Relaxation – And Breathe……

Time Pressures and Amended Goals.

September 11, 2018September 11, 2018Paul Harris

One of my biggest anxiety triggers is time pressure. Most people will be able to relate in some way to this because modern life is run at a fast pace, and we don’t seem to be able to take a break.

For me most of the time pressure came at work, I was snowed under and never felt as though I was on top of the workload, I always seemed to be playing catch-up. E-mails were the biggest problem for me because the time taken for people to respond was pretty quick. It is the speed of modern communication that causes a lot of additional stress at work because people can respond almost instantaneously, or jump on the phone as soon as they have seen your e-mail (sometimes without reading it properly…..)

The pressures of time also spread to my home life; working Monday to Friday, it only left the weekend to do homey things, such as cleaning. I had so much I needed to squeeze into a weekend that it was Monday before I even knew where I was. Read more →

Fear and the Giant Green Rabbit.

June 29, 2018Paul Harris

FEAR:

An unpleasant emotion caused by the threat of danger, pain, or harm.
A feeling of anxiety concerning the outcome of something or the safety of someone.
The likelihood of something unwelcome happening.
A mixed feeling of dread and reverence.
Be afraid of (someone or something) as likely to be dangerous, painful, or harmful.
Avoid doing something because one is afraid.

Fear and anxiety go hand in hand.

It’s hard for most people to understand how it feels to be so scared of something that you are unable to function, that is why it is hard for people to understand anxiety.

Dr Karl Albrecht (listed in the top 100 thought leaders in American business) believes that there are ONLY five types of fear: Read more →

Sick Days are there for the Taking – The Problem of Presenteeism.

May 3, 2018Paul Harris

We’ve all been there at one time or another, struggling into work when we basically feel like s**t. We sit at our desk taking whatever medication we can, whilst feeling miserable and wishing we were at home in bed.

If you look at your contract of employment, you may find a section which refers to sickness, in particular to sick days.

Sick days are quite simple really, when you feel unwell, you can take time off to get well and still get paid! Read more →

Time to Science the S**t out of this.

April 17, 2018Paul Harris

Science was never my strong point at school, and I wouldn’t say that it has been something I have been interested in since I left school; so, if you’d told me that I would be enjoying learning about some of the science behind Anxiety, Depression and Addiction, I would have laughed and shrugged it off as nonsense.

“So in the face of overwhelming odds, I’m left with only one option. I’m going to have to science the s**t out of this.” – The Martian

When I had my first panic attack I honestly believed that something had snapped in my brain (I told you I wasn’t much of a scientist); all I remember was feeling scared and broken. During the early stages of my illness I had no idea what was going on, all I knew was that the stresses at work were causing it.

My learning started when I attended CBT through the NHS. My therapist gave me some booklets that contained some really useful information on the basics of what was going on in my head and body, but this information only covered the tip of the iceberg. Read more →

Finding Something to Hold on to – The Healing Power of Words.

March 15, 2018Paul Harris

I recently read ‘Black Rainbow’ by Rachel Kelly, which is the incredible journey of her struggle with depression.

The main focus of the book is about how Rachel’s love of poetry gave her the solace she needed during the darkest of times, and how these words gave her the inner strength to deal with her depression, and eventually recover.

Poetry and prayer proved a valuable tool for Rachel’s family; her mother was also passionate about words and she was able to use these to help Rachel: Read more →