What is Social Anxiety? Social anxiety is more than nervousness around people. Most people feel a bit anxious in some social situations, such as at a job interview or on a first date. However, social anxiety is a diagnosable condition. It is characterised by someone feeling an overwhelming fear of social situations or interacting [...]
Dealing with Family Drama During the Holidays The holiday season often conjures up images of fun, good food, parties, gifts and quality time with people we’re close to. Maybe we think about sitting around a log fire sharing good conversations, jokes and anecdotes with those we love. But what happens if our family is [...]
What is Gratitude? Gratitude is generally taken to mean being thankful, appreciative and showing kindness. It’s a positive, warm and generous emotion that has both mental and physical health benefits. Practising gratitude can mean different things to different people so there’s no singular way to be grateful. However, a gratitude [...]
What is a Codependent Relationship? Healthy relationships are usually fairly equal and are characterized by give and take from both partners. It's normal to want to make reasonable changes to make our partner happy. However, in a codependent relationship, one person gives too much whilst the other person takes too much. This behaviour makes [...]
ADHD and Emotional Regulation ADHD (attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder) is often thought of as being about having a short attention span and lack of focus. However, another element of ADHD is problems with emotional regulation or the ability to control one’s emotions. Anger and anxiety are common emotions that people with ADHD find it difficult [...]
What is bullying? Bullying doesn’t have a legal definition. One common way of defining bullying is as repeated behaviour intended to hurt someone emotionally or physically. The acronym STOP (several times on purpose) is sometimes used to determine what counts as bullying. Bullying tends to involve the misuse of power, where power doesn’t [...]
No matter how much we want to cram into each day, there’s no getting away from the necessity of sleep. Sleep is as essential to our well-being as diet and exercise are, it might be even more important since when we don’t sleep well we make poor food choices and don’t workout as much. [...]
What is mom rage? Picture yourself, exhausted from sleepless nights because your newborn is keeping you up, trying to soothe your baby whilst your toddler repeatedly asks you to play a game with them and also trying to prepare lunch. If you’re familiar with this situation then you may well have felt anger building [...]
What is suicide? Suicide refers to the act of someone taking their own life. Worldwide, roughly one person dies by suicide every 40 seconds. For every suicide there are many more attempted suicides. People experiencing suicidal thoughts can often feel alone and overwhelmed with them but many people think about suicide at some point. [...]
What is emotional eating? Have you ever found yourself reaching for some biscuits when you’re stressed at work? Or snacking on ice cream after a break up? Maybe you reward yourself for finishing a project with some cake? Or mindlessly munch on crisps when you’re bored? If you answer yes to any of these [...]
