Sometimes we have bad days and sometimes those days turn into weeks. We don't always know why, often because it's what's happening subconsciously that's causing the problems. In those cases, it can help to work backwards to try to figure out what's wrong. I just had one of those weeks and this is what I figured out.

Ever feel like you're on the outside looking in? Are you shy? Do you find yourself wanting to crawl inside your shell?

Anxiety as an emotion is as normal as a cycle on your washing machine. Our very survival depends on it, in fact. The sophisticated survival mechanisms in the brain have been around for 250 million years... so how does anxiety end up becoming disordered, as it has for around one in four of us?

Anxiety and stress can sometimes make us feel like we're being charged at by a bull. Our breathing rate increases, our heart beats out of our chest and our brain decides for us whether we stay and fight the bull, or we make a run for it. Luckily there are rarely any real bulls to deal with, but things like exams, public speaking, meeting new people or going for job interviews can make us feel just as anxious. Here are some quick and effective strategies for you to try.