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Author Anna Phillips-Waller

Anna Phillips-Waller

Anna is a Health Behavior Change & Clinical Trials Expert with over a decade of experience. Before joining A Conscious Rethink in 2023, she earned a First Class BSc (Hons) in Psychology and spent 10 years as a clinical trials researcher. During this time, she managed and delivered evidence-based interventions to help hundreds of individuals change unwanted behaviors and co-authored numerous papers in world-leading journals, including the New England Journal of Medicine. Today, Anna’s writing blends her rigorous science background with personal insight. Her writing passions are neurodivergence, parenting, chronic illness, behavior and relationships, compassionately informed by her own lived experience. She also continues to contribute to peer-reviewed scientific papers within the health behavior space. You can view her published work and academic citations on ResearchGate.

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10th June 2026

If you’ve wondered why adult friendships rarely reach the depth of the ones you made in your youth, these psychological insights will finally explain it

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8th June 2026

Autism and ADHD: When are they an excuse, and when are they an explanation?

A woman lies on a bed, looking upward with a thoughtful expression. Dappled sunlight and shadows from leaves create patterns across her face, pillow, and shirt.

6th June 2026

Psychology says reaching midlife and realizing you don’t know who you are because you’ve spent your life performing for everyone else isn’t a crisis—it’s an opportunity

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3rd June 2026

Psychology explains why you’re nothing like the parent you planned to be—and why that’s completely normal

17th May 2026

Do you actually know what Tourette’s is? I thought I did, until it arrived in my life. It’s time we broadened the neurodivergence conversation

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9th May 2026

If you can’t sit in a quiet room without feeling jittery, these 9 psychological reasons explain why

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8th May 2026

The art of slowing down without feeling useless: 8 ways to redefine productivity

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7th May 2026

10 Behaviors That All “Insecure Overachievers” Exhibit On A Regular Basis

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6th May 2026

10 Ways Old Wounds Silently Follow You Into New Relationships and Cause the Same Damage All Over Again

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5th May 2026

7 Signs That You And Your Partner Have Never Really Been Singing From The Same Hymn Sheet

4th May 2026

Progress, not perfection: 11 reasons why letting go of the ideal is the key to actually moving forward

3rd May 2026

The 10 areas of your life where small steps deliver the biggest and most surprising results over time

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1st May 2026

When the ground shifts: how to find your footing again after a life change you never saw coming

A person sits at a desk with papers, head down in concentration, while fiery, glowing energy bursts from behind their head, symbolizing intense focus or inspiration in a dimly lit study room.

24th April 2026

Why regulating your nervous system might be the most important thing you didn’t realize you needed to do

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7th April 2026

11 “Normal” Things Many People Do In Their Relationships That Are Actually Extremely Hurtful To Their Partners

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6th April 2026

9 Ways People Show Their Appreciation That You’re Missing (And It’s Making You Resent Them)

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5th April 2026

How to be assertive in difficult conversations without coming across as aggressive: 10 steps you need to take

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3rd April 2026

Most people who remain stuck in life aren’t lazy — they’re just doing these 14 things that make progress impossible

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1st April 2026

Your child won’t remember most of what you did as a parent — but psychology says these 13 small moments will stay with them for the rest of their lives

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27th March 2026

How NOT to feel unappreciated by your adult children, even when they never thank you for all you’ve done for them: 16 things to consider

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25th March 2026

The art of emotional regulation: 11 ways to stop your emotions from getting the better of you

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24th March 2026

How to identify which small changes will have the biggest impact on your life right now: 10 tips you need to try

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23rd March 2026

12 Ways Overthinkers Often Act In Relationships (That Really Confuse Their Partners)

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14th March 2026

The Making Of Emotional Intelligence: 13 Habits Of People Who Are Highly Attuned To Feelings And Skilled At Navigating Them

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8th March 2026

9 Impossible Expectations Many Adult Children Have About How They Were Parented, That Wound Parents Who Tried Their Best

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6th March 2026

Psychology says that contrary to popular belief, it’s the micro changes, not the dramatic overhauls, that are more likely to transform people’s lives

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3rd March 2026

The invisible labor of being a woman: 7 double standards we navigate daily

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2nd March 2026

Psychology says “time poverty” is the biggest obstacle to a happy life that no one is talking about

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7th February 2026

9 Situations Where Emotionally Mature People Choose To Just Walk Away

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6th February 2026

10 Signs You’re Having A Midlife Awakening (Not A Crisis)

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4th February 2026

How to accept your ordinariness without feeling like you wasted your life: 9 steps to take

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3rd February 2026

The people-pleaser’s guide to being more selfish: 10 steps you need to take

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1st February 2026

The 7 identity crises that nobody prepares you for in midlife

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30th January 2026

Going from social butterfly to hermit: a timeline in 8 exhausted stages

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29th January 2026

The art of psychological distance: 12 ways to see and think more clearly about a situation

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28th January 2026

The control freak’s guide to being more flexible: 12 tips that actually work

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27th January 2026

8 Reasons Why Small Talk Makes You Feel So Exhausted

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24th January 2026

8 Blunt Reasons People Get Depressed In Retirement After Decades Of Good Mental Health

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23rd January 2026

Wise people follow these 13 principles that allow them to navigate tough situations better than most

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22nd January 2026

If your partner dismisses your feelings, it’s time you did these 12 things in your relationship

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21st January 2026

How to tell the difference between needing solitude and hiding from connection: 11 things to consider

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7th January 2026

How to validate your adult child’s perception of their upbringing, even when you disagree with it: 11 steps to take

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5th January 2026

How to make peace with a life that didn’t go as planned: 11 tips that actually work

A stressed woman sits at a cluttered desk with multiple arms holding phones, papers, and coffee. She looks overwhelmed, surrounded by books, clocks, and a laptop, symbolizing multitasking and work pressure.

