Send us a text People often think that avoidance is all about procrastination, avoiding the pain of being thought of as having done a bad job by not doing the job in the first place. And although that is avoidance it can also extend into many areas of your life. Support the show Join our Evolve to Thrive 6 month programme https://therapynatters.com Join the Patreon community https://www.patreon.com/richardnicholls Social Media Links Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/richardnicholls.net Threads ht...
Jul 04, 2025•5 min
Send us a text What's the difference between someone who has all the motivation and enthusiasm you could wish for and someone who, even though they don't have depression, still can't feel motivated? Well, in order to answer that I think it's worth looking at what motivation actually is. Support the show Join our Evolve to Thrive 6 month programme https://therapynatters.com Join the Patreon community https://www.patreon.com/richardnicholls Social Media Links Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/richa...
Jul 01, 2025•17 min•Ep. 251
Send us a text We often look at mental health as being a brain thing rather than a body thing but of course our brain is part of our body, it's an organ that needs looking after like every other organ does. Support the show Join our Evolve to Thrive 6 month programme https://therapynatters.com Join the Patreon community https://www.patreon.com/richardnicholls Social Media Links Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/richardnicholls.net Threads https://www.threads.net/@richardnichollsreal Instagram htt...
Jun 27, 2025•5 min
Send us a text This week I'm looking at how everyday moments with others help us feel more connected. From quick chats to shared experiences, we explore what fills our social meter and what happens when it runs low. It’s a gentle reminder to reach out, notice those around us, and stay open, even when it feels easier to hide. Support the show Join our Evolve to Thrive 6 month programme https://therapynatters.com Join the Patreon community https://www.patreon.com/richardnicholls Social Media Links...
Jun 20, 2025•5 min
Send us a text It's Friday 13th, so today I've got a bonus episode for you about the psychology of superstition. Support the show Join our Evolve to Thrive 6 month programme https://therapynatters.com Join the Patreon community https://www.patreon.com/richardnicholls Social Media Links Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/richardnicholls.net Threads https://www.threads.net/@richardnichollsreal Instagram https://www.instagram.com/richardnichollsreal Facebook https://www.facebook.com/RichardNichollsAu...
Jun 13, 2025•5 min
Send us a text Fake it till you make it sounds a little problematic and it can be, but when done properly learning to model confidence isn’t about being fraudulent, it’s about becoming a fuller, braver version of yourself. Support the show Join our Evolve to Thrive 6 month programme https://therapynatters.com Join the Patreon community https://www.patreon.com/richardnicholls Social Media Links Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/richardnicholls.net Threads https://www.threads.net/@richardnichollsre...
Jun 06, 2025•6 min
Send us a text Your brain has a remarkable ability to filter and remember important experiences while discarding the less significant ones. It does so by comparing new experiences with past ones and using emotional reactions to determine their importance. Let's look at how we can train it! Support the show Join our Evolve to Thrive 6 month programme https://therapynatters.com Join the Patreon community https://www.patreon.com/richardnicholls Social Media Links Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/ri...
Jun 01, 2025•15 min•Ep. 250
Send us a text Today is all about Obsessive Compulsive Personality. OCD is talked about a lot because it's such a life destroying disorder, and so is quite obvious if someone has it. But when it's a personality trait people can often just get labelled as "difficult" and they don't seek help. Support the show Join our Evolve to Thrive 6 month programme https://therapynatters.com Join the Patreon community https://www.patreon.com/richardnicholls Social Media Links Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/...
May 01, 2025•17 min•Ep. 249
Send us a text Being behind on your goals doesn't mean rushing to get everything finished, it doesn't mean disrespecting yourself and not looking after yourself. One of the most important factors in getting through a busy life with a healthy and happy mindset is the quality time that you put to one side just for you. Support the show Join our Evolve to Thrive 6 month programme https://therapynatters.com Join the Patreon community https://www.patreon.com/richardnicholls Social Media Links Bluesky...
Apr 01, 2025•15 min
Send us a text Ever heard of Sensory Processing Sensitivity? It's a neurological trait that means that one in 6 people have super duper processing abilities of all of their experiences. Sounds like a superpower doesn't it? Some with it don't always think so though. Take the test https://hsperson.com/test/highly-sensitive-test/ Support the show Join our Evolve to Thrive 6 month programme https://therapynatters.com Join the Patreon community https://www.patreon.com/richardnicholls Social Media Lin...
