Last month saw the release of my first book review and now it’s time for my first Q&A session! I’m grateful to Tobyn Bell for agreeing to be my ‘guinea pig’ for this, particularly as he is so busy right now traveling around Australia and New Zeland talking about Compassion Focused Therapy. Compassion Focused Therapy … Read more
After a couple of months of leisurely reading in nice coffee shops, I’m pleased to publish my first book review. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did preparing it! I was attracted to Sarah Wilson’s First, We Make the Beast Beautiful: A new story about anxiety by it’s cover – the … Read more
As we have seen from previous editions of Forrest Rambles, anxiety can take many forms, from social anxiety to panic disorder, specific phobias, and obsessive compulsive disorder. Today we turn our attention to health anxiety, which is defined as an excessive fear of having or developing a serious illness. You may have heard health anxiety … Read more
Sport has been all around us recently, with the World Cup, Wimbledon and the Tour de France. Inspired by this, I’ve decided to use the August Ramble to explore the benefits of physical activity for our mental health. At school I was never the sporty type, but when I was at University and struggling with … Read more
This month, inspired by the recent BBC documentary ‘Ugly Me’, I’m exploring Body Dysmorphic Disorder. Everyone involved in the filming of ‘Ugly Me’ was so courageous, and the programme gave a good insight into the condition and what can be done to help people overcome it. Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD for short), tends to be … Read more
This month I’m exploring a problem I see a lot of in my clinical work – obsessive compulsive disorder (or OCD for short). Despite the many Channel 4 documentaries on all things OCD, and the great work that various charities do to dispel the stigma around it, this still, in my opinion, remains one of … Read more
Firstly, allow me to say a ‘Happy 1st Birthday’ to Forrest Rambles! I’ve been writing this blog now for twelve months, and during that time we’ve explored a variety of topics, including what CBT is, depression, social anxiety, mindfulness and the power of love! May 14th-20th is Mental Health Awareness Week, and the topic for … Read more
Welcome to the April edition of Forrest Rambles. Today I’m going to be looking at Mindfulness as this is a really popular topic at the moment, and it’s recommended by NICE Guidelines as an effective treatment for recurrent depression. I’ve been interested in meditation for about twenty years now, and practice mindfulness on a daily … Read more
February is finally here after the long dark month of January, and the days are getting a little bit longer, which is nice to see. The shops are full of hearts, chocolates and teddy bears, which has led me to reflect on the importance of relationships. When I say relationships, I don’t just mean the … Read more
