Cathy Caswell, Author at THE HEALTHY LIVING PLAN

12 May 2019

Expanding Our Frame of Reference

by Cathy Caswell | Posted in: Anxiety, Culture, Healthy Living, Leadership, Logosynthesis, Spiritual Health | 0

Our frame of reference is how we approach the world. Frame of reference is defined as ‘a set of ideas, conditions, or assumptions that determine how something will be approached, perceived, or understood.’ (Merriam-Webster, 2019) Each of us has a unique frame of reference that is embedded in our culture, education and experiences. It provides us with a structure to make sense of the multitude of stimuli that constantly bombards our senses. Dismiss. Our senses perceive external stimuli. When this … Read More

17 Mar 2019

Two Truths Call For Growth.

by Cathy Caswell | Posted in: Constructive Conflict, Culture, Leadership, Limiting Beliefs, Logosynthesis | 0

Growth comes from being able to resolve two conflicting truths. Our reactions provide us with information that allows us to resolve our frozen perceptions, also known as our beliefs. Redefining Truth. Our simple definition for ‘truth’ as a fact or reality is closed, exclusive and reactive. It does not support growth, inclusiveness or creativity. According to Merriam-Webster, an additional definition is a judgment or idea that is true or accepted as true. Judgment is defined as a formal utterance of … Read More

16 Feb 2019

Embrace Irrational.

by Cathy Caswell | Posted in: Culture, Healthy Living, Leadership, Logosynthesis | 0

Rational explanations do not explain current leadership behaviour. Given the pace of change and the increasing pressure of demands, leaders at all levels are responding based on their instinct, beliefs and attitudes. When pressure is applied to retrieve rational explanations, perceptions are triggered that ignite inflammatory thoughts and emotions. Policies are put in place to correct and prevent, yet policies rely on rational thought to be effective. We push down irrational responses and yet the increased pressure fuels a higher … Read More

11 Nov 2018

Peace and calm.

by Cathy Caswell | Posted in: Leadership, Logosynthesis | 0

On this 100th Anniversary of Armistice Day, we are moved to remember. Each in our own way. Each with our own stories. Each with our own past. What we know is that somewhere in all of the fighting was a desire for peace and calm for our families and future generations. And as we now stand here on November 11, 2018, the world is changing so rapidly that we struggle to feel this desired peace and calm. This morning, I … Read More

27 Sep 2018

Learning how to heal trauma.

by Cathy Caswell | Posted in: Anxiety, Culture, Healthy Living, Leadership, Logosynthesis, Parenting, Reduce Stress and Anxiety | 0

Recognizing our natural reactions. Trauma. My natural reaction to the word is to close in, back away and shut up. It is not comfortable for me to talk about suffering and I don’t like to talk about things that are not comfortable. I was born into a culture and a family where we didn’t spend a lot of time talking about our emotions or our reactions. I learned to be resilient. I handed my suffering to God and moved on … Read More

12 Sep 2018

Is fear real power?

by Cathy Caswell | Posted in: Culture, Leadership, Limiting Beliefs, Logosynthesis, Reduce Stress and Anxiety | 0

Fear is a derailer: When we ask ‘Is fear real power?’, some may respond with a ‘Yes’ because it triggers a response and it drives action. But fear relates more closely to force and to ‘power over others’. Fear relies on position and authority to trigger reactions in others rather than holding space for others to generate creative thought. Fear is a derailer! Rather than building on the collective strengths of individuals by fostering collaboration, it explodes, divides and destroys. In … Read More

27 Jul 2018

How to improve productivity? Resolve reactions to the word ‘should’.

by Cathy Caswell | Posted in: Culture, Healthy Living, Leadership, Logosynthesis | 0

Why improve productivity? Improving productivity allows us to achieve more with less. We often think of this as achieving more financial benefit with less of the organization’s financial resources. There is also great opportunity to achieve more with less of our personal resources. Think for a moment of the time and/or energy that goes in to building our personal resources: exercise; healthy eating; sleep and others. Significant energy expenditure in order to build our personal resources to have energy available … Read More

24 May 2018

What if? A paradigm shift.

by Cathy Caswell | Posted in: Culture, Leadership, Limiting Beliefs, Logosynthesis, Reduce Stress and Anxiety, Spiritual Health | 0

What if we can relieve our distress rather than have to learn to live with it? Think about this for a moment. We live our life and events happen. We react with a wide range of emotion, depending on the nature of the event. Distress is a combination of emotions, sensations and thoughts that result in a feeling of discomfort. We may notice that we get stuck in habitual reactive patterns as a result of this distress. The symptoms can … Read More

29 Apr 2018

How to build self-reliance, resilience and self-awareness.

by Cathy Caswell | Posted in: Healthy Living, Leadership, Logosynthesis | 0

Confidence through experience is crucial. Self-reliance, resilience and self-awareness are all rooted in experiences. To be reliant on our own efforts and abilities requires that we gain confidence through our experiences. This confidence influences our resiliency, known as our ability to recover or adjust to misfortune or change. This confidence also influences our own awareness of our behaviour and emotional characteristics. Self-reliance supports growth. In the book Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (Harari, 2015), the author makes the argument that … Read More

22 Feb 2018

Students First? Let’s Calm Reactive Behaviour.

by Cathy Caswell | Posted in: Constructive Conflict, Healthy Communities, Leadership, Logosynthesis | 0

We are undergoing immense change and uncertainty. We all want to put students first, yet look around and it is easy to recognize an escalation in the pace of change. All of our systems are feeling the pressure of adapting to intense uncertainty and the external demands often exceed the ability to cope, resulting in breakdown. Schools feel the intensity every day, as children arrive with tensions from home, as parents react out of fear and frustration and teachers, … Read More

Author Archives: Cathy Caswell