We all know holidays are good for our happiness levels and mental health, but despite the relaxation of travel and quarantine rules, many people are too uncertain about the future to book th… Read More
If lockdown has made you feel frustrated or stressed, you might expect that expressing those feelings onto an external target – through anger, shouting, or generally aggressive behavio… Read More
For many of us in lockdown, having a special meal with a loved one (virtual or otherwise) or just putting our feet up with a tasty snack and a tipple can help us unwind and, in fact, there i… Read More
A small amount of anxiety or worrying can be useful at times because it makes us pay attention to potential sources of danger or discomfort. However, with much of the world in lockdown and t… Read More
We’ve probably all heard the one about the swan – calm and serene on the top, paddling like mad down below. But which half are you in a crisis? The Cambridge Dictionary defines c… Read More
Seasonal affective disorder (SAD), also known as ‘winter depression’ or ‘the winter blues’, is a type of depression that comes and goes in a seasonal pattern. Around… Read More
It’s a New Year, and a New Decade, so I am sure many of you are making plans to change things around. Not just the traditional resolution kind of thing but also a real wish for things… Read More
You might think of social pressure (sometimes called peer pressure) as something that forces teenagers to smoke or get involved with drugs or alcohol. But we can all be pressured into doing… Read More
However much you enjoy your job, there will be days where it causes stress. Tight deadlines, difficult clients, too much work or not enough – the causes of workplace stress are many an… Read More
Are there jobs you just have to do – at home or at work – that bore you out of your skull? What is it that does this for you? Washing, ironing, filing? And can you turn things ar… Read More
Technology is great when it helps you connect with friends and colleagues, but it can also cause high levels of stress. For example, those who constantly check their phones are likely to rep… Read More
Have you ever wondered why we say feeling grumpy or out of sorts can be the result of ‘getting out of the wrong side of the bed’? A study has shown that it may be based in fact… Read More
Being a mother can be one of the most rewarding and one of the most difficult things you will ever do. Being focused on your family is wonderful but you need to remember to take care of your… Read More
Have you ever thought, “I can’t cope,” or “I don’t have the strength to deal with this,” or something along those lines? Many of us, at times, feel that s… Read More
May and June are ‘exam season’ and many of you might be facing GCSE, A level or University exams. It’s a nerve-wracking time for some but it doesn’t have to be. As th… Read More
This blog hasn't been abandoned, though I appreciate there haven't been any new posts for a while. Please bear with me, as at present I have to give my attention to other things.I will be po… Read More
Assertiveness is a vital ability in dealing with others and it is not to be confused with aggression. Aggression is an attempt to win, to get your own way even at the expense of others, wher… Read More
I said in my last blog that resilience was the amount of 'bounce back' you have when you’re under pressure. In very simplistic terms, the more resilient you are, the better you cope. S… Read More
Do you remember the ice bucket challenge? The general idea was to let your friends tip a bucket of ice-cubes and cold water over your head - or you had to donate to charity as a forfeit. Loo… Read More
You probably heard this word a thousand times but do you know what 'de-stress' really means? According to Oxford Dictionaries, de-stress means 'to relax after a period of work or tension'. S… Read More
Many people have observed that their stress levels drop when they have a pet. Various organisations such as Pets As Therapy and Veterans With Dogs have used this knowledge for years, bringin… Read More
In my last blog, I suggested that there were three main approaches to dealing with stress. These are (i) resolving the issue that's causing the stress, (ii) learning new ways to cope with th… Read More
A lot is written at this time of year about helping children to beat exam stress, and very soon we'll start on the topic of how to ease your child into school for the first time. I've writte… Read More
Elsewhere on this blog you'll find some ideas about how you can help yourself if your stress levels are high. Using you imagination is another way of doing this because what you imagin… Read More
Many people refer to the stress response as 'fight or flight', but did you know that there are more options than just these two? Fight or flight were the two basic options required by our an… Read More
Most of the stresses faced by our primitive ancestors were short sharp shocks: the sort of danger that threatens if a predator attacks. To survive, our ancestors either had to be able to r… Read More
Most people have a good idea about what’s involved with coaching or counselling, which I use to help a large number of stressed people. But they are intrigued - or occasionally alarmed… Read More
Almost all jobs have some element of stress – even if you love your role! Reducing work related stress is very important as over time it can be harmful to physical and emotional health… Read More
How big a problem is work related stress? Perhaps bigger than you think. This is our handy info-graphic guide to the latest figures on why employers should take action.In 2014-15 there were:… Read More
