Forrest Rambles
The Power of Love!
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
New Year … New You?!
Welcome to the January edition of Forrest Rambles. I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and that my tips in last month’s ramble helped to keep ‘festive stress’ to a minimum. I’m back to work feeling refreshed and ready for the challenges and exciting times which lay ahead – both personally and for Forrest … Read more
Keep Calm … It’s nearly Christmas!
It started to happen about four weeks ago: walking through the local shopping centre I saw my first Christmas decorations. Soon the Christmas songs started creeping into the shops, then the big stores released their Christmas TV ads, and – before you know it – we’ve had Black Friday, and there is no escape from … Read more
CBT Assessment
Asking for help can be very difficult, so I thought it would be helpful for this month’s Ramble to look at what happens once you’ve put your fears aside and made that first step forwards by booking your assessment appointment. Firstly, don’t be put off by the word ‘assessment’. Really, it is just a chance … Read more
Social Anxiety
After a little voting poll on Twitter it was decided that this months Forrest Ramble would look at Social Anxiety Disorder – so here it is, I hope you enjoy it and find it informative. Can you remember a time when you felt really anxious and embarrassed in a social situation? Can you remember how … Read more
Generalised Anxiety Disorder
“Poor Mr. Worry. Whatever happened, he worried about it. If it rained, he worried that his roof was going to leak. If it didn’t rain, he worried that all the plants in his garden were going to die. If he set off shopping, he worried that the shops will be shut when he got there. … Read more
Panic!
This month I’m exploring the problem known medically as ‘Panic Disorder’ where sufferers experience panic attacks seemingly out of the blue and live in constant dread of when the next attack with strike. Let’s start by clearing up what a panic attack actually is – you may remember me saying in the June Ramble on … Read more
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Given the various tragic events we have experienced in the UK this year I thought it would be useful to explore the topic of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD for short). PTSD was first recognised during the First World War, when soldiers who survived fighting on the front line often returned home with what was then … Read more
Depression
This month I’m tackling the topic of depression. Depression is often described as the ‘common cold’ of mental health problems and chances are you or someone you know has struggled with depression within the last year. One of my pet hates is people using the word ‘depression’ lightly – we all have bad days and … Read more