First Psychology blog

In today’s busy society, with an ever growing to-do list and 24-hour social media, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed from time to time. And when things do start to get on top of us, feelings can quickly escalate so that we lose sight of what’s really important to us. We can’t slow society down, much as we’d like to, but what we can do is share two tried and tested mindfulness behaviours that will – in no time at all – retrain your brain to stay focused, so that you’ll be better able to gain perspective and regain control during stressful life-episodes. So what exactly is mindfulness? Simply put, it’s about paying attention. Its basis lies in Buddhist meditation. Today’s mindfulness practice has been modified to reflect modern society and the need to build mindfulness techniques into our everyday routines. The good news is, that with practice, mindfulness is a skill that anyone can learn. The even better news is that studies show that we can change our habits and behaviours in j...

It's Friday 13th, the only one in 2016, and those of you who suffer from a fear of Friday 13th may well be feeling some of the common symptoms of phobia.  These include: shaking, feeling disorientated or confused, sweating profusely, rapid heart beat, dry mouth, dizziness, nausea, and pains in the chest. Often people also worry about being out of control, fainting or even dying, and this can add to the feelings of anxiety and distress. So why fear Friday 13th? There are a whole range of reasons why it is thought we fear this day, many of them stemming from associations with bad events in the bible. However more generally speaking, phobias are strong irrational fears about something being dangerous when there is little or no danger at all. Sometimes we develop fears and phobias following a traumatic event and this creates an association between our object of fear and the bad event. However often people with a phobia or fear have no idea where it has come from. How do phobias...

Life is full of highs and lows – how we react to these events makes us who we are. We’re all different, but have you ever wondered why some people seem able to quickly bounce back from major blows, while others fall to pieces when things don't go their way? Two words: personal resilience. Personal resilience is a widely used term that describes our ability to deal with change and cope with the stresses of everyday life. As human beings we’re innately programmed for self-preservation so the good news is that we can all learn to become more resilient. We just need to invest a bit of time and effort in ourselves.  We can’t promise you a stress-free life, but we can promise that by acknowledging your triggers and changing your old thought patterns you will find it easier to bounce back under pressure. These three top tips will help prepare you for whatever lies around the corner… 1. A little bit of what you fancy does you good It sounds clichéd, but it’s true. If you’re ge...