Innehållsförteckning för August 2023 från Psychologies

‘Are we nearly there yet?’ It’s a refrain we’ve all heard once too many times, and perhaps said once or twice too. But this year it takes on an added meaning, not just grumpy kids being bored in the back of cars on a long journey, but all of us asking: maybe, just maybe, is the end in sight to the madness of the past few years? Certainly, life is happily now looking and feeling much more back to normal for most of us. Of course, if you’re struggling with long Covid, or still feel the need to guard yourself because of other vulnerabilities, you will disagree with me – and I have every sympathy for you. But, for most of us, the wheel seems to have turned. However, I…

A plea for help A wonderful friend bought a subscription to Psychologies for me for Christmas, after sharing articles from her copies for years. Reading the magazine more regularly has helped me in so many ways. Now, as a single mum struggling with an out-of-nowhere anxious teen, I wish to share a universal plea, and of course invite comment… I fear we are in the midst of a new epidemic – the aftermath of locking down a nation – in which the next generation has been changed. We are all aware, whether we choose to see it and accept it or not, of the tidal wave of mental health problems in the young in Britain today. We are also aware that there are not enough resources, and that the resources…

The other week, a friend commended my ‘courage’ for wearing nice summer dresses on the school run. I was a little confused; I wasn’t exactly dressed for the Met Gala. She confided, she would never be brave enough to wear pretty frocks to school – it was too mundane an event for bright colours, she told me. I was dumbfounded. For one, I told her, they are just my clothes; two, it’s the summer, and who knows how many days of sunshine we’ll get; and three, who cares what you’re wearing anyway? But, on reflection, I started to understand. I completely get that feeling of something being ‘too nice’ or ‘too special’ to have for every day – like birthday cake, or afternoon tea. And I know that having something…

I’m on a plane for a much-anticipated trip to Italy, and my heart is racing: is my passport still in my bag after my last check 10 minutes ago? What if I’ve messed up the hotel booking? Will we be able to get a taxi from the airport? What if I get sick while we’re away? As much as I love it, travel can be stressful. Being 36,000 feet in the air is part of it, of course, but each stage of planning this holiday has also made me nervous. Whether you’re jetting off for a trip of a lifetime, enjoying a European city break, or making the most of what we have here in the UK, for many of us, holidays are something we love. And after the disruption…

DR ALISON MCCLYMONT ‘Our time on earth is finite, so denying ourselves pleasure and life’s little luxuries, or saving them for the future, can feel wasteful,’ says psychologist Dr Alison McClymont. Turn to page 24 to discover why it’s vital for us to renew our worth and deservedness with small acts that promote joy or self-care. SUZY READING Forget the destination – there’s solid science behind why we experience a shift in mindset from the journey itself, says psychologist Suzy Reading. ‘Set the intention to see with fresh eyes,’ she adds, ‘this will help open you up to new sensory experiences and insights, even in familiar places.’ Learn more on page 38. ALICE BROOKS ‘Without forgiveness, the negative emotions you hold towards a person who has harmed you can stay…

Katie Piper is counting her lucky stars today, and when someone who has suffered as she has tells you they’re feeling fortunate, you can’t help but listen. The TV presenter, writer, activist and model has spent the past few months jetting back and forth to America, spending weeks at a time in female prisons, to explore how women parent behind bars. And it is an experience that has made her very grateful for her own upbringing. ‘We weren’t wealthy – we didn’t have a lot of money – but we had our parents’ time, and we had consistency and stability. I now realise we were really privileged. It was a really rich childhood,’ she says. It’s the polar opposite of what she has been witnessing, meeting women incarcerated in the…

When I was little, as Sunday evening began to draw in and me and my siblings grew restless, someone would invariably suggest going for a drive. We’d all pile into the car; Mum, Dad, and the four of us, and just drive around. We wouldn’t actually go anywhere; there were no pit stops, and no destination (other than returning right back to where we started). Yet, we loved it. We’d emerge refreshed from what we’d seen on the way – and never more so than when we left the suburbs and ventured into central London, a world in itself for someone always on the outskirts. There, we’d find skyscrapers, and black cabs, and hop-on-and-off buses with ticket collectors. I knew there was potential and possibility for something more. When I…

‘It’s about making every day on the build up to the holiday special as well,’ says Chloe Gosiewski. ‘You’re not just waiting for something – you’re actually starting to build up the momentum for the holiday. It’s healthy, as any positive emotion that you can have is good for your mental health and wellbeing. So why not take advantage of that build up and start getting those high-energy emotions – those positive feelings – before you even go? You often find that people who book last-minute tend to have a lot more stress than those who have done more research, because they’re already in that positive space. They’re excited, they’ve started early, they feel more confident.’ For me, watching vlogs on YouTube helps build my anticipation for a holiday. I’m…

