2023 · 14. December 2023

CBT places a lot of emphasis on cognitive distortions – essentially, thinking errors that can hurt our mental health. In my latest Southern Star column, I talk about one of the most common and potentially damaging cognitive distortions – disqualifying the positives in your life.

2023 · 07. September 2023

You might want to change your life, but nevertheless keep doing things that make you unhappy. Why? My latest Southern Star column explores this all-too-common problem.

2021 · 25. February 2021

Why do we often do things that keep us stuck, even though we say we want to change?

2018 · 08. March 2018

Emotional reasoning – mistaking your feelings for reality – can be bad for your mental health and well-being, as I explained in last week's Southern Star. The column is reproduced below. I feel bad, therefore things are bad. I feel things are hopeless so they must be hopeless. I feel fat, therefore I must be fat. The above statements are examples of emotional reasoning – that is, mistaking one’s feelings for reality. It’s a common habit: most people engage in emotional reasoning to...

2017 · 21. September 2017

Last week's Southern Star column looked at why we should put our thoughts on trial with behavioural experiments. The column is reproduced below. Imagine the following. You call into your neighbour’s house and are surprised to see her sprinkling salt all over the floor. ‘Why are you doing that?’, you ask. ‘To keep the tigers away’, she responds. Stunned, you point out there are no tigers in Ireland. ‘Exactly’, she responds. Your neighbour’s mistaken belief can be easily disproved...