Dating is a numbers game.   There are about 8 billion people on the planet and so there are plenty of fish in the sea, you just need to find the one that is right for you. Unfortunately, that can be the most difficult part.   So, if it is a numbers game, then my top tips are the following:   Talk to people on social media. Make sure all your connections know you are single. Tell your friends to set you up on dates. The more dating apps you go on, the better chance you have of finding ‘the one’. Think about your social media or your profile on a dating app. Be honest about yourself. If we lie because we do not feel good enough this will cause problems when dating. It is better to find someone who likes us for who we are. Just because you don't like yourself, it does not mean that others will not like you. Get someone to check your profile or social media. You want to be honest but also allow your qualities to sing. Often, we cannot see our qualities or interests and friends can help. Joining groups can be a good source of meeting people. Many groups will have a social element attached. Sports groups, creative groups, travel groups, local groups all can have a social element. A common experience is when individuals send multiple messages but get few back or get many from individuals they are not interested in. This is an experience that is shared no matter how successful or attractive we are. Focus on the end goal. If you get few messages back, then increase the number of messages you send. Once you begin conversing with someone you like, set up a video call. Gauging if you like someone from messages is difficult. You might find a video call daunting but if you message someone over several weeks and then realise on the first meeting you don’t like them, you have wasted energy. After the video call, set up a meeting. Initially just for a short time during the day. Set it up so you can leave early if you are not attracted to them and remember, if you are attracted to them, this does not mean they are right for you. Finding out if someone is right for you will take time. Top dating tips: Meet as many people as you can and if they are not right for you, move quickly on. Remember the right person for you is out there...you just have to find them. So, if you send out lots of messages and get none back then increase your effort.

It is impossible to know how a first date may go or how your date experiences it. You might think they did not enjoy themselves when they did. Research shows we cannot know exactly what our long-term partners are thinking at any given moment, so how can we know what a stranger is thinking? For the sake of brevity, lets stick to the two obvious ways it could go badly - either you don't like your date, or they don’t like you. If you don’t like your date, then ideally you would have already thought about an out. I would suggest, for a first date, only meet for a quick coffee/drink to see what your thoughts are. Meeting someone in the flesh can be quite different to meeting them on a video call. If you like them and they you, then you can arrange to meet again.   Mind reading Okay, let’s assume you have met your date, and you like them but then your daemons arrive, threatening to throw your efforts to the wind.  'You are not good enough!' They cry. They blind you to what is actually going on and only allow you to see negatives. One of the most important things to do when we are enjoying a first date is that we MUST NOT MIND READ. This is where we assume we know what someone else is thinking when we have no idea what they are thinking.Research shows we cannot know exactly what our long-term partners are thinking at any given moment, so how can we know what a stranger is thinking?   'Body language' I hear you cry. Piffle is my response. A good example of this is when someone yawns. You might immediately jump on the idea that you are boring them. But what else could it be? They could have been up all night worrying about the date. They could be an insomniac. They could have slept badly due to work commitments or because they were out enjoying themselves. Who knows? Ideally, of course, people would understand how a yawn may come across and try to hide it, but most people will be focusing on whatever is going in their own mind, which can get in the way of empathy. On the other hand, your date may well be bored but assuming they are won’t do you any favours. Here is one suggestion for a first date. Do look at the other blogs in this series about the first date.   Keep the effort in check.   It is important to remember that thousands of years of evolution will impact on how someone experiences us. If we are overly keen when we really do not know someone, this suggests we would accept anyone. If we would accept anyone, it gives off the impression, often unconsciously, that we are not that great.   I do not advocate the 'treat them mean and keep them keen' advice either. There are two red flags here. If we are the person who remains in a relationship where someone is treating us badly, we are not protecting our psychological health. In the long-run, such relationship will impact on our confidence and sense-of self and should be avoided. On the other hand, if we go on to a date with the idea that the way to someone's heart is to be mean to them but we are not fundamentally a mean person, then we are beginning the relationship on false pretences. How will that play out in the long-term? If we approach dating with the idea 'if someone does not fit with what I am looking for then I will move on (not matter how long I have been looking), then this will give the impression we are not going to settle for just anyone. If we just focus on how someone looks and what we think they are like, or that we are so desperate to have a relationship we will accept anything, in the long run it is more likely that we will get hurt. Top dating tips: The first date. Subtly find out if your date is what you are looking for in a long-term partner. Remember physical attraction is only one part of the puzzle. if you would like to have a long-term relationship there is a lot you need to find out about your date. Remember in the long-term, you will want to be with someone who makes you feel good. Watch how they treat you, how they treat others, how they talk about people. This all gives clues to who they are. Go into a date being you. If you try to be something you are not, you will be found out in the end. And remember, maybe you are just what they are looking for. If you don’t be you, how can you find out if you are just fine the way you are?

