I work as a psychologist. So, of course I recommend a lot of psychological techniques to clients to help them boost their productivity, skills, job prospects, and emotional wellbeing. However, there are some things that can affect the mind and our wellbeing that do not require mental methods.

A recent study set out to reduce symptoms of depression in only 3 weeks. Researchers randomly assigned young adults (aged between 17 … Read more

Research shows that it can take as little as ten minutes to improve our physical health, psychological wellbeing, and our mental performance.

All around the world, scientists have been discovering that simply spending time outdoors in nature has measurable, significant benefits for both physical and mental health. For example, an investigation led by Cornell University’s Genevive Meredith recently summarised the conclusions reached by multiple groups of researchers looking at time … Read more

Surveys repeatedly find that many people report feeling stress as a result of their work.

I have written before about the fact that stress is not something that simply happens to you. You can take steps to deal with the emotional impact of problematic situations.

However, the best way to reduce stress is often to tackle the particular problem that is bothering you such as an individual colleague, a … Read more

Whenever I run a workshop (or give a lecture on Zoom) about stress, I usually start off by explaining that stress is not something that has to happen to you. Yes, certain events such as redundancy, relationship break-ups and illness tend to be difficult for many people. But some people help themselves to cope better.

In stressful circumstances, I’m sure you have heard that some people engage in a coping … Read more

Ask people what they want in life and they often say that they want to “be happy”. But why does happiness matter? And how can you achieve happiness?

1. Being happy may help you to be better at your job
Some people dismiss happiness as inconsequential. For example, I’ve heard a few managers say that they don’t really care whether their employees are happy so long as they are performing … Read more

How are you doing during the pandemic? A few months ago, I wrote about some behaviours that I have personally found useful in terms of maintaining my productivity and psychological wellbeing.

Here are some other things that I am personally finding helpful in terms of maintaining my mental wellbeing:

Work while standing up
Prior to the pandemic, I used to spend about an hour or couple of hours travelling – … Read more

How cynical are you? Let’s try to estimate your level of cynicism by considering the extent to which you agree with three statements:

• Generally speaking, you can’t be too careful when dealing with other people.
• Most people would try to take advantage of you if they got the chance.
• People are mostly just looking out for themselves.

The more you agree with those statements, the higher your level of cynicism. … Read more

The UK – like many other countries around the world – is currently in lockdown. As a psychologist, I’m used to working mainly face-to-face with people – coaching people one-on-one, running workshops for a dozen or so people, or giving conference presentations to hundreds of people at a time. Clearly, none of that is possible.

Here are some personal methods that I have found useful for staying productive and managing … Read more