First Psychology blog

We all know from our own childhood (and adult) experiences that being confident greatly improves our chances of happiness and success in life. So how can you tell if your child is confident and are you doing the right things to help boost their confidence and self-esteem? We look at three common myths about confidence in children. 1. Praise is always good right?  While it is true that praising your child is beneficial, overpraising is not. Tip: Think about how often and why you praise your child. Only praise them for real achievements and be specific about your reasons for praising them. 2. If my child can speak in class and make themselves heard, they are confident, aren't they? No, this is not necessarily the case at all. Children have different personalities and some children will be naturally quiet while others will be more outgoing. Tip: Look for other signs that your child is confident, such as them being able to express their needs and wishes in an assertive way....

Reading lots on social media today about the film 'Boyhood' due to its recent Oscar nominations. Boyhood is the ultimate film about a boy growing up - it was filmed over a 12 year period using the same actors throughout. This allows viewers to marvel at each and every change in the boy's appearance and character, as he grows up and reaches manhood. Of course, while the boy is really growing up during the film-making process, the film itself aims to represent the trials and tribulations of growing up.  We all know this comes with many highs and lows. There are birthdays and parties, holidays and new friendships, but there are also numerous instances of sadness, humiliation and loneliness along the way.  There is no doubt that while getting older is a beautiful and necessary process, it can be hard for children to go through the various stages of childhood and adolescence. We know this because we've all done it and no matter how happy your own childhood, l...

Today we celebrate Chinese New Year - the most important event in the Chinese calendar. In common with 1 January, this is a time when families will celebrate and embrace the coming year. Chinese families may buy each other presents, get a new haircut, or clean their homes. Cleaning the home at Chinese New Year is a symbolic activity, which is all about clearing away bad fortune and making way for good fortune. Chinese New Year is considered a spring event and in this respect has much in common with the UK tradition of spring cleaning. While spring cleaning usually focuses on cleaning the home, it is highly beneficial to apply the same sentiment to our lives in more general terms. Read our article with tips on spring cleaning your life >

You've probably heard much talk in the media about mindfulness and how it can be beneficial for a whole range of issues, but what is mindfulness and how does it work? What is ‘mindfulness’? Mindfulness has its roots in Eastern meditation practices and it was first introduced into modern health care by Dr Jon Kabat-Zinn. It can be defined as paying attention to our experience in the present moment, to what is going on in our mind, body and day-to-day life, in a non-judgemental or accepting way (Kabat-Zinn, 1990). How can mindfulness help? Our minds are constantly thinking and imagining. We often get caught up in these thoughts and place too much weight on them, which can have a knock-on effect on our mood and subsequent behaviour. However, despite the significant effect these thoughts can have on our feelings and behaviour, they are simply creations of our mind - not reality.  Mindfulness can help by making us more aware of the mind's processes and, with practice...