New Year, Same You (And That’s Okay): How to Set Goals That Feel Calm, Not Pressured
Every January, it’s the same noise – resolutions, reinventions, big promises to do more and be more. For many people living with anxiety, this pressure doesn’t feel inspiring. It feels heavy. You start the year already worried that you’re behind, already questioning if you’re doing enough. The new year is supposed to bring hope and direction. But if you’re honest, a lot of the time it just brings tension – the kind that hums quietly as you pack your bag for the day, whispering that everyone else seems to have it figured out. What if you didn’t have to start […]
When the Holidays Hurt: Making Space for Grief at Christmas
There’s a moment every December when the world starts to sparkle – lights in windows, music spilling from shops, the smell of pine and cinnamon in the air. But for many people, that sparkle catches on something painful. The absence of someone who used to be here. The sound of laughter that feels both comforting and bittersweet. I remember that first Christmas without my grandparents. Everything looked the same, but nothing felt right. We kept the traditions, made the same food, even watched the same traditional films after dinner – but there was a quiet that hung in the air. […]
Anxiety, Grief, and the Dog Who Helped Me Breathe Again
I’ve suffered from anxiety for a number of years. I think losing my dad in 2012 triggered it — it lay dormant in the back of my mind, occasionally rearing its ugly head, but it really ramped up during Covid. I worked full-time on the front line and found it unbelievably difficult to make sense of what was happening across the world. After the final lockdown was lifted, another personal crisis hit when our landlady decided to sell our rental home. At the time, it felt like everyone who could work remotely was moving to Cornwall, which made finding […]
The Spaces Between Us: Why Connection Feels Hard When You Need It Most
You can be sitting right next to someone and still feel miles apart. Sometimes the hardest thing about loneliness isn’t being alone - it’s the quiet distance that creeps in between you and the people you care about. The partner who feels like a stranger, the group of friends where you laugh but don’t really […]
Finding Your Rhythm When the Seasons Change
The darker mornings arrive before we’re ready. One week you wake to sunlight, the next it feels like night never ended – and with it comes a heaviness you can’t quite explain. Before long, it’s dark when you leave for work and dark when you come home again. The days feel shorter, but the weight of them feels heavier. Thoughts seem sharper in the dark. Energy dips when you need it most. For many people, autumn is the time when anxiety starts to creep in louder. It isn’t a personal failure to feel this way.
Why “Catching Up” Keeps You Stuck: Letting Go of the Pressure to Always Be Ahead
Do you ever feel like you’re always behind - chasing a finish line that keeps moving? This blog looks at why the idea of ‘catching up’ fuels anxiety and self-doubt, and how letting go of that pressure can help you feel calmer and more present in your everyday life.
AI and Mental Health Support – What to Know Before You Use It
For many people living with anxiety, low mood, or emotional exhaustion, the hardest moments can be the quiet ones. Those late nights when the noise in your head won’t switch off. The morning dread before your feet touch the floor. The heavy evenings when you don’t feel able to reach out to anyone.
It’s in moments like these that AI platforms like ChatGPT can feel like a lifeline.
How Anxiety Tricks Us Into Thinking We’re Safer in Control
When we’re overwhelmed, the human brain searches for something it can hold onto — a plan, a rule, a routine. For many people, that ‘something’ becomes control. And it’s often quiet. You don’t notice it at first. You just feel a little more “together” when your routine is tight or your food is predictable. It gives the illusion that everything is under control , even when inside, you’re anything but.
How to Cope When Everything Feels Uncertain
There’s a particular kind of heaviness that comes with not knowing what’s next. You might find yourself lying awake at 3am, mentally cycling through every possible scenario. Or standing at the kitchen sink, staring into the silence, wishing someone would just tell you what to do. When life feels uncertain, anxiety tends to creep in quietly - not always with panic, but with that constant, background hum of “What if?”
Why Summer Feels So Hard When You’re Struggling With Body Image
There’s this unspoken expectation that summer should feel uplifting. Easy. A time for relaxing outside, wearing less, and maybe even feeling more carefree. But if you're struggling with how you feel about your body, summer can bring with it a quiet heaviness - a feeling of being exposed, scrutinised, or just not quite enough. Maybe […]
It Shouldn’t Be This Hard to Get Through the Day: The Hidden Impact of Work Anxiety
Ever find yourself lying awake at night, replaying that one comment you made in a meeting? Or sitting at your desk, physically present but mentally spiralling, trying to look calm while your thoughts race? Workplace anxiety doesn’t always look like panic attacks or meltdowns. Often, it’s quiet, hidden under layers of professionalism. You smile. You […]
Understanding Anxiety: It’s Not Just in Your Head
If you’ve ever been told to “just calm down” or “stop overthinking,” you’ll know how frustrating – and isolating – that can feel. It implies that you’re making a fuss over nothing. That if you just tried a bit harder, you could switch it off. But anxiety isn’t a weakness. And it’s certainly not just […]
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