Almost all of us have experienced a fear that our successes are due to a fluke.luck or other people, rather than our own hard work or skills. It’s not normally an issue, but if it becomes overwhelming, it might be what’s sometimes referred to as ‘Impostor Syndrome’. This has been mentioned briefly in previous blog entries, but I thought it was worth looking at in a bit more detail.

Reverend Robert Shields of Dayton, Ohio, is a contender for the world’s longest diary, spending four hours each day recording what happened every five minutes of every day for twenty-five years, and producing thirty-seven and a half million words. You don’t have to spend quite so much time on it to see the benefits of keeping a journal, though. Here are some reasons to give it a go.

Do you find yourself dismissing your efforts if they aren’t 100% right? Most of us recognise that perfectionism can make it harder to achieve anything, but recent studies have shown there is a better way. Healthy striving is the positive version of perfectionism, and it leads to a healthier state of mind. Want to know how?

My teen-aged daughter claimed that if she tidied her bedroom she no longer knew where things were – the clutter, at least according to her, was ‘organised’...

Lockdown is starting to relax, and while it’s likely to take a long time, we’re already seeing some things change back to normal. This sounds good, but it may make you feel anxious too. If it does, we are offering our best tips to help ease the transition.

The COVID-19 lockdown has severely restricted everyone’s social life, and it’s likely to be a lot worse if you’re in quarantine with symptoms or if you live alone. Social distancing makes even outside interactions strange; usually, one might greet a friend on the street with a hug, but now even seeing them is far less likely. Don’t worry; lockdown won’t last forever, and here are some tips to help you in the meantime.

Last month I talked about why the COVID-19 lockdown was a particularly anxiety-provoking situation and one of the issues that I raised was ‘uncertainty’. We’re uncertain about many things at the moment; 

The Coronavirus has brought a lot of change and challenges into all our lives. We’ve had to adapt to new daily and shopping routines, uncertainty about our jobs and finances, and our children’s schooling. Freedoms we took for granted have been removed and no-one seems quite sure what might happen next. 

Everyone hears their inner critic from time to time, also known as the inner judge; that voice in your mind which tells you that you should or could have done better. However difficult it is to live with, you can think of your inner critic as your mind’s way of trying to help you improve. By pointing out your ‘flaws’, it is trying to help you get past them. The problem is, however good its intentions, criticising and carping at anyone, including yourself, only makes it harder for them to do well.