Well, what is the best way to cope with stress? Let us discuss this under the following second five categories: The 80 per cent law. This law is useful for perfectionists. Perfectionists expect their lives to be 101 per cent, and if anything is not what they expect it to be they feel it is [...]

We can learn to control pain in very much the same way as tension and anxiety, and this includes pain from organic as well as psychological causes. But before describing the self-management of painful conditions I shall discuss with you some particular aspects of pain. This will make it easier to understand exactly what we [...]

Meditation has been the subject of research since the late 1960s and is now being used in many treatments in conjunction with conventional medical practices. It is being used to improve the quality of life for people who have cancer, AIDS or high blood pressure, and to help people who have an addiction to narcotics. [...]

Melissa had a part-time job and had to work at night. On most nights she was alone, except for customers coming and going. Melissa was scared of being held up, as there was always quite a bit of cash around. Her fear increased and her anxiety became all-pervasive. She decided to seek help and was [...]

The second category of avoidance behaviour is caused through anticipatory anxiety, the ‘what ifs’. This category differs from the first in its defence and control. The first category is an overall, ongoing attempt to control the disorder; the second is a defence against a specific spiral of high anxiety. Anticipatory anxiety is the fear of [...]

Social phobia Social phobia can also be an extremely restrictive disorder. People fear being watched by other people. They become frightened in case they embarrass themselves. They may fear public speaking, eating in front of other people, social occasions or talking to people. Some people are frightened to walk down the street or go into [...]