We are now well over halfway through the summer. And it is a strange time for most of us. Confusion and uncertainty for us all We have to put up with a lot of confusion and uncertainty about so many things: • where we can go on holiday • if we should go back to the office • if we want to go out to a restaurant or a pub • how often we want to see relatives. Some of us have loved this opening up of our choice and are thoroughly enjoying things at the moment and their increased freedoms. They love being able to get out and about again. Others are finding things harder. They feel anxious and confused about what...
How are you coping with the thought of restrictions being lifted soon? I’m seeing quite a few clients who are finding the change difficult. This blog will look at why. First things to say, if you are worried about the change, we are going through you are not alone. Many people find change difficult. It can be uncomfortable. And this is normal! I will tell you why. How we stayed safe It is a natural part of our human nature to want to stay safe. It is part of our theory that the is part of our human nature. And there is a good reason. For most of our existence as a species, we lived close to the natural world. And it could be a...
As I see more and more clients with Long Covid I am noticing how many are saying they have terrible insomnia and are being made even more miserable because they cannot sleep properly. As far as I know, the experts have not yet found evidence that Long Covid is a direct physical cause of insomnia and disrupted sleep patterns, but it is early days and other facts may emerge over the next few months. But I do know that for many people who have symptoms of Long Covid and report that they are not sleeping well it is seriously adding to their problems. I hope I can do something about this. A good starting point is to look at what is happening on the ground. ...
Practical and psychological strategies for self-help I’m delighted to let you know that I have teamed up with Sheila Granger to write this book. All being well, it should be out next week! For more details, keep checking my facebook page https://www.facebook.com/apaininthemind/ Who would have thought, looking back just over a year, that we would be writing a book about self-managing the condition that has been dubbed Long COVID? It’s almost difficult to comprehend now, given how the world has changed in the intervening period, but, back in February and March 2020, we had not even heard of Long COVID and were still in the early stages of getting to grips with the COVID-19 pandemic and its implications for our daily lives. Nobody anticipated, back...
As we come to the end of Stress Awareness Month, I thought I would take a look at how stress impacts on chronic pain and how chronic/ persistent pain can make stress worse. If you suffer from chronic pain, you will know something of this. You are probably already aware how stress can make your pain feel worse and how concern about what is happening with your pain can make your feel stressed. The two are closely linked, and in a series of very specific ways. The good news is, if we understand how this link works, we can break the cycle. That means the end of that dreadful experience of stress leading to pain which leads to more stress-and more pain. If that sounds...
An introduction to self-hypnosis Okay I know we are going into a new phase, of re-entering normal life as lockdown eases, as some things we now can do and our we can’tlike attend events such as sporting fixtures and awards nights, which we can still watch on TV. I decided then, to do a post about the benefits of hypnotherapy, and especially of self-hypnosis. I have been putting my theory into practice by running a ‘take your head on holiday’ session which uses these techniques to give you a virtual holiday experience when we cannot getthe real thing. If you want to try out hypnotherapy, you are more than welcome to come and see me for a hypnotherapy session. Self-hypnosis is easy, safe...
To celebrate FND Awareness Day (25th March 2021) in this blog I want to look at pain, depression and Functional Neurological Disorder or FND as it is frequently called. FND is a condition which is caused by problems with the functioning of the nervous system but which is not due to any observable disease. It can include weakness in the limbs, fatigue, blackouts, and pain anywhere in the body. Because of the wide range of symptoms, it is often difficult to diagnose. On top of this, people affected by the syndrome are often not believedby medical professionals or even their own friends and family. Even when they are believedthere is a frequent view that FND is a mental disease and so their physical experiences and...
Many of us are looking forward to the easing of lockdown. I notice lots of talk about wearing nice clothes again, with adverts for lovely summer dresses. I hear people planning a drink in a pub garden within a few weeks, or a trip across the country to see long-missed relatives. Haircuts are being booked, including mine! the car is being serviced, guest bed linen is being dug out from the back of the cupboard. Football matches are looked forward to and trips to the zoo thought about. Things feel as if they are changing at last. This is wonderful, it is good to feel that normal life, and those little things that make life worth living, are on their way back. Some of us...
There is no point in pretending. This is not a good time for anyone who suffers from chronic pain. Perhaps you will be feeling a bit anxious or depressed because of the seemingly never-ending lockdown. Then the weather is bad, indeed if it is snowing or icy you may feel it is dangerous to go out at all. Stuck in the house, feeling a bit worried and a bit bored is common for so many people at the moment. Doesn’t sound great, does it? The truth is this can often be the time you least want to do any exercise. Yet it is even more important than in summer, I’ll explain why in a bit. But it might be that just reading that is…
In the Coronavirus pandemic the things many of us have missed most is touch, Not being able to hug our grandparents or cuddle our nieces and nephews has, for many people, been the very worst part of a very difficult situation. Many of my clients and friends have told me that they didn’t realise how important touch was until it was taken out of their lives. We know, at some very deep and instinctual level, that touch is very important for our human connection and our wellbeing. This is true through our lives, from when we are babies in the cradle to when we are older. We all need to give and receive touch regularly in a loving and caring way. In the First…
