I noticed something familiar yet uncomfortable this past weekend.  We ventured out in the pouring rain to Chiswick in West London.  It was one of those unavoidable visits to the supermarket, coupled with a notion that we might pick up a Christmas tree.  Admittedly, 12 mid day is not the best time to venture out.  Most people by then have surfaced after a long sleep and have decided to do exactly the same as we did.  It became apparent that we had made a bad choice when we drove endlessly round and round the car park at Sainsbury's looking for a car parking space.  I am fortunate that my partner is a much more placid driver than myself, as I Would have probably given up after 10 minutes.  Needless to say, we found a space and hit the supermarket.  I noticed that people had a look of madness about them.  Probably the combination of a busy week at work and then the added pressure of having to buy things for the festive season and battle with the hoards of other people doing exactly the same thing.  We shopped quickly and left!

The next stop was B&Q in search of a Christmas Tree.  Standing in the pouring rain, trying to imagine how the tree may actually look without the netting around it, we decided to abandon the idea and use the beautiful artificial tree stored in the roof at home.  A few ecological ticks in the box, a bid to save the planet and a few quid saved made the decision as easy one.

I began to wonder about the season of goodwill and also wondered if the credit crunch scare mongering had actually impacted people to the degree we are being led to believe, after all, there was no shortage of people out shopping.  There still seems to be a prevailing mentality that the stores are going to close for a long period and that there will be a shortage of food.  Crazy but it's true.  Old habits die hard it would seem.

For some of my clients Christmas is a bigger ordeal.  For those who have eating disorders or are struggling with alcohol dependency, this can be a very frightening time.   The social ethos of over indulgence in food and wine makes for a challenging time for some.  It is also a tough time for people who may have strained relationships within family units.  Often groups of people are forced together in an emotionally volatile environment.  So how do you survive the madness of this next 2 weeks?  Firstly remember that you can exercise your freedom of choice to be with who you like for how long you choose.  You don't have to over eat or be fearful of what is being pushed at you.  Make your boundaries clear.  If you need to keep sobriety as a focus, tell people you are on antibiotics and you cannot drink.  Avoid putting yourself in stressful situations where you feel you may be challenged unnecessarily.  Above all be vigilant about the people around you and remember that this can be a challenging time of year for some.  This is but a snapshot in time that is marked by some old traditions, this too shall pass and normality will prevail again.

Many moons ago when I was in further education and studying for an OND in Business Studies, I remember Economics being one of my least favourite subjects.  I don't know if that was wholly attributable to the rather dull lecturer who delivered everything in a monotone and un-enthused dimension, or if I just could not see enough practical examples of what I was being lectured on.  Nevertheless, I passed my exams and attained the necessary grades.

Of course there is no substitute for practical life experience and the laws of supply and demand soon become familiar.  When I started my working life as a travel agent, I learnt about the law of supply and demand in the holiday business and the airline world, especially when Laker Airways went bust and I had angry and anxious customers banging on the agency window before the shop was open - demanding that they get their money back. 

 The coming years are likely to provide some more interesting insights into the laws of supply and demand here in the UK.  Daily examples of shifting economics are evident.  I read yesterday that Christmas Trees are likely to be 50% more expensive this year as the UK Pound is now so weak against the Euro and the Danish Krone.  I couldn't help thinking that ethically this is most likely a good thing, given that millions of trees are felled each year, only to end up on garbage heaps somewhere.  That can't be right can it?  Then we have a surplus of flats to rent in London as 'would be' sellers have given up on trying to move their properties in favour of brining in a rental revenue.  Rents have allegedly fallen by 20% in some areas.  Again, an enquiring mind starts to think about all of the homeless people who have to sleep rough every night as they have no roof over their heads.   I wonder what could be done?  What could be done with a collective consciousness that says, let's embrace the changes and make the very best of it.

Of course I suspect that the laws of supply and demand are likely to be stretched a good deal further.  The labour government's nebulous policy on immigration means that there are now more people than ever competing for limited resources in public health care, welfare and housing.  When unemployment levels rise, this is likely to be exacerbated by those who are competing now for far fewer resources. 

If you are wondering what the point of this blog is, I guess it is really to gain insight into the value of looking at the bigger picture and learning from past events.  Would it have been useful for a government to think about the longer term effects of stretching the social system beyond capacity for the sake of votes to keep them in power?  Probably not.  Closer to home, what can you do to ensure that the decisions you make today are going to stand the test of time?  What can you learn about your own needs and your personal experience of supply and demand.  How much do you need?  What changes could you make that will help you and those around you?

I have always been interested in the fusion of science and spirituality.  If you have ever seen 'What the Bleep.....Down The Rabbit Hole' you will have an appreciation of what I am talking about.  In the past scientists made evaluations based on hard data.  The medical profession as scientists operated in a similar way.  The church played a separate role too, advocating certain principles, on the whole, designed to keep the masses 'under control' - fear orientated belief.

Recently a friend of mine introduced me to the work of Bruce Lipton PhD and the 'Biology of Belief'.  As a scientist Bruce was working on the cloning of human stem cells and after several years of research, he decided to bridge the gap between science and spirit as he ventured in the world of quantum physics.  His work is quite remarkable and I would urge you to pick up a copy of his book by the same name as this blog title.  Bruce discovered that certain myths about genetics were not as we had originally thought them to be.  For example, the belief that the nucleus of a cell was in fact the 'brain' of that cell AND that it dictated the way the cell functioned was disproved.  You can remove the nucleus of a cell and it will live on for 2 - 3 days.  Now if you removed the brain from any other living organism, it would instantly die.  So how can this be?

