Anxiety & stress Articles
by Andrea Blundell Recently experienced the loss of a pet to old age, illness, or an accident? And feeling devastated? Why does the loss of a pet feel so much worse than I expected? The idea that an animal we bring into our lives is ‘just a pet’ is a gross underestimate of their real...
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...
by Andrea Blundell Around 35 or over, and feeling a mess lately? Anxious, depressed, all over the place? The menopause and mental health connection is worth learning. Menopause and mental health After generations of women suffering in silence, menopause is finally in the spotlight. It’s now clear that menopause can affect mental wellbeing. And that your...
You have decided it’s time to gather your courage and let your doctor know you are struggling lately. But how to talk to your doctor about anxiety and depression in a way that is productive? Or if you feel scared to? And what if you worry it’s something more serious, like a disorder? Will my...
Have a total lack of interest in leaving your house lately? And between agoraphobia and social anxiety, not sure where you fall? Can social anxiety become agoraphobia? You had social anxiety before all the recent lockdowns, but it seemed to ease. Now the world is opening up again, and it’s back with a vengeance. You...
Wondering if you need to worry about your stress levels? Knowing the different types of stress can help. Why know the types of stress? Stress, if we take the time to examine it, has an identifiable cause. And with the right support and approach, stress can be dealt with and improved, before it risks becoming...
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 “The road to hell is paved with good intentions,” according to an unknown proverb. Would psychologists beg to differ? The meaning of intention What are we really talking about when we talk about our intentions? It refers to the reasons we do things. Of course our meaning for taking an action (intention),...
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...
Exposure therapy might sound like you are about to be left out in a snowstorm. But rest assured exposure therapy for anxiety is instead a practical psychotherapeutic technique. What is exposure therapy? It’s an approach used by therapists to help clients deal with the things they fear, as well as the emotions, reactions, and life...
