This week’s column is a little different because it’s a chance for me to say thank you. It has been a privilege to write this weekly psychology column for Canberra Weekly/Daily. Every week I’ve had the opportunity to share practical, evidence-based ideas to help make sense of the challenges we all face. We’ve explored everything from anxiety, relationships and body image to grief, confidence, parenting and emotional wellbeing. My hope has always been that these columns have helped you feel a little more understood and a little less alone.

This month, those columns have become a book. It’s Not Just You is a collection of many of the topics we’ve explored together over the past two years, along with additional reflections and practical strategies. The title wasn’t difficult to choose because it captures the message that has become central to both my work as a psychologist and my writing that so many of the struggles we experience are shared by others.

Almost every day in my consulting room I hear someone say, “I thought I was the only one.” They think they’re the only person who worries too much, who struggles with confidence, who finds relationships complicated, who feels overwhelmed, or who wonders whether they’re doing a good enough job. They’re not the only one.

One of the greatest misconceptions we have is that everyone else has life figured out. We compare our behind-the-scenes struggles with everyone else’s carefully edited highlights. We assume that if we’re finding something difficult, there must be something wrong with us. The reality is much kinder than that.

Being human means experiencing self-doubt, sadness, anxiety, disappointment and uncertainty. It means making mistakes, facing setbacks and sometimes feeling lost. None of those experiences mean you’re failing. They simply mean you’re human. That’s why I’ve always tried to write these columns in a way that is practical rather than preachy, evidence-based rather than opinion-based, and hopeful without pretending life is always easy. Psychology isn’t about eliminating difficult emotions. It’s about understanding them, responding to them differently, and recognising that small, consistent changes can make a remarkable difference over time.

Many of these columns have been inspired by conversations with clients, questions from students, and discussions with readers who have shared their own experiences. Those conversations have continually reinforced that people don’t expect perfection. They want reassurance, practical ideas and the knowledge that someone else understands what they’re going through.

So, thank you for inviting me into your home, office or quiet space each week over the past two years. Thank you for reading, for sharing these columns with others, and for reminding me why making psychology accessible really matters.

If there’s one message I hope you take from both this column and my new book, it’s the same message I’ve tried to share every week: Whatever you’re facing, you’re probably far less alone than you think. It’s not just you.

Copies can be ordered directly from Australian Academic Press at the special publisher price of $28.95 (RRP $34.9): ausapress.com/p/9781923114227/