Here are 11 signs that your mental health needs addressing: 1. Reduced energy. 2. Appetite changes - eating too much or too little. 3. No longer finding pleasure in things that you once enjoyed. 4. Small tasks which you used to find easy, start to feel overwhelming. 5. Your to-do list is expanding as you start to avoid things that need doing. 6. Experiencing higher levels of stress or snaxiety, which makes it significantly more difficult to function. 7. You have become withdrawn from family and friends because sociliasing seems to difficult or overwhelming. 8. You are having trouble getting off to sleep and/or staying asleep and wake on multiple occasions for no apparent reason. 9. You're arguing with those around you more than usual. 10. You're having … [Read more...] about 11 signs that your mental health needs attention
Self-help
Stuck in a “tug of war”, anyone?
If you're struggling with an unwanted emotion, it's like being in a permanent tug of war, where there's a monster on the other end of the rope and a massive hole in the middle. That monster represents all of the thoughts and emptions that you don't want to have. You expect that, if you just keep fighting harder, the monester won't win and you want fall into the pit. And the more you fight, the harder it gets, because you start to get exhausted...yet the monster stands there a strongly as he did at the beginning. It feels like you just can't win! So, you edge closer and closer to the pit in the middle and the more you try to control the monster, the more the monster pulls back. But what if there was another way? What if you just let go of the rope and just allow the monster to … [Read more...] about Stuck in a “tug of war”, anyone?
Kintsugi applied to life
We all know that life can be very challenging at times. When life gets challenging, we might find that we start to see damage, just like a fragile china teacup might get chipped, cracked, or even shatter. And when that happens, all we want is for things to go back to the way they were (can you resonate with that?). But it's impossible. All we can do is start working hard at the repairs...finding each separate little piece and piecing them back together again, like a jigsaw. Sometimes you might pick up the wrong pieces and you might need to try again, but as time moves on, your progress moves on, if you continue working your way through the pieces and doing the work. Have you ever heard on Kintsugi? This is a Japanese concept where a shattered pot is lovingly restored by piecing it … [Read more...] about Kintsugi applied to life
10 anxiety hacks that you can do NOW
According to Mind, 25% of English people will experience some kind of mental health problem each year in England and, in any given week, approximately 16% of English people report having symptoms of common mental health problem, such as depression and anxiety. The National Health Service (NHS) also report 5% of the UK population has Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD), a frequently disabling disorder. Anyone living with anxiety, wherever they are in the world, know that the physical and psychological effects can be very significant and debilitating, such as shortness of breath, sleeping issues, headaches, nausea and and even difficulties securing and sustaining employment. Despite the effects of anxiety frequently being debilitating, there are steps you can take to improve your … [Read more...] about 10 anxiety hacks that you can do NOW
2 ways to get in touch with nature
Being outdoors can be good for us; it increases our Vitamin D levels (climate and location allowing), and is well known for reducing our stress levels, but if we're an indoor-dwelling types of personality, where - and how - do we get in touch with nature? In today's post, we suggest 2 ways in which you can get in touch with nature. 1. Involve your senses The '5-4-3-2-1 technique' is well-known in psychology, counselling and mindfulness circles. This technique deliberately gets the person to slow down and take in their environment and is often very effective at grounding even the most anxious person. The process starts by first observing the environment and taking in the surroundings. Next, the person identifies: 5 things they can see in as much detail as possible. 4 things they can … [Read more...] about 2 ways to get in touch with nature
The Power of ‘no’!
I wonder what would happen in your life is you started saying "no" more often. Just think about that for a moment :) 'No' is one of the most powerful words in the English language, yet it's a word that many people struggle with, to some degree. However, when we understand how to say 'no', it has the power to transform your life. Truly...just try it. William Ury explains this in his book The Power of a Positive 'No' (and no, I don't have shares in the book). When confronted by a situation where they might need to say 'no', some people can really feel a sense of panic, which can be quite unexpected, sometimes disabling and, often, causes internal feelings of being incapable, worthless, stupid {insert derogatory words here}. But I'm here today to tell you that ot doesn't need to be like … [Read more...] about The Power of ‘no’!
3 more ways to improve your self-esteem
Self-esteem is esentially the opinion that we have of ourselves and. if you're human, you're more likely than not, to experience self-esteem issues at some point in your life...after a break up...a job loss...a serious accident or illness, these are all common causes of a 'wobble' in self-esteem. Luckily, there are some simple changes that you can make now, to help you mend your self-esteem and get on with the life that you always dreamed of. In this blog post, we briefly show you how you can turn things around. Step 1: Find something you're good at Knowing we are good at something instantly lifts our mood and eventually, self-esteem. It doesn't matter whether you're a coding-nerd or bookwork, or even a talented musician or artist, or if you have a flair for gardening. We are ALL good at … [Read more...] about 3 more ways to improve your self-esteem
3 simple ways to improve self-esteem NOW!
Self-esteem is esentially the opinion that we have of ourselves and. if you're human, you're more likely than not, to experience self-esteem issues at some point in your life...after a break up...a job loss...a serious accident or illness, these are all common causes of a 'wobble' in self-esteem. Luckily, there are some simple changes that you can make now, to help you mend your self-esteem and get on with the life that you always dreamed of. In this blog post, we briefly show you how you can turn things around. Step 1: Stop with the self-criticism There's a reason this is step number one :) In our opinion, self-criticism is the leading cause of problems with self-esteem, and it's also surprisingly common! We see hundreds of clients each year and we're in agreement that, with the … [Read more...] about 3 simple ways to improve self-esteem NOW!
7 ways to manage stress
It feels like every week we learn something new about stress, whether it's the causes or impact, and that's for good reason, because stress is thought to be one of the leading causes of both mental and physical health issues. With symptoms that can pervade every aspect of your life, it can be difficult to know where to start tackling the issue. In today's post, we provide 7 tips to start managing your stress issues. Check in with yourself daily Many of us know about the effects of stress, but fewer people actually recognise stress in our own life. Get in the habit if routinely asking yourself how stressed you feel and ask yourself whether you're suffering from any of the known symptoms and signs of stress. Common signs and symptoms include: Snapping at people Less patience than … [Read more...] about 7 ways to manage stress
