Viv Strettle - Coaching and Counselling

02/08/2025

Out with the other half for Thai and a movie.

21/11/2024

Myself and Hubby after attending Newark Theatre to watch RAF band and choir. Find your

19/11/2024

Are you happy? How do you know? If you're not sure how to answer this question, check out my method here!

07/11/2024

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DCEr_B2s4nS/?utm_source=ig_web_button_native_share

29/10/2024

Could this be the simplest formula for happiness?

22/06/2024

Would you like to feel Unstressed? I'll soon be unveiling my new group and coaching programmes to help anyone to remove unnecessary stress from their lives. Let me know in the comments what causes you stress. 🙂

28/04/2024

This was an absolute pleasure and privilege to deliver. Thank you Mind for having me.

Our Tea & Talk group at Edwinstowe House were offered a Free workshop on Reducing Stress last week, as part of stress awareness month 😊

Viv Strettle - Coaching and Counselling delivered a fantastic session in which we learnt some useful techniques and had a really interactive conversation around how we could implement these into our everyday lives.

We’d like to say THANK YOU to Viv for an engaging and informative workshop and also Edwinstowe House for offering us use of their facilities 😊

If you'd like to come along to the next Tea & Talk, you can find the details on our website: https://nottinghamshiremind.org.uk/well-cafe

18/01/2021

My thoughts on the negative emphasis of diets.

But first a content warning! This blog mentions chocolate and other banned substances. Please exit if you will be disturbed by this!

As a woman with more curves than I need, I am not really qualified to discuss weight loss or healthy eating etc. but it saddens me when I see comments on twitter or facebook or hear about people ‘failing’ at a diet or craving certain foods. It would probably be rude for me to reply so I thought this would be a (little) bit more subtle! 🙂

I believe that one of the problems with diets is that they concentrate on negatives: Weight LOSS, DON’T eat this food, you CAN’T have that, or I MUSTNT each that cake that I’m craving right now.

Unfortunately the brain doesn’t recognise the negative concept! For example if someone says “Don’t think of an elephant” well I can already see the pictures in your head! Whatever you focus on, that is what the brain will process and direct your energy to. NO chocolate NO Pringles …. well now I’m thinking of chocolate and Pringles!

It’s the same with ‘LOSING weight’ or ‘GIVING UP bread’. The brain doesn’t want to LOSE anything.

There’s also the ‘failing’ aspect. If a diet says don’t, and you do, some people think they have failed. Not true. (I suppose I should really say ‘incorrect’) . Not achieving is not the same as failing! There is big difference between not quite hitting a target and shooting your arrow in the opposite direction!

So what’s the answer? Well as I said, I’m not really qualified to give answers but I do have some suggestions. Instead of saying ‘don’t eat a particular food’ concentrate on what you are going to eat. If you plan what you do what to have on your menu, and on which days, the mind doesn’t have the same opportunities to think about what’s not there!

Cravings are often habits rather than a physical need. I like to sit in front of the TV with a bag of Doritos. It can easily become a habit on a Saturday night! The next time I do it, I don’t feel so bad, but actually that’s worse! When I want to kick this habit, my brain thinks … ‘mm somethings missing’ and it’s back to the spicy salsa! As soon as you start to think. Oh I could just eat ###, guess what, you feel like you really need it. When you try to tell yourself NO, well guess what? It doesn’t compute!

So for dinner tomorrow I WILL be having succulent roast chicken in a smooth lemon pepper sauce, fresh tomatoes and green veg, followed by a light and whipped yogurt filled with strawberries!

PS.. Please don’t shout at me if you find me eating a muffin at Starbucks lol! I choose to! (yes I will keep telling myself that!)

26/10/2020

Congratulations! You're winning at the game of life!

It might not seem like it at this point in 2020; With Covid and all the financial hardships you might be facing. Look at it this way though. You are reading this on a piece of equipment more powerful than the one that took man to the moon. It might be on your desk or one you carry on your pocket. You're literate and educated enough to use this equipment. To do that you're probably indoors right now. Sheltered from the cold. You've probably got electricity; at least enough to charge your device. If that's true, there's a good chance that you have enough to eat and will be sleeping in a warm bed this evening, even if there's uncertainty about the future.

We probably don't think about it but in human terms these are all pretty big wins. So you're actually doing pretty damn well. 😊. So how about this? Take a bow and remind yourself of that. You're winning at the game of life. Nobody knows what the next round will bring but you're already equipped for it and ready to kick ass. Built for success, designed for survival, programmed for prosperity, and you may not have realised it. Just think what you could achieve now that you do! 🏆. 😊