Do you find yourself running around, being a taxi driver for your children, doing the school run, fitting in work and family time too? Is it "Impossible" for you to take any time for yourself?

If you are a Mother of a child of any age then you will know that taking time for yourself can be difficult and finding just a few moments can be an impossible task.

I see so many mothers who explain that they do not have any time for themselves. They are explaining this to me whilst telling me about how stressful their lives are. They talk of never having space or time for themselves because they want to look after their family. Somehow, though they have ended up seeking my help because they are struggling to cope. It's a very common situation and one that you may recognise in yourself.

The phrase that I hear time and time again is..

"I can't take time out for myself because that would be selfish."

Often this is something they have decided themselves, other times they have been told it by others and it has sunk it.

Does it ring a bell with you? Are you finding it impossible to take any time for yourself? Does it seem like all your time is spent looking after others?

Whenever I come across someone saying this...and it happens more often than you may realise, I always have the same response...

"Why is it selfish to have some time for yourself?"

Think about it for a second. If you are trying to look after others then how on earth can you do that properly if you are not looking after yourself?

It's not selfish in the slightest to look after yourself, and taking time for yourself will make everything else you do better. That's being selfless rather than selfish!

Here's an example of why you have to look after yourself first..

Have you ever been on a plane? Remember what they say about the oxygen masks? Let me remind you..

"In the event of a decompression, an oxygen mask will automatically appear in front of you. To start the flow of oxygen, pull the mask towards you. Place it firmly over your nose and mouth, secure the elastic band behind your head, and breathe normally. Although the bag does not inflate, oxygen is flowing to the mask. If you are travelling with a child or someone who requires assistance, secure your mask on first, and then assist the other person. Keep your mask on until a uniformed crew member advises you to remove it."

Does that make sense? I hope it does!  

It's exactly the same for you. So think about it. Take some time for yourself and see how soon you start to see the difference...and see how soon those around you see it too!

Why not take just ten minutes now and have a listen to my free relaxation MP3..just click below..

Ant and Dec slumped to the floor of the Britain's Got Talent Stage. Ant carefully reaching out to break his fall, almost as if he was just playing along with the dog that was hypnotising him. Then Simon Cowell came up on stage and looked deep into hypnodog's eyes. He dismissed it as not working...but going back to his seat, he started yawning and then slumped on the desk.

What on earth was going on? Was Simon Cowell really hypnotised by a dog in front of our eyes?

Sadly, all the evidence points to a big NO!  Don't get me wrong, as a Clinical Hypnotherapist I would love to be able to tell you that your dog could hypnotise you. I love dogs and the companionship and unconditional love that they provide is something wonderful...but they can't take control of your mind.

Hot on the heels of the ITV Hypnosis Gameshow "You're Back in the Room" ...This episode of Britain's got talent or #BGT as the twitter fans, who were callling out "Fake!" during the shows airing, call it had been much trailed. In fact when the incident happened back in February during auditions at the Lowry Theatre in Manchester I spoke to Jonathan Ross on BBC Radio 2 all about it and gave my point of view, as well as Jonathan telling us his. You can listen to the interview below...

If you listen to the end of the interview then we both agree that this is a wonderful publicity stunt. Pretending to be hypnotised by a dog meant that the show had acres of column inches in the papers and online as well as interviews such as the one I did on Radio 2.

What happened on the day of the audition though?

When you are able to see what people are saying on twitter about the show you can learn a lot. One twitter user who was there on the day was able to explain a little bit more about what happened that we didn't see. On the show as it aired on ITV there were lots of cheers and other audience noises that showed us quite how much the show was being enjoyed. However, according to this lady on twitter the reality was a little different.

"Pile of sh*t! we saw this dog live, biggest set up I've seen. Nobody clapped in fact we booed and were told to stop chanting her off"

In fact she also explained that it took over 40 minutes to film the segment. It is almost as if there was a story arc that had to be filmed and that everyone was just playing along...apart from the audience it seems! 

What is hypnosis?

Hypnosis is a really natural state, just like the point between falling asleep or waking up. 

We all drift in and out on our own many times a day. It's just like daydreaming. As a clinical hypnotherapist I can use that to help you to make changes that you want in your life. There is no mind control and no one needs to be slumped on the floor! You can read more here: What is Hypnotherapy

It will be interesting to see how far the act goes in the show. I wonder if they will appear again or be quietly dropped from the finals now that the maximum amount of publicity has been created? Stage hypnosis isn't really ideal for a live show and wouldn't work on the Royal Variety Show as it would take too long to set up...it may well be the last we see of Princess the Hypnodog. She can at least go out and enjoy a walk in the park now, although she may be much more popular with the other dogs than before !

So ...Did Simon Cowell really get Hypnothised by a dog?

"It's a No from Me"