What if your calling doesn't match current economic demands? What if your purpose isn’t out there, wrapped with a pretty bow, waiting to be found?

In this article I explore 7 myths surrounding purpose and passion, and why so many people wrap themselves up in knots trying to figure out exactly what they were put here to do.

It seems that our society doesn’t like to talk about death and grief - we prefer to avoid it, imagining that we can be young and healthy forever. What is the result of this avoiding? What is the cost? With the Great Unravelling on our doorstep in the form of COVID-19, political instability and climate change, can we afford to turn a blind eye to death any longer?

It’s 2020 — we’re in the midst of a global pandemic, climate collapse has already started playing out, and mental health issues are skyrocketing -but not everyone can afford to go to a psychotherapist. There are other reasons you may choose not to find your own therapist: trust issues, a lack of time, or perhaps you’re just not convinced that talking about your feelings with somebody else is going to be all that helpful.

If you’re looking for a way to work through difficult emotions without having to bring another person into the equation, here are the simple (but effective) things that I do.

2020 has been one wild rollercoaster, and I think it’s safe to say that very few of us are unscathed - and hey, we’re only 2/3 of the way through.

I don’t know about you, but… it’s getting harder to focus. I set goals, but then I don’t really feel like achieving them. I get distracted easily, sinking time into scrolling through my news feeds instead of sticking to what I’d planned to do. I’ve allowed myself far more junk food than I normally would, because I’m not able to relax with friends in the ways I’d normally like to. Many people have told me that they’re feeling the same.

In The Power of Now, Eckhart Tolle explores the way that we spend the majority of our time (mentally) in the past or the future - very rarely on the actual present moment.

He explores questions like “well, if I never think about the future, how will I plan things? Won’t I just become a bum lounging around on my parents’ sofa?” - or something along those lines.

..Yes, of course, we need to be careful not to use mindfulness or the power of Now to encourage people to put up with unacceptable situations. If your house is actually on fire, don’t just sit still and focus on the feeling of the flames burning your skin - you get the f*** out and call the fire brigade…

Striving to feel happy all the time is not a realistic (or desirable) goal. In fact, studies show that the active pursuit of happiness can make you unhappy — the more we value happiness, the less happy we feel when in low-stress situations. In other words, the thought “my life is easy and stress-free right now — so why don’t I feel happy?” causes us to feel more disappointment at our own emotions, leading us to feel even worse.

I know you don’t WANT to feel anxious — nobody does. But if you’re beating yourself up for not being OK right now, then please take a deep breath and read on.

Tons of people are already leaping to the ‘rescue’ with articles about how to keep calm during a pandemic. Most of these articles talk about how we should meditate, breathe, try not to panic, wash our hands, and exercise. Yes, that’s all great stuff, but have you tried to meditate when your brain is going “omg I’m going to die omg what about my grandparents omg what about my income”, when you miss your friends, and when your body is crying to be out in the sun? That sh*t is HARD!