The second date and beyond. Suggesting another date. If you have enjoyed your time with someone on a first date, then a confident person would be happy to say they would like to meet again. It has been suggested to me that if we do this, we may seem too keen. I would argue, however, if we have the attitude 'if you like me then that's great and we can get to know each other and if you don’t like me, then I will move on to find someone who does, then we are showing confidence. Using the tennis analogy of keeping the balls in our court as a useful one. If we are waiting for someone to suggest another date then they have the ball in their court. If we ask them if they want another date, then the ball is in our court. And, we are not wasting our time waiting to find out what they think. If they like us then great, if they don't then we should spend our energy on finding someone who does.        It might be that you have suggested another date, and they don’t get back to you immediately. Remember... don’t mind read . We are all different and your date's time frame for responding might be unlike yours. Of course, it can also be the case that your date is not responding because they don’t want another date but find letting someone down uncomfortable. I would keep in mind here that it is a numbers game and don’t waste too much time waiting.   Alcohol and other substances. It may be that you have not dated for a while, or you have met someone you really like and alcohol helps you to relax. That is fine for the first few dates but if we don't find out what someone is like during the day or without alcohol, how can we know if they are right for us?   Use subsequent dates to really test out your 'what am I looking for in a life partner.' Remember, it takes a long time to get to know what someone is really like and when we want something badly enough, we might only see what we want to see.   Another point I would make here is also to keep in mind, someone might not be perfect or not what we thought we would want but if we find we enjoy someone's company, don't be too hasty to end something. Top dating tips: The Second date and beyond. If you have enjoyed your first date, it is important to find out if they feel the same. Suggesting another meeting shows confidence, not neediness. If they don’t want another date, fine. If you do meet again, remember to find out if they will fit with you. Being attracted to someone physically is only one part of the puzzle. And try not to dismiss people you are not immediately attracted to. They may well grow on you.

As mentioned at the beginning, dating take a lot of energy. As such, it is important that we conserve as much energy as we can for us to be able to endure what can be a really difficult process. I won't repeat all the potential pitfalls here, as I do not want to put you off. One thing I would suggest is that there is absolutely no point in putting our energy in to something that is not right for us in one way or another.   Firstly, if someone likes us then they will put the effort in. Within reason, they will respond to the messages we send, they will want to see us within a reasonable amount of time, they will make suggestions for further dates, and they will also send us messages or call. If we find we are always the one that is making the effort, I would question that. Think about it in the long-term. If we are always the one that makes the effort, how will that impact on our self-esteem moving forward? If we embark on relationships because we lack self-esteem, how will dating someone like that improve our self-esteem? Watching energy It is important to watch our energy levels when embarking on dating, as it can be exhausting. I suggest we move between periods of time when we make a lot of effort and periods of time off. This can be days, weeks, or months. However, it is important to get back to it if our goal is to find someone. It is common that we avoid looking for love because of a multitude of reasons but after years of being alone, we use this 'being alone' as evidence of being unlovable. And then we avoid looking for love because we feel we are unlovable and round we go in a circle.   Keeping motivated It can be so difficult to keep motivated when it seems that all our efforts are fruitless. It is also hard to be relentlessly positive in the face of rejection. In fact, it is virtually impossible. There is not really an easy answer to this, but I would re-read the blog on attraction, 'it’s a numbers game' and moving on quickly. The person you are looking for and who also is looking for you is out there.... you just have to find them.   If it’s not working…research suggests not physical attraction. Maybe ask friends to choose. Alongside the above, I would also make sure that we are not being overly judgemental or have unrealistic expectations. That is not to say that we should settle but research suggests that many long-term relationships started as friendships or with people we were not attracted to and then one day we see them in a different light, or something shifts, and we see something we did not see before.   This is one of the reasons why I think internet dating can be problematic. We have lists of what we are looking for and often do not meet with people unless they fit exactly. But we forget that if we meet someone that seems perfect on paper...there might be no chemistry at all. But at times we meet individuals that do not tick all our boxes but there is something about them that draws our attention. Top dating tips: Moving quickly on. Manage the exhaustion of dating by moving between times when we give it our all and times when we find other ways of nourishing ourselves. Try to keep motivated. Remember the person you are looking for is out there. You just have to find them. If you are struggling to find someone, ask friends what they think about your approach. Are you dismissing perfectly lovely individuals just because they don’t fit exactly?

