We often feel we have to be everything to everybody – putting our own needs and wants at the bottom of our list of priorities. Yet the psychological, physical and emotional benefits of finding time for ourselves are numerous and well documented. So how can we lose these feelings of unnecessary guilt we experience when we spend time 'just for us'?

Criticism is often seen as a negative thing – look it up in any Thesaurus and you'll find it right there alongside such choice words as condemnation, disapproval, nit-picking and fault-finding. This is solely down to the fact that most people only ever criticise in a negative way. And we only ever refer to criticism as criticism when it's negative – positive criticism becomes 'approval' or 'praise'.

The truth is, criticism, when given in an appropriate way at an appropriate time, can have many positive effects – both for the giver and the recipient. The trick is to learn how to criticise in a positive and constructive manner, and to watch out for the pitfalls of negative criticism.

Burnout is characterised by physical and emotional exhaustion - usually as a result of too much work. Many people experience burnout without even realising it, and only know something’s wrong when their symptoms become severe enough to significantly interfere with their work and family life. How at risk of burnout are you, and what can you do to help yourself?

Research shows we perform more productively at optimal levels of stress. Unfortunately, these days many of us of see this as permission to take on too much and work too hard. This can push our stress levels too high and damage our health. But, how much stress is too much? And what can you do to manage your stress effectively?

In the 21st century, being stressed is regarded as a status symbol - if we are not stressed then something is wrong!

We seem to have lost the plot - it's not OK to be stressed! Excess stress is detrimental to our well-being and causes decreased productivity. Both individuals and organisations suffer.

Everyone procrastinates from time to time. It’s human nature to want to delay tackling an essential, but unpleasant task. Sometimes all we are actually doing is prioritising effectively. But how can we tell whether putting off an important task is becoming our behavioural norm, and not the exception – and what can we do to reverse this unproductive and unhealthy trend?

In recent years, many famous actors and sports stars – Tiger Woods, Michael Douglas, David Duchovny and Charlie Sheen, among others – have cited sex addiction as the reason for their marital infidelity. Outwardly, this may seem to be the ideal excuse for “bad boy” behaviour – medically justifiable cheating! But is this an unfair assessment? Is sex addiction just an excuse, or is it a real disorder?