3rd January 2026

Why “pushing through” your exhaustion stops working eventually (and what to do instead)

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31st December 2025

What to do when your partner wants the “old you” back, but you’ve outgrown that person: 8 things to consider

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30th December 2025

How to rediscover yourself after decades of being who everyone else needed you to be: 14 steps to take

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29th December 2025

The art of intellectual independence: 12 ways to tune out external noise and find out what you really think about something

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17th December 2025

7 Things Middle-Aged Women Wish Their Partners Understood About Them

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16th December 2025

How to accept you weren’t a perfect parent without accepting you were a terrible one: 11 crucial steps to take

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15th December 2025

12 Things People with Chronic Illness Wish Healthy People Understood

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14th December 2025

10 ways to maintain your self-worth when your adult children define you negatively

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8th December 2025

Tell me you’re in perimenopause without telling me: 13 classic symptoms that are a dead giveaway

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7th December 2025

10 Things Nobody Tells You About Marriage Until You’re Fighting Over The Thermostat

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6th December 2025

8 Types Of Conversations Emotionally Intelligent People Try To Steer Well Clear Of

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4th December 2025

12 Annoying Phrases People Use To Avoid Taking Responsibility For Their Mistakes

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30th November 2025

8 Social Practices That Completely Go Against Everything High-Character People Stand For

29th November 2025

Despite what many people think, these 7 behaviors don’t make you antisocial

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28th November 2025

8 Annoying Things Your Parents Did That Make Perfect Sense Once You Have Your Own Kids

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27th November 2025

10 Things Emotionally Intelligent People Never Say (Because They Know The Hurt It Would Cause)

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26th November 2025

8 Things A Person Does That Seem Lazy But Are Actually Very Productive

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25th November 2025

The indecisive person’s guide to making good decisions: 12 tips that actually work

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24th November 2025

7 Things People Going Through Hard Times Do To Convince Everyone Else They’re Fine

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23rd November 2025

11 Habits That Seem Boring But Are Actually Signs Of Reliability

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22nd November 2025

If you’ve never had a big friendship group, these 10 things will probably explain why

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21st November 2025

9 Behaviors That Seem Disrespectful But Are Actually Examples Of Tactful Honesty

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11th November 2025

Women who were raised to be “good girls” often suffer these 9 harmful consequences as adults

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10th November 2025

Stubborn people do these 9 things that prevent growth and forward movement

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9th November 2025

8 signs you’re focusing too much on what’s wrong with your partner (and how to balance your perspective)

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8th November 2025

Entitled people expect these 10 things from others that make them insufferable to be around

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7th November 2025

Bitter people display these 8 behaviors that make them their own worst enemy

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6th November 2025

Why your “window of tolerance” is the most important psychological concept you’ve never heard of

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5th November 2025

Anxious people usually display these 9 behaviors that make them so misunderstood

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4th November 2025

Most people don’t realize these 9 daily habits are actually toxic

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3rd November 2025

11 Warning Signs You Simply Can’t See About Your Own Problematic Behavior

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2nd November 2025

11 classy ways to respond when someone makes an inappropriate comment

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1st November 2025

11 Things You Should Never Do, No Matter How Tempting It Gets

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31st October 2025

Autistic people often display these 13 behaviors that make them so misunderstood

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31st October 2025

9 Character Traits That Prove Someone Knows The True Meaning Of “Integrity”

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30th October 2025

Parents who make their kids feel these 9 things give them the best start in life

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29th October 2025

9 Classy Ways To Respond When Someone Criticizes You Unfairly

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28th October 2025

10 ways your childhood experiences write the script for the rest of your life (without you realizing it)

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27th October 2025

10 Crucial Things Only Emotionally Intelligent People Understand

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26th October 2025

What your relationship patterns say about your emotional baggage

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25th October 2025

10 hard-to-accept signs you got married without properly thinking it through

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24th October 2025

People whose parents let them learn lessons the hard way often develop these 10 traits as adults

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23rd October 2025

Most people don’t realize these 9 seemingly positive traits can be toxic in excess

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22nd October 2025

We often forget that our actions speak louder than words in these 10 situations

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21st October 2025

8 hard-to-accept signs you’re in a one-sided relationship with your adult child

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20th October 2025

How NOT to spend another decade waiting for your spouse to change: 11 steps you need to take

Two women sit on couches in a bright living room, having a friendly conversation. One woman, smiling and holding a yellow mug, gestures with her hand while the other listens attentively.

20th October 2025

9 ways genuinely nice people unconsciously sabotage their own friendships

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