How are you towards your partner when you are running low on energy, feeling depleted? Hardly 'your best self'. Looking after yourself helps look after your relationship too, by reducing reactivity and bringing more calm and connection. 

This brief solo episode of Pause Purpose Play is based on chapter 23 of my new book, The Lasting Connection, about developing love and compassion for yourself and your partner. 

In this second to last episode based on the book, I cover self-care and self-compassion as a way to top yourself up, so you can also be there for your partner.

Subscribe now to not miss the following solo episodes, focusing on perfectionism, the inner critic, ambition, achievement, overwhelm, stress, productivity, self-compassion and much more.

Order my book, The Lasting Connection, here

To spend 90 days to develop love and compassion for yourself, join the online course, The Compassionate Couple, here

Find me at www.thethomasconnection.co.uk

Instagram: @the_thomas_connection

Facebook: www.facebook.com/thethomasconnection

Pause Purpose Play Facebook group: www.facebook.com/groups/pausepurposeplay 

This episode was edited by Emily Crosby Media

Do you worry that you don’t play enough with your child, or feel bad if playing with them bores you? Or do you play with your children until you’re exhausted, leaving little time for yourself?

In this episode, I talk to Susie Robbins about the importance of play for our wellbeing - both for adults and for children. You’ll get easy tips on how to play without putting pressure on yourself to make it Pinterest Perfect - it is about connection, not perfection, and quality over quantity. 

Susie Robbins is an advocate for play. She believes in the power of play to help young children learn, to communicate and to make sense of the world around them. She has seen first hand how activity based learning can create a love for learning and deepen a connection between adult and child. 

We cover: 

Reengaging disruptive children with activities

Self-worth and pride increasing with play

Supporting learning through play

Social media pressure to play ‘perfectly’

Parents feeling like ‘failures’ in play

Making chores and everyday life into playful moments

5 minute play is enough - time limited play

Connecting through play and shared activity

Alleviating stress/anxiety for adults playing

Play DNA - reignite playfulness from childhood 

The pleasure of play protects our energy

Unrealistic expectations on children’s attention span

Sensory play tips

Permission to be a parent, not childcare provider

Facilitating independent play

Find Susie on Instagram at @resolvetoplay and on her website www.resolvetoplay.com

Order my book, The Lasting Connection, here

To spend 90 days to develop love and compassion for yourself, join the online course, The Compassionate Couple, here

Find me at www.thethomasconnection.co.uk

Instagram: @the_thomas_connection

Facebook: www.facebook.com/thethomasconnection

Pause Purpose Play Facebook group: www.facebook.com/groups/pausepurposeplay 

This episode was edited by Emily Crosby Media

Have you been hurt by your partner? Perhaps they have made a mistake which you struggle to forgive them for? Or you have messed up and struggle to forgive yourself? Blaming and shaming yourself, or your partner? 

This brief solo episode of Pause Purpose Play is based on chapter 22 of my new book, The Lasting Connection, about developing love and compassion for yourself and your partner. 

In this third to last episode in the couples series, I cover forgiveness as a way to let go and move forward.

Subscribe now to not miss the last few of the solo episodes focused on couples relationships, before we continue focusing on perfectionism, the inner critic, ambition, achievement, overwhelm, stress, productivity, self-compassion and much more.

Order my book, The Lasting Connection, here

To spend 90 days to develop love and compassion for yourself, join the online course, The Compassionate Couple, here

Find me at www.thethomasconnection.co.uk

Instagram: @the_thomas_connection

Facebook: www.facebook.com/thethomasconnection

Pause Purpose Play Facebook group: www.facebook.com/groups/pausepurposeplay 

This episode was edited by Emily Crosby Media

Have you experienced a difficult past? Perhaps you went through a challenging childhood, which has shaped who you are today, and the way you speak to yourself. 

In this guest episode, I spoke to Dr Natalie Bodart about to develop compassion for our past, and how we can change the narrative, or story, we tell ourselves about what we’ve experienced. 

Dr Natalie Bodart is a clinical psychologist and founder of The Bodart Practice; a holistic psychology practice in London, supporting people in creating a fulfilling life where they feel present and connected again, and to enable people to deal with the past, live in the present, and build the life they want.

We cover: 

• Our unique story of the past

Order my book, The Lasting Connection, here

To spend 90 days to develop love and compassion for yourself, join the online course, The Compassionate Couple, here

Find me at www.thethomasconnection.co.uk

Instagram: @the_thomas_connection

Facebook: www.facebook.com/thethomasconnection

Pause Purpose Play Facebook group: www.facebook.com/groups/pausepurposeplay 

Are you or your partner going through challenges to do with your physical or mental health? Odds are that this will also put a strain on your relationship, perhaps altering the balance of giving and receiving care. If either of you is experiencing physical or mental health issues, your relationship is more likely to be distressed.

In this episode, I cover the third of three threats to relationship connection; health issues. 

