  and within a few months of working together Claire had left her job, and is now happily living a more balanced and fulfilled life being with her family but also running a business from home (or at least her lovely shed).  In this she focuses on helping other families to live an ethically-conscious life, while saving money.  Her business is called The Frugal Family..how perfect!

In this short interview, Claire tells you about her journey in her own words, about some of the difficulties in doing what she did, after all making big changes is not an easy thing to do, and how she came to achieve this with the help of our work together and input via the APE model.

So without further ado, may I introduce Claire...

I hope you found this interview interesting and that it's inspired you to go after your own dreams and pursue what you want to do this year.

If you'd like to find out more about Claire and her work and business then please check out her website at https://www.thefrugalfamily.co.uk

I'd also like to say as I do in the video, what a pleasure it's been to work with Claire. Working with anyone in this kind of process is a partnership, and it's through Claire's hard work and determination to work on herself that allowed change to happen (she was also incredibly organised!).

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If you'd like to know more about how I can help you 1:1 with making changes this year, then I offer very limited places for Coaching.  You can make an enquiry by filling out a contact form at the bottom of this page.

Please also watch out for many more client interviews to come as well as further information about how we can work together to help you make that change this year!

In the meantime do sign up if you’d like to get this delivered to your in-box every week. In this I also share a little more than I do here, and you’ll be the first to hear about all things going on behind the scenes here at APE.

Also if you’d like to keep the dialogue going then why not come on over to the APE Facebook page where I engage with people daily as well as answering questions.

Until next week!

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Interview with Dr Djordje Gveric: National Brain Bank

As you are sat right now, reading this very blog piece, your brain is at work.

Your brain is always at work, in fact it never gets a rest day or holiday as it's always on duty, 24/7.

Even when you feel like you're not doing much, or thinking much, or even sleeping;  during all of these states, your brain is working hard to process information and stimuli, make sense of what is going on and find itself, and therefore 'you' in space. It's regulating your digestive systems, your breathing your heart rate and blood pressure to name a few things.

As well as all of this, it sits at the heart of how you begin to process your feelings, your desires, and controls your responses to others and harbours your memories, dreams and fantasies.

It is, in short, THE most A-Mazing organ and one that we would all benefit from understanding a little more...you see we all have one (even people who may feel are lacking one at times!).

Sadly, a lot of people don't take much notice of their own brain until something goes wrong.  There are many neurological afflictions that people may encounter during their lifetime, some brought of by trauma, some by disease, some genetic.  This week we have the pleasure therefore of introducing to you a wonderful human being called For Djordje Gveric, who is in charge of the Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson's Brain Bank at Imperial College London.

In this interview Djordje tells us all about the work that is done at the bank, as well as showing us 'behind the scenes' as he takes us though to the labs where we look at some real brains.

Djordje is so candid in this interview and as I pose some questions to him about life the universe and everything, he kindly delves into questions about consciousness and the idea of the 'self', fascinating stuff and something from which we can all take something away....so without further ado...

I do hope that you found this interview interesting and that made it's maybe even made you think differently about your own brain.

If you're interested to find out more, and would maybe even consider donating your own brain to science (wow!), then you can click on the LINK HERE to be taken to find out more.

In the meantime, I'd like to state once more how grateful we at APE Model are for Dr Djordje's time and bubbling enthusiasm for his work, as well as to Imperial College for allowing us behind the scenes.

Next we are back with another interview...this time from an APE client no less, so you can hear about what changes they have made in their life since being involved in all things APE...exciting!

Until then, please do sign up if you’d to get this delivered to your in-box every week. In this I also share a little more than I do here, and you’ll be the first to hear about all things going on behind the scenes here at APE.

Also if you’d like to keep the dialogue going then why not come on over to the APE Facebook page where I engage with people daily as well as answering questions.