Definition: The capacity to recover from difficult times After the events of 2020 it wouldn’t be surprising if you are starting the New Year feeling low on resilience. During 2020, ‘resilience’ became an important word to me because I kept seeing examples of it everywhere I looked. I saw my family and friends soldiering on … Read more
I often prepare my blogs in advance and this particular one was written last year whilst I was in a ‘winter wellness’ mindset. At that time I had no idea what 2020 had in store for us and the unique challenges we would face this winter with the Covid-19 pandemic and the necessary restrictions on … Read more
November has arrived and all of a sudden there are lots of moustachioed men walking around – what’s going on? This month has been hijacked by Movember a fantastic campaign to improve mens health, especially in the areas of mental health, suicide prevention, prostate cancer and testicular cancer. Rather than letting my moustache grow, I … Read more
Over the past twenty years the internet has become an increasingly important part of our daily lives. 2020 has made me realise how grateful I am for all the things I can do online – shopping, socialising, learning, banking and exercise classes – so why not therapy too? The therapy world has come a long … Read more
Thursday 10th September is World Suicide Prevention Day. This is an important day for raising awareness and encouraging conversations about what continues to be a taboo subject. Personally, I believe that it is vital that we talk about suicide, as this can help people who are struggling with suicidal thoughts to open up and access … Read more
I’ve always loved reading. When I was a teenager I had a Saturday job at my local library, which I really enjoyed. I think if I hadn’t gone down the therapy path I would probably be a librarian now. I have recently been thinking about what it is I like so much about reading, and … Read more
What is perfectionism? Perfectionism is a word we hear a lot. It may be said with pride, self-deprecation, humour or perhaps even exasperation at someone else. Perfectionism is a personality trait where we feel driven to constantly strive for flawlessness. We can be perfectionistic about any part of our lives, including our appearance, career, studies, … Read more
The last few months have been a difficult time for all of us. Whilst we have all been facing the same ‘war’ we have all been facing different ‘battles’. You may have experienced ill health, bereavement, financial worries, loneliness and relationship problems. Last month the government announced plans for easing lockdown. This is a … Read more
None of us are getting any younger – in fact the UK population is ageing rapidly, with the Office of National Statistics predicting that by 2038 one in four people will be aged 65 years and over. Whilst living longer is a cause for celebration, older people are unfortunately more at risk of mental health … Read more
April marks both National Stress Awareness month and National Pet Month so in this blog I thought it would be fun to combine these two campaigns by exploring the mental health benefits of keeping a pet! Whatever your choice of pet may be – dog, cat, rabbit, lizard or tarantula – studies have shown that … Read more