Order my book, The Lasting Connection, here

To spend 90 days to develop love and compassion for yourself, join the online course, The Compassionate Couple, here

Find me at www.thethomasconnection.co.uk

Instagram: @the_thomas_connection

Facebook: www.facebook.com/thethomasconnection

Pause Purpose Play Facebook group: www.facebook.com/groups/pausepurposeplay 

This episode was edited by Emily Crosby Media

Have you lost someone you loved? Someone dear to you passed away, and you are dealing with the loss and grief afterwards? Or you are grieving things which never got to be, due to the pandemic? The loss you experienced can even be linked to something traumatic. 

In this episode I speak to Dr Marianne Trent about grief, loss and trauma, and how to cope with it in a way which gives you the permission to move forward with your life again, towards joy.

Dr Marianne Trent is a Clinical Psychologist and author of The Grief Collective: Stories of Life, Loss & Learning to Heal. She weaves a compassionate approach through all of her specialist trauma, grief and eating disorders work with clients

• What is grief?

www.goodthinkingpsychology.co.uk

LinkedIn

Youtube channel

Instagram @goodthinkingpsychological

Twitter @goodthinkingps1

The Grief Collective on Instagram

Order my book, The Lasting Connection, here

Download the free 4 min audio meditation, Self-Compassionate Break, here

To spend 90 days to develop love and compassion for yourself, join the online course, The Compassionate Couple, here

Find me at www.thethomasconnection.co.uk

Instagram: @the_thomas_connection

Facebook: www.facebook.com/thethomasconnection

Pause Purpose Play Facebook group: www.facebook.com/groups/pausepurposeplay 

This episode was edited by Emily Crosby Media

Have you and your partner argued more since you became parents? Is it hard to juggle it all, making you feel resentful about who does what in your home? Perhaps you are less satisfied with your relationship now that you are also managing the needs of a baby or several children?

In this episode, I cover the second of three threats to relationship connection; parenting. 

Subscribe now to not miss the final episode, on how health problems can cause stormy seas in your relationship. 

Order my book, The Lasting Connection, here

To spend 90 days to develop love and compassion for yourself, join the online course, The Compassionate Couple, here

Find me at www.thethomasconnection.co.uk

Instagram: @the_thomas_connection

Facebook: www.facebook.com/thethomasconnection

Pause Purpose Play Facebook group: www.facebook.com/groups/pausepurposeplay 

This episode was edited by Emily Crosby Media

Do you feel anxious when you do new things, not feeling confident? Are you hard on yourself, thinking that you're not good enough if it isn't perfect? Perhaps old beliefs hold you back in life.  

We cover:

• Meditation calms your brain and anxiety

• Being brave and being scared goes hand in hand

Chloe’s books:

The Confidence Solution

www.calmer-you.com

Download your free 4 min audio to give yourself a Self-compassionate break, here

To spend 90 days to develop love and compassion for yourself, join the online course, The Compassionate Couple, here

Find me at www.thethomasconnection.co.uk

Instagram: @the_thomas_connection

Facebook: www.facebook.com/thethomasconnection

Pause Purpose Play Facebook group: www.facebook.com/groups/pausepurposeplay 

This episode was edited by Emily Crosby Media

Have you been on the receiving end of an infidelity, having been cheated on by a current or previous partner? Perhaps you yourself have been unfaithful to someone you loved?

Then you know how the trust gets shattered and how it leaves you feeling a full range of emotions, from sadness, anger and anxiety, to guilt and shame. 

If you haven’t experienced infidelity, tune into this episode to understand the risk factors for this happening in your own relationship. 

This brief solo episode of Pause Purpose Play is based on chapter 21 of my new book, The Lasting Connection, about developing love and compassion for yourself and your partner. 

In this episode, I cover the first of three threats to relationship connection; infidelity. 

Subscribe now to not miss the following two episodes, on how parenting and health problems can cause stormy seas in your relationship. 

Order my book, The Lasting Connection, here

To spend 90 days to develop love and compassion for yourself, join the online course, The Compassionate Couple, here

Find me at www.thethomasconnection.co.uk

Instagram: @the_thomas_connection

Facebook: www.facebook.com/thethomasconnection

Pause Purpose Play Facebook group: www.facebook.com/groups/pausepurposeplay 

This episode was edited by Emily Crosby Media

Why do we feel so bad at times? Why can’t we just be happy all the time?

Because we haven’t been taught how to understand ourselves, and what it means to be human, and instead chase constant happiness and think we have failed when things aren’t ‘perfect’. 

In this podcast episode, Dr Soph, Clinical Psychologist and Author of ‘A Manual for Being Human’, talks about how we can understand ourselves and show compassionate curiosity for the full register of emotions we experience across our lifespan.

• Struggling against our emotions

A Manual for Being Human by Dr. Sophie Mort

@drsoph on Instagram

Order my book, The Lasting Connection, here

To download the free 5 min audio of the guided meditation Self-Compassionate Break, go to www.thethomasconnection.co.uk/break

Find me at www.thethomasconnection.co.uk

Instagram: @the_thomas_connection

Facebook: www.facebook.com/thethomasconnection

Pause Purpose Play Facebook group: www.facebook.com/groups/pausepurposeplay 

This episode was edited by Emily Crosby Media