When we're young we laugh easily but as we get older we often lose that habit. In fact a number of studies will tell you that laughter is really good for you, decreasing stress, anxiety and… Read More
When it comes to stress, there are not a lot of positives things associated with it. Although when a person is put under a sustainable stress level, it can help that person to perform better… Read More
For numerous people, stress is a part of life, and most of us have experienced it at some point, but depending on the circumstances, the intensity of the stress may vary. Sometimes, followin… Read More
We've all been there – there's a crisis at work, the phone's ringing, the washing machine has broken down leaving no clean clothes for school tomorrow, and your normally well behaved c… Read More
Life - at work or at home - can be a bit like one of those plate spinning acts in the circus. You may be good at time management and you may have cut your jobs down to the essentials but som… Read More
Anxiety is closely linked to stress but where it differs is that it has an element of anticipation, a sense of being under threat or waiting for something bad to happen, even if we don&rsquo&hell…Read More
The exam season is upon us, so here are a few tips for coping well. First you need to realise that the way our bodies react to stress evolved thousands of years ago to help our cave-dwelling… Read More
A fear of public speaking is reputed to be the most common phobia in the Western World, it's certainly one that many of us can identify with. You stand up in front of a group and suddenly yo… Read More
We all know people who sit in class, or meetings, doodling away on a spare piece of paper. If we're up at the front talking we may even wonder if these people are listening to us, but it now… Read More
Most of us think negatively from time to time. For many of us these thoughts are pretty transitory, they don’t last long and only have a short term impact on our thinking. For others… Read More
As this is written in January when many of us are tightening our belts after the holidays, getting back into 'real life', and putting up with the bad weather until Spring arrives, I tho… Read More
We all get angry from time to time and that's OK. In the right place anger can help motivate us to defend ourselves or others, or to intervene in an unfair situation. But sometimes anger can… Read More
We all love our kids and families but if we don't think ahead about how to make the most of it, filling the time over the summer can be stressful. So this month I'm going to give tips about… Read More
When we are stressed we often find that we lack motivation, so this month I'm going to talk about how to get things done, even when your "get up and go" has got up and gone!Motivation i… Read More
Carers are among the most relied upon members of our society but not always the most appreciated. Whether caring is your chosen career or you care for a family member, you can be vulnerable… Read More
In part one of this article I looked at what anger is, how it relates to stress, and how recognising unhelpful thinking patterns can help you to interrupt your anger before it real… Read More
It might surprise you to learn that when you are sitting up and wide awake at 3 am you are not alone, as around a third of people in the UK suffer insomnia. This article is here to help you… Read More
Clients often tell me that they get stressed when they don’t have enough time to do everything they want to do, or feel they should do. This can lead to them feeling discouraged, anxio… Read More
Many bullies are expert abusers, and might make their victims doubt if what's happening to them is bullying, or feel that they are at fault for the bully's behaviour. However, there is… Read More
We all see different things as being stressful. Some of us enjoy bungee jumping, keeping pet spiders or having twenty kids round for a sleep-over. Others can feel their stress levels rising… Read More
The stressed out chain smoker is a bit of a stereotype but when we're stressed, the thinking part of our brain doesn't work so well, and decision making can be more difficult. We tend t… Read More
Balancing the demands of home and family with those of work is never easy. Get it right and you feel great, but get it wrong and you leave yourself open to the negative menta… Read More
What makes some of us cope well with stress? Why do some people buckle under the strain, while others thrive on the challenge or just accept life as it comes? The answer depends partly on yo… Read More
It's August and lots of children will be preparing to start school or nursery in the next few weeks. This can be stressful for both the kids and their parents, so here are a few tips to make… Read More
Can stress cause weight gain?Can stress cause weight loss?Actually, it seems it may do both.Stress triggers your body to release a variety of hormones. In the short term these often create l… Read More
It's not easy to move your career forward if you find it difficult to promote yourself. Although I write about stress management on this blog, I'm also an Advanced level hypnotherapist… Read More
To misquote Abraham Lincoln, you cannot please all of the people all of the time. Don't try to achieve the impossible, but aim to have something for each individual (or age group if you hav… Read More
It's typically said that stress doesn't care who you are, and when it comes to the workplace, stress can impact on workers at every level. In the following paragraphs we explain how stress m… Read More
Most of us know about second hand smoking, which refers to breathing in the smoke exhaled by those around us who smoke, or the smoke coming from their cigarettes, but did you know about seco… Read More