Mar 01, 2025•22 min
Send us a text It may be Valentine's Day this month, a day to remind someone that you love them, but I think we very often need to bring it closer to home. Support the show Join our Evolve to Thrive 6 month programme https://therapynatters.com Join the Patreon community https://www.patreon.com/richardnicholls Social Media Links Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/richardnicholls.net Threads https://www.threads.net/@richardnichollsreal Instagram https://www.instagram.com/richardnichollsreal Facebook...
Feb 01, 2025•15 min
Send us a text Cognitive Distortions are the thinking traps where our mind convinces us of something that isn't actually true. Once habitual and almost a part of our personality, they can very often start the ball rolling for depression and anxiety. Support the show Join our Evolve to Thrive 6 month programme https://therapynatters.com Join the Patreon community https://www.patreon.com/richardnicholls Social Media Links Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/richardnicholls.net Threads https://www.thr...
Jan 01, 2025•15 min•Ep. 245
Send us a text For many, anxiety is all about being vulnerable to the possibility of rejection. It's normal for our brain to seek out what we fear and notice dangerous possibilities. But those with bad experiences may have been primed from an early age to expect rejection by default. Because of this, their brain is going to start perceiving rejection everywhere. Support the show Join our Evolve to Thrive 6 month programme https://therapynatters.com Join the Patreon community https://www.patreon....
Dec 01, 2024•17 min
Send us a text Kindness is often linked with better mental health. It helps us to feel connected to others, creates a sense of belonging and reduces isolation. But I say there's a time and a place for it, and it might not be now and it might start closer to home. Support the show Join our Evolve to Thrive 6 month programme https://therapynatters.com Join the Patreon community https://www.patreon.com/richardnicholls Social Media Links Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/richardnicholls.net Threads h...
Nov 01, 2024•15 min•Ep. 243
Send us a text "Awe" tends to be defined as the emotion we experience when encountering something with such perceived vastness that our brain might find it hard to comprehend how it can exist. Being "awed" by an experience can have some surprisingly powerful, positive effects on us. Awesome Links Watch All The Apple TV Aerial Video Screensavers https://bzamayo.com/watch-all-the-apple-tv-aerial-video-screensavers Elbow One Day Like This with the BBC Concert Orchestra and choir Chantage https://ww...
Oct 01, 2024•15 min•Ep. 242
Send us a text In his letter from Birmingham Jail in 1963, after being arrested on the rather trumped up charge of marching without a permit, Martin luther king wrote, amongst other things, this quote. he said "There can be no deep disappointment where there is not deep love" in other words, if you feel disappointed it's only because you care about something. Support the show Join our Evolve to Thrive 6 month programme https://therapynatters.com Join the Patreon community https://www.patreon.com...
Sep 01, 2024•17 min•Ep. 241
Send us a text Often people will talk about the need to disappear away for a bit to "find themselves" when actually they already knew where they were they just didn't "know" themselves. Well, maybe we don't need to climb a mountain or hide in a retreat for a week to do this. Maybe we can get to really know ourselves a little bit more every day until we're fully clued up. Support the show Join our Evolve to Thrive 6 month programme https://therapynatters.com Join the Patreon community https://www...
Aug 01, 2024•15 min•Ep. 240
Send us a text Research has shown that hope can significantly improve mental health outcomes. It boosts resilience, helps you to cope better with stress and setbacks and means that you're more likely to engage in positive behaviours that support your well-being. But hope isn't something that just happens; it's something you might need to cultivate and it could even save your life. Support the show Join our Evolve to Thrive 6 month programme https://therapynatters.com Join the Patreon community h...
Jul 01, 2024•16 min•Ep. 239
Send us a text Are you living your life based on your values or your goals? What's the difference anyway? Let's find out. Link to values list https://richardnicholls.net/?post=episode-238 Support the show Join our Evolve to Thrive 6 month programme https://therapynatters.com Join the Patreon community https://www.patreon.com/richardnicholls Social Media Links Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/richardnicholls.net Threads https://www.threads.net/@richardnichollsreal Instagram https://www.instagram....
Jun 01, 2024•15 min•Ep. 238
Send us a text Gaslighting is a phrase we use to mean being manipulated and to have your reality questioned. Cults have been doing it for decades, maybe even for thousands of years. Today I'm going to scratch the surface a bit. Come and have a listen. Support the show Join our Evolve to Thrive 6 month programme https://therapynatters.com Join the Patreon community https://www.patreon.com/richardnicholls Social Media Links Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/richardnicholls.net Threads https://www.t...
