Q&A: Yoga for mental health

I’ve been practising yoga for many years.  When I’m ‘on the mat’ I feel centred, it’s space away from everything else in my life and a rare chance to pay attention to my body instead of my mind.  Recently I’ve been attending classes led by Liz Walker.  Liz is an experienced yoga teacher who specialises … Read more

Values

Values

In therapy, when we talk about ‘values’ we mean the things which are important to you – the principals you want to live your life by, the kind of person who you want to be in the world and the example which you want to set for others.  It’s your own personal compass which keeps … Read more

Self-Care

Self-care has become quite the buzz word in the past few years with it ranking amongst one of the most frequently used hashtags on social media today. When we think about self-care, typical things which may spring to mind include … Bubble bathPainting your nailsMeeting up with a friendMindfulnessCoffee & cake (my personal favourite!)Watching an … Read more

Coping with Panic Attacks

All of a sudden your heart is pounding, you’re shaking from head to toe and you can’t catch your breath; it’s happening again, you’re having a panic attack. If you have ever experienced a panic attack then you will know just how horrible they are, scary, embarrassing and exhausting. A panic attack happens when our … Read more

Thinking Traps and how to free yourself

Brain in a heart shaped prison

I’ve written blog posts about all kinds of problems such as depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder. What all these problems have in common is ‘Thinking Traps’. These are habitual negative ways of thinking about ourselves, others or the world which are unrealistic and lead us into a spiral of anxiety and … Read more