Self Esteem Articles
by Andrea M. Darcy Feeling useless can feel even worse than feeling hopeless. Hopelessness means things feel beyond our control, but uselessness has us pointing the finger directly at ourselves. We deem ourselves as not good enough to have any effect at all… and it’s a dangerous game for our psychological and emotional wellbeing. Why...
Most of us have heard of Gay Pride. But how many of us have considered the issue of “gay shame”? And how is it related to internalised homophobia? Writer Katrina Allen reports. What is internalised homophobia? A 1998 study on gay and bisexual men in New York city described it as– “The gay person’s direction...
Heard of expressive arts therapy? But assumed it couldn’t be a serious form of psychotherapy? Think again. It’s a recognised and recommended intervention that requires no previous experience with creativity or art, and is suitable for all ages. What is expressive arts therapy? Expressive arts therapy uses creativity to treat mental health issues, emotional problems,...
by Victoria Stokes When one year ends and another begins do you set resolutions? Only to feel a crashing sense of failure when those resolutions don’t work out? A better idea, if psychology research is to have a say, would be to spend time recognising personal achievements. The power of recording your personal achievements While...
by Victoria Stokes In recent years, hobbies have somewhat fallen out of favour, replaced by more passive endeavours like watching TV and scrolling social media. But are we missing out on the benefits of hobbies for mental health? In a nutshell, yes. If you tell yourself you have no time for hobbies, you are overlooking...
by Victoria Stokes Social pressure can perhaps best be summed up in the iconic words uttered by Rachel in the first season of Friends. “Everyone I know is either getting married or getting pregnant or getting promoted, and I’m getting coffee! And it’s not even for me!” And the pressure can feel worse than ever...
Feel like nobody notices you at work or in social situations? Why are you always overlooked, and what can you do about it? Why don’t I make an impact? So why is it that we the sort who just never gets picked for things, or seems to make any sort of impact? See if the...
Feel like there is a mismatch between the body you are in and the person you actually are? And wonder, “What is gender dysphoria, and does it apply to me?”. What is gender? When we are born we are attributed a sex of ‘male’ or ‘female’, depending on our visible sexual organs. Gender is different...
Often wondered how other people seem to ‘daydream’ and visualise things in their heads? When you just draw a blank? You might have aphantasia. The definition of aphantasia So what is aphantasia? The majority of people have some capacity to conjure visuals in their mind, even if some are naturally better at it than others....
by Andrea Blundell Have the best of intentions? But terrible carry through? Why is it that some of us seem born with self-discipline, and the rest of us flounder? The holy grail of self-control Self-discipline, along with conscientiousness and perseverance, are a triad that form the ‘holy grail’ of self-control, a hot topic right across...