First Psychology blog

Exams can come with a lot of pressure which can make us feel extremely stressed. Stress is your body’s natural response to pressure and can help you focus and feel motivated to get things done but it can also feel hard to manage at times. Remember to look after your health and wellbeing during exam time and don’t forget that you're not alone. Everything you’re feeling is completely normal and plenty of others are going through the exact same thing.  Various studies of exam stress have shown that exam periods and exam situations are stressful for students. The results from the Natwest Student Living Index 2019 stated that 45% of students admitted they are feeling stressed by their course. Another poll from the same year that included 37,500 students at 140 universities across England, Wales, and Scotland suggests that rates of psychological distress and illness are on the rise in universities, with “alarmingly high” levels of anxiety, loneliness, substance misuse and thoughts of sel...

Going to university or college can be exciting and fun - with new people, a new course and often a new location with a new place to live. That's a lot of new things and because of the large amount of change, going away to study can also bring about feelings of anxiety and stress.  Indeed a study carried out during the covid pandemic found that students were more likely than the general population to report higher levels of anxiety and lower levels of happiness.  Some reasons why students struggle Students are often away from home and therefore away from their emotional support network of family and friends. They may be required to work in a way they are not used to with more autonomy and greater pressure to meet deadlines and achieve good results. Add to this the financial worries that many students have and you can see why students may struggle with their mental health. Seeking help - some issues Universities and colleges often have a wellbeing service and this can be a great...

Many parents are already aware of the hormonal changes that take place during the teen years. Dramatic mood swings and conversations consisting of nothing more than grunts or eyerolls can often appear to be the norm once they hit 13. But would you know how to spot the difference between normal teen angst and something more concerning, such as depression in teenagers? According to the British Journal of General Practice “Earlier recognition of depression in young people has the potential to reduce the burden of depression in adulthood.” This alone is enough reason to be aware of the signs of depression in teenagers and, as parent or carer, to want to provide your teen with as much support as possible. What are the signs of depression in children and teens? Low mood for an extended period of time  No longer enjoying activities or hobbies that they once did Increased irritability or bad temperedness Sleeping more or less than usual Drastic change in weight Overeating or undereating F...

Trying to find a compromise between our parents’ expectations and our own life goals when we’re growing up, particularly during our teenage years, can sometimes be a struggle. Perhaps they have certain ideas of the route you should go down, whether that’s college, university or a specific job path, but your ideas don’t match up to theirs. Having a difference of opinion certainly isn’t uncommon but when you feel as though you’re underachieving or you’re a disappointment to your parents, it can have a serious impact on your mental wellbeing. In an article published by the Journal of Adolescent Health , it was found that “high parental expectations, emphasis on academic achievement, or feelings of not meeting parents’ expectations are associated with worse mental health.” While we all want to please our parents and live up to their expectations, it shouldn’t come at a cost of negatively impacting our self-confidence or trying to be something we’re not. There are many different types of e...

As exam season gets underway in Scotland, there will be many young people feeling under immense pressure and fearing that they are not good enough or that they may mess things up.  Most of us have experienced the chilling feeling of going into an exam and our mind going blank. This is what we call a 'freeze' response which is part of our body's system to protect us when we feel threatened. "We may feel anxious, pumped up, unable to relax and struggle to focus and the freeze response kicks in," says Professor Ewan Gillon, counselling psychologist and clinical director of First Psychology. Here are some of Ewan's tips for coping with mind blanks and exam/test anxiety.  Leading up to the exam Prepare by doing practice questions and plans. This will make the exam situation feel more familiar and less anxiety provoking. Learn how to recognise what the question is asking for and how to formulate a plan to tackle the question. It's amazing how many people fail ex...

What makes children so resilient? Why do they see the magic in everything? Why don’t they worry about what people think or the results of their actions? As young children, we live in the moment. We have tantrums, we cry, we laugh, we say what we think and we express how we feel. We are selfish at a young age and we haven’t yet started to adhere to many of society’s restrictions. As an adult, we have spent most of our lives being inculcated with ideals and told how we should behave or live our lives. We're constantly given expectations to live up to which can often make us feel inadequate, unsuccessful or insecure, so we become too afraid to be our true selves. We also have more and more responsibilities as we grow up which can create more worry and pressure, with less time to focus on the things that makes us truly happy. To protect our mental wellbeing, it’s important to make time for ourselves and remember how it feels to be young, carefree and happy again. Just because we ha...

Sitting exams at any age can be an extremely daunting time, especially for those who aren’t very academic. People often feel their whole future depends on their exam results, not to mention having to live up to other peoples’ expectations. Exam stress – as this  article from  The Psychologist  demonstrates – is nothing new. For some people, it seems that everything comes naturally and they can remember facts and information with very little effort. We forget that every one of us is different and we all learn at different speeds and in different ways. While one person might have a spatial (visual) or auditory (aural) learning style, others might prefer to learn kinaesthetically (practically, hands on) or linguistically (verbally). It’s OK to be different and comparing ourselves to others only adds to the pressure we feel. Plan and schedule Revision is much easier if you prepare a schedule in advance. As well as putting things into perspective, it can be quite fun...

