A glorious day is so uplifting

This morning parts of Scotland have been so beautifully sunny and bright and it is so uplifting. It is amazing what a bit of sunlight can do for our mood. It really is a tonic - everything seems so much rosier and more positive!

Sadly though we are only days away from the end of British Summer Time, which will mean darker evenings. It is a stark reminder that winter is drawing in.

As days get shorter many people start to suffer from 'winter blues' and seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Add to that the pressures of Christmas and things ahead can seem quite bleak.

However there are things you can do to help with the season ahead. Our article gives useful advice for dealing with the pressures of Christmas and the winter season. See http://www.edinburghtherapy.co.uk/winter_blues_article.htm

Edinburgh counsellor/psychotherapist awarded BACP accreditation

At our Edinburgh Psychology Centre we were pleased to learn this week that Maisie Hennessey, one of our counsellor/psychotherapists, has been accredited by the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). It is important to recognise that the accreditation process is quite a long and thorough one and it is testament to Maisie’s abilities  and experience as a counsellor/psychotherapist that she has been given this formal recognition. Well done Maise!

Playing Safe or Taking Risks? Some football-inspired thoughts..

Some of you will be interested in the tactics assumed by Scotland Manager, Craig Levein in the recent Scotland football match against the Czech's. The 4, 6, defensive strategy packed the midfield and was designed to squeeze a draw or, even better, a win on the break. It failed and Scotland lost 1.0. However the formation caused uproar, being tagged 'negative',  'pointless' and 'dull'.  But might there be some merit in being strategic in such defensiveness at times?  I guess Levein's thinking was that if Scotland set up to 'win', they would be unlikely to score enough to overtake the number of goals they would concede. Thus rather than being a risk, the approach was doomed to fail, and accordingly an act of folly. More likely to succeed was the opposite - a total blanket defence, which at worst would concede few and at best might manage a draw.  Hence playing safe wasn’t about fear, but a reasoned, calculated option in the face of no real alternative.  It was a decision based on logic, and carried through in the knowledge that it would likely attract criticism whatever the outcome.   This offers a parallel to life – that sometimes it is the safer option that is the riskiest,  in terms of the criticism it can invoke. So the bravest may not always be those who duck and dive, and take every chance that comes along, but those who take reasoned decisions and stick to them whatever the consequence .

Words of wisdom

We have been on the look out recently for inspirational and empowering quotes.

We have come across many beautiful words spoken by many wise men and women over the years. It is lovely to be able to read them and share in their wisdom.

We'd like to share one of the beautiful quotes we have found with you. It is not long, in fact it is positively short, but who needs 20 words when 11 will do.

"Better to light one small candle than to curse the darkness." (Chinese proverb)

New sign for First Psychology Centre, Glasgow

We are busy this week organising a sign for our Glasgow centre. It is one of those jobs that had not been prioritised since we moved in to our new Westend location a month ago, but many of our clients and visitors have asked us why we don't have a sign, so it has become a priority.

Everyone who has noticed our lack of sign will be pleased to know that one is being made as we blog and it will be adorning the outside of our centre soon!