In my opinion, as a hypnotherapist, I have one of the best jobs in the world.  However, people often tell me they don't think they could sit listening to peoples problems all day.. I just don't look at it like that and my jobs worth comes on the days when clients walk out of my consulting room never to be seen again but very much more happy and optimistic than when they first came in.

I have noticed that we seem to have several highly qualified young people who have chosen to come over here and work in a coffee bar or a restaurant and they seem to be very consientious, thorough and pleasant. Yet if they chose to look at life in a different way they could let the fact that they are apparently wasting their qualifications make them less conscientious and motivated more stressed and miserable..

Any Job can be a satisfying experience if that's the way you choose to look at it or it can be a nightmare too and it's more often than not your choice..

Some jobs can be very satisfying in a personal development sort of way.  Now don't laugh but if a roadsweeper chose to sweep in the moment and use the experience as an almost meditive personal practice then they would have a fantastic job and would surely appreciate the simple things in life.  Plus they would be proud of the cleanliness they had meaningfully created..

Then again the person with the high-powered, demanding and 'stressful' job may put so much value in the status  that they can't step back and take the longer view.  When you think about it, a job is to give you a life not to take over your life!  You do what you can and what you can't will remain - no matter how stressed that pile of unfinished work might  make you feel.  Stressing about it makes it harder to complete and makes you miserable for yourself and the people you live you life with.

There are exceptions when other peoples wellfare is dependant on you and yo7u sim0ply have too much to do so the responsibility can weigh heavy, but still there is a choice of ways to look at it.

What I am getting around to saying in my long drawn out way is surely it is better to do a job that you might be over qualified for and put your best effort into it so that you are gaining great experience and personal development than to sit at home waiting for the 'right' job to come along.

Life is changing and gradually and I don't believe it will ever be the same again.  I believe that we will eventually spend a lot more time developing ourselves and our spirituality (for want of a better word) and less on commercial status.  Wealth will have to be less important in the future as it has spiraled out of control.

Take pleasure in the sim0ple things in life.  Nature offers fantastic spectacles if we can take the time to look.  A babbling brook, a fantastic sunset/rise,  ice on a lake and the rest. 

Most of all make y9ur job work for you rather than the other way round.

If you are one of the people who are suffering from a reduction in real income and you are feeling badly done to let's take a look at what is happenihng.

For several decades we have been money orientated and lifetsyle conscious, trying to keep up with the latests gadgets (impossible as there are new ones out all the time).  We have focused on getting a good job with a good income, status and everything that goes with it.  We have become stressed, ill and out of touch with our real selves.

It's not all lot to do with any govenrment for any of it (although they have certainly been influencial) and we have certainly been encouraged to chase the £'s and borrow borrow borrow - but it's all in the stars and as a peaceful Aquarious is slowly becoming our influencial planet we are almost being forced into paying attention and taking life more slowly and  less seriously.  We have spent time focusing on the material things and now it is time to focus on ourselves and our spiritual well-being.

The more spiritually progressive and flexible amongst up will embrace this new opportunity with a  big hug and implement changes to their lifestyle and work/life balance finding satisfaction and pleasure in the simpler things in life.  (And jst look how mother nature is supporting us with a fantastic Summer and a georgeous Autumn).

It is the ones who are hanging on to their idealistic views of what their life should be like and what they want from life materially that are going to suffer the hardship.  Obviously the more you have the more you might lose and so for once the people with little are in a stronger position than the fat cats out there who are living in materialist heaven.

Make no mistake - the big change is here and it is the little people who are going to be the influencers of the future.  So start your journey here.

Andrea Lowe Hypnotherapist

You've probably heard that negative ions are good for you and positive ones are to be avoided but do you know what it means, what positive ions are and where you find them?

Maybe this will help a little.

Do you feel the bracing impact of being close to a rough sea?  The refreshing aftermath of a thunderstorm? That is the effect of negative ions.  The air feels light and fresh.

You may also have experienced the heavy murky feeling before a thunderstorm.  You could have felt a heavy head experience.  That's the build up of positive ions reaching their peak.  The storm produces electricity (lightening) and clears the atmosphere filling it full of calm peaceful clarity. The  Ions are attracted together and form a heavy cluster.

Natural conditions produce positive ions and then have a way of neutralising them and producing healthy refreshing negative ions.

However in our homes we have an abundance of positive ion producing equipment that is not naturally neutralised.  TV's, phones, computers ... all bombard you with a frequency that is much more than our body and brain is used to creating what is termed electrical smog.

This can cause problems like lack of sleep, nervousness,body stress, lack of concentration, sluggishness.

We are about to be spending more time in our homes as the winter months set in.   We will be more likely to be using electrical equipment and introducing more positive ions into our atmosphere.  It's important to prepare our home and make it as comfortable as possible

It's important to introduce ways to neutralise these positive ions in as many ways as you can.

Here are some suggestions:

• Have a few plants - they help to clear the air.
• Ventilate with fresh moving air
• Use natural cleaning products
• vaccuum and clean regularly to keep the dust down.
• Don't smoke in the house

Water
Just as the movement of the ocean produces negative ions, then water movement in your home will, to a lesser extend do the same.  So a water feature is not only relaxing but also refreshing and purifying.

Salt Crystals
In the form of lamps or tea light holders, salt crystals when warmed attract moisture which in turn attracts positive ions.  Negative ions from the salt neutralises the ions and cleanses the atmosphere.   Salt caves have been used for many years as a place of recupperation and rejuvenation, just by sitting in the warm damp caves and relaxing.  You can also buy small crystals of salt to either heat in a dish over a tea light or you can place a tea light in the middle of them on a saucer.

