Does your child regularly:– get nervous or fidgety,– have unexplained tummy aches,– become agitated, irritable, or have meltdowns, or– have difficulty sleeping, concentrating, or socialising? Anxiety lurks beneath many physical and behavioural issues. While some children are genetically more prone to anxiety and all children will have occasional spikes, 10-15% of people under 18 will […]
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About a month ago, my mum and I went to a local pet store. I was having a bad day, and she knew seeing animals would cheer me up. (Being a 15 year-old with Aspergers and anxiety isn’t always easy!). And although we didn’t intend to, we left with a beautiful, affectionate parrot named Ollie. This article explains why they make great support animals.
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Dr Rachel was recently on ABC radio speaking with Kat Feeney about the psychology of kissing kids and parent-child attachments in the wake of the Australia’s college of obstetricians (RANZCOG) suggesting doctors and midwives tell women to avoid cytomegalovirus (CMV) by not kissing their kids.
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by Lynne Rodgers (of North Brisbane Psychologists) “Shyness is nice, and Shyness can stop you From doing all the things in life You’d like to” — Ask by The Smiths Social anxiety, also known as social phobia, is not shyness. Psychologists distinguish between shyness – a personality disposition or trait (like having brown eyes) – and social anxiety, […]
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Our latest blog is a guest post from Alice, the 14 year-old daughter of NBP Director, Rachel Hannam. Alice just finished reading “The Sleep Book” by Dr Guy Meadows. It really helped her overcome her sleep anxiety and insomnia. This is her experience as a teenage sufferer. (She’d love some feedback in the comments 🙂
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Many of us are guilty of procrastination. Have you ever sat down to a complex, time-consuming task and ended up surfing Facebook or playing solitaire? Clients often mention that they struggle with procrastination and want to know why and what they can do. While there are many theories about why we procrastinate, there may be a range of reasons we procrastinate. The more important question is: What can we do? Here are a few ideas to keep in mind.
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The Unexamined Life is Not Worth Living – Socrates We humans have a unique ability that rarely gets talked about in this culture. It’s the ability to observe our own inner experiences as if an internal witness was privy to them. In other words, to engage the ‘observing self’. Most children and young people are not […]
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We all have uninvited thoughts pop into our minds that go unnoticed. But the ones that tap into our core values stand out. When we have uninvited thoughts that tap into core values, we feel strong emotions, like alarm, terror, or disgust. Once an intrusive thought taps into a core value, the amount of attention we give it will determine how much power and momentum it gathers.
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Set yourself free by recognising this one tendency we all share and how it can go awry. Life is to be lived, not controlled. Like a surfer in the waves, we need to respond to life, not stress ourselves managing and controlling it all.
Read more...Sometimes I use this process with clients who are stuck to a sticky thought and want to get unstuck! We all have sticky thoughts. These are the intrusive or compulsive beliefs or mental stories we automatically tell ourselves when stressed. These thoughts can loop endlessly in our heads. The sticky thought is almost always a […]
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Self-harm is often a disguised cry for help. But there are ways to recover from and get out of this maladaptive behaviour.
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How should I handle attention? Some people seem to welcome it. Others, like me, find it uncomfortable. With attention, there are two recognisable types. The attention seekers who slurp up attention like kids lap up ice cream, and those who feel uncomfortable whenever under the spotlight. Most of us lie somewhere between. In some circumstances, […]
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Let’s talk about how beliefs affect our coping strategies in life and, in turn, accidentally keep us stuck. Take John for example. John is 45 years old. Growing up, he developed the idea (called a negative core belief or a schema) that he is “unlikeable”. Here are 3 coping strategies John might use for coping […]
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Emily thinks she is dying. Her heart is pounding so hard it feels it will fly out of her chest. Her palms are sweaty, her breathing constricted, she is nauseous and dizzy, and she fears she’ll faint. The ambulance is called. At the hospital, Emily is told she’s had a panic attack. Panic attack? Anxiety […]
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I think I am having panic attacks. My heart races and I feel dizzy, hot and sweaty. It is very scary. Sometimes I can hardly breathe and I feel like I might die. What causes it and how do I stop it? Many people in the middle of a panic attack really believe they are […]
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