A Little Less Conversation...

It’s not always good to talk – in fact, it may sometimes make you feel worse. Charlotte Haigh looks at why – and what – you can do to help yourself instead

Anxious, sad, feeling a bit stuck? Explain that to one of your friends and they’re likely to advise you to see a counsellor. After all, talking therapies are promoted as the panacea to every personal problem, with even the young royals fronting a campaign for us all to open up about our mental health. And we certainly have issues to grapple with. According to the latest Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey, published by NHS Digital, one in four of us will experience a mental health problem every year. The current backdrop of Brexit economic insecurity, terrorism fears and environmental concerns may be making us all feel more anxious. And women in midlife seem to be at particular risk. Recent figures from the Health and Social Care Information Centre showed middle-aged women make up over a third of hospital admissions for acute anxiety. “Women in their forties and fifties may be at the peak of their careers but also still raising children and looking after the home and older relatives, so while this can be an exciting and fulfilling time of life, there can also be a lot of pressure, particularly if you don’t have the support you need from a partner or other family members,” says psychologist Emma Kenny. Divorce rates are rising among those in their fifties, so you may be dealing with the fallout of your break-up and could be adjusting to the ups and downs of dating. Add to that the hormonal swings and roundabouts of menopause – often vastly underestimated as a cause of low mood – and there are a lot of reasons you may feel you need some emotional backup. But is therapy necessarily the answer?

MY THERAPY EXPERIENCE