Let me introduce you to one of my favourite mindset tools: The Work of Byron Katie. It’s not “work” in the sweat-and-struggle sense (thank god), but more like a mental decluttering session that can help shift deep emotional patterns. It's simple, practical, and actually kinda genius.


So, What Is The Work?

The Work is a method of self-inquiry developed by Byron Katie (an inspiring woman who, after years of depression, had a massive “aha” moment that transformed her life). Her insight? That it wasn’t reality causing her suffering, it was her thoughts about reality.

And that’s what The Work helps us do: question the thoughts that keep us stuck, stressed, or spiralling.


The 4 Questions + The Turnaround

At its core, The Work revolves around 4 deceptively simple questions that you apply to any stressful thought (and trust me, they’re like mental acupuncture):

  1. Is it true?
  2. Can you absolutely know that it's true?
  3. How do you react - what happens - when you believe that thought?
  4. Who would you be without the thought?

The key with these questions is letting your body answer and getting out of your brain, but it can take some practice to listen truly to yourself.

Then comes the Turnaround, where you flip the original thought around to its opposites (or other perspectives) and explore how those might be as true (or truer) than the original.


Example Time!

Say a client comes in saying, “My partner doesn’t listen to me.”

We run it through The Work:

  1. Is it true? “Yes! They never listen!”
  2. Can you absolutely know that’s true? “Well... not 100%...”
  3. How do you react when you believe that thought? “I get frustrated, defensive, maybe shut down.”
  4. Who would you be without that thought? “More relaxed, probably more open to connecting.”

Now the Turnarounds (the idea is to try these on and see where each might hold some truth):
 → I don’t listen to my partner.
 → I don’t listen to myself.
 → My partner does listen to me (sometimes).

Each one opens a little door. Maybe you realise you interrupt them a lot, or ignore your own needs. Maybe they do listen sometimes, you just forgot to notice.


Why I Use It in My Practice

As a Holistic Counsellor, I love that The Work gets straight to the root of mental suffering without digging through every childhood memory (although hey, there's a time and place for that too). It’s clean, empowering, and wildly effective. Clients walk away with clarity, not confusion. And the best part? They can use it anytime, anywhere.

It’s not about pretending everything’s fine, it’s about waking up to what’s real. And from that space, all kinds of healing can happen.

There's different options for doing the work that are focussed on body image, relationships and conflict. It can be used in loads of different scenarios and becomes a VERY powerful practice to use in your everyday life.


Wanna Try It?

Bring me your stickiest, ickiest, most “ugh” thoughts and let’s get curious. No need to try and be wise here, I encourage my clients to get as petty as they need to just to get the thoughts out - doesn't mean they have to be true. If you're feeling a big unhappy in your body at the moment, I absolutely love working through the Judge Your Body worksheet with my clients - it's such a nice shift to bring some love and care to how your body is right in this moment. The Work doesn’t promise instant bliss, but it will invite a lot more peace, presence, and perspective into your life.

Book a free connection call if you want to chat more about The Work and how it might work for you.