2018 · 28. June 2018

Many people are excited at the prospect of flying abroad for their summer holidays. For others, however, the thought of flying is enough to bring them out in a cold sweat. Fear of flying is common. An estimated one in four people are nervous about flying. For around one in 10 people, the problem is especially acute. People fear many different things about flying. Obviously, many are scared for one simple reason - they’re afraid the plane will crash. A more common fear is the fear of having a...

2018 · 21. June 2018

Many people are excited at the prospect of flying abroad for their summer holidays. For others, however, the thought of flying is enough to bring them out in a cold sweat. In this week's Southern Star, I offer some CBT-related advice on how people can fight their fear of flying. As always, the column will be reproduced on my blog next week.

2018 · 14. June 2018

In CBT, thinking errors are known as cognitive distortions – essentially, unhelpful thinking patterns that often drive low mood, anxiety and relationship conflict. In last week's Southern Star, I explored how it pays to be aware of common thinking errors that can hurt your mental health. The column is reproduced below. There is the thing that happens, and then there is the story we tell ourselves about that thing. Often, the story we tell ourselves is distorted and one-sided, which is why it...

2018 · 04. June 2018

In last week's Southern Star, I explored why when it comes to children, effort-based praise is better than personal praise. The column is reproduced below. It’s important to praise children but be careful – sometimes, the wrong type of praise can backfire. Psychological studies show praising children for their effort, for example, is very different to praising children for their intelligence. In one important study, a group of children were given some relatively easy puzzles to solve. After...