If you’re a socially anxious person, you might dread the idea of socialising, and cope with this anxiety by engaging in what CBT researchers call safety behaviours. Such behaviours - foe example, excessively rehearsing what you will say to a person, avoiding eye contact, wearing cool clothes to avoid blushing - are designed to manage anxiety-provoking situations. It's an understandable strategy, but safety behaviours are not a good idea. My latest column explains why.
CBT places a lot of emphasis on cognitive distortions – essentially, thinking errors that can hurt our mental health. In my latest Southern Star column, I talk about one of the most common and potentially damaging cognitive distortions – disqualifying the positives in your life.
Imagine a genie appears in front of you and grants you three wishes. The genie will grant any wish you make. What are your three wishes? My latest Southern Star column explores how people tend to answer this question and why we often forget about happiness as we go about our daily lives.
Anxiety is a universal human experience, a natural response to stressors and challenges we all encounter in life. While it's a common emotion, it's often misunderstood and can manifest in a variety of ways. My latest Southern Star column explores some important things you should know about anxiety.
This week marks the second anniversary of the death, aged 100, of Dr Aaron Beck. My latest Southern Star column explores five lessons we can all learn from the man known as the father of CBT.
We’re generally quick to spot when someone behaves badly towards us, because our brains are wired to be alert to threats of all kinds. Unfortunately, we’re not quite as good at taking note of the little kindnesses of daily life. My latest column explores how it will help your mood and well-being if you train yourself to spot and savour these moments, which are more common than you may think.
Many of us find ourselves occasionally grappling with concerns about our health. Yet, for some, this unease goes beyond sporadic worry; it is a constant, exaggerated fear centred on health. My latest article looks at the obsessive and distressing nature of health anxiety, and talks about how the very things you do to ease your health anxiety - the rumination, the checking, the reassurance-seeking – are the very things keeping you stuck.
2023 · 21. September 2023
Might asking someone if they have suicidal thoughts plant the idea in their mind? Are people who make suicidal threats just looking for attention? Are only depressed or mentally ill people at risk of suicide? My latest article looks at some common myths about suicide.
2023 · 07. September 2023
You might want to change your life, but nevertheless keep doing things that make you unhappy. Why? My latest Southern Star column explores this all-too-common problem.
The father of CBT, the late Dr Aaron Beck, was fond of saying that ‘there is more to the surface than meets the eye’. What did he mean? Beck liked to illustrate his point by telling a story about an anxious and promiscuous client he was treating. Why was she anxious? Read on...