Having self-compassion is not the same as being selfish or self centred. Acknowledge your pain, your failure, your difficulty. It is part of the human journey. It will lessen, it will pass and it will teach...in time. What kindness would you give your friend suffering as you are now? Be that friend to yourself. If we cannot look after ourselves, we will not be strong enough to look after others.

Maysoon Zayid saying it as it is. Yes, she is inspirational for many reasons. She is also funny and self deprecating. Struggling with New Year resolutions? Well, if she can then I can can...

This takes me back to my very first week of counselling training when one of my peers broke down in tears and many of us rushed to her side offering words of solace, comforting arms and tissues to "dry those tears." Our wise tutor stopped us there and suggested we go back to our seats. What were we doing? Who were we doing it for? She asked us kindly. Why, the tears unsettled us - made us sad, reminded us of our own fragility, trials and tribulations that life throws at us. So, shall we block the tears? Shut them down? Repress or supress the feelings? She went on. Try sitting with the feelings. What happens then? How do you feel when it is okay to cry? As I said, she was a wise woman.

Still waiting for 'the One' to walk into your life? Has it been a stressy time and you are doubting 'the One' you are with? Do you find yourself being particularly picky? Dan Savage may just offer an alternative view to finding that special person. The Price of Admission or rather, what we can compromise on to share our lives with someone whose qualities support us. And, by the way, it works both ways. Are you perfect?

People are often surprised that there is laughter in the therapy room. Lets face it, life can be absurd and laughter is a very effective coping strategy and a way of bonding with others. How infectious is a baby's giggle? And yes, it can bring us right into the present.

Absolutely! Nobody is broken. We are just different. We are a product of our experiences both good and bad...and nobody is immune from that. We weren't perfect in the first place but all of us are constantly changing with what is going on in our lives. Yes, we sometimes make poor choices and life can throw us a tough time but most of us are doing the best we can. You are not broken. You don't need fixing.

Sadly the celebrated poet, playwright, professor, memoirist, historian, director, screenwriter, activist and actress, Maya Angelou, died last Wednesday May 28 aged 86. Although particularly well-known for her poetry and memoir books, her fifty year plus career in a number of creative disciplines explains her wide influence today. Born Marguerite Johnson in 1928 in St. Louis, an unsettled childhood moved her between Missouri, Arkansas and eventually to San Francisco. Here during the 1950s as a dancer, singer and actress she changed her name to Maya Angelou. Her life up to age 17 is described in "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" her first book from 1969. By the time she wrote "I Know Why" she had already led a full life that included having met and been friends with Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, James Baldwin and Billie Holiday. Among her achievements and countless awards, she was also Bill Clinton's inaugural poet in 1993 - the first poet to recite at a presidential inauguration since Robert Frost at John F. Kennedy's in 1961. She was indeed a phenomenal woman. She may no longer be with us in body but her words, wisdom and inspiration will stay. How blessed are we to have such people in our lives?

After an extremely stressful week and a particularly horrible day I need to self soothe. My mind is racing and I'm struggling to quieten it so I'm going to focus on some art... I love the way mandalas seem to grow out of the page - from the seed. The music here is especially peaceful. I intend to let my mind wander and create what it feels like doing:-)

Time to Change is doing so much to reduce the stigma of mental illness. Even that term 'illness' jars with me. Sometimes it is our body’s reaction or defence mechanism to life events, what the wonderful Irvin Yalom calls 'life's givens' that causes us to shut down or self soothe in a potentially harmful way. Whatever, it is time to talk. Get the support you need and remember that most people will experience some form of mental health problem during their lifetime. Fight that stigma! 1 in 4 people will experience a mental health problem each year. (Mental Health Statistics, 2001)

A fabulous GIF for you, created by BreatheAware and featured on the wonderful Blurt Foundation's website. I find these really help to steady breathing when feeling anxious. It gives us something positive to focus on too when our thoughts are hurting us.

Watch this beautiful scene from Luc Besson's Angel-A. How does it make you feel? What do you see when you look in the mirror? Do you concentrate on your faults or the kindness in your eyes? What would your Angel say to you? Pull your shoulders back, raise your chin and smile. Is that different to how you normally stand? Be proud. You've made it this far.

When is the last time you did absolutely nothing for 10 whole minutes? Not texting, talking or even thinking? Mindfulness expert Andy Puddicombe describes the transformative power of doing just that: refreshing your mind for 10 minutes a day, simply by being mindful and experiencing the present moment. (No need for incense or sitting in uncomfortable positions.)