When dating we must remember that it can take time and the time spent can be enjoyable and exhausting. As such make sure you focus on a balance in life, so spend time on rest, play, and health.             I would like to leave this blog by repeated that finding our life partner has been described as a full-time job. As such, it can be utterly exhausting. If we can keep all the suggestions here in mind and try to enjoy the process as much as possible. Maybe we meet someone who we did not like but we enjoyed a conversation, or a coffee, or a walk, or a new experience. It is important to keep focused on the end goal, but we also need to keep a balance in life....and keeping a balance in life is my next set of blogs.

You have probably heard of CBT and if you have not, it is something that has been found, time and again, to help individuals overcome certain difficulties. There are actually four elements to it. The 'cognitive' element focuses on our thoughts and how they can be helpful and unhelpful to us. The 'behavioural' elements looks at what we do or do not do, depending on how we see ourselves, others and the world. There are two other elements, which are not apparent in the phrase: the 'mood' element and the 'physical' element. Mood relates to how we feel: happy, sad, guilty, fearful, worried, surprised, angry, etc. The physical element looks at how our body responds physically to a particular mood. So, for example, in anxiety we may feel a raised heart beat. In low mood we may feel a lack of energy. CBT helps individuals to understand all of these different elements and then provides strategies to help improve lives. These blogs are going to help you to understand anxiety more and it will provide you with a step-by-step program to help you to manage it better.  Psychologists have been studying this system and ways to help for decades and some of this knowledge and understanding will now be past to you. If you know of anyone else who may benefit, please do share the details with them.

When we are anxious we breathe more shallowly and do not breathe out a full breath. The idea when learning how to breathe properly, is that it should be a natural and relaxed breath in and breath out. There are many suggestions about how to relax your breathing but our aim is to just understand how to lower anxiety through breathing using a full natural breath. We need to be able to do this anywhere - if we are sitting in a meeting or at a social event. We need to practice this if we hope to use it when we are feeling stressed. Breathing properly involves filling the lungs. If we fill the lungs our stomach should expand on the in breath.   Sit either comfortably but upright or lie down. Notice how you are breathing.   Place your hands on your stomach.   Imagine your lungs behind your ribcage.   As you breathe in, your lungs fill and your stomach should expand. Imagine if you had a balloon in your stomach and as you breath in this inflates.   Your abdomen rises with the in breath and falls with the out breath.   Take a natural breath in and a natural breath out. An in breath is generally anything between 2 and 3 seconds. Count how long your natural breath in is – don’t force it. Whatever your natural breath in is, make your breath out the same amount.   Continue breathing in and out – making sure the out breath is about the same length as the in breath and each time we breath in, our abdomen raises and each time we breath out it falls.   If we have been ‘stressed’ breathing for many years – this will take some practice.   It is useful to set yourself a reminder on your phone to check your breathing each hour or every two hours. Just check you breathing and do a few relaxed breaths.

