Christine Kritzas - Counselling Psychologist

Christine Kritzas - Counselling Psychologist Chief Adventure Officer ~ Playfully making meaning of life ~ Creator of Smart Heart Board Game

A story about surrendering.In February this year, I had the privilege of attending the . And talk about divine timing…on...
14/05/2026

A story about surrendering.

In February this year, I had the privilege of attending the .

And talk about divine timing…on the Saturday afternoon, while wandering from one tent to the next, I came across the talented Jacques from . He was offering one-on-one watercolour workshops & happened to have space for me to join.

At first, I hoped we’d paint on an A5 page, but he laid out an A3 instead, and I thought to myself, “just go with the flow, Christine.” Then, just as I was settling into my own painting, Jacques picked up a brush and began painting on the other side of my paper. Another invitation to surrender as I expected to paint solo.

As we painted side by side, I realised we were creating something beautiful together, despite our completely different styles. It felt like such a metaphor for relationships: allowing people the freedom to dance their own dance while still finding a way to move together.

At one point, Jacques turned the paper around so that his side became mine, and mine became his. Before that, I’d made a bit of an “oops” and was trying to fix it on my own, but when he took over that part of the page, he embraced the mess, tended to it, and transformed it into something beautiful.

And I couldn’t help but think about the ask in relationships:

* to surrender at times
* to let go so we can grow
* to let people in
* to allow others space to express themselves fully & dance their own dance
* and to make room for your loved ones to influence you & to also teach you new things

That being said, I now have this beautiful painting in my home as a reminder to surrender & let go to flow…and grow…And, a reminder that we can create beautiful things together, if we just embrace each others’ dances…

The word “be” rests inside the word “tribe”…and there’s some wisdom in that…The right people don’t ask you to shrink, pe...
12/05/2026

The word “be” rests inside the word “tribe”…and there’s some wisdom in that…

The right people don’t ask you to shrink, perform, or pretend. They let you dance your own dance. They let you be.

And the beautiful thing is that you get to choose your tribe. It doesn’t have to be just one tribe either…

Your padel tribe.
Your spiritual tribe.
Your pottery tribe.
Your work tribe.
Your “adventurous” tribe.

Different people allow different parts of you to emerge…so there’s merit in having more than 1 tribe…as it allows space for you to discover more of what lives inside of you.

I saw this phrase whilst paging through a magazine the other day. It reminded me that my love is unique. And so is yours...
02/05/2026

I saw this phrase whilst paging through a magazine the other day. It reminded me that my love is unique. And so is yours.

Oh my wordsss…what are the chances… 🐭🏡That when you translate mouse and house into Afrikaans: ‘muis’ and ‘huis’, the exa...
29/04/2026

Oh my wordsss…what are the chances… 🐭🏡

That when you translate mouse and house into Afrikaans: ‘muis’ and ‘huis’, the exact same thing happens…

All the letters stay the same… except the m and the h.

It’s not often that we see a pattern like this carry across languages.

I love noticing these small nuances in words, and I find them fascinating.

Just a little wordom I couldn’t help but share.

To me, living a colourful life means allowing yourself to experience more.And we know that old saying: “if we keep doing...
28/04/2026

To me, living a colourful life means allowing yourself to experience more.

And we know that old saying: “if we keep doing what we’ve always done… we keep getting what we’ve always got; and if you want something different then you have to do something different…”

Same experiences = Same thoughts = Same perspectives = Same outcomes = Same colour

Different experiences = Different thoughts = Different perspectives = Different outcomes = Different colour

So how do you live a new colour?
You try something unfamiliar.
You order something different off the menu of that cafe you visit daily.
You say yes when you’d usually say no.
You let yourself feel a little uncomfortable by stepping outside of your usual comforts.

And I love this question: “When was the last time you experienced something for the first time?”

So with that in mind…what’s a first-time experience that you can give yourself this week?
Perhaps it’s playing padel 🎾 for the first time?
Or trying out sushi 🍣 for the first time?
Or signing up to your first pottery class 🏺?

That’s how you add more colour to your life 🎨

Feeling misunderstood sits high on the list of difficult human experiences.What causes us to misunderstand someone and w...
27/04/2026

Feeling misunderstood sits high on the list of difficult human experiences.

What causes us to misunderstand someone and what makes someone feel misunderstood?

I think misunderstandings happen when we only listen through our own lens. Because we don’t actually hear things as they are, we hear them as we are in that moment.

What happens when we listen through our own lens? We listen through our own history, our sensitivities, our assumptions, even our current stress levels. So the same sentence can land very differently depending on what’s going on inside us.

To truly understand someone, it helps to “put ourselves in their shoes.” And in addition to that, I say stand under them to understand them.

So here 3 things that help you understand someone better:

1. Stand under, don’t just stand in their shoes
To “stand under” someone is to imagine the weight they are carrying, to be curious with their world & to look at life through their lens, even just for a moment. To understand their skillset (or the limitations thereof) and to help them from their level of readiness, not yours.

2. Drop totalising language
Notice your words like “always” and “never”, for example, “you always do that” or “you never do this.” These kinds of statements tend to flatten the person’s experience and often leave them feeling misunderstood.

