Self-esteem is built on a sense of compassion towards ourselves. When you can understand and accept yourself, you can see yourself clearly and stop rejecting parts of yourself or repeatedly criticize yourself for perceived inadequacies. When you make a mistake,…
Very often in therapy I find myself discussing with clients the disappointment and self-blame they experience when their personal expectations are not met. In addition, many people have a lot of difficulty discriminating what is and what isn’t a realistic…
Saying No is one of the main ways through which we delineate and maintain our personal boundaries. The concept that we can refuse something is central to maintaining healthy relationships and to our understanding of what we are and aren’t…
Often clients come to therapy to deal with relationship difficulties. Even though we cannot engage in relationship counselling with only one individual in the room, there is much to discuss about the nature of relationships, communication patterns and power dynamics…
Others will only respect you to the degree you demonstrate respect for yourself Self-esteem refers to the way we view ourselves, our subjective perception of our worth as a person, our competence and our ability to succeed in life. It…
My friend and fellow psychologist Kerry Athanasiadis recently interviewed me for the Wattletree Psychology blog. In the interview we talked about my journey to the profession of psychology, developing a strong interest in domestic violence and abuse in relationships, and…
The ability to set appropriate personal limits and maintain them represents one of the most common issues I come across with clients. Generally speaking, the inability to set appropriate boundaries at appropriate times with the appropriate people can be very destructive…
Anxiety and Panic Attacks Both physical and psychological stress can produce anxiety. Often stress and the feeling of anxiety that comes with it can be quite subtle, but this is when a person becomes more vulnerable to a panic attack. A…
The ability to recognize how your body reacts to stress can be a powerful skill. Most people are more aware of the weather or the time of day than they are aware of the tension in their bodies or their personal reaction…