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How to build a daily mindfulness practice
That special time of year is creeping upon us and while quality time with loved ones, showing our generosity, and having a good old knees-up is lovely it can also be a bit hectic as we prepare for the festivities, finish up work projects, and respond to all the requests from school which seem to multiply towards the end of the autumn term. Pass me the mulled wine and a few mince pies quick! Of course, it’s not only this time of year that can leave us feeling a bit frazzled. We can get so caught up in the everyday busyness of life: the daily stressors, running here and there…
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Surviving the Storm: Breakdown, recovery and learning to manage anxiety
I am taking a huge deep breath and sharing this deeply personal experience with you because when I was in the clutches of a mental health crisis I felt like I was alone in my struggles even though I had incredibly supportive family and friends around me. Once I was able to be honest with myself and started opening up to them, I noticed that they were able to tell me about their own experiences with mental health issues or how they had overcome other adverse situations. Listening to their stories gave me the courage and motivation to keep going. Crucially, I also felt some reassurance that it wasn’t ‘just…
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Maintaining wellbeing after therapy
A few years ago, during a prolonged and severe episode of anxiety, I was enrolled onto an online Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) programme via the NHS. After being introduced to a variety of techniques that could help me to manage my anxiety in the long-term, I was advised to put together a plan for keeping well. I thought that devising a plan to maintain my wellbeing would be incredibly useful since I was so keen to apply what I had learned from the course and I was determined to keep on expanding my knowledge of anxiety through reading self-help books that my local counsellor had recommended to me (in particular…
