All articles are written by the Founder of MoodSmith, Dr Elaine Ryan


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  • Steps to becoming centred: Choose your reactions

    As we saw in an earlier post, being centred means we have an anchor point in our lives. It exists inside the mental “safe room” (which can be as big as we want it to be) filled with all the good and all the positive things, feelings, people, and situations in our lives. When you’re…

  • How is your self-talk? Do you have a mean inner critic?

    Let’s talk about hearing (and listening to) voices. The voices inside our heads tell us we aren’t good enough, don’t deserve success, love or acceptance, and don’t have what it takes. I think you get my point. You are good enough just as you are Most of us have an inner critic, and that’s an…

  • How to manage intrusive thoughts

    The impact of intrusive thoughts can be both emotionally and physically draining. People may avoid seeking help due to fear of judgement or shame. I wrote this article to explain what will help should you seek professional help and highlight things you can try at home. This article shows you how to manage your intrusive…

  • Who is affected by HOCD?

    In simple terms, Homosexual OCD (HOCD) is where the person experiences worry about the nature of their true sexuality, which causes untold distress. This post will discuss who is affected; if you want to read a more detailed account of this type of OCD, please see my guide. Similar to most mental health conditions, or…

  • You are not as helpless as you feel

    You can change everything around by ‘reframing.’ Reframing our thinking is a technique to correct a few self-inflicted stress wounds by reducing or removing the stress before it can do much damage. Reframing is all about how you act when a stressful situation presents itself and your internal response set. It involves meeting challenges with…

  • Therapist who specialises in HOCD

    Many people have contacted me asking for a therapist specialising in HOCD when you should be looking for a trained clinician with extensive experience working with OCD. Looking only for a therapist specialising in Homosexual OCD is a tiny net to cast, and you will miss genuine experts who can help and may find charlatans…