How To ‘Dream Big’ Right Now, Even When It Feels Impossible

Day dreaming about tomorrow or finding it hard to see beyond today? Here’s why future-gazing can help. Check out this article from Huffington Post: Amanda Kusek recently inspired me all the way from her garden in New York to my own grotty London lockdown setup, when she conveyed a thought I’d been nursing privately for…

How The Hell To Start Processing The Year That’s Just Been

Here are some therapists’ tips to end the year as best you can. December is usually full of booze, food, parties and festive cheer. But this year there’s an added layer of introspection – reflecting on the year we’ve endured, the year that has, for many of us, pushed us to our absolute limits. As…

Why celebrating Christmas is good for your mental health

From birthdays to weddings and graduations, this year has seen many personal celebrations cancelled, while communal festivities such as Bonfire Night, Eid and Diwali either haven’t been celebrated or have been more subdued. So it might feel tempting to downplay Christmas too, especially with concerns that people mixing more freely could lead to a third…

How To Embrace Alone Time (And Even Start Enjoying It)

Do you enjoy your own company? It’s a simple enough question, but before 2020, those of us who usually packed our calendars to their limits may have been stumped on the answer. But this year, we’ve had to confront head on our relationship with time spent alone. For some, the solitude this year has been…

Make your home a haven of wellbeing in 2021

Home is where the heart is, and we have 12 ways to turn yours into a haven of positive health and wellbeing for 2021. Whether you live alone or share your living space with family or friends, home is an important part of our identity, says Eleanor Ratcliffe, environmental psychologist and lecturer at the University…

Feeling The December Dread? Therapists Have These Tips For You

It’s the most wonderful time of the year. Except when it isn’t. It’s not uncommon to feel dread come December. Sure, some people will look forward to the festive pile-up of cooking, eating, entertaining, socialising and decorating that’s part and parcel of the season. “But, very often Christmas can be a very tricky time of…

Sleeping on the job: how a quick nap makes us more efficient

While working from home have you had a cheeky nap? Don’t feel guilty. Research shows a brief kip boosts productivity. But will it catch on in the office? Naps need to hire a publicist. Not in China, where desk-side snoozes are a constitutional right; Japan, where inemuri (“sleeping while present”) is a sign you’ve been…

Blog: Maybe I am dreaming out loud

I have to admit, yesterday was a pretty bad day for me. The news of the new Tier system for England was really the icing on the cake to cap off a day where I was already feeling off.  But today is another day, and I am aiming to end my week on a more…