I spend too much time on my phone, according to the pre-set alerts that I invariably dismiss when deep into a scroll-sesh. It’s a habit flimsily justified by convincing myself that researching celebrity dating timelines, judging gender-reveal parties, and mesmerising myself with slo-mo videos of sea horses firing their offspring into the dark terror of the ocean, is somehow ‘self-soothing me-time’. But, after a while, it makes me feel a bit grey. Or meh. Or eh. Take your pick. After children have consumed every fibre of my being, please send help a hiatus from teaching Pilates, I’m back at it. And I’d forgotten how connective it is. There’s the mind-body element, of course. But the human-to-human interaction can be more profound and essential for our wellbeing than anything being hawked…

For decades vitamin C has been hailed a winter saviour, protecting us from colds and flu. But not only is this most powerful of vitamins good for your physical health, it also plays an important role in your mental wellbeing, too. Here, nutritional therapist and A.Vogel education manager, Ali Cullen, waxes lyrical about its brain-boosting abilities. Up your energy ‘As well as all of its immune-boosting benefits, vitamin C also helps with protecting DNA, proteins and lipids from oxidative damage,’ says Cullen. ‘It’s needed for the formation of collagen, which impacts skin health, but also tissues you can’t see, such as blood vessels. When blood vessels are healthy, your whole body is better oxygenated; this can contribute to a more positive mood, as well as boosted energy levels. Sharpen your…

Life is tough at times, and it’s inevitable that your emotional rollercoaster will experience some nose-dives. No one gets through life without feeling tough or unpleasant emotions at some point. But unlike on a real-life rollercoaster, no one raises their hands and cheers as they roll into these feel-bad stretches of track. It’s an interesting fact that we have far more words for so-called negative emotions than positive emotions. Yet, despite having far more words for them, we tend to speak about them less. Often, we don’t want to focus on them at all and find ways to push them away or avoid them. It’s the most natural thing in the world to try to get away from something unpleasant. Unfortunately, it’s not so easy to shut away the feelings…

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Whenever I wear my signature perfume, strangers – both male and female – feel compelled to follow me off trains and down streets to comment or enquire about the scent I am wearing. I finally looked up what the floral notes of the perfume were, and discovered it includes the fragrances of mandarin, orange blossom, jasmine and vanilla. But what does all that have to do with therapeutic writing? Well, it turns out that the nose is home to more than 400 olfactory receptors. Smell is ancient, and more evolved in the human body than sight and hearing. Smell takes a direct route to our emotions. When we connect to our past through the portal of scents, smell becomes a powerful time traveller and conduit for writing about childhood memories…

Tick the answers that most closely apply to you, then add up the symbols. Read the section, or sections, you ticked most, to find out your personal most-needed holiday benefit this year 1 A good break for you means ◆ Showing yourself some TLC.......... ■● Making the most of every opportunity ..................................... ■■ Feeling like you can let go .............. ■♥ Quality time with loved ones.......... ■ 2 Your fantasy weekend away would be ■ A guided tour somewhere quirky... ■♥ A special trip with a loved one ....... ■◆ A luxury health retreat ................... ■● An inspiring self-development course.............................................. ■ 3 Post-holiday, you usually try to ■ Make more time for fun or creativity ......................................... ■♥ Keep up connections with people...■◆ Look after yourself better.............. ■● Hold onto new…

Imagine having a 30lb steel tank strapped to your back, a skin-tight wetsuit clinging to your body, and only being able to breathe through a pressurised tube. You plunge yourself into indigo water and start to sink, the weight around your waist pulling you beneath the surface and into the abyss. It’s not an obvious place to seek inner peace, and scuba diving certainly isn’t for everyone; it’s a sport that should only be undertaken after the right training, in safe conditions, and with a qualified instructor. But once you’re comfortable, it can yield huge and surprising benefits for the mind as well as the body. Personally, I’ve never felt more at one with the world than I do when I’m diving. It’s a safe space for me, a happy…

Spot a shooting star Every August, it’s worth remembering that it’s time for the Perseid meteor shower, when you can look up at the night sky and see shooting stars. So why not take yourself off one night for some meteor spotting? Debris from the comet Swift-Tuttle provides the show, which continues for around a month but will be at its peak this year on the night of 12 August and into the early hours of the next day. Try to find somewhere with minimal light pollution, a clear sky and a wide view for the best chances of seeing them. The darker it is, the more likely you will spot a bright little light streaking across the sky. And if you want to make a wish, well that’s up…