Breathing is a fundamental element of our anxiety/calming system in the body. Here we will discuss how 'box' breathing can help to calm the body.   The systems involved in this process are known as the Parasympathetic and the Sympathetic nervous system. All we really need to remember is that we can not be completely relaxed and highly anxious at the same time...the two systems in the body work in opposition to each other. If you imagine an on and off switch. When one is switched on the other is switched off and visa versa. For evolutionary purposes, this system has helped us humans to survive but we really do not need it so much in this day and age.   In order to have some control over our 'anxiety' system, we need to try to trigger our 'calm' system. Look again at the picture...she radiates calm. Ideally this is how we would be all of the time. Unfortunately, however, often our brain decides there is danger around and triggers our anxiety system. At those times, our 'calm' breathing changes to 'anxiety' breathing. Sometimes this can happen without us even noticing it but at other times it is very noticeable and it feels difficult to catch our breath.   Four square or box breathing can be used at times when we need a significant distraction from our surroundings and when our anxiety is high. I have also found that for those where the 'relaxed breathing' does not really work, box breathing can help. Navy SEALs in the US use this type of breathing when they are plunged into freezing water to stop them from dying...good to know.   It is simple but again, useful to practice thoroughly throughout the day so that it becomes familiar to us. When we are highly anxious, it is difficult for us to remember things and so the more familiar something is the better.   Basically, you breathe gently in for four seconds. Try to imagine there is a balloon in your stomach and as you breathe in you fill the balloon. Then hold this breath for four seconds. Then breathe out for four seconds. Then hold for four seconds and repeat.   I have often been asked whether people should breathe in or out through their mouths or noses. There is no right or wrong way - try different ways and see which one works for you.

A body scan is a relaxation technique that can help us to control anxiety or unhelpful emotions. It works in two ways: firstly, it helps us to reduce the physical symptoms of anxiety but also, because we are focusing on something, it helps by providing the mind with a focus other than worrying or stressful thoughts. When we first start doing body scans, it is sometime difficult to feel anything inside of our body but with time and practice, we realise that we can actually feel quite a lot. The most important thing is to just have a go…there is no right or wrong way.   Obviously, it is much easier to follow someone talking you through a body scan and so this can be found on our youtube channel here:   Firstly, find a comfortable position, either lying or sitting down. Make sure that all of your body is able to rest against a bed, chair or floor. If you are lying flat, place a pillow below your knees, otherwise your lower back may start to feel tense. Place your hands gently on your stomach. Take a slow gentle breath in through your nose and then, as if you were blowing through a straw, gently breathe out through your mouth. Do this a few times and as you do, close your eyes. Try to keep the slow gentle breathing rhythm throughout this practice. Gentle breath in through your nose and gentle breath out, as if you were breathing through a straw.   Now, place your hands by your sides, or in a comfortable position.   I want you to bring your attention to your right foot. See how your right foot feels. Does it feel hot or cold? Tense or relaxed? How ever your foot feels just notice that. If you feel tension in a particular part, which part is that? You may feel nothing and that is fine too. As you breathe gently in and then as you breathe out, just relax the muscles inside your foot a bit more. Imagine the foot dropping down slightly or imagine the muscles relaxing as you breathe out – you may hardly notice this but see if you can feel the muscles just relaxing a fraction.   I want you now to focus on your left foot. How does your left foot feel? Again, is it hot or cold? Tense or relaxed? What ever you notice, just mark that. Maybe there is another way you would like to describe what you feel here? Remember, there is no right or wrong. Take a gentle breath in through your nose and, as you slowly breathe out through your mouth, just imagine the muscles in your left foot relaxing ever so slightly. Feel your foot dropping down either in to the floor or the bed. Breathe gently in and gently out.   Now, let us focus on the bottom of the right leg – the area from the ankles, up through the calf and around the shin area. Does this area feel hot or cold? Tense or relaxed? If you can feel any difference in temperature or tension, just notice that. Where is it? Do you feel tense or relaxed in a particular part or is it over the whole area? As you breathe gently in and gently out, again as if you are blowing gently through a straw, just let any tension release. Try to imagine your muscles dropping down a fraction. Feel them drop slightly in to the floor or bed.   We now move on to the bottom of the left leg – the area from the ankles, up through the calf and around the shin area. What do you feel in this area? Does it feel hot or cold? Tense or relaxed? Maybe there is another way you would like to describe what you feel here? What ever you feel, just mark that feeling as you breathe gently in and gently out. Just imagining this area of the left leg dropping down slightly as you relax the muscles.   