Yes, yes, yes

Do you know someone who is a people pleaser?  You know the type, you can depend on them agreeing to do anything for you and it's a bit of a shock if they say no!

Maybe you recognise this in yourself and find it difficult to refuse a request from someone.

Generally in the long run pps get disrespected, undervalued and overlooked.

But this blog is about being in a realtionship with a pp. 

The relationship could be a professional one or a personal one.

The up side, you would think, of this is that the pp would do everything they could to please you - so you can be sure they are dependable...... well not exactly, you see the pp relationship is not exclusive,,, so they are trying to keep lots of people happy - not just you.  It's not really possible so it's therefore safe to say that being in a relationship with a pp means that you cannot rely on them.  The fact that their intentions were good means that they do not like it when you criticise them, after all they have every good intention towards you but they just couldn't give any more.  It seems to them unfair that you cannot understand this.

Ask anyone who works with or lives with a pp and you will find that frustration will crop up in their reply.

Pps think they are loyal and need to be seen as loyal and good friends but they cannot be faithful or true to you in the broadest sense.  They are  a sucker for someone in trouble or someone they can impress.

It's bad enough in a professional relationship but if your partner, spouse or other is a pp then as you are probably the most certain most reliable person in their lives and they don't need to work too hard to please you, so you will be the bottom of the pile when it comes to helping people out. You will get frustrated regularly asthey continue to let you down through helping someone else out.  It's hard though too be too angry as that makes you seem chrlish because after all they are letting you down whilst serving others - not going on a bender! 

In most cases the best relationship to have with a pp is a casual friendship as you are not to be taken for granted but still impressable. 

My clients often suffer from partners who are people pleasers and it's often partners of pps who need the Assertiveness Training..  here are some examples:

A friend who needed to impress men and would drop any arrangements with her girlfriend at a moments notice if she got a better offer from a man.  She would also ignore her friend socially if a suitable man joined the conversation.

A wife who found her husband, a pp, was going to the extreme of giving away their childrens toys to impress casual friends.

Generally pps are really good at talking the talk but a little incapacitated when it comes to sustaining the walk long term.

People Pleasers have a real psychological problem.  You might think that they would benefit from assertiveness training but many of them can be assertive.

Anyone who felt they needed an assertiveness course can also tell you that knowing how to do something can help a little but if it doesn't feel right then you still have a problem.  Each time you practise the activities you have learned you have to stretch your comfort zone that much more.  Over time it will embed but not if there is an emotion attached to your need to pp.

Getting to the reason why pps need to get the affirmations from others and they cannot respect themselves is an interesting therapeutic journey with a very liberating ending.

This is just one of the reasons why being a hypnotherapist is so satisfying.

Beetroot - How to Buy

If you have only ever had beetroot in a jar pickled or in a pouch precooked then you don't know what you are missing.  As with many things the taste of freshly prepared beetroot is far removed from the processed kind on the supermarket shelves.
 Look for beetroot that still has its luscious leaves attached - you can eat them.  In fact some might say they are the tastiest part of the plant.
It's best to leave attached until you are ready to eat as both parts help to keep the whole fresh for longer. You will soon find that the extra you pay for the fresh beetroot will earn its keep with the versatile things you can do with it..

The leaves

First to cook the leaves. Depending on the size of the beetroot you should allow about one set of leaves per person for a generous helping.  Chop them off the root near to the bulb and wash well, chop like cabbage and boil or steam just like cabbage or spinach. You will find they are acreamier and sweeter version of spinach, very like the multi coloured beet leaves that you can buy sometimes.  You can serve with a little butter and season to taste.  So with the average bunch you have around four generous portions.

The root

One of the healthiest way to eat the root is to simply peel it and grate it into a salad.

But you can also do several other things with it.

You can boil it.  After peeling chop it into quarters or bite sized pieces and drop into a pan of boiling water or a steamer.  Cook until you can easily stick a knife into it (like testing poratoes).  Serve as a warm vegetable. it has a much stronger and sweeter flavour than the prepacked ones you can buy.

Or try rinsing it off and leaving it to completely cool.  Prepare a salad of mixed leaves with greek feta or salad cheese then toss in some cold cooked beetroot and some fresh figs cut into quarters ...delicious.

You can Roast it.  Peel and roast as you would any roast vegetables by oiling an oven tin and brushing the vegetables with olive oil, seasoning and a sprig or two of Rosemary (optional).  Place in a medium oven for about  30 - 40 mins or until redy when tested with a knife.

Try this recipe for roasted beetroot.  It's very simple and delicious.

Roast some fresh beetroot and sweet potato cubes seasoned and with a sprig of Rosemary and some chopped Rosemay sprinkled over.

While it is cooking take some quinoa (white is best as a contrast to the topping).  Add some good quality vegetable stock and simmer for 15 mins approx.  Put enough water in to cover and watch carefully topping up when needed.  The idea is that the water and stock will abosrb into the quinoa and you should not need to drain it. You are wanting the quinoa to be cooked so that it is soft but not overcooked so that it becomes like porridge.  It should be almost like mashed potato, soft and fluffy.

To serve

Place a bed of the quinoa on the plate and arrange the cubes of beetroot and sweet potato on top.  Drizzle with a small amount of honey and cider vinegar if desired.  When roasted the beetroot has a very rich strong flavour and is quickly satisfying so go easy on the portions.