The Mental Load
The Mental Load is more than just “being busy”
But I should be grateful….right?
Recent times have called for the re-evaluation and adjustment of self-care practices and an emphasis on perspective and acceptance-based skills. One perspective skill that has garnered increasing interest is gratitude. Gratitude is known for its positive impacts on mental and physical health, such as improved relationship satisfaction, reductions in stress, anxiety, and anger, enhancing empathy, and aiding sleep. How? One reason is that feeling grateful floods us with oxytocin, which in turn creates more oxytocin receptors; an upward spiral that makes us happier (to learn more, Google “Gratitude and Oxytocin, you’ll see a heap of studies!)
A search of the web resulted in many differing definitions of gratitude, however, there was a consensus across definitions, being that of the ability to conjure feelings of thankfulness and appreciation for others, the world, and ourselves. It is suggested that this can be aided by focusing on what we have, rather than focusing on what we don’t.
“I am thankful for all that I have and all that I am”
If you are a fan of journaling, you are probably not a stranger to a gratitude prompt, for example:
Write down one good thing that has happened to you today.
Who makes you feel loved and why?
What cheers you up when you’ve had a hard day?
What is something that money can’t buy that you are grateful for?
Prompts such as these allow us to check in with ourselves and take a mindful moment to consider what small, or big things, we have to embrace in life.
But when does gratitude get misunderstood? The world has gone through its fair share at the moment, as has all its beings. Statements that I am hearing more and more frequently recently include: “but I should be grateful for…” and “other people have it worse”. These statements promote self-invalidation, as to suggest that their understandable mental health struggles are unjustified. Therein lies the misunderstanding of gratitude, that it involves being appreciative of the things that haven’t gone wrong, all the while dismissing the painful thoughts and feelings we are experiencing. It is understood that these statements present as an ability to manage difficult feelings, however, often attempts to minimize thoughts and feelings only serves to amplify them. As psychologist and emotional agility researcher Dr. Susan David suggests, give yourself permission to feel all of your emotions, not only the “positive” ones.
We all deserve to tread lightly with ourselves, particularly in the face of lockdown restrictions. This might call for the incorporation of self-compassion in our gratitude practices!
If you are interested in setting up a gratitude practice, check out https://gratefulness.org/practice/private-gratitude-journal/ for tips on keeping a gratitude journal.
So, are you practicing gratitude or invalidation?
References
https://positivepsychology.com/gratitude-appreciation/
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/making-change/201605/when-gratitude-works-and-when-it-doesnt
At some point in our lives, we all have heard the phrase that ‘charity begins at home’! Most of us accept it and even preach it to others when the opportunity for sharing wisdom arises (yeah, we are good at that!). The essence of the above phrase is seated in the value of compassion or kindness towards others. Compassion is empathy, kindness and understanding for others during suffering or challenging times.
So, I have a question for you – have you ever heard that ‘compassion starts with self?’ Probably, not, aside from that fact that I made the phrase up. Chances are that self-compassion is an alien concept and only comes into our lives through social media memes. So let me give you a brief snap shot and advocate the case for ‘self-compassion’ as an essential in our lives.
A simple google search will define ‘self-compassion’ along the lines of empathy, understanding and kindness towards one’s own self, when big or small life challenges happen. Kristen Neff, the world’s leading researcher on self-compassion, has identified three main components to it:
1. Self-kindness vs Self-judgement: treating ourselves with kindness and understanding when we fail, suffer or feel inadequate as opposed to ignoring our needs or belittling ourselves
2. Common-humanity vs Isolation: remembering that everyone fails and suffers at times and that we are not the only ones.
3. Mindfulness vs Over-identification: taking a balanced approach to our challenges and emotions, without over-identifying with heavy emotions or situations.
Kristen’s research has contributed significantly to understanding the importance of practicing self-compassion in daily life and more so when experiencing mental health challenges. Self-compassion also forms a crucial part of my own therapy model and aims at supporting and empowering clients, by helping them connect and understand their own emotions and situations. A simple activity that I encourage client’s to do is to treat themselves at the end of the day, each day. This can be as simple as listening to some music, having a cuppa or going for a walk. Practice makes one perfect!
So, I invite you to explore self-compassion for yourself and incorporate it in small ways within your daily life. Self-compassion will be the strongest script that you can have for yourself. If you would like to work on further developing your skills, our psychologists at Your Mind Matters will be happy to assist you.
Source: self-compassion.org
It’s that time of year again….December! The new year is fast approaching and for many of us, December can be an extremely busy month