Leeds Anxiety Clinic

Leeds Anxiety Clinic Leeds Anxiety Clinic is a private treatment service operating from a discreet building on Queen Stre

A four-year study charting obsessive compulsive symptoms in the general population since the start of the pandemic finds...
20/11/2025

A four-year study charting obsessive compulsive symptoms in the general population since the start of the pandemic finds a sharp increase that has since waned.

Trying to control our thoughts is like trying to control the ocean: we're powerless against the waves.But what if, inste...
17/11/2025

Trying to control our thoughts is like trying to control the ocean: we're powerless against the waves.

But what if, instead of trying to control the ocean, we learnt to ride the waves and kept sailing in the direction we want to go?

Once we learn to move with the waves, we can handle anything. Even the storms eventually pass.

Learning to ride the waves like this is a skill. With practice, we can respond to our thoughts with steadiness instead of struggle, and keep moving toward the things that matter to us.

Worry can feel like a good way to protect ourselves. If we worry enough, we think we’ll spot every danger. But living th...
15/11/2025

Worry can feel like a good way to protect ourselves. If we worry enough, we think we’ll spot every danger. But living this way all of the time is absolutely draining.

Instead, think of worry like a thermostat you can learn to adjust. Sometimes we need to worry about important things. But most of the time, we can run it on low and keep our mental energy bills down.

Try turning "this is a disaster" into "I'm having the thought that this is a disaster". Notice that it is just a thought...
13/11/2025

Try turning "this is a disaster" into "I'm having the thought that this is a disaster". Notice that it is just a thought.

One of the key ideas we teach is that our thoughts aren’t reality. They are mental events, and with practice, we can choose not to get hooked by them. Adding the prefix "I'm having the thought that..." is just one of the defusion techniques you can use.

Social anxiety can feel like fear, but underneath it often lies low self-esteem. When we feel inferior, we often assume ...
10/11/2025

Social anxiety can feel like fear, but underneath it often lies low self-esteem. When we feel inferior, we often assume others see us that way, too. But we can’t actually know what they’re thinking. This is what psychologists call a thinking trap.

By developing our self-acceptance and our ability to use self-compassion, we can see that these imagined judgements by others are just thoughts, not truths.

Trying not to think about something often keeps it in focus. Instead, see if you can let worries come and go, without ru...
08/11/2025

Trying not to think about something often keeps it in focus. Instead, see if you can let worries come and go, without rushing to fix or solve them.

Trying to push our worries and intrusive thoughts away often leaves them unresolved. Instead, try to notice them simply ...
06/11/2025

Trying to push our worries and intrusive thoughts away often leaves them unresolved. Instead, try to notice them simply as thoughts: ones we can choose to engage with, or let pass. When we can step back from our automatic reactions, we give ourselves the chance to respond differently and break the cycle.

Doing our best can be great. But when it spills over into perfectionism, we can find ourselves feeling endlessly self-cr...
03/11/2025

Doing our best can be great. But when it spills over into perfectionism, we can find ourselves feeling endlessly self-critical, overworked and exhausted.

Tackling perfectionism involves digging down and discovering the root cause. It is often driven by a fear of being criticised, either by other people or our internal self-critic.

Identifying this root cause can help us push back against our perfectionistic tendencies.

Trying to convince yourself that your intrusive thoughts are untrue is exhausting. Instead, try to develop your ability ...
01/11/2025

Trying to convince yourself that your intrusive thoughts are untrue is exhausting. Instead, try to develop your ability to recognise them as intrusive thoughts. Doing this makes it easier to put them to one side.

Our thoughts don’t always reflect reality. Just because we have a thought does not make it true.Often, we buy into our t...
30/10/2025

Our thoughts don’t always reflect reality. Just because we have a thought does not make it true.

Often, we buy into our thoughts straightaway. For example, "I need to get this sorted immediately...", "my friends don't like me..." or "I need to get out of here right now...". These thoughts attempt to seize control of our attention. But with practice, we can gently see them for what they are: just thoughts, not facts.

When we have an intrusive thought, our first reaction is often to try to make sure the thought isn’t true.Unfortunately,...
27/10/2025

When we have an intrusive thought, our first reaction is often to try to make sure the thought isn’t true.

Unfortunately, this leaves us trapped in a cycle where we are constantly trying to reassure ourselves. Because we can never be 100% sure, we end up worrying about it over and over again. It is exhausting and gets in the way of life.

There is a different strategy we can use. By identifying these thoughts as OCD, we can learn not to get hooked by them. Seeing them as intrusive thoughts, rather than automatically accepting them, puts us back in control.

Some worries are about real things, and so it can feel like we should worry about them. A better question to ask might b...
25/10/2025

Some worries are about real things, and so it can feel like we should worry about them. A better question to ask might be "Is it helpful for me to worry about this?"

For example, we are all likely to get ill at some point in our lives. But would it be a life well lived to spend our whole lives worrying about that? There is a better way: seeing worries as thoughts floating through our heads that we can choose to respond to or not to respond to.

The key is changing the question from "Is this real?" to "Is this helpful?" If it is leading us away from the life we want, it is unhelpful, and we might be better served by putting that worry aside.

Address

Queen Street
Leeds
LS12TW

Opening Hours

Wednesday 8am - 9pm
Thursday 8am - 9pm
Friday 9am - 9pm
Saturday 8am - 6pm

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