How can I stop feeling guilty when doing something for myself?

Having to deal with guilt can be a major barrier to trying or continuing with many self care practices. So how can we make it go away? I'm going to be honest with you, the guilt isn't going to disappear by me telling you that you shouldn't feel guilty or that you deserve to look …

The importance of setting healthy boundaries with ourselves

I'm guessing you've heard that it's important to set healthy boundaries. Maybe you've been practising this already or you're feeling a bit lost about where to start. But what if you're doing all the "right" things by saying no to everything you don't want to do and you're still feeling stuck about how to look …

Why highly sensitive people may benefit from yin yoga

So you've come across the term "highly sensitive person" or HSP and feel this may help to understand your needs. You've noticed that you are emotionally sensitive on the inside, yet present as calm in all situations. You've noticed how easy it is to feel physically and emotionally dysregulated with sounds and smells that don't …

Why am I so exhausted when I have hardly done anything?

Did you really do nothing today or did you do loads of housework, provide emotional and/or practical support for your friends, partner or family, make the dinner and ensure everyone around you had everything they needed only to discount all of that because you didn't run a 5k? Once you have ruled out any medical …

Are introverts more likely to burnout?

Lots of introverts are shy and possibly socially anxious but you can also be shy and socially anxious as an extrovert. Contrary to popular belief, being an introvert doesn't always mean you don't like being around other people. It can sometimes be more helpful to think of the introversion-extroversion spectrum as more about how much …

Realistic self-care for exhausted therapists

I burnt out in my first job as a qualified clinical psychologist but I don’t think I recognised it as burnout until the second time this started happening to me. At the time, I knew I was exhausted all the time, was experiencing a few other physical symptoms and just wanted something to make me …

What’s personality got to do with burnout?

I work with a lot of people who face incredible amounts of pressure at work and/or home, and I really wish I could fix those unfair circumstances for them but I can't. What I can support people with is developing an understanding of how their lifestyle and personality interact with those challenging circumstances in a …