3. Stand in curiosity rather than judgement
Instead of assuming you already know what’s going on, get curious. Ask rather than assume. Curiosity keeps the door open, judgement tends to close it.

And a bonus step:

4. Ask one more question before you conclude
Before drawing a conclusion, pause and ask yourself: “What else could be true here?” or “What might I be missing?”
That extra question often opens the door to a more accurate understanding.

When you hear the phrase “branching out”…what exactly does that mean to you? Is it taking a big risk? Is it considering ...
25/04/2026

When you hear the phrase “branching out”…what exactly does that mean to you?

Is it taking a big risk?
Is it considering a different perspective?
Is it taking a calculated step outside of your comfort zone?

And it makes me think that in order to confidently “branch out” we need to have a steady “trunk”.

A tree doesn’t grow new branches by abandoning its trunk, it grows them because the trunk can support them.

What is your “trunk” in real life?

I believe it’s made up of your:

* Identity → knowing what you stand for
* Values → what guides your decisions when things aren’t clear
* Self-regulation skills → your ability to tolerate the winds of change & uncertainty
* Connection → having supportive “roots” & the lived experience of being held in relationship
* Resilience → your capacity to keep growing through the storms

What else allows us to branch out?

When you’re feeling anxious about doing that hard thing that needs to be done, something that can actually help you thr...
24/04/2026

When you’re feeling anxious about doing that hard thing that needs to be done, something that can actually help you through that moment of resistance is a simple strategy of positive anticipation.

But first, there’s an important caveat. There’s a danger in trying to bypass what you’re feeling. That usually doesn’t regulate the nervous system; it just delays it. The shift happens when you name what’s there first: “I’m overwhelmed,” “I’m stuck,” “this feels heavy.” That recognition creates space.

From there, you can move into focusing on positive anticipation which is having that 1 thing to look forward to. Your brain doesn’t just respond to rewards when they arrive, it also responds to the anticipation of them. As soon as you expect something positive, your reward system is activated, triggering dopamine pathways that shape motivation & focus.

So just having something to look forward to can start to calm the nervous system and make difficult tasks more doable.

Practically, before starting a hard task, you might name how you feel, then intentionally anchor to something after: a walk, coffee, music, connection, something small but meaningful. Then hold that in mind as you begin.

And remember, regulation doesn’t come from avoiding feelings, it comes from naming them, and then giving the brain something safe to move toward.

Staying open to life first starts with noticing where you keep staying closed to it. The quick “no thanks.”The “that’s n...
23/04/2026

Staying open to life first starts with noticing where you keep staying closed to it.

The quick “no thanks.”
The “that’s not for me.”
The “I’m not a runner.”
The “I have zero ball skills 🎾.”
The “He’s not my type” or “She’s not my look”.
Do you see where I’m going with this? These are the stories you’ve already decided are true.

Pay attention to where you shut things down without really considering them:
- When you dismiss an idea too fast
- When you assume you know how it will go
- When you avoid discomfort by staying in the familiar

And remember, openness and a growth mindset tend to go hand in hand. But a growth mindset doesn’t mean losing your boundaries.

Openness isn’t self-betrayal.
You can be curious and grounded.
Open and self-respecting.
Willing to consider, without abandoning what matters to you.

Healthy openness is discerning. It looks like pausing before deciding and being intentional about your choices.

So where to start?
• I suggest having a visual reminder that you see daily. As you can see in my pic, I have a “bookmark” that I get to see in the evenings before bedtime & it prompts me to think about where I am saying “yes” to life & where I may need to practice more openness.
• Just notice for 1 week where you tend to say no. Don’t try to change anything yet. Simply observe your patterns, where you say no automatically. Awareness is the real starting point for change.
• Rather buy yourself some time than saying no on the spot. Say: “Can I get back to you on this tomorrow, I just want to check my schedule… or sleep on it…or think this through…”
• Start small. Say yes to the things that make you a little nervous but also a little curious. You don’t need big changes, just small tweaks toward what stretches you.

And a journal prompt for you for this week: “Where might I be shutting things down a little too quickly?”

When last did you run a little experiment on yourself?After watching The Social Dilemma on Netflix in 2021, I decided to...
22/04/2026

When last did you run a little experiment on yourself?

After watching The Social Dilemma on Netflix in 2021, I decided to try something small but surprisingly helpful: I turned off my social media, email & whatsapp notifications.

The only way I could do this was because of my curious nature…very curious might I add 😅. Curious, and responsible, enough to check my phone often enough, but not every 5 seconds when Meta comes knocking on my door; which means I’m no longer reacting to every ping, buzz, or message when I’m engaged elsewhere.

And let me tell you, with a big fat Greek family 🇬🇷… those WhatsApp groups are BUSY.

What I’ve noticed is this: I’m choosing when I engage, instead of being constantly pulled in. It feels calmer and more intentional. And I’ve quietly gained back pockets of time I didn’t even realise I was losing.

So here’s a little experiment for you:
Turn off your notifications for one week. Just one.

Notice what changes. Notice how you feel. Notice how much time you get back.

You can always go back to doing it your old way.

But as my friend & coach reminded us yesterday in her newsletter:
“Nothing changes if nothing changes.”

Curious to hear what you notice 💬

Oh, and by the way, did you notice that the word “no” is in notifications…now isn’t that a sign? 😉

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