My wonderful late father used to tell his children to always look after number one. It was something he said frequently, and yet decades on, I’m only just realising the value of his wisdom. He had good reason to make these words his mantra: he was an abandoned baby, found outside a pub.  Against the [...]

In times of anxiety or stress, or when caught in the grip of depression, we often find ourselves staring blankly at the wall. Sometimes it’s as though we’re playing out happier times, projecting old memories before us: recreating the moment. Mostly, though, we’re simply staring at nothing, and we don’t even know we’re doing so [...]

Try to consciously do positive things that make you feel better, especially if you’re sad or grieving. Our emotions are much like a seesaw - they drop or rise, and when your head is trapped in a fuzzy haze, it can be hard to focus on much at all. During times like this it can [...]

Those of us who suffer with poor mental health frequently have poor coping techniques. This is often due to not being shown how to tackle problems: we’ve been raised in a dysfunctional manner. We have a fractured self-image, and find it hard to be kind about ourselves. Similarly, those of us who endure PTSD have [...]

There are days when we can’t even function on auto-pilot. Our anxieties, stress, or depression seem to have captured us: we’re thrown into a deep, dark pit. It is a cold and lonely state of mind. It can distort our vision and steal our intellect and rationality. We’re out of tune with every human function. [...]

Our human habit of claiming that we’re “good”, when we’re not, goes against the relatively new promotion of speaking openly about our mental health. A lasting side effect of trauma, for those of you who are trauma survivors, is the merciless theft of talking: many of us have inverted our feelings and largely function on [...]

Carrying all your problems alone is not sustainable. Especially now! It’s akin to carrying a hefty bag on a solitary finger! You owe it to yourself to confide in a trusted one: even the Samaritans. It is both brave and constructive - you are bringing to your conscious mind what your problems are, instead of [...]

Anxiety: a feeling of worry, nervousness or unease about something with an uncertain outcome. The debilitating emotion with a host of symptoms, usually about forthcoming events. Managing mine is akin to minding a troop of chimpanzees. They scream and fight constantly in my head… but I recognise they dwell within me and I’m leaning to [...]

When we try to cram too much into our day, we are in danger of falling into the pit of anxiety, depression or stress. For me, when I do, I endure the dreadful sense of self-loathing if I've not checked everything off on my to-do list. But we have to remember that most of us don’t [...]

We’re all existing in unprecedented times. Most of us have never lived in a pandemic before. All the most cumbersome emotions are blocking our brains; we have a Piccadilly Circus of anxiety, depression, fear and worry! Yet, there was a time when you were buoyant, content, happier, and with far fewer cares or worries. A [...]