Thoughts of worthlessness, poor self-image, lack of belief in your own abilities, failure, and social out-casting, can run rampant in the mind and detrimentally impact your ability to function.

I know from first-hand experience the negativity cycle that these thoughts can put you into. When I am suffering from anxiety or depression, these thoughts can become particularly powerful.

They play on a loop in my mind, getting ever louder. The more they play, the more that I am negatively impacted. My functionality drops as I am less and less able to do the things I usually do. These losses ‘prove’ that the voices in my head are right…

If you struggle to remember plans, keep appointments, or simply track your responsibilities over extended periods of time, this post is for you, it will give you some tools and systems to help organise your life.

I know it can be frustrating and embarrassing, but the first thing that you need to do is stop being too hard on yourself. Be aware that some people simply have better memories, or were taught effective ways to plan while growing up…

The first time I had a panic attack, I thought I was going to die.

There was no exact triggering moment, just a quick, overwhelming onslaught of symptoms. Tight chest, sweating, heart palpations, racing thoughts, and a feeling of impending doom…

I lose every day. Each time I step onto the mat at the start of a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu training session, I know that I will soon be ‘tapping out’. Giving the signal that I have been defeated, and effectively admitting to myself, to my opponent, and to everyone watching, that I was bested. ‘You win or you learn’ is an aphorism that we learn to live by, and in most sessions, I lose more than I win. Yet I return, day after day, and plan to continue to do so for the rest of my life. By the end of this chapter I hope to convince you of the reasons why…

Learning how to adult is a challenging prospect. There is so much to do, and so many different skills needed to successfully maintain a household, pursue a career and have successful relationships, all of which involves learning life skills, that we may not have been taught…

When you start to make changes in your life in any positive direction, you will encounter haters. There are people who will share with you all of the reasons that you should stop doing what you are now doing, and why you will fail. They cause you to doubt yourself, question your goals as well as the methods that you are going about acquiring them…

Procrastination kills dreams.

It causes the ‘must do’ tasks to build up and never get done. It takes away our leisure time. It makes us stressed and causes us to scramble over approaching deadlines. It makes us feel guilty and worthless whenever we recognise all of the things we haven’t yet completed….

I exercise at least 10 times per week. These sessions involve running, weights or swimming in the mornings and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu at night. I didn’t just start with this exercise routine. I slowly built it up over years, taking time to develop the conditioning and lifestyle needed to support this level of training.