Since her teens, comedian Juliette Burton has been diagnosed with a series of mental health disorders, from eating disorders to anxiety. Juliette says comedy is a way to survive the darkness and making light of her illnesses really helps her. Having to go on stage in front of an audience reduces tension and allows her […]
Dialling Down Anxiety
Dialling Down Anxiety
Uncertainty and change can make anyone feel anxious, and ongoing global developments have understandably made a lot of us feel more on edge than usual. One of the biggest protective factors for our mental and emotional wellbeing is our connectedness to other people.
Whilst a bit of worry is manageable, if this tips too far we can end up in an anxiety spiral.
At times like these what can we do to stay sane, stay safe and stay connected? What practical steps can we take to enhance a beneficial state of mind for ourselves and for others?
What is anxiety? What causes it and what is its impact? What happens in an anxious brain and body? What can we do to dial down the pressure when it gets too much?
Inspiring Head Talks
Comedian and mental health campaigner, Juliette Burton
Former ‘Bake Off’ Celebrity & Influencer, Michael Chakraverty
The Great British Bake Off star came to national prominence when he experienced a panic attack on television after his choux pastry went wrong. Michael had been learning in therapy that he should try new things; during the show, he found his brain telling him ‘you aren’t as good as you thought you were.’ Michael […]
Journalist & Mental Health Author, Rachel Kelly
Journalist Rachel Kelly was working in a stressful job when she had her first serious attack of anxiety and depression which put her in hospital; later, her second episode lasted for two years. Rachel found that her love of words and poetry helped her recovery. She built up from reciting one line at a time […]
Author, Journalist & social media influencer, Scarlett Curtis
Scarlett Curtis is a writer, podcaster and activist. Her new book, It’s not OK to feel blue (and other lies), is a collection of writings on mental health from high-profile figures. Scarlett tells us about how she gets through some of her own dark times — they’re less frequent now, fortunately, but still affect her […]
Labour MP, Jess Phillips MP
The Labour MP for Birmingham Yardley, Jess Phillips, says that she often wakes up anxious about the day ahead. Some of her anxieties are all too real as she is often the target of vicious online abuse and has experienced the effects of terrorist attacks. But as Jess says, having gone through eating disorders and […]
Psychotherapist & Former Mental Health Nurse Lead, Owen O’Kane
Owen O’Kane is a psychotherapist with a medical background. He’s the author of Ten to Zen, a guide to meditation and mindfulness that he says anyone can use to calm their mind. Owen grew up amid the Troubles in Northern Ireland and has seen how anxiety affects a place and its people. He has also […]
British Rapper, Poet and Musician, Dizraeli (Rowan Sawday)
Rowan Sawday, who performs as Dizraeli, is a rapper, poet and musician. When he was so depressed that he couldn’t listen to music any more, he admitted that he needed help. With the aid of meditation, mindfulness and exercise, as well as therapy, he found his feet again. He says that as a culture, we […]
Former Government Mental Health Ambassador, Natasha Devon MBE
Former Government Advisor on Mental Health Natasha Devon is a former advisor to the government on child mental health. She has personal experience of anxiety and eating disorders herself. Natasha would like to see a society where children are taught how to develop healthy habits that will stand them in good stead in the future. […]
Hypnotherapist & Anxiety Coach, Chloe Brotheridge
Anxiety Expert As a young woman, Chloe Brotheridge experienced panic attacks and increasing anxiety for almost ten years before she finally sought help. Now, as a hypnotherapist and author of The Anxiety Solution, she teaches others that they are not alone with anxiety. When normal nervous feelings get out of control, they are a sign […]
Bereavement and Grief Counsellor, Julia Samuel MBE
Bereavement Specialist If 25 years of experience has taught her one thing, it’s that ‘running away from grief means we never recover from it.’ Warm, spirited and deeply compassionate, lauded psychotherapist Julia Samuel explains the connection between loss and mental wellbeing. Samuel, who has four grown-up children and four grandchildren, was a close friend of the […]
Team GB Olympic athlete, Jack Green
Team GB Olympic Athlete When 20-year old Jack Green stumbled over a hurdle during the 2012 London Olympics, his dream and his mind exploded. ‘I couldn’t do one run without feeling awful.’ Green descended into depression, contemplating suicide. During an 18-month break he learned to control his self-destructive perfectionism. ‘I never fell out of love […]
