Work-Stress: Prevention is Better than Cure

A recent study has found that UK businesses could be losing more than £1 billion a year due to stressed-out staff taking time off (click here). The report found that about one in five workers (19.6 per cent) have taken time off because of stress, whilst more than a quarter (28.8 per cent), said they felt stressed at work all or most of the time. But, what can be done about it? Read more

You Can Beat the Bullies

Bullying, especially its modern-day variant, cyber bullying, is sadly on the rise. And whilst adults can be vulnerable to it, it’s children and teenagers who are copping it the most. Facebook and Twitter are not the safe havens we’d like them to be and. sadly, incidents of bullying-related suicide rarely seem to be out of the papers. However, the psychological harm caused by bullying is preventable, if you know how. One such in-the-know woman was Eleanor Roosevelt, First Lady and wife of the 32nd US President, Franklin D Roosevelt. She famously said: “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” Want to learn how not to give that consent away? Then read on. Read more

Men Need Therapy Too!

Heartthrob actor and Twilight star, Robert Pattinson (or RPatz) has just popped up in the press saying he suffers from anxiety and struggles with his looks (click here). These days, the media focus as much attention on the naked male physique, as they do on the female form. And, so men are suffering from similar psychological problems, only they’re doing less about it. Read more

Depression: It’s not Always as Bad as it Sounds

According to research, up to one in five people in Britain are affected by depression at some point in their lives and the use of anti-depressants has reached an all-time high. The word itself has become frightening, even depressing in itself. However, there are many types of depression, including reactive depression, the treatment of which does not necessarily require medication. Read more

You’re Having a Laugh!

Oscar Wilde once famously wrote that life was far too important to be taken seriously, whilst one of the most often used sayings ever is that laughter is the best medicine. And while the therapy room might be the last place in which you expect to experience laughter, it is as good a place as any for it. Read more

Want to feel more confident? Stop playing the rating game

One of the most common problems that people present with when they seek out the services of a therapist or counsellor (either directly, or indirectly, as part-and-parcel of plenty of other issues including depression, social anxiety, stress and more) is that of self-esteem, or confidence. Read more

Hypnotherapy: how to avoid the clichés

Recently, as part of research for his role in the hypnosis-led thriller Trance, actor James McAvoy spent time with a hypnotherapist, but failed to achieve a state of hypnosis [click here]. “I was very keen to be suggested,” he said, “to have somebody tell me to run naked or cluck like a chicken or whatever, but it didn’t work for me.” And, therein lies the rub. I would argue that hypnosis failed due to his expectations.  Read more

Nothing to Fear but Fear Itself

Okay, so the title of this article may have been purloined from the inaugural address of the 32nd President of the United States, Franklin D. Roosevelt, but it also serves as an excellent introduction to that aspect of anxiety known as panic disorder, a condition that can be borne of just one or even several panic attacks. A panic attack is several things at once, none of them fun.  Read more

Executive Stress: It’s Tough at the Top

Last year I posted a blog about work-related stress management (click here). Today, I’m writing about a specific sub-section of it known as ‘executive stress.’ Being a director or CEO, being in charge, hiring and firing, dealing with the day-to-day problems of everyone else below you, it’s no surprise that executives can come with their own special brand of work-related stress. But, what can you do about it?  Read more

Give Your Resolutions Some Resolve!

According to a recent poll of 4,000 adults by Cancer Research UK, almost four in 10 people break their New Year’s resolutions within a fortnight, and only one in 11 will still be sticking to them in six month’s time. Be it stopping smoking, quitting chocolate or alcohol, or going to the gym, the biggest problem with sticking to your goals is what is known in CBT as Low Frustration Tolerance (LFT).  Read more