Insights & Support

As a psychotherapist, I often think about the ways we learn to cope with difficult periods in our lives. We all have ways of dealing with stress. Some of us exercise. Some talk to friends. Some keep busy. Others watch television, scroll through their phones, have a drink, go shopping, work longer hours or simply try to distract themselves from what is going on. None of these things are necessarily problematic. In fact, having ways to give ourselves a break from stress can be

I often meet people who have been carrying a great deal of stress for a long time. Sometimes that stress comes from work. Sometimes it's family responsibilities, financial pressure, relationship difficulties or the feeling that there are simply too many things demanding their attention. Often, it's a combination of all of them. When we are under pressure for long enough, most of us will start looking for some form of relief. That might be completely harmless. We might watch t

I often meet people who don't necessarily describe themselves as stressed. Instead, they might tell me that they're tired. Irritable. Struggling to sleep. Finding it difficult to concentrate. Or simply feeling that they don't quite feel like themselves anymore. What I often find is that stress isn't always coming from one place. Someone may be dealing with pressure at work while also worrying about a family member. They may be managing a demanding career alongside raising chi

In my work as a psychotherapist, I often come across people who find it surprisingly difficult to rest. They may have finished work for the day. There are no urgent emails to answer and nothing that immediately needs their attention. Yet instead of feeling relaxed, they feel guilty. They might be watching television, spending time with their family or simply sitting down, but there's a voice in the back of their mind telling them they should be doing something else. Checking

One thing I often hear from people I work with is that their weekend doesn't really feel like a weekend. Friday evening might bring a sense of relief, but by Sunday afternoon or evening, their mood begins to change. They start thinking about Monday. The emails waiting for them. The meetings they have coming up. The deadlines they haven't quite finished preparing for. The conversations they know they need to have. Nothing has actually happened yet, but they can already feel th