Mental Health Campaigner & Creator of ‘Stranger on the Bridge’, Jonny Benjamin MBE and Neil Laybourn
The Stranger on the Bridge Just before his 21st birthday, Jonny Benjamin MBE decided to run away from the mental hospital he was staying in. While he was sitting on the edge of London’s Waterloo Bridge, contemplating taking his own life, a man came up and talked him out of it. Six years later, a […]
Masterclasses & Workshops
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Masterclass: Mo Gawdat, former Chief Business Officer of Google X and Author of Solve For Happy
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Inspiring Podcasts
Bestselling author and creator of the DARE method, Barry McDonagh
Barry McDonagh started experiencing panic attacks as a student, until one day he dared the panic to do its worst, and found that he came through it. Barry has now developed a method that he calls DARE, based on his own experiences. He describes the method as breaking ‘the fear of fear’ and ‘riding the […]
Economist measuring happiness vs inequality, Lord Layard
Richard Layard is an Emeritus Professor at the London School of Economics where he is also Director of the Wellbeing Programme, as well as a member of the House of Lords and the co-founder of Action for Happiness. His books include Happiness: Lessons from a New Science, and Thrive. Lord Layard began his career as […]
Journalist and bestselling author on anxiety, Johann Hari
The author and journalist Johann Hari was first diagnosed with depression as a teenager. In his new book, Lost Connections, he investigates broader approaches to mental health that go beyond medication. He argues that creating more meaningful connections with society and with nature, and having more control over our work and our lives, can provide […]
Inspiration from our Blog
Releasing neck and shoulder tension
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Struggle & success
Rachael Hall, former ballerina now Franklin Method educator, shows us some simple exercises you can do daily. These will support us in feeling grounded and feeling calm, as well as releasing neck and shoulder tension – these things often come hand in hand. Following the exercises, your mind will often feel lighter and […]
Mindfulness and breathing exercise
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Struggle & success
Mindfulness coach Terrence the Teacher has a breathing exercise for us that has been proven to help us relax very quickly. This exercise can be used for people suffering from panic attacks or anxiety, or if we feel very stressed. You can also listen to a podcast from Terrence here.
Battling the panic
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Struggle & success
Emily Nagioff has written before for us from overseas – she is travelling the world solo, and experiencing new challenges of how to keep her anxiety and depression in check when she is far from home and alone. She writes: “I’m in Australia: I’ve had a bad month, but am on the up […]
Raw and Real
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Uncategorized
Instead of writing about others, Head Talks’ editor Emma Price shares some of her own struggles with mental health. What is my story? It is a different one depending on when you ask. Had you asked me two years ago, or even a year and a half ago, I would have told you a positive […]
My therapist says…
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Amber Adel “Are you happy to be discharged from this service?” I smile and reply “Yeah!” But as I walk away from my last session of therapy, a wave of emotion hits me and I can feel my throat tightening and my eyes welling up. I know I want to cry. I nearly do cry. […]
Posture for Depression and Anxiety
Feed your mind
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By Carolyn Cowan When not teaching Kundalini yoga I work as a sex therapist with a specialisation in trauma, addiction, anxiety and pre and postnatal issues. My 23 years of yoga practice informs my therapy work and equally, my therapy training constantly makes bridges across to my yoga teaching and personal practice. When we are […]
Bethany Hocken’s Anxiety Story
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There is a tribe called the Wintu, indigenous to the various landscapes of Northern Sacramento Valley. Their language refers to the body only in relation to the world around them. So, your left arm to the Wintuan community would be your East arm, according to what direction you are facing. As my heartbeats slowed and […]
Can Going Outdoors Treat Your Anxiety?
Feed your mind
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Anxiety is a common mental health disorder affecting approximately 3 million people in the UK. It’s commonly treated with antidepressants or therapy, but self-help can be valuable for sufferers, especially when a panic attack strikes out of the blue or if you’re anxious after a stressful event and can’t seem to calm down. One of the ways in which […]