May 01, 2024•15 min•Ep. 237
Send us a text One thing we can all guarantee is that we'll all receive some sort of criticism at some point. The trick is to not let it get under our skin. Easier said than done though, but don't let that stop you. Support the show Join our Evolve to Thrive 6 month programme https://therapynatters.com Join the Patreon community https://www.patreon.com/richardnicholls Social Media Links Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/richardnicholls.net Threads https://www.threads.net/@richardnichollsreal Inst...
Apr 01, 2024•16 min•Ep. 236
Send us a text When "future you" doesn't even exist, it can be really hard to stick to your plan in the "now" to ensure that future you gets their needs met. Support the show Join our Evolve to Thrive 6 month programme https://therapynatters.com Join the Patreon community https://www.patreon.com/richardnicholls Social Media Links Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/richardnicholls.net Threads https://www.threads.net/@richardnichollsreal Instagram https://www.instagram.com/richardnichollsreal Facebo...
Mar 01, 2024•16 min•Ep. 235
Send us a text Back in 1995 when britpop ruled the charts and the UN designated it The United Nations Year for Tolerance, British Telecom started a friends and family service to make it cheaper to call a handful of your favourite people with the slogan It's Good To Talk. Everyone agreed. Hopefully we do still think that, don't we? Support the show Join our Evolve to Thrive 6 month programme https://therapynatters.com Join the Patreon community https://www.patreon.com/richardnicholls Social Media...
Feb 01, 2024•16 min•Ep. 234
Send us a text If you've ever set a goal for yourself and then found yourself deliberately sticking a spanner in the works knowing full well it'll cause you to fail then welcome to the human race. Because everyone does it. Support the show Join our Evolve to Thrive 6 month programme https://therapynatters.com Join the Patreon community https://www.patreon.com/richardnicholls Social Media Links Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/richardnicholls.net Threads https://www.threads.net/@richardnichollsre...
Jan 01, 2024•17 min•Ep. 233
Send us a text I might not the young man I once was, but there is a certain childishness to me that I'm hoping can keep me young. Looking at the studies into attitude and ageing the odds are in my favour! Support the show Join our Evolve to Thrive 6 month programme https://therapynatters.com Join the Patreon community https://www.patreon.com/richardnicholls Social Media Links Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/richardnicholls.net Threads https://www.threads.net/@richardnichollsreal Instagram https...
Dec 01, 2023•19 min•Ep. 232
Send us a text Having free will is generally thought of as a good thing but it also comes with responsibility. That's why decisions cause anxiety, whether it's about the little things or the big things. Support the show Join our Evolve to Thrive 6 month programme https://therapynatters.com Join the Patreon community https://www.patreon.com/richardnicholls Social Media Links Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/richardnicholls.net Threads https://www.threads.net/@richardnichollsreal Instagram https:/...
Nov 01, 2023•22 min•Ep. 231
Send us a text Most people live their life based around making other people happy to some degree. It's just how far we take it that determines whether or not it becomes a problem. Support the show Join our Evolve to Thrive 6 month programme https://therapynatters.com Join the Patreon community https://www.patreon.com/richardnicholls Social Media Links Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/richardnicholls.net Threads https://www.threads.net/@richardnichollsreal Instagram https://www.instagram.com/rich...
Oct 01, 2023•23 min•Ep. 230
Send us a text Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and its counterpart Complex PTSD, are life-altering conditions. And although the symptoms may often resemble Anxiety and Depression, they need to be worked on in slightly different ways. Support the show Join our Evolve to Thrive 6 month programme https://therapynatters.com Join the Patreon community https://www.patreon.com/richardnicholls Social Media Links Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/richardnicholls.net Threads https://www.threads.net/@richar...
Sep 01, 2023•18 min•Ep. 229
Send us a text Prompted by a few emails over the years. Today is all about dealing with having an insecure attachment style and how to best cope in a relationship despite it. 36 questions that lead to love. Support the show Join our Evolve to Thrive 6 month programme https://therapynatters.com Join the Patreon community https://www.patreon.com/richardnicholls Social Media Links Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/richardnicholls.net Threads https://www.threads.net/@richardnichollsreal Instagram htt...
Aug 01, 2023•15 min•Ep. 228
Send us a text Today is all about biases. In particular the in-group and out-group bias that drives our emotions way more than it should in the modern world. Support the show Join our Evolve to Thrive 6 month programme https://therapynatters.com Join the Patreon community https://www.patreon.com/richardnicholls Social Media Links Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/richardnicholls.net Threads https://www.threads.net/@richardnichollsreal Instagram https://www.instagram.com/richardnichollsreal Facebo...
Jul 01, 2023•15 min•Ep. 227
