Last year was a tough one for many of my patients. As a psychiatrist, people come to me for help with depression, anxiety, mood swings, ADHD, autism spectrum disorders, eating and weight issues, trauma, grief and more. Along the way, they can also experience the same problems many of us do – relationship difficulties, employment loss and insecure accommodation. Last year, in particular, many of us struggled with the cost of living, exhaustion from global events and the climate crisis, and stress from having loved ones in areas affected by war, disaster and unrest.

How can we acknowledge these feelings without letting them overwhelm us? Is it possible to plan for uncertainty? It’s said our best teachers are our patients. Over this last challenging year, here’s what mine taught me.

Melinda* has ADHD, a long-term physical disability, chronic pain and impaired mobility. She developed depression during lengthy Covid isolation, with weight gain making her pain, mobility and loss of independence worse. Her ADHD makes impulsive snacking more challenging and she struggles to stick to a plan for anything, including weight management. It seemed each problem was bound tightly inside another.

When I........

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