Living with anxiety and trying to be like everyone else is virtually impossible. Situations that other people don't think twice about can make our heart race and beads of sweat pour down our face! Anything more might push us into a full-blown panic attack. Anxiety, and its symptoms – both emotional and physical - can control our life. It can dictate everything from what we do to where we go. Sadly, this also includes those of us who are hoping to find love. The National Insti

Whether or not you’ve noticed, you, like me and every other human being, move through each day leading on a constant inner conversation. We talk to ourselves about what’s happening and what it means. We judge ourselves in how we to react to others. We notice that today’s events link to yesterday’s struggles and tomorrow’s possibilities. Some of these thoughts are favorable but many are highly self-critical. We give meaning to emotional suffering, dreams, yearnings and discomf

Do you remember the last family upset you had? Maybe you were the centre of it. Then again you may have been a bystander but still seriously affected by it none the less. Painful family dramas can leave you with indelible scars that impact on your relationships, career and general happiness. It is never easy to cope with a dysfunctional family; they drain our emotional and physical energy. Managing the relationships and the conflicts can sometimes feel impossible. However, I’

Many of us have family members whose values and/or behavior are questionable. They maybe heavy drinkers, religious fanatics, sexual predators or simply highly critical of us. If these family members are our parents, we may even think that their behavior is our fault. Children raised by dysfunctional parents often do. We may have tried to change them, bargain or plead with them but nothing’s ever worked. Growing up in a dysfunctional family had a profound impact on us. It’s o

When you think of a narcissist, you’d be forgiven for thinking it was all about celebrity reflected vanity and grandiosity. In our selfie obsessed world it can seem like the whole world’s got a narcissism problem. In fact, someone with a narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) really has got some serious mental health problems. And it’s much deeper than turning the phone around for a quick snap. They are inclined to be in love with a grandiose, idealized version of themselves

Have you ever looked at the person who’s the life and soul of the party, overly generous, provocative, confident, compassionate, raconteur, entertaining and the type of person you think – wow I’d love to be like them! Or even worse – wow I’d like to be with them!! Well hang fire because you’re probably looking at a narcissist. Behind that ball of energy and magnetism (which attracts lover and friends like moths to their light) there may be a dark and troubled soul. Narcissist

Which way round is it? Is it depression that's is hurting your relationship? Or is it your relationship that's making you depressed? It’s complicated! Some aspects of depression ARE due to our relationships. For those of us who are susceptible to depression, we may feel abandoned, rejected, criticized dismissed or abused more often than most people. Conversely, we might be the person who is delivering the rejection, criticism, abuse or abandonment. We might not even be aware