Frances Cole is a retired GP and author of An Introduction to Living Well with Pain. Here she introduces the idea of pacing as a key skill to learn for overcoming chronic pain. Everybody with persistent pain agrees that pacing is a really, really important and useful skill to learn. They say not knowing how to pace yourself means your day or activity is controlled by pain. Pacing or balancing activities help

Edward Brodkin and Ashley Pallathra, the authors of Missing Each Other explain the key skill of attunement and why is vital for establishing and maintaining better connections with others. We are wired for human connection. Our drive to connect with others is evident from the earliest moments of our lives. Infants recognise and demonstrate a preference for human faces, suggesting that we have an innate interest and curiosity about others. As infants

Mandy Bryon and Penny Titman, authors of Helping Your Child with a Physical Health Condition, here consider the impact on parents of finding their child has a medical health issue. In this blog post, we will use the term ‘physical health condition’ in a broad sense, to include a wide range of medical diagnoses, genetic conditions and illnesses affecting children who require regular, often complicated treatments or specialised management. The

Satwant Singh, Margaret Hooper and Colin Jones, authors of Overcoming Hoarding, here help us to understand commonly asked questions about the nature of hoarding disorder. What is hoarding disorder? People with hoarding disorder save and collect things to excess and find it very difficult to get rid of items. They often have a cluttered living space at home or elsewhere and experience distress and find it hard to function fully within their

This month we celebrate thirty years since the publication of the first title in the bestselling Overcoming series. The Overcoming books sit within the Robinson imprint at Little, Brown Book Group. Robinson was established by the late Nick Robinson in 1983, and whilst the imprint as a whole had the usual publishing blend of fiction and non-fiction, perhaps the aspect of it that was closest to Nick’s heart was

Author of The Lasting Connection Michaela Thomas explains what elements make up a ‘good’ relationship and why love on its own isn’t enough for a lasting connection – we need compassion too.   What makes a relationship last? Being satisfied and happy in a relationship isn’t about finding someone without a journey of pain and hardship. It’s about owning your own story and having

The authors of Overcoming Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, David Veale and Rob Willson, address some commonly asked questions about OCD.   How common is OCD? OCD is one of the more common mental disorders after social phobia, depression, alcohol and substance abuse. Between 1 and 1.5 in every 100 of the adult population are significantly distressed and handicapped by their OCD and this is also true for about 1 in every 200

In this abridged excerpt from her book Be Extraordinary, psychologist Dr Jennifer Wild explains what the seven key skills are for transforming your life from ordinary to extraordinary. Some people can get over anything. Doctors diagnose them with a rare form of cancer, and they recover. They help someone in distress, are viciously attacked and blinded, yet pull through to start a successful business improving other people’s lives. They are

In this abridged excerpt from Overcoming Chronic Fatigue, authors Mary Burgess and Trudie Chalder give some background information about chronic fatigue syndrome and discuss factors that may contribute to its onset. What is fatigue? Fatigue is a difficult concept as it means different things to different people. People will often describe their fatigue using words such as weakness, listlessness, profound tiredness or sleepiness, a complete lack of energy or feeling totally drained

Cognitive behavioural therapist and author Pamela Myles-Hooton explains what agoraphobia is and how self-help can help you overcoming its distressing symptoms.   What is agoraphobia? Agoraphobia is a fear of being in situations in which the person believes that escape may be difficult or that help will not be available if something goes wrong. Many people think that it is simply a fear of open spaces, but it isn&rsquo

In this edited excerpt from their book Overcoming Health Anxiety, authors Rob Willson and David Veale explain what health anxiety is, and what tools can be used to tackle it. Health anxiety is a common condition in which a person often finds themselves worrying excessively about being ill. For some, this is focused on trying to avoid (or detect early) an illness they particularly fear or dread. For others, this can take

In this article, Hashir Aazh and Brian C.J. Moore, authors of Living Well with Tinnitus, describe some of the common experiences and feelings of people who are distressed by tinnitus and who have not yet embarked on CBT (which is proven to help). Your own experiences and feelings may be similar to or more or less severe than those described below.  Many of us may believe that it is only