Seasonally Adjusted If you experience low mood and drops in energy levels at a particular time of the year, you could be one of the 33% of people in the UK affected by SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder). It happens in all seasons but more often when the trees have shed their leaves, the autumn sunshine …
Creating Value There’s an old saying that goes something like, “a problem shared is a problem halved”. The implication being that two people, in this case, can share the emotional burden of a difficult situation through conversation. This may be the glass-half-full version of what it means to connect. It might be more meaningful to …
Language Creates Reality Have you ever paused to consider what is language? It’s clearly more than just the articulation of spoken and written words. Language elucidates the unimaginable; triggers and soothes feelings; connects minds. It can open doors and burn bridges. In fact, the way we use language shapes our world in so many ways …
What Happens to Us Stays Inside What causes conflict in life? This deceptively simple question could be the ultimate design challenge in terms of threats to our happiness and wellbeing. Think about the situations where conflict surfaces most often: families, neighbourhoods, communities, organisations and, indeed, all over the world. There is an obvious common denominator. …
Space Making Whenever we create a safe space with “others” we learn to see possibilities and collectively choose our response instead of reacting through dysfunctional impulses. Even in erratic and chaotic situations, we learn to break bread together; share what we have without judgement or prejudice. We connect. Why? We are born with the tools …
Navigating Stress We are designed to cope with stress in short bursts. However, with prolonged exposure, our body’s physiological system pivots into survival mode and acts as a kind of tachometer, keeping the score along our chosen path towards either illness or sustained wellbeing. In this state, we are prone to subconsciously triggered reactions that …
Whose Field Are You Ploughing? There is evidence that early humans were using one natural compound to fashion a softer one into a useful implement well over 300,000 years ago. This process known as “bruting” is a skill that is still practised today and is the basis on which gemstones are cut and crafted. It …
People, Places, and Possibilities The 3Rs of Reading, wRiting and aRithmetic have long been the bedrock of modern education systems; the keys to the kingdom of knowledge and understanding. The kingdom itself is becoming an altogether different place where new relationships are being forged to tackle society’s intractable issues. Individual problems become possibilities when reframed …
If Digital Is the Old Normal What’s Next? Coronavirus has accelerated a transformation that was already well past its tipping point. Now, through the current wave of digitization, our education systems have also been teleported through the vortex of cyberspace to rematerialise in a parallel universe where the younger generation is already comfortably co-existing with …
Old Needs New Purpose Whatever our hopes and fears were at the start of the new decade, few people predicted the devastating impact of the current global pandemic and the underlying economic crisis. The most vivid manifestation of the impact, as is often the case with a crisis on this scale, is felt within communities. …
