Life presents us with many challenges. These can be so much harder to face if we don’t believe in ourselves. How can we cope with the demands placed on us if we don’t trust in our own abilities? Low self-esteem involves having a general lack of self-confidence along with negative feelings towards ourselves. It can lead us to constantly criticise ourselves for not being attractive, popular or successful enough. It can be painful and tiring to live this way. Low self-esteem oft

We all experience difficulties in life. Having problems in a relationship; feeling unhappy or anxious about going to work; living with grief; struggling with low mood or a lack of self-confidence. Most of us have experienced a least one of these at some point. Often, we can resolve these issues for ourselves. We may seek support from someone close to us or perhaps make changes in our life that bring about an improvement. However, in some cases difficulties persist and we cont

Summer is here, so why am I feeling depressed? Summertime is here and it seems as if everyone around us is smiling and cheerful, enjoying the long warm summer days. But for us, it’s hard to join in. We find ourselves struggling to cope with our low mood and worried, anxious thoughts. It feels as if we can’t get enough rest and our disturbed sleep is leaving us tired and irritable. Getting time to ourselves is more difficult and we notice how this is making us feel stressed an

How often do I ask myself “how am I feeling today? Is there anything I need?” For so many of us the answer is “never”. Life can be so busy. We often rush around struggling to cope with the stress of work, caring for children or maintaining relationships. We have so many roles to play and so many demands on our time and attention. Sadly we can forget to take care of ourselves and listen to our own needs. So often this can lead to us feeling exhausted and run down and can cause

How often do we ask ourselves “how am I feeling right now?”. For many of us the answer is “never”. Our lives are so busy. It’s easy to get caught up in all the stress. We worry about everything. Are the children okay? Will we have enough money to get by? How am I getting on with my partner? Am I doing well enough in work? We have so many roles to play, and so many people to please. It’s no wonder we often put our own needs at the bottom of the list. However, neglecting oursel

Take a moment to ask yourself what you are thinking about at this moment. Chances are it’s not about the here and now. So often our mind is racing ahead, caught up with thoughts and concerns about the future. What am I doing today? Where do I need to go? Picking up children, getting to work, rushing to meet deadlines, shopping, cleaning, not to mention anticipating the problems we may encounter along the way. In the quieter moments we can find ourselves looking back on things

Depression can effect us in many ways. We may feel constantly tired or irritable even after resting. We often lose our temper and snap at those around us. Morning times can be hard, lying in bed dreading the moment when we have to get up and face the day. Persistent feelings of sadness or emptiness can lead to a sense of hopelessness about the future. Deep down we feel nothing will change. Our lives seem to shrink as we lose interest in doing the things we used to enjoy. Ache

What is social anxiety? Feeling sick and shaky before a meeting or presentation at work. Constant thoughts that everyone is watching us and thinking badly of us. Avoiding social events because the thought of having to meet and make conversation with new people makes us stressed and panicky. Lying awake at night going over everything we’ve done that day worrying that we’ve said the wrong thing or made a fool of ourselves. These are common experiences for people who have social

Seemingly out of nowhere my heart starts racing, I have difficulty breathing and I feel sick and faint. At the same time there is an overwhelming sense of dread, a feeling that something terrible is happening to me. I may even feel like I am are going to die. Once the feeling subsides it can leave me exhausted, shaky and confused. What has happened? And then the fear sets in. Will this happen again? When will it happen? Where will it happen? I start to avoid places and situat

Lying awake at night with worries racing through our minds. Restless, jittery feelings when we try to concentrate on something. Overwhelming feelings of panic or dread that seem to come from nowhere. Losing patience and snapping at our family or friends. Physical problems like stomach ache, nausea, irritable bowel, headache, sweating, shaking, dizziness, frequent urination, fatigue and change in appetite Anxiety is a feeling of fear, worry or unease and is often a response to