I know what it feels like to be stuck, feeling as though things could not possibly get any better, feeling so low and deep in depression, that it seems the only option is to not be here anymore.

"If you're pretty crazy then you're in good company because the human race as a whole is out of its goddam head." Albert Ellis - founder of Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT) and pioneer in the development of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT).

I have a very vivid memory from around five years of age playing with my sister and cousins in their caravan when someone had the bright idea of taking it in turns at being locked in the little bar fridge!

It is not uncommon for people to come into the clinic seeking strategies to manage their fears about having an MRI or other scans such as bone scans or CT scans, particularly if they are a part of the monitoring and management of a chronic health condition.

Sometimes we have bad days and sometimes those days turn into weeks. We don't always know why, often because it's what's happening subconsciously that's causing the problems. In those cases, it can help to work backwards to try to figure out what's wrong. I just had one of those weeks and this is what I figured out.

In early September, 2016, we discovered by chance a Facebook post by Christopher Sewell describing in raw detail, his first-hand struggle living with anxiety and depression. Christopher is a husband and a father and a surfer and a mate who is not defined by his disorders. Instead, he is brave and generous and shares this incredible insight into his experiences.

Ever feel like you're on the outside looking in? Are you shy? Do you find yourself wanting to crawl inside your shell?

Anxiety as an emotion is as normal as a cycle on your washing machine. Our very survival depends on it, in fact. The sophisticated survival mechanisms in the brain have been around for 250 million years... so how does anxiety end up becoming disordered, as it has for around one in four of us?

Anxiety and stress can sometimes make us feel like we're being charged at by a bull. Our breathing rate increases, our heart beats out of our chest and our brain decides for us whether we stay and fight the bull, or we make a run for it. Luckily there are rarely any real bulls to deal with, but things like exams, public speaking, meeting new people or going for job interviews can make us feel just as anxious. Here are some quick and effective strategies for you to try.

“Mindfulness is awareness that arises through paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgementally. It’s about knowing what is on your mind.” Jon Kabat-Zinn