First Psychology blog

A couple of years ago, for a whole week I woke up every night drenched in sweat and started to think there was something going seriously wrong with my body. Like a lot of us do, I Googled my symptoms and convinced myself that I must have a life-threatening illness. Eventually I realised that my thermostat had actually malfunctioned and was cranking up the heat in my flat every night at 3am. If you’re anything like me, there may have been times when you’ve mistaken a change in bodily function as something more scary or sinister – and there’s not always a clear cause like a broken thermostat to take the blame. Sometimes things seem to change or go wrong in our bodies for no apparent reason, and this can be really frightening. It’s perfectly normal to experience worries about our health from time to time. However, if these worries start to negatively impact your everyday life and prevent you from having fun, you might be experiencing health anxiety. What does health anxiety look like? You...

It’s common sense to presume that when your mind is a whirlwind of thoughts, you’re not in the best position to be making sensible decisions. Anxieties surrounding work, family, illness, and finances can all take their toll on your mental health. This can lead to indecisiveness or poor decision-making. Learn how to calm your mind and uncloud your thoughts so you can make better decisions in all areas of your life. What causes an uncalm mind? There are times you will have very real concerns which cause anxiety and unrest, resulting in you being unable to make rational decisions. Sometimes, however, there are worries based on scenarios or factors that don’t yet exist. Typical concerns of this type include: Being anxious about the future Concerns that the decision you make will be the wrong one Being overly concerned with what other people may think of you Other factors that may lead to a restless mind include: Outside influences – taking on other people’s worries as your o...

Throughout life, everyone experiences events and situations that are way out of their control. But it’s how we react to the hand that has been dealt to us that determines how it affects us. Too often we don't recognise when we're swimming against the tide and spend too much of our precious time and energy battling against a situation that is out of our control. This can be extremely exhausting and also damaging to our mental and physical wellbeing. So, it’s important that we recognise the types of things that drain our energy. If we continue to let uncontrollable situations control us, over time the ongoing stress and anxiety can cause more serious mental and physical health problems. Our bodies don’t react well to continuous stress and when we become run down, our immune system is weakened, and we are more susceptible to illnesses. Things we can’t control and should let go of You might be wondering how to distinguish between what you can and can’t control, so here are a f...

Although it should be a happy time of the year, the festive season can be a worrying time where finances are concerned. In the run-up to Christmas, when we're expected to be preparing for a season of fun and festivity, many of us become more anxious and stressed as the Big Day approaches. Undoubtedly, it’s an expensive time of year when money worries become even more concerning. Debtpression We’ve all the heard the phrase ‘money is power’, and a study in the Journal of Consumer Research saw participants actually salivating at the concept of money when primed to feel they lacked power. So what then of debt? How does it effect how we feel about ourselves and what is debtpression? Many people equate money with power and success, believing it to make them appear more attractive, popular and successful to others. Conversely, not feeling able to spend can create a strong sense of powerlessness and failure, which can be highly disturbing. Debt equates to emotional pain. Indeed, ...