Table Conversation

Happy Easter! This week's episode is a bonus for the Easter holiday, join me at the table to hear just how the Easter story of over 2,000 years ago can still be relevant to our lives in 2021.

Although I'm doing the talking again this week - I'm talking about listening!

Join me at the table and I will share how I am feeling this week and why you need to get your diaries out. Whilst there is a real appetite for returning to our old lives, it is important to acknowledge that all of us will have a range of feelings and emotions as we do make that journey towards the sunlight. Having those open conversations is key to sharing how we are feeling.

Listening. Offering someone uninterrupted time to talk, even for a few minutes is a gift we don't often give each other. How good a listener are you? They may seem basic skills but don't underestimate what research and experience has shown me about becoming a better listener.

In the episode I mention support if someone you know needs professional help or guidance - urgent help is available through Samaritans call free on 116 123 or email [email protected] for a reply within 24 hours. Text "SHOUT" to 85258 to contact the Shout Crisis Text Line. The mental health charity Mind has information on their website mind.org.uk.

23 March 2020 - Boris Johnson, UK Prime Minister announced the first lockdown in the UK, ordering people to "stay at home". It has been a year since our last 'normal' week and on this week's Table Conversation I asked some listeners to share their memories of that week, I also wanted to know what part of normality they are most looking forward to.

How much time do you spend reading articles with 20 tips to change your life or watching videos of amazing cats playing pianos? Have you been the victim of 'clickbait' - find out what it is and how it works. Once you see it for what it really is you'll probably want to scroll on and stop wasting time!

The documentaries I mention:

Our Silent Emergency with Roman Kemp - Available BBC iPlayer.

Caroline Flack: Her Life and Death - Availabe on All 4 (Channel 4 demand)

We can't start this week's Table Conversation without looking back to last week's episode and talking about the interview - I didn't know that free speech would be the big debate this week!

If you care about people and your relationships then 'I'm sorry' are the two most important words you will ever use. Let us have a chat about apologising and how to say I'm sorry effectively. What does a genuine apology look and most importantly feel like?

The masterclass I mentioned was by Harriet Lerner, her book is called: Why won't you apologize? Healing Big Betrayals and Everyday Hurts.

As always get in touch and share your thoughts - across social media @iamcraigstorey or comment on the website - www.iamcraigstorey.com.

This weekend I am celebrating a big birthday, it seems I may have all ready turned into a grumpy old man!

Join me at the table as I talk about a couple of stories this week and share my thoughts on what they mean for the rest of us.

We have all been talking about Harry, Meghan and Oprah - you might not agree with what I have to say about the couple that I have never met. Please don't worry about the Queen or Prince Philip - they survived their son Andrew's interview on the BBC. Could this one really be worse?

Following Ant Middleton's parting with Channel 4 over his 'personal conduct' - does free speech exist anymore? Why I think having open debate and hearing everyone's opinion, even if I don't like it, is more important than ever in the age of Twitter mobs. Liberty is at stake!

I would love to know your views - share them with me please - who knows I may even do a bonus episode to share them. I would also like some of your solutions to how we keep free speech alive. Get in touch - all social media @iamcraigstorey.

Lockdown may be ending but is your social anxiety just getting started?

Join me at the table this week as I talk about our worries of leaving lockdown. We know that we all need social connection for our mental health but with that comes concerns for our physical health, we will chat about navigating this. Also let us talk about how we might be feeling when we crank up our social lives from walks in the park to weekends away!

I will share some insights from academics as well as my own personal experiences so far.

(The book I mention is Fear Bubble by Ant Middleton)

Links to professional guidance:

https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/coronavirus/looking-after-your-mental-health-we-come-out-lockdown

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/mental-health-helplines/

This week I’m joined at the table by Coach Dee Woolridge. Dee is an international speaker, best selling author, coach, hypnotherapist, founder of two training and development companies, US Navy veteran.... the list goes on! Dee has accomplished so much - she specialises in resilience, mindset and communication.

We chat about the pandemic, how it has affected us all in different ways and how we can approach the changes it is bringing.

Have you ever heard the saying ‘good vibes only’ - we talk about what this actually means and how we can influence our vibration. Dee offers an introduction to the law of attraction .

We also talk fear and how to face it head on!

You’ll need a doggy bag for all of the takeaways from this table!

You can get in touch with Dee via her website www.deewoolridge.com.

Links to free courses;

Her mind shift membership - http://msm.deewoolridge.com/

Kick Fear in the Face - http://kickfear.deewoolridge.com/

Books by Dee;

Spirit Guide Connection 101

Unlimited

The Resilient You

Dee mentioned a book called ‘Power vs Force’ - this is a book by Dr David Hawkins. The scale she mentioned that you can Google is the ‘Hawkins’ scale.

It's Valentine's weekend and I am not sure what your plans will be, even if you have a Valentine to celebrate it with! No doubt you will be inventive as you have been with all the other 'lockdown' celebrations.

I know for sure that my guest at the table this week, Leanne, will be celebrating because she shares her plans - maybe you could steal her ideas! During the last year Leanne's life has had a complete change - a new job, a new home office, a new house and she managed to find love in lockdown.

Leanne joins me at the table to share the story of her year - the challenges and the successes.

How are you this week? This week's Table Conversation is exactly conversation that sitting around the table with friends used to be about!

Let us have a chat about this week's good news stories - a peek into the future of what getting our complete freedom back looks like and thoughts of escaping for the Summer!

Something I don't do often is 'binge' watch a TV series, if I do you will know it's a good one. This week I have been hooked on one series in particular!

Who has got it worse? Why comparing our pain and suffering is dangerous, and why now is not the time to ration our love.

The book I mention is by Brené Brown - Braving the Wilderness.

We've reached a milestone in our COVID-19 journey here in the UK - I share my thoughts on this bleak news and why we might not all agree on why or how we've reached this.

"You've just got to stay 'positive'" is a statement we often hear - but what does this actually mean? I'm talking hope - why it's so important to remember the power of hope, more so than ever right now.

If you need to talk to someone in confidence - urgent help is available through Samaritans call free on 116 123 or email [email protected] for a reply within 24 hours. Text "SHOUT" to 85258 to contact the Shout Crisis Text Line. The mental health charity Mind has information on their website mind.org.uk.