Much as we don’t like to think about it, stress can affect all of us – young and old. In today’s modern society, the pressures that we place on our children can cause them to feel overwhelmed and stressed, even though they may not know the words to accurately label their emotions. A little bit of stress is natural and can actually act as a driver to boost performance and help us build resilience. However, in young people stress can be a scary emotion to work through and the way they learn to deal with the stresses they face can affect the way they think, act and feel long into adulthood. In younger children, learning to form relationships with others and becoming less reliant on our parents can cause anxiety; for school-aged children the constant hamster wheel of school work and extra-curricular activities leaves little time for relaxation, which can be tiring and stressful. Alongside these pressures, we as parents are often under a fair amount of stress ourselves which, like i...

There is no shortage of blogs detailing the trials and tribulations of being a parent. There is much joy to be had, however, there is no denying that the changes in our society have impacted the lives of our children. They spend more time indoors than previous generations and much less time ‘playing out’ than we may have done when we were young. This puts pressure on adults to spend more time directing the activities of their children and playing with them. In the main, parents really enjoy playing with children. However,   there is confusion around how adults can best to do this constructively and in a way that fits everyone’s abilities and interests. Play is a natural learning process for all children. It helps them build confidence and develop physical skills, it teaches them empathy and about caring for others and the environment. For younger children, it also plays a vital role in developing language and communication skills. When children play with their parents, this he...

Up and down the country young adults are unpacking boxes, putting up posters on the newly-painted walls and developing budgets that will enable them to live on just a few pounds a week. Starting university is an exciting time – a rite of passage - when teenagers cross the line from being regarded a children to becoming a fully-functioning adults. Many young people will embrace the change, but for others the transition from living at home to cohabiting with lots of strangers will be a daunting and formidable event; one that necessitates leaving behind the comfort of home and the familiarity of your current network of friends and family. A study published by the American Psychological Association in 2013 looks at the importance of friends and social networks during adolescence and young adulthood. It explains about our need to gather knowledge and information from a diverse range of sources and relationships during this period of your life. There is no getting away from it, we need frie...

Christmas is often seen as a time for families. And whatever shape and size a family is there are often complex dynamics involved in interacting within the family unit. Whether we come from a family we perceive as 'happy' or not, being a parent is not easy. We often come to parenting with preconceived ideas about how parenting and families should be. Many people struggle to shake off negative experiences from their own upbringing, which can come to the fore when we find ourselves parenting. Often parenting is as much about what we don't want for our children as it is about what we want. And our partner may have different views from us, to further complicate things. Counselling Psychologist, Flora Maclay who works with many children and families at First Psychology's Edinburgh and Borders centres has been scouring some well known parenting books for some of her favourite parenting tips. Top parenting tips "Once finished, forget it" Children forget...

It's that time of year when all the hard work of exams pays off and young people pack up their things and head off to university full of excitement about the future. Freshers week, the first week back when 'freshers' or new students are traditionally welcomed to the university, is usually full of social events. It is common for new students to feel excited at the thought of starting something new and meeting new friends. It is also usual to have general worries about fitting in, getting on with new people, whether you are good enough for your course, etc. Whenever we experience change in our lives, it is often a time when we also experience stress and anxiety. This is a normal part of life. However, some people also suffer from social anxiety issues and those people may experience dread at the mere thought of Freshers Week. Tips for dealing with social situations If you are feeling highly anxious about Freshers Week, here are some tips for dealing with social sit...

In our final post during Depression Awareness Week, we wanted to highlight a group of people  who are known to be moody as a matter of course - we do of course mean teenagers. Of course, the tendency of teenagers to have mood swings and to be independent is quite normal. As well as hormonal issues, there is a lot of change, anxiety and pressure at this life stage, so it stands to reason that there will be mood swings. However this tendency can make it harder to spot signs of more serious issues, such as depression, in this age group. How can I spot the signs? When it comes to depression, the key is to consider the length and severity of the symptoms. Long lasting, uncharacteristic changes in personality, behaviour or mood are good indicators that something is not right.  Teenagers who are depressed may become irritable, hostile and prone to angry outbursts. They may not take criticism very well and be particularly sensitive to being rejected or to failing. You may...

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 is the start of anti-bullying week, so we thought it a good time to talk about the subject of bulling and the impact it can have. What is bullying? Bullying is the act of belittling someone repeatedly through harassment, physical harm, demeaning speech or efforts to ostracise them. Bullying can takes many forms. The three main types being physical bullying, verbal bullying and cyber bullying. Anyone can potentially fall prey to a bully. It can happen in pre-school, primary school, secondary school and in the workplace. However it is most prevalent in the mid-teen years when children move from primary to secondary school. Long-term bullying can lead to low self-esteem, lack of confidence, trust issues, anxiety and depression and these effects may be continue to be experienced in the future as well as the present. Knowing how to spot the signs in others - particularly young people, who may feel they have no voice - is an important step to making things better. Common signs...

According to recent studies,  bullying is becoming more widespread. The use of social media in every day life is one factor. Bullies are able to hide behind opaque identities online and can use these to target individuals. And whereas in the past malicious information may have taken a while to spread, with social media, information can spread fast leading to increased humiliation of the victim in a very public environment. The effects of bullying "The long-term consequences of bullying are considerable," says Professor Ewan Gillon, Clinical Director of First Psychology Scotland. "When young people are bullied, it can result in a life-time of anxiety in social situations. Adults who were bullied as children can find it hard to trust others." "Those who experience bullying often isolate themselves from others and this can add to feelings of depression and lack of control over the situation. Cyber bullying can be particularly bad because the victim may not ...