You Don’t Have to Stop the Waves: A Different Way of Responding to Anxiety
You don’t have to eliminate anxiety to find steadiness. A different way of responding when the waves arrive.
Practical Psychology
Psychology Insights
Practical articles exploring relationships, emotional wellbeing, and the psychology of everyday life.
The Grey World of Policing: When Clear Rules Meet Unclear Situations
Police work requires clear rules, but real situations rarely arrive with clear answers.
When Nothing Happening Feels Uncomfortable: Why Calm Can Feel Wrong After Years of Policing
After years of policing, calm can feel surprisingly unfamiliar when your attention has learned to expect what comes next.
“I’ve Seen Worse”: The Comparison Trap in Police Trauma
Police often dismiss their reactions with “I’ve seen worse.” But the worst job isn’t always the one that stays with you.
Before You Decide Your Life Is the Problem
Before deciding your life is the problem, consider the condition you’re in while experiencing it.
When Being Capable Becomes a Way of Coping
Sometimes competence is also how we cope. What happens when life presents something that cannot be solved by doing more?
When Cynicism Starts to Feel Like Realism
When hard-earned scepticism becomes a worldview, cynicism can start to feel less like pessimism and more like realism.
Hypervigilance Off Duty: When the Job Keeps Scanning
For some first responders, the shift ends but the scanning continues. Learn why vigilance can follow you home.
Why Avoidance Feels Like Relief
Avoidance brings immediate relief, but that relief can teach the brain to keep avoiding what makes us anxious.
Being Stood Down: The Psychological Impact of Losing Role, Routine and Identity
Being stood down can disrupt routine, identity, belonging and purpose, often while the future remains uncertain.
When “Good Co-Parenting” Becomes a Performance
Why appearing cooperative is not always the same as creating stability for a child.
Dark Humour in Policing: Coping Mechanism, Culture or Warning Sign?
Dark humour is part of police culture, but what does it actually do? It can build connection and relieve tension, while sometimes becoming a way of avoiding what the job is doing to you.