All too often the most difficult thing about any particular task is getting started. That is certainly the case when facing something challenging. It can also apply to the simplest of things. The problem is that procrastination feeds anxiety and anxiety is a direct challenge to our mental wellbeing. We can face the predicament where … Continue reading Words, Actions, Choices
Author: garybentleycounselling
After 40 years in the media, several years in business and a total of 37 years married life, I am now a fulltime and qualified counsellor with a passion to help individuals become the best person they can be.
A Friend For Life
We know far more about ourselves than we are prepared to admit. Admission opens the way to change, change is often painful, and we would all prefer to avoid suffering. The fact remains that no-one knows us like we know us. In this case, however, knowledge is not enough. We need understanding. What is it … Continue reading A Friend For Life
Topping The Takers
It's not easy to accept that, somewhere out there, is a person who is plotting or planning to take advantage of us either emotionally, physically or spiritually. They may be nearby or they may be far away...but they seek to exploit us. They see something we have and they want it for themselves. They see … Continue reading Topping The Takers
All Things Must Change
Everything we do, say or think has consequences...and that's true whether we choose to deny it or not. One thing results in the next, one direction leads to another. Any attempt to freeze time and space is futile. Change happens minute by minute, hour by hour despite our often desperate attempts to delay or postpone … Continue reading All Things Must Change
Hooray For Today
Life is full of surprises. At its best a surprise is simply something unexpected or not anticipated. At its worst a surprise can be a shock. There is no way to prepare ourselves for every eventuality. It's not possible to be ready for anything. Living a life of hyper-vigilance would be to invite mental and … Continue reading Hooray For Today
Freedom In The Moment
Reliance on prediction and preference is unwise. What we want and how we see ourselves getting what we want can rob us of the ability to manoeuvre when we need that ability the most. There is a lot of repetition throughout life. There is also a lot of ducking and weaving. It's important to know … Continue reading Freedom In The Moment
Up, Down And Sideways
Expectation can often exceed result. What we want is not necessarily what we will get. It's rare that we plan for a loss but a negative outcome is always a possibility. In a lifetime we will experience many good things and we'll experience many bad things. There will be times when our spirits are lifted … Continue reading Up, Down And Sideways
Look, Listen and Learn
The gap separating fact from fiction is becoming increasingly blurred as technology transitions. It's becoming harder to believe what we can hear and more difficult to accept what we can see. Face value is no longer what we expect it to be. Those with specific agendas make the most noise and demand the lion's share … Continue reading Look, Listen and Learn
Enough To Be Tough
Wounds run deep. The hurt we have suffered can very much determine the direction we take. More significantly, though, the pain we carry impacts on the value we place on ourselves. While the way the world around us sees and assesses us has its impact both emotionally and psychologically, the most harmful critic all too … Continue reading Enough To Be Tough
Pieces Of Peace
We're taught the importance of acceptance and forgiveness...leaving the past in the past...the need to move forward...the simple mantra of getting on with getting on. And - at least at a surface level - we can appear to have all those things under control. The problem is that there is more to us than presentation … Continue reading Pieces Of Peace
Gary Bentley Counselling 