Now bring a focus to both feet and the bottom half of both of your legs. Breathe gently in and as you breathe gently out, see if you can relax the muscles in this area a bit more. Just imagine the muscles dropping down slightly as you feel it relaxing. If you are lying on a bed, it might be as if this area moves slightly down in to the bed, as it relaxes. Feel the chair or the bed beneath you – this solid mass holding your body.   The next area that we are going to bring our attention to is the upper part of the right leg. From the knee area, around the thigh and the back of the leg up to the buttocks. What do you feel in this area? Is it hot or cold? Tense or relaxed. Are there particular parts that feel tenser than others? What ever you feel, just note that. As you breathe gently in and gently out, just relax all the muscles in this area. Drop them down in to the chair or the bed.   Now let us move on to the upper part of the left leg. Again, from the knee area, around the thigh and the back of the leg up to the buttocks. How does this area feel? How does it compare to the right leg? Does it feel the same or different? More or less tense? Is the temperature in this area of your left leg different? What ever you notice, just mark that. Take a moment to focus back on the breath and make sure that you are gently breathing in and gently breathing out. As long as the breath is gentle and you are taking a full breath in and breathing fully out, you are doing just fine. As you breathe in and as you breathe gently out, just allow the muscles in this area of the leg to drop down – imagine them releasing and relaxing.   As you are sitting or lying there, I want you now to focus from the top of both of your legs and down through the knees, the lower legs, ankles and feet. As you breathe in and breathe out, if you can, imagine any tension flowing down through the legs and out through the toes. If this is difficult to do, as you breathe out, just relax your muscles down a bit. Feel your legs dropping slightly more into the chair, bed or ground.   We are now going to move on to the back. This is often the area where people hold tension. We will come on to the shoulders next, so for this one, focus on the area of the lower back and up to the upper back just below the shoulders. Can you feel any tension in this area? If you feel uncomfortable in any way, slightly shift your body so that you move in to a more comfortable position. Focusing on this area, how does it feel? Hot or cold? Tense or relaxed? You may be someone plagued by lower back pain – or upper back pain. Try to not allow your thoughts to be distracted by this. Just focus back on to the back area and see what you feel there. As you breathe gently in and gently out, let any tension that you feel go.   An area that many people hold tension is the shoulders and neck. If this is something that you feel is familiar to you, try to make sure that throughout your day, you move your neck and shoulders around. Gently rolling your shoulders back and forth and moving your head in a circular motion – first one way and then the other. For our current practice, we want to keep things as calm as possible. If you are feeling tension in this area, you may want to do a few gentle movements to help to release some of the tension here. Remember to breath gently in and out as you go. Focus now on this area. Do you feel any tension here? Are there other ways that you would like to describe what you feel? What ever that is, just mark it. As you breathe in and breathe out, just drop your shoulders down a little. Try to release any tension in your muscles as you breathe out.   We will now focus on the right arm and right hand. How does this area feel? Does it feel relaxed as it is resting on the arm of a chair or on the floor or bed? You may feel tension in this area? You may feel that it is hot or cold or you may want to use other words to describe it. What ever you notice, or even if you notice nothing, there is no right or wrong. As you breathe gently in and out through the mouth, as if you were breathing out through a straw, just imagine any tension you are feeling dropping down. You may feel the muscles slightly relaxing or you may be able to imagine any tension flowing down from your shoulder and out through the tips of your fingers.   Let us now move on to the left arm. You are familiar now with bringing your attention to these areas. What do you feel here? You may feel something or you may feel nothing? There may be some tension in a particular part or you may feel your arm feels hot or cold or maybe it feels just right. What ever you feel, just note that. As you breathe gently in and gently out, imagine the muscles in your arm dropping down in to the arm of the chair, in to the floor or sinking a little further in to your bed.   One final area we are going to focus on is the face. It is interesting to me that actually, we do sometimes hold tension in this area. Just focus on your face and as you breathe in and breathe out, let your muscles drop a bit. You may notice that your mouth drops slightly open or your cheeks feel a little droopier.   As you sit in your chair or lie on the bed or floor, take a few last gentle breaths in and out. As you do so, focus on the whole of your body. Imagine any last bits of tension dropping down through your body gently breathing in and out. Now, when you are ready, slowly open your eyes.   As you go through your day, remember this feeling and, if you can, take a few moments to scan your body. Do a few gentle breaths and try to let some or all of your tension go.

