Kindness and Mental Health – Do You Need to Be Nice?
by Andrea Blundell “Kindness is a gift everyone can affordâ€?. “Love and kindness are never wastedâ€?. We hear kindness quotes so often, we might not take them seriously. But have we underrated the power of kindness? Psychology seems to think so. A growing body of research now recognises a connection between kindness and mental health. … [Read Entire Story]
What is Systemic Therapy? And Can it Help You?
Many talk therapies help by looking at your past experiences, and how you personally think and feel. But systemic therapy takes a very different approach to helping your feel better about yourself and your life. What is systemic therapy? Systemic psychotherapy believes we are interconnected to those around us. So any problems we face are … [Read Entire Story]
Personal Accountability – Why You Need More of It, Now
Often feel a letdown, no matter how hard you try? Or has someone insinuated you need to ‘grow up’ a bit? Sounds like it’s time for some personal accountability. What is personal accountability? Relax. Personal accountability isn’t about being organised all the time, perfect, or an overachiever. It simply means you choose to take responsibility … [Read Entire Story]
Dual Diagnosis Treatment for Addiction – The Best Way Forward?
If your idea of treatment for addiction is based on recent television and movies (group therapy, recovery centres) you might already know about dual diagnosis treatment without realising it. An approach to addiction that involves both dealing with your substance abuse and your mental health, dual diagnosis treatment is increasingly the preferred treatment. But this was not actually … [Read Entire Story]
Trouble Achieving Goals? 10 Psychological Issues That Affect Success
Every year you make new goals for yourself. You set them right, using the SMART method, and things seem so promising…. at first. But somehow, you never seem to quite achieve what you mean to. What is truly behind your fear of success and self-sabotage? Could it be one of the psychological issues below, known … [Read Entire Story]
7 Ways to Manage the Stress Of Terrorism Hitting Close to Home
If you were in the same city or country as a terrorist attack, or even just a neighbouring country which has raised its national threat levels, you might experience overwhelming emotions and anxiety for several days or weeks post the event. How can you best handle the stress of terrorism when it strikes too close … [Read Entire Story]
The Christmas Blues – Why They Happen and How to Manage
Christmas cheer is a great concept. Yet it’s often far from the reality of this time of year, when depression becomes a battle for many. For some it all sadly becomes too much – the Office for National Statistics in the UK has previously reported up to a 3{2879bc8f2cf0c7badc0ba0b91bc88170008fa0b1cee68ceb4afb7fd46d4bfeb9} rise in female suicides and a … [Read Entire Story]
Alcohol and Depression – Are You Drinking Yourself Sad?
The British public is hardly known for its restraint when it comes to alcohol – statistics show 9 out of 10 people in the UK are drinkers. According to the charity Alcohol Concern, the cost of all our drinking is a high one – the expenditure for the UK healthcare system is around £21 billion … [Read Entire Story]
Conflicting Parenting Styles – Is It Affecting Your Family?
; Just because you love each other doesn’t mean you love your spouse’s approach to raising kids. Why do conflicting parenting styles happen? Most often, despite all the books we read about parenting, we tend to rely on how we ourselves were raised. We attempt to build on what worked, and reshape what didn’t. [Read Entire Story]
Prone to Depression? Why Stress Might Be Harder For You
Depression – more common than you think? The World Health Organisation estimates that 350 million people are affected by depression worldwide, and sadly, many who suffer don’t seek help. Over 800,000 people commit suicide each year. Suicide is in fact the second leading global cause of death for the age range of 15-29. So what … [Read Entire Story]
Is it Really a Panic Attack?
You are asked to do a presentation at work and suddenly the room starts to spin, you are sweating and your heart is pounding with fear. Is it a panic attack? Or are you just anxious and stressed and experiencing an ‘anxiety attack’? And what is the difference, really? Anxiety – what is it? It’s … [Read Entire Story]
What is Social Anxiety Disorder, and Do You Have It?
We can all be nervous about social situations from time to time, and many adults are shy around new people. But social anxiety disorder is actually a type of complex phobia – a condition that has an overwhelming impact on your life. If you have social anxiety disorder, also known as ‘social phobia’, everyday things, from … [Read Entire Story]
Shame – is This Emotion Secretly Ruling Your Life?
Shame is a word we attribute with many meanings. We say we ‘feel ashamed’ if we mess up at work, or disappoint a partner. Or ‘don’t shame me’ if someone is putting us down. The examples above really talk about guilt – – our awareness that our actions have upset others. Shame might be triggered by a poor choice … [Read Entire Story]
ADHD in Children – Should You Be Concerned?
Children are by their very nature full of energy and curiosity. Stuck in an adult world of rules they are still learning, they all can become bored with sitting still, forget what they’ve been told, and get distracted by something new and exciting. So then when does normal child behaviour cross the line into attention … [Read Entire Story]
Everyone Else’s Fault? How to Stop Projecting Feelings Onto Others
What is projection anyway? You don’t want to go out for the evening, but convince yourself the other party actually doesn’t find you interesting and that’s why you’re cancelling. You are incredibly attracted to a colleague, but get angry at them for flirting with you. In a fight with your sister you stay very calm, pointing … [Read Entire Story]
Impulsivity – When You Just Can’t Stop Yourself And It’s Ruining Everything
We all know children who seem to lack the ability to think before they act, grabbing toys off other kids and saying mean things only to promise yet again they’ll be nice. But adults can suffer from impulsivity too. It might be hidden behind your good social skills or even closed doors, but if you … [Read Entire Story]
