Our posts always focus on the positives, nothing will change this year.
What you might notice this year is that we will be offering a wider selection of strategies to help you through life's challenges.
Each year since 2020 there has been a mantra with last year being “Survive to 2025”.
Given that we are all different, that we live differently, that we have different experiences and that we have different priorities, we need your help to provide exactly what you want.
If you have something going on in your life that you're finding particularly challenging, there will always be others going through the same thing.
We could continue to post on what we think is relevant but that's just about us, we would prefer our posts to be about you.
I welcome you to get in touch and let me know about what you're finding particularly troublesome, and I will offer a range of suggestions based on validated research.
Our work is grounded in three facets - neuroscience (brain imaging), positive psychology (focusing on strengths and positive experiences) and emotional intelligence (ability to perceive, understand and manage our own emotions and relationships).
You can text or leave a voicemail to 0211105547, email lance@warninternational.com or direct message me on any of our social media platforms.
Please know that any personal information that you share, as well as your name or any other identifying factor, will be held in the strictest confidence and your message deleted immediately.
‘Helping people to help themselves’ has always been our aim and this will also continue.
We learn from each other, therefore if you read a post of ours please add your contribution in the comments which will add to our knowledge.
Let us all contribute so that we can “Thrive in 2025”.
Let's talk!
We see you 💝
We see you, those who are hurting, those who have lost loved ones, those who are struggling, and those who found 2024 a difficult year.
Time may not heal, may not help, may not seem possible, yet time brings distance and distance can bring change.
Love to you all, we see you and want you to know that we are here for you if you think we can help.
Together, we’ve got this.
Christmas, A Time For Reflection.
Christmas is a time for reflection on the year gone by and the new one approaching.
For me, it has been the toughest year in the 10 years of being in business. We are fortunate, from what I am seeing of others.
Whether it is because of the topics we offer or how we deliver our programs - we have got through the year with just a few bumps and bruises.
Many have been hit hard this year in their work, their personal life, or both.
If I can offer one piece of advice, that is to use this Christmas as a time of reflection and as a launching pad for the new year.
I was always a proponent of moving forward quickly when tough times happen. Pushing through the emotions to focus entirely on the future.
This had worked but not so much these days. The more I learn about the brain the more I understand the need to stop and feel the pain that tough times bring.
This year I pushed through tough times and hit the proverbial wall. I took a week off and realised how tired I was.
Rest is how we recover, both physically and emotionally. Rest brings reflection. When we rest, we have to stop and think.
Taking the time to stop and think can be scary, yet it is needed if we are to move forward.
Take time off if you can, reflect on the year that has been, and recall the tough times.
Tough times don't necessarily make us stronger but they do make us wiser. This is how we learn from our past, rather than it becoming a trigger that holds us back.
When you've completed your reflection then it is time to reinvigorate. Looking forward, what do you want to achieve in the next year, and how will you go about it?
It is often said that goals should fit the formula of SMART – specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, & time-bound.
For me, goals should be one thing – flexible. Life changes fast, so we must be prepared to adjust our goals to suit as needed.
Whatever goals you set for 2025; I wish you the very best at achieving them. That is all we can hope for and all we should expect of ourselves, doing the very best that we can.
Use these holidays to rest, to reflect and to reinvigorate.
I look forward to seeing you achieve your goals, whatever they might be.
Let's talk!
Nighttime can be lonely for those who cannot sleep. Demons tend to come in the dark because of the quiet during the night.
When it seems that everyone else is fast asleep, we lie awake.
I have always been a worrier and never a warrior. I picked it up from my mother, she had a big heart and always worried about everything.
At the age of 16 I hardly slept, barely getting enough sleep to get by. Alcohol and substance abuse to try and get to sleep.
Medication is never the solution; it only adds to the unwanted cycle of worry and despair.
Fast forward 30 years and, once again, sleep evaded me as I dove into depression. Self-medication was the automatic default.
Lying awake at nighttime is desperately lonely, for you are the only one who is suffering. Yet, there are many others who struggle to sleep, you are not as alone as you think.
Fast forward to the present. Sleep still evades me on occasion, particularly when hit by a setback.
Having studied sleep and trialled many ways of getting to sleep, we have put together a document on how to get a better night's sleep. It is yours, available from our website for free!
For me, the number one way of dealing with a sleepless is to accept it, accept that I will have a sleepless night.
With acceptance brings an anchor. The night will be a rollercoaster of high anxiety and, on occasion, calmness. And that is where I find sanctuary.
Remember this, if you are struggling with sleep you will get through the night as it is just your thoughts keeping you awake. Thoughts cannot hurt us unless we allow them to, they are ours to control.
Become a warrior and work through your thoughts to reach the calm.
The sun will come up and you can now work on what's actually worrying you, not what you thought was worrying you.
Let’s talk!
Why Do Bad Things Happen At Chrsitmas?
"Why do bad things always happen at Christmas?"
The simple answer is that most of the time, they they don't. It's just that Christmas, and other festive occasions such as birthdays, New Year, etc., act as a marker on which to place the tragedy.
When bad things happen, we they do we look as to why and for a cause we wish we had seen coming.
"If only," we tell ourselves.
Instead of looking for reasons, answers or blame - spend time reflecting on the good memories, or maybe the bad times if that is helpful for your situation.
Bad things happen. Acknowledge it, find out as much as you can about it, help yourself to come to terms with it, and then help others in whatever way you can.
By all means cry, shout, get angry, and express out loud how you feel. That is a good thing to do as suppressing emotions is detrimental to your well-being.
Take as long as you need, don't rush it, and you will know when it is time to move on. When it 'feels' right, start moving forward.
If you have trouble accepting the tragedy or moving forward, ask for help. There is no shame in seeking assistance, it is a sign of strength to do so.
Bad things happen, that is a part of life. Good things also happen which is also a part of life, a bigger part may I suggest. We just don't see the good things when we are sad and down.
Forget the bad things in the past, look to the good things in the future, but always be in the moment.
I wish you and your family the very best for the holiday season, Merry Christmas.