A very important component of stress is the physical tension we carry around. In fact people who experience high levels of stress and anxiety can be so physically tense much of the time that it becomes their normal physical state. This exercise has two parts. The first part involves tensing each muscle group so that you become aware of holding physical tension. The second part is a progressive relaxation of each of these muscle groups so that you have the experience of purposefully letting go of tension and being in a more comfortable, restful state. Instructions: Find a quiet, comfortable place. A reclining chair is ideal as you want to be relaxed but remain awake. Make sure your clothes are comfortable and take off your shoes. Take five nice slow, calm breaths from your stomach. Now you need to consider your muscles in groups; focusing on tensing the muscles in a certain area (for example the hand) before then going on to release this tension. So turn your mind’s attention to your left hand. Slowly and gently tense up the muscles in your hand until your hand is as tight and tense and gripped as you can manage. Hold this tension for five seconds before releasing. Fully release this tension at the same time as breathing out. Spend about fifteen seconds really noticing how relaxing the muscles in your hands feels different from tensing them. Noticing this difference is the most important part of the exercise. After fifteen seconds move on to the next muscle group and repeat the steps of tensing and then relaxing that muscle group. Muscle groups to focus on: Foot, lower leg and entire leg; then other foot etc Hand, entire arm including shoulders; then other hand etc Buttocks (squeeze) Stomach (squeeze) Chest (take deep breath) Neck and shoulders (tense up to ears) Mouth (open mouth wide and clench) Eyes (clench shut) Forehead (raise eyebrows) How to make the most of this exercise For the first week do this exercise twice a day. Set aside ten to fifteen minutes in a quiet place. Practicing a lot in the first week will mean that you learn this skill more thoroughly and can then quickly notice when you are holding tension and relax yourself. It is best if this exercise is done when you are feeling calm and rested but it can also be used to reduce tension. You might find it easier to listen to recorded instructions. There are many audio versions of progressive muscle relaxation exercises available on the internet.

Please click the images below to see the individual blogs to help in overcoming physical symptoms of anxiety Relaxed Breathing When we are anxious we breathe more shallowly and do not breathe out a full breathe. Square or Box Breathing Breathing is a fundamental element of our anxiety/calming system in the body Body scan A body scan is a relaxation technique that can help us to control anxiety or unhelpful emotions. Progressive Muscle Relaxation A very important component of stress is the physical tension we carry around. Exercise and Stress The evidence on the link between exercise and improved mood, concentration, health and well being is strong, clear and consistent.

