Peace of mind: ******** Change your thoughts and you change your world. Norman Vincent Peale ******** Peace of mind comes from learning to separate yourself from your thoughts. Psychologists call this cognitive defusion and it is an effective way to reduce anxiety. How cognitive behavioral therapy works The basic premise of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is that... » read more
Our bodies have a natural safety feature we’re born with called the amygdala. It’s the fight-or-flight response mechanism in our brains that tells us when we might be in danger. But sometimes that safety feature becomes trained over time to watch for triggers that aren’t always dangerous. We worry, panic, and stress for no... » read more
Our mental health is being challenged more than ever. The world is more competitive, social media dictates how we should look and what we should be doing, and social comparisons are in our awareness daily. Depression and anxiety are on the rise as well due to uncertainty about the future, worries about relationships and work,... » read more
There are many ways to increase your resilience. This is good news because we can all do with inner resources to get through times when we feel overwhelmed or unable to cope. Here are 10 helpful tips to increase your resilience Top tips for resilience: Embrace failure and accept it as a part of life... » read more
Teenage depression is a condition that should never be taken lightly. It’s not just a phase or the sufferer feeling “blue” for no apparent reason. As the teenage years can be some of the most emotionally demanding of our lives, it’s hardly surprising that many young adults find themselves spiralling into depression and struggling to... » read more
Avoidant Personality Disorder creates avoidance of others, which in turn makes the problem worse. Avoidant behaviour fuels the problem whereas approach-behaviour, while scary, is the best way forward when dealing with social anxiety. The aim is to enable participants to centre themselves in a crisis through mindfulness techniques, and secondly to survive a crisis by... » read more
Talking therapy has tremendous benefits for people experiencing many milestones in life. However, many believe that some fundamental life milestones don’t warrant the help of talking therapy. In fact, they may even think that what they’re going through is ‘normal’ and not a valid enough reason to seek a therapist’s help. Below is a... » read more
YOUR POTENTIAL IS DETERMINED (OR LIMITED) BY YOUR SELF-BELIEF. For a successful life, self-belief is a great advantage. If you believe in yourself enough you will push through fear and setbacks.You also won’t let the negativity of others discourage you. Self-belief creates breakthroughs, helps you move beyond fears and limiting beliefs, you be more likely... » read more
We regulate our emotions using three systems according to Paul Gilbert who founded Compassion Focused Therapy. We, by default, stay in threat mode (that’s why you rarely see someone smiling when they are simply ‘being’). This is due to our evolutionary DNA and ‘wiring’. Of course, it’s uncomfortable to stay in threat mode as it... » read more
People who suffer from depression tend to be introspective and don’t manage depression effectively. They attribute all failures to their own shortcomings/inadequacies and all successes are attributed externally. By this, I mean that they often do not give themselves credit for any success in their life, explaining it away as luck, or because someone... » read more