#mindfulness #anxiety #reduceanxiety Anxious feelings often come from the spiral of anxious thoughts you have. The constant worry, fear and 'what if' thoughts that are going round and round inside your head. Many of these anxious thoughts are about what MIGHT happen in the future, and if you struggle with these anxious thoughts and feelings it is likely you spend more time thinking about the future, or the past, then being present in the moment. Mindfulness is a technique that can help you be more present in the moment, spend less time with your thoughts about the future 'worst case scenarios ..read more

Social Anxiety is more than shyness. It is a fear that does not go away and affects everyday activities, self-confidence, relationships and work or school life. Many people occasionally worry about social situations, but someone with social anxiety feels overly worried before, during and after the event. The defining feature of social anxiety is not just about being in a social situation, but it is an intense fear of being judged by others, criticised, or rejected. People with social anxiety think that if they do things jut right they can avoid disappointing others and escape the dreaded possi ..read more

Anxiety can be life limiting, with constant worry, feelings of fear or dread, overthinking or catastrophising about the future and the many physical symptoms that accompany it. It can feel very lonely, especially if others have trouble understanding how you are feeling. Joining a support group can be a real comfort, being amongst others who experience similar feelings to yourself and being amongst people who understand what you are going through. In his book, feel better Fast and Make it Last, Dr Amen said 'Humans require social interaction to stay healthy. We have a fundamental need to belong ..read more

According to Darwin’s Origins of Species, it is not the most intellectual of the species that survives, it is not the strongest that survives, but the species that survives is the one that is able to best adapt and adjust to the changing environment in which it finds itself. Megginson, ‘Lessons from Europe for American Business’, Southwestern Social Science Quarterly (1963) 44(1): 3-13, at p. 4. The one constant that the covid-19 pandemic has bought us is change Change in guidance Change to our lifestyles Change in work situations Change in schooling Change to our social calender Change in ou ..read more

Christmas time can be a magical time with sparkly lights, brightly decorated Christmas tress trees and presents gaily wrapped under the tree, the excitement of Santa's visit. However it can also be a very stressful time, especially for people with anxiety, unsure about being around people, anxious about what you say or do and feeling the pressure of getting things right. If you have anxiety it can lead you to looking at the negative and worrying about things such as getting the presents right, is there enough food or drink? have I decorated the house right? what if the family don’t like being ..read more

In this blog I would like to focus on the fight or flight response and why people who have difficulty managing their anxiety may experience this response more often than others. The first thing I do as counsellor who specialises in working with anxiety, is to explain to my clients, what the fight or flight response is and what this might feel like for them. This is often a light bulb moment for people who have been struggling with anxiety or panic attacks. Either because they were unaware of this response or because it helps them understand why anxiety is accompanied by so many uncomfortable p ..read more

Why is self-care important? How often do you take care of yourself? How often do you put others needs ahead of your own? How often do you say I have not got time for me; I will get round to doing that thing for me later? If you are someone who puts others ahead of yourself then you may find you dont give yourself enough self-care Self-care can often come bottom of the pile, but it’s not just self-care you are putting bottom of the pile, you are putting yourself at the bottom of the pile. You are essentially saying I’m not worthy, I do not deserve this, I am not good enough for this, everyone e ..read more

Are you a person who is always saying sorry? Saying sorry too much is a common problem, and apparently studies show that more women than men may find themselves saying sorry more often than may be necessary. Over apologising all the time is essentially saying sorry for your existence. Over time this undermines your self-worth and can lead to feelings of anxiety It maybe you already have low self-esteem and the anxiety is leading you to feel responsible for things and so you say sorry Does this mean you are taking too much responsibility for things and therefore when things go wrong you think i ..read more

This year has been a challenging year for us with the coronavirus pandemic. The pandemic has bought a lot of fear and with the changing environment a lot of uncertainty about the future, it is no wonder that people are feeling more and more anxious about things. If you are experiencing anxiety for the first time, or anxiety is increasing for you here are 3 tips to help you deal with the fears and worries that anxiety can bring. 1. ACCEPT THAT ANXIETY IS A NORMAL EMOTION Anxiety usually comes with a number of mental and physical symptoms and this may cause you to get anxious about being anxiou ..read more

What is Anxiety? Anxiety is an emotion that everybody has and we will all feel it at some point in our life. All emotions help us to adapt, react and cope with life experiences, and anxiety is our emotion that helps us deal with threats and challenges that we face in our day to day lives. Anxiety has positive benefits for us as it can help motivate us, keep us alert and deal with difficult situations If you were to perceive something in your life as potentially threatening you would begin to experience anxiety to help you deal with that perceived threat by being more alert and focused on it an ..read more