Last week Mr Chalk and myself were sunning ourselves on the marvellous Normandy coast, near to Arromanches.   A wonderful time we had too, the first time away without the children, so we were able to do as we pleased, and not spend our time hunting down theme-park/sporting/generally expensive activities which could keep our teenagers amused.

Simply enjoying the wonderful food, scenery, going for loads of walks and reading was enough to keep us very happy indeed, and we have both returned feeling refreshed and relaxed.

The French seem to do many things really well, and this includes food – those wonderful displays of cakes, biscuits and chocolates in their patissiers really are quite wonderful to behold, and Mr Chalk and I could regularly be found dribbling at shop windows in awe.   Presentation seems to be something that they pride themselves on, as well as taste.   Markets show colourful, and spectacularly displayed arrays of fruit and vegetables, and restaurants and cafes pride themselves on the way they serve their food, from a magnificent tray of seafood, to a little cafe creme, served in a dainty cup.

This makes it all the more strange that, in other areas, they do not appear to be bothered at all.   At the risk of sounding like a grumpy old woman, I was dismayed at the amount of dog poo on pavements and along the beach promenade.  It was a resort where there were a lot of families on holiday, and so really this was inexcusable.  There was even a bag dispenser on the beach front, which dog owners could use, if they had forgotten their own, but sadly this was not being used.  

Public conveniences on some beaches, too, were really quite disgusting, involving the dreaded footplate (never a good way to keep toilets clean and hygienic) and the smell was enough to put you off your croissant.

This attention to detail and pride for some areas of life, in contrast to a seeming disregard for other areas, is quite strange.   It is as if there is almost a ‘blindness’ or a selective filtering of information which is important, and that which is not important.   Every country probably has their different cultural idiosyncracies, and sometimes these can seem conflicting to the outsider.  But actually to the natives, this is the way they live, and they themselves do not find anything strange about it.

In the same way that a country can have its strange quirks, as individuals we can also possess characteristics that, to another person, would appear strange and contradictory.   But, we are all unique individuals, and we have all faced a whole range of life experiences, lived with different stresses and had to cope with differing family circumstances.

What is important is that through our experiences, our subconscious minds always work for our benefit, protecting and looking after us, even if this means that the resulting behaviour is unpalatable.   So, for example, a person who comfort-eats may have began doing this in order to make themselves feel better about a situation.  Similarly a person who is anorexic, limits their food in order to have some control in a world which to them, feels very out of control.

In order to address these sort of negative behaviour patterns, it is necessary to re-direct the subconscious mind to find better, more appropriate ways of feeling good, other than resorting to destructive and life-limiting habits.  Hypnotherapy does this brilliantly, by gently guiding the subconscious mind to make its own search for positive and life-enhancing ways that the individual can feel good about themselves again.

If you would like to have a chat with me to find out how hypnotherapy could help you, please do not hesitate to contact me on 01449 780352, or 0871 7158429, or email me on wendy@wendychalk.co.uk.

And no, of course the poo problem has not put us off France …..