Adolescence: 4 truths adults need to know

by Joanna Herman-Waddell | Feb 4, 2021 | Children and Young People, mental health, parenting, the spark, Tips, young people

Adolescence can be one of the most emotionally turbulent times in a person’s life; hormones, changing responsibilities, the rewiring of the prefrontal cortex of the brain and difficult social and emotional situations can all take a toll on the emotional...

Anxiety: 6 self-care tips from a psychotherapist

by Margaret Smith | Dec 10, 2020 | mental health, the spark, Tips

Anxiety can be described as “distress or uneasiness of the mind caused by fear of danger or misfortune.” In some situations, it can be very helpful and even life-saving. As John-Roger and Peter McWilliams explained in their seminal book ‘You Can’t Afford the...

How to cope with the winter blues – part 2

by Andrew Webb | Nov 9, 2020 | couples, couples and individuals, mental health, relationships, the spark, Tips, topical

Welcome to part 2 of The Spark’s ‘How to cope with the winter blues’ series offering our tips on ways to defeat the winter blues. Catch up on part 1 of ‘How to cope with the winter blues’ where we looked at how embracing the winter...

6 ways to keep a New Year resolution

by Andrew Webb | Dec 16, 2020 | couples and individuals, mental health, Society, the spark, Tips, topical

January is probably most famous for New Year resolutions. It is also famous for something else: the complete failure of New Year resolutions before the end of the month. No matter whether your New Year resolution is to lose weight, keep date night with your spouse...

How to cope with the winter blues – part 3

by Andrew Webb | Nov 10, 2020 | mental health, relationships, the spark, Tips, topical

In the final part of The Spark’s ‘How to cope with the winter blues’ series, we’re offering a few more tips on keeping your mood up when the sun is going down. You can catch up with part 1 and part 2 where we looked at how a ‘sexy...

How to cope with the winter blues – part 1

by Andrew Webb | Nov 8, 2020 | counselling resources, couples, mental health, relationships, Society, the spark, Tips, topical

When the days start getting shorter and the nights longer, many people start to feel their mood drop. Unlike Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) – a form of clinical depression – the ‘winter blues’ is a general term for the feelings of sadness and lethargy we can all...