Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a complex mental health condition that can have a profound impact on those who experience it. However, there are effective treatments available to help individuals regain control of their lives and find healing.

What is it? We all experience a sense of fear or worry at times. We may feel anxious about an exam, interview or public performance of...

I talk a lot about the important connection between our thoughts, emotions and behaviours and how each one has such an important effect...

You may be diagnosed with panic disorder if you have sudden, extreme anxiety attacks or panic attacks that seem to happen regularly and out of the blue. Read my blog to find out more about what you can do to help yourself.

Avoidance is very common but what we have to recognise is that none of these outside factors are the cause of the anxiety. It is all coming from inside. As soon as you avoid one situation or try to take control of your anxiety with a certain type of behaviour, another situation will take its place. Read more about avoidant behaviours and habits...

Many people who suffer from anxiety have a really hard time with uncertainty. They want to know what is going to happen, when and why and find it really difficult to "go with the flow". They want to prepare for every eventuality and find it really hard to just wait and see what happens. Can you relate to any of this? If you find it hard to tolerate uncertainty, you might find yourself always preparing for the worst. Read more...

Anticipatory anxiety is the feeling of worrying about or dreading an event or situation in the future. It often builds as the anxiety-inducing event gets closer and may cause weeks or even months of insomnia and anxiety symptoms. Very often, the anticipatory anxiety is much worse than the actual event, which, if you brave it, is never as bad as you imagined it would be. When you really break it down, anticipatory anxiety is just our minds attempting to travel into the future.

Health anxiety is a condition that causes healthy people to worry that they are seriously ill, even though they may have no symptoms or very minor symptoms. It used to be known as hypochondriasis but as that term has such negative connotations, it is now rarely used. Health anxiety is a serious condition and can have a huge negative impact on the life of the sufferer and their family.

The physical effects of anxiety are known as the "stress response". You have probably heard it described as the “fight or flight” response. It is designed to protect us by preparing our bodies to fight the danger or run away from it. What happens when we perceive a threat takes place very quickly and automatically before we even have a chance to consciously assess the situation.

What is it you fear about social interaction? Do you avoid certain social activities, such as parties or dinner invitations? The Social Anxiety Institute state that people with social anxiety disorder usually experience significant emotional distress in the following situations...

Stress is a survival mechanism that affects each and every one of us at times. When we feel under attack our bodies are flooded with hormones including cortisol and adrenaline that make us more alert and ready for action. We experience this as fear or anxiety. Stress is a normal reaction to certain events and can actually be very helpful. It triggers that fight or flight response that humans have relied on for thousands of years.

OK, so I have a confession. I used to be a perfectionist. When I say that, I don’t just mean that I expected a lot of myself or I was very well organised or that I just worked hard. I mean, I would take hours and hours over things that should have taken me 20 minutes. I over-prepared and tried to cover myself for every single eventuality. I couldn't do anything without thoroughly preparing myself first. A lot of the time I would put things off because I was terrified of makin