Consider the belief that many cancers are hereditary, passed down from generation to generation in genetic structures.  If you have had a parent who has died from cancer, heart disease or a number of other fatal conditions, you may be worried that your fate is sealed in similar way.  Now consider that the way your cellular structure works is directly influenced by your environment and your belief system, rather than a blueprint that has been passed on from generation to generation.  Consider that it is the power of perception and belief that has been passed on, not the dis-ease.

Whenever I do journalist interviews these days they all want to know about top tips and strategies to weather the storm of the economic downturn.  It is a valuable exercise in many ways because it prompts me to look at different angles.  The thing that I like about the recession is that I am relatively recession proof.  In the same way that London businesses are less likely to be impacted by the recession as companies in other areas of Britain, my business is similar.  The reason is primarily that many of my clients are overseas clients so I am not solely reliant upon the volatility of the UK economy.  What can you do to expand  or diversify your client base so that you are dealing with overseas clients. 

If you have not already started to incubate your thoughts about how you can capitalise on the recession, the time is ripe.  As companies downsize and lay off their human capital, what can you do to meet the needs of a changing market?  What services can you offer?  What will people be looking for?  What do you have that might be useful to them?

Mass consumerism has become a way of life here in the UK.  If you doubt me, take a trip into your nearest shopping centre on any weekend, especially if it is raining, and observe the national pastime of the British public.  Yes, they are out shopping.  Collecting stuff.  Not that they need or really want it, it is just something to do.  There is now an exciting opportunity to break those habits.  After-all, if you have had to clear out the possessions of anybody who has died, you will know how long it takes to get rid of stuff.  We go through life collecting, for what purpose?  To fill an un-fillable hole. 

We can learn from those who endured hardship during economic downturn in the past.  I would like to acknowledge one of my clients and friend Cali, who inspired me by reading the biography of an art dealer in New York during the 1930's.  His book provided valuable insights about buying trends and habits during the depression.  What can you glean from the past?  We used to do things differently - remember?  We used to buy and cook natural ingredients to make meals.  We grew vegetables or bought things from farms.  We don't have to buy ready meals and pre-prepared food.

We have great on-line portals such as eBay whereby we can sell things that we no longer need and we can buy second hand goods.  As the festive season approaches, think about recycling unwanted things as gifts or trading them on-line.  Wardrobes can be recycled or you might want to wear some of the things that have never seen the light of day.  You can buy great clothing for a fraction of the price if doesn't have a designer label on it.  Learning to adapt is a useful thing.  Remember that in the midst of apparent adversity, there is always a gift.  Avoid being fearful, it achieves nothing.  Be inspired, that is when the magic happens!

As I came home from London on the train this evening I thumbed through the usual freebie 15 minute read 'The London Paper' and scanned the cover story about the 1200 jobs that have been axed in the City.  Lehman Brothers, Goldman Sachs and UBS to announce more job cuts.  When I emerged from the underground to Waterloo station, the news kiosks selling the London Evening Standard proclaimed that 2000 jobs were to go in the city.  So in the space of a 10 minute tube journey to Waterloo - 800 more jobs had gone. Who do you believe?

It also struck me today as I was paying in money to my bank account  that my bank may not be worthy custodians of my money, after all, if you read the face of any bank note in the UK you will notice that our monarch pledges the following: - "I promise to pay the bearer on demand the sum of twenty pounds". (or whatever denomination it happens to be).  So in actual fact the piece of paper is a promise.  It is not actually money.  In fact if you think about it, money as such is just a concept.  A number of zero's in any currency.  As a therapist I find it fascinating that the City of London and all global financial markets are just full of compulsive gamblers.  Of course the truth is that anyone who gambles with imaginary money will eventually have a run of bad luck.  I have a whole potential incumbent market of addicted gamblers who need help to stop doing it!  What is worse, they are gambling with other people's money.  So as the ugly face of capitalism begins to sour, what changes can we embrace?

Somewhere down the line we were all convinced that more is better.  A better car, a bigger house, a new computer a holiday or a new wardrobe of clothes should fill up any hollowness or emptiness.  Quite often this is a perceived antidote to the huge stress of a demanding job and a generally stressful existence, yet so many people still feel unfulfilled at the end of it.  Instant consumer gratification has become a way of life in the 21st century.

If you have ever wondered what it would be like to enjoy de-cluttering and having less, now is a really good time to find out.  Now I think there is something very positive that can help you to take the crunch out of your credit.  I read somewhere that each household is sitting on an average of £600 of unwanted purchases that could be re-sold.  Even Amazon tell you how much you could re-sell the goods you have bought from them over the years on line.  What are you sitting on that you don't need?  How much could you make if you sold them?  What would happen if you kept your mobile phone for another year?  How much easier is it to re-distribute unwanted 'stuff' as birthday or Christmas presents?  How about giving some of your stuff up to the homeless or to charities?  What would it be like to eat at home a little more often?  To eat less of more wholesome food? 

Whilst the stores here in the UK are gearing up for their bleakest Christmas sales figures for 30 years, I think there is something quite comforting in knowing that obscene levels of consumer spending is at last about to see a decline.  Out of the decline will most likely come some far healthier insights.  The realisation that you don't need to shop to be happy.  You don't need to gamble with other people's money.  You can choose to get off the consumer carousel and get back to the things that are real, like relationships, well-being and charity.  Create your own reality by making some healthier changes.  Unlike many of the anti-depressant drugs that are prescribed to depressed and unhappy 21st century citizens, you can come off the shopping addiction immediately with no adverse effects and a long term healthy prognosis.  Change is inevitable, embrace some new ideas and feel better about having less clutter in your life.