25-35 YEARS OLD

TRIGGERS This is a time of huge life transition. Many in this age group are trying to have the perfect marriage and children while still making an impact at work. They might compare their lives with those of their parents at the same age.

“One of the stressors tends to be, ‘I should have these things by now. I see my friends settling down. I’m not even dating anyone’,” British clinical psychologist Alex Fowke says.

“There’s sometimes an unrealistic expectation that everything is possible.” For women, in particular, having kids has an impact on career progression – which brings new worries.

Those starting a job for the first time face a major adjustment. “They might find themselves in a situation where they don’t have the necessary skills and it unsettles their sense of self,” Brown says.

HOW TO REBOOT Self-compassion is what you need, Brown says. “It’s not about letting yourself off the hook, it’s about self-acceptance.” To those who self-berate, she suggests an experiment. “For one week treat yourself with the same kindness and acceptance that you’d treat a good friend.”

Listen to your anxiety. Panic attacks are often “a sign that the brain needs to have opportunities throughout the day to come down to a state of calm”, Brown says.

She recommends a personal daily prescription for mental wellbeing. Take five minutes to sit down with a cup of tea and resist scrolling through your phone. “Check in with yourself,” she says. Ask yourself how you feel and where your thinking is going. If your shoulders are up by your ears, let go of tension. Try 7/11 breathing – breathe in for a count of seven and out for 11.

Use the 5-4-3-2-1 exercise to ground yourself in the present: think of five things you can see, four things you can hear, three things you can feel, two you can smell and one you can taste. Resist the urge to check social media first thing in the morning. One early refusal can make a big difference to the day.