The Difficulties of Being a Parent A child arriving into the world is a wondrous thing. But often times we are not prepared for how life changes. A lack of sleep, a lack of time, a lack of enough support can make us feel depressed and anxious and stressed beyond anything we thought possible. Our struggles to get pregnant, our struggles with pregnancy and traumatic births can all add significantly to how we feel. I will outline some of the more common issues below. Children are not born with an understanding of how to sleep through the night. This is something that needs to be taught. As a psychologist, my children should have been perfect from the moment they were born. I had read the books and knew what the literature said...but I found myself walking my son around my coffee table, in a sling, with a dummy in his mouth with the vacuum cleaner on for white noise, for hours and hours every week. Then, when he was finally old enough to sleep in a cot on his own, I patted his back for at least an hour each night. If he noticed my move away from him before he slept, I had to start again. It was exhausting. The anxiety of wanting him to be okay - he was slightly premature and did not thrive as a baby, was unbelievable. And, the books might tell us that we are creating problems we will have to unpick later on unless we get them sleeping in a bed, on their own in the dark, but I wonder if those that wrote the books have ever been sleep deprived. Sleep deprivation means we will do anything to go back to sleep, so we end up sleeping in a chair with white noise and of course we know it is not ideal but at least it is sleep. Evolution increases anxiety when we have children. It makes us more hypervigilant to danger and has helped our species survive. So on top of sleep deprivation, we feel anxious. And we go from having time to ourselves to no time at all. If we are lucky, we have some support but heightened anxiety and exhaustion do not bode well for relationships, so often times couples argue. As children grow into toddlers , they need to learn how to keep safe, about right and wrong and don't understand the importance of eating their greens when cake tastes so nice. They don't know how to control their emotions and can be fine one moment and screaming with anger the next. When we are the parent of a tantruming child, we might assume everyone is looking to us as the problem - why cant we control our child? Why are we such a bad parent? We might begin to see all of the well behaved children around us and assume that the problem is in fact with us. However, the majority of parents can identify with what is being said here and a child that tantrums is in a space where they feel allowed to tantrum and there is a lot to be said for that. When children are old enough to go to nursery or school, morning routines can be exhausting and end up in a shouting mess before piling children in to the car for the school run. It might be that your particular difficulty is that your children will not get dressed alone, remember to do things, such as eat breakfast or brush their teeth, without being told numerous times. It may be that they become easily distracted and you find them with the paints out just as you need to leave to make it to school on time.  The evening routine can be just as hard. After-school clubs, playdates, homework, snacks, dinner, bath, bed time and then arranging everything for the following day. The tasks are never ending. To have to deal with a child who wants to do none of this makes the situation a lot harder. It may be that your younger children don't seem to understand the meaning of 'no' and are constantly testing you. They may not want to share and hate their siblings. You may be sick of repeatedly asking your child to do something and ashamed when your child has a full-blown tantrum at the school gates. With older children negotiating social media, screen time, homework and sleep can be a daily battle.  And the toddler eventually grows into a teenager . The teenage period is a time of intense emotions and the transition from being a child to being an adult is rarely a smooth one. Many of the behaviours of teenagers baffle and exasperate parents. It may be that your teenage child wants to be an adult and do the things adults do without any interference from Mum or Dad. It is difficult to find the balance between allowing them to make mistakes and learn and keeping them safe.  Parenting can be the best of times and the worst of times. All parents struggle and all parents make mistakes. My top tips for parenting are as follows: Love your children unconditionally. Give yourself a huge pat on the back because being a parent is not easy. Rather than criticising yourself for mistakes, try to think about what you have done well. If you behaved in ways that you were not proud of, think about how you would like to behave in the future and put a plan in place to behave in the way you want to. Forgive yourself if you get it wrong - we all get it wrong and to admit to that and discuss this with our children can help them to understand that it is okay to not be perfect. Saying 'sorry' helps your children make mistakes too. Try to set clear boundaries and stick to them. Praise your children when ever they do anything well and especially when this involves a behaviour that makes your life easier. Try to understand how your own experience of growing up might be impacting on your parenting style. If you feel your parents did not care enough, do you over compensate by giving up your life to be a caring parent? Did one or other of your parents make you feel like you were not good enough? Do you feel like your children think the same? Children can say some awful things to their parents. A confident parent will brush this off as normal. A parent lacking in confidence, may find the words of their child crushing and believe they are the truth. If you experienced a trauma in your life are you hypervigilant to that happening for your children and stifle their growth because of your fears? Remember that the way a child will succeed is if they feel good about themselves, so, returning to number 1 - love your children unconditionally. They may not be perfect and they may not get it right but that is a normal part of being human and if they can feel your love they will be happy and find their way, eventually. If you are thinking about therapy, then make sure you find someone who has the expertise to help you. Ideally, this would be a psychologist or therapist who has worked in a CAMHS service in the NHS. At Dr Stuart Psychologists have highly trained CAMHS psychologists as part of the team. Please do be in touch if you would like to understand how we can help to navigate this most difficult time of life. ​ ​