Latest articles on counselling and therapy

The dictionary describes procrastination as “the action of delaying or postponing something”. Often procrastination is the cause of fear; there could be many factors associated with this including: Fear of failure - starting things and often not completing them because you believe you will fail, so you do not complete the task to avoid defeat. Fear of success - you want to be successful, but you are afraid of your inability to handle fame or fortune, perhaps you are scared of...

Without “hope” it can be very difficult to “kick-start” yourself on a day when you wake up feeling miserable and hopeless. Yet it seems these days are common to all people at some point in their life, with many different ways of responding. Some people say they simply refuse to acknowledge low mood, and instead throw themselves into a hive of activity through work or exercise, as if drowning out any negative feelings that are threatening to emerge. Others say they feel...

There are many reasons why some of us put on weight more easily than others. If you are reading this because you are miserable about your own weight and perhaps envious or frustrated by others who seem to get away with eating what they want, then hopefully this article will explain some of the possible influences on weight. Let's look at our environment first: Our culture tends to communicate with food - we use it to celebrate, comfort ourselves, for enjoyment, to treat ourselves on holiday...

Going through the transition period from child to adult already feels like a rollercoaster but, when you throw in mental health problems, that rollercoaster becomes a thousand times faster - and there are no brakes.

It's feeling all the highs and lows of teenage years, but the lows are really low and the highs are really high. It feels like you're labelled as depressed or anxious, and then you're suddenly put into a box; not as a teenager who may struggle with mental health issues, but...

I’m not going to bore you with the statistics – of the percentage of the population who will experience depression in their life time; the number or percentage of those who will notice it for the first time during what they consider to be their middle-age/mid-life; and so on and so forth. There are some reasons for this: 1. I hate statistics :-) 2. More importantly, I am not trying to persuade you that depression is common… and that it is a part of the human condition. 3....

How many times have you spoken to someone about how you are feeling and all you actually want or need is to be listened to? You don’t want the other person to necessarily respond or try to solve the problem, to ‘make it all better’ with a long list of things you can do. It may be that you have spoken to someone and they immediately think of a time when they were feeling that way; making it about them. This can leave you feeling that perhaps they’re not really listening,...

Depression is a common mental health issue which renders individuals with feelings of powerlessness, failure, sadness, emptiness, loneliness and anger. These feelings are prolonged over time and may seem interminable. Individual’s thoughts, physical health and sense of self are often affected. Symptoms differ from individual to individual and may include: Anxiety, crying, worthlessness, apathy, thoughts of suicide and an inability to concentrate etc. It is likely daily stresses seem like...

People with depression often feel alone and isolated. They don’t know who they should talk to about their feelings - or even if they can. But counselling for depression can have a big impact on your mental health. Having the chance to express your feelings in a safe environment can help you to clear your mind. And, therapists can provide the understanding and advice that friends and family cannot. Therapy can give you the support and confidence that you need to start overcoming your...