In this article, psychologist Michael Player will show you how to deactivate the fear response that makes you stressed and how to activate your rest and recuperation response to de-stress. We need to relax Ever notice that when you’re stressed you make more mistakes than usual? Ever notice the same in people around you? Think about those times you’ve said, ‘Oh, wow, I can’t

Ever wondered what the “fight or flight response” is? Experienced anxiety or physical effects of stress, maybe even panic attack symptoms, but never quite understood why or how these feelings happen? Well, worry not because Russ Harris knows the answer and he’s here to help…. What are emotions? Whilst scientists haven’t come to an agreement on what emotions actually are, they have decided that they

The key principles of stopping smoking using cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) methods are that you live in the present and become aware of your smoking experiences. From a present-centred awareness of your smoking you can learn how to control it and eventually stop smoking. David F Marks, author of Stop Smoking Now, introduces a simple and easy-to-follow program that can help to reduce your cigarette consumption dramatically, often by

It was a beautiful afternoon in December. A middle-aged man, driving a silver Audi A4, found a parking space at my University campus (which is remarkable in and of itself). He exited the car and looked, well, a lot like me. He was dressed in clothes from a Next outlet (his wife probably bought them for him), his hair was thinning, and his face no longer had the glow of youth

Professor Colin Espie, the author of Overcoming Insomnia, explains why cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is an effective way to tackle insomnia and other sleep problems.  Sleep is not one of life’s “nice to have’s”, although it is of course nice! Sleep is a “need to have”, just in the same way that oxygen, water and food are essentials. Sleep is vital, and we

Why should we focus on being kind to ourselves? It’s important because life can be stressful especially when we are juggling many different roles (employee, parent, carer, partner, colleague, friend, etc.) and life events (illness, menopause, relationship breakup, etc.). One way to help cultivate kindness is to note down all the things you are juggling on a piece of paper or multiple pieces of paper. This is a good way

Hot flushes are one of the most common symptoms of the menopause, and many women find them to be uncomfortable and embarrassing. Fortunately, there are many different approaches that you can take to manage your hot flushes and stop them from limiting your lifestyle. Hot flushes are commonly described as sensations of heat in the face, neck and chest, frequently accompanied by sweating or shivering, and sometimes palpitations – but they vary

With winter approaching, it is important to be aware of our bodies’ mental and physical changes as we adapt to colder temperatures and shorter days. A big part of maintaining good health in winter (and, of course, also throughout the year) is sleeping well, as sleep is responsible for our memory, metabolism and – importantly – mood. It is important that everyone practises good sleep hygiene.  Sleep is vital for

Sometimes the main problem in OCD is the presence of unpleasant thoughts, or intrusive thoughts, which just pop into your mind. The thoughts are usually horrible and repulsive. But the harder one tries to avoid having them, the worse the thoughts seem to get.    Some examples of intrusive thoughts  Derek had intrusive thoughts about stabbing people when he saw knives, and had at least one intrusive thought about

Feeling worried, unhappy or unfulfilled? Are you smiling on the outside, pretending that everything is okay, when really it’s not? Don’t worry, you’re not alone and there is a way out with ACT. But what is ACT, we hear you ask? It stands for Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and works just in the same way as CBT or talking therapy. You need to address the situations

Social anxiety can be relatively limited and confined to a few situations, such as eating in public, or it can affect the majority of the situations involving interaction with others - here's a few tips on how to overcome the latter. Social anxiety is a shorthand term that describes the fear, nervousness and apprehension most people at times experience in their relationships with other people. Some people who suffer from social

Our self-esteem is vital to how we see and value ourselves. Self-esteem can affect confidence, interactions with other people and, more generally, can stop you from living your life the way you want to live it. If we don’t address low self-esteem, it can lead to mental health problems such as anxiety and depression. Here, Melanie Fennell and Lee Brosan, authors of An Introduction to Improving Your