Anxiety serves a purpose to us all, it allows us to fully consider situations before diving in, it sounds the alarm when something about a situation doesn’t feel right and prompts us to be more alert or adjust our behaviour. In the right doses, anxiety is a very useful indicator in our lives. However, when it runs rampant, it can cause intense distress and distort our perception of reality. In this article we will explore how anxiety lies to us, as the research listed below suggests, up to 91.4% of the time.   Uncontrolled anxiety can cause havoc on a person’s life. When we buy into wha ..read more

Emotional abuse is a pattern of behaviour that aims to control, manipulate, or belittle another person’s emotions, thoughts, or actions. It can occur in various forms and can occur in a romantic relationship, within a family, friendship or even the workplace. In this article we will explore some key factors of emotional abuse.   Many people fall into a false belief that abuse can only be physical assaults, verbal screaming matches and dramatic fights – but in reality there are many forms of abuse. Emotional abuse is an insidious and highly damaging form of abuse. It can include verbal a ..read more

Whenever we have a ‘fresh start’, like a new year – the desire to create change in our lives can feel strong. This can be a great energy to have, but it can sometimes turn into pressure. How do we create sustainable change in our lives without it becoming a point of pain?   We all have things we want to improve or accomplish in our lives, that’s admirable and helpful. But sometimes we set the bar so high or intend to start so many changes at once that it becomes impossible to maintain for longer than a few weeks. This seems harmless, but over time it can undermine our self-esteem and be ..read more

The holiday season is intended to be a happy, joyous time spent with those you hold dear. But for some this time of year can highlight a loss in their lives that causes pain and longing. If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Let’s explore the difficulty of loss over the holidays and how to deal with it.   There are lots of things that can cause a feeling of grief. The most known is grief over a loved one dying, but you can also experience grief over a relationship ending, facing terminal illness, loss of a loved home and similar significant changes to your life. In this article we ..read more

The baby has finally arrived, the moment you’ve been waiting for! The little clothes are washed, the room is ready but now there’s a sudden shift from pure excitement to so much more. The pressures that can come postpartum are not always spoken about and so when they hit, it can feel scary, lonely, and unsettling. Can you think of pressures that you faced in the postpartum period as a parent? Let’s explore some of the pressures of postpartum below:   Every journey to parenthood looks a bit different. For some conceiving might have been an unexpected surprise; others may have fought for ..read more

Maybe a friend shares a link, you watch it, then just a few more – suddenly you look at the time and feel that sudden jolt of angst. Where did all that time go? It happens to many of us, and it impacts us far more than you think. We’ll explore mindless scrolling on your phone and how it may influence your mood, mindset, and emotions – as well as how to help curb the habit.   Do you find yourself mindless scrolling social media endlessly, sometimes without even noticing? Perhaps it’s about negative news events (sometimes called ‘doom scrolling’), celebrity photos, comment sections or clip ..read more

We all do it, it’s human nature to try be considerate of others or to make others like us and so we act in ways to please others. But at what point is it no longer healthy? When does “people pleasing” come at a cost to your own happiness?   To act in a way that is kind, helpful or considerate of others is of course a wonderful trait. But when we talk about “people pleasing” in the unhealthy sense, we’re talking about when you constantly prioritise the wants/needs or demands of others above your own. For some it can be easy to know whether or not they feel like they are a people pleaser ..read more

Addiction takes a massive toll, not only on the person struggling with it but on their friends, family and community. Often this wider toll is not spoken of and can even carry a sense of shame. In this article we will explore how A Loved One’s Addiction can feel and ways for the support network to cope.   Addiction comes in many forms, it can be alcohol, prescription drugs, gambling, illicit drugs, sex, or porn among others. Each carries its own difficulties and can have a tremendous cost on the person’s life, health, and relationships.   Why is it so difficult when a loved one is s ..read more

The ending of any relationship can be difficult, even if it ends amicably there is a process of healing and often grieving necessary. In this article we will look at ways to help make this transition a bit easier and surviving separation.   Why is a breakup of a relationship so challenging? Well for many reasons. For some there are obvious factors such as shared children or home that needs to be considered. There can be shared friendships and hobbies that might become more complicated. And for any relationship there is a shared history that a couple has experienced together, this can cre ..read more

“If you plan on being anything less than you’re capable of being, you will probably be unhappy all the days of your life.” — Abraham Maslow   I would like to begin by letting you know that it is with deep sadness, that I write this as my last and final blog for the DMC Clinic as I take the leap to begin to work privately. I would like to take this opportunity to thank those of you that took the time to read my blogs. I hope they provided some food for thought!   But before I go, I would like to leave you with one last thing to think about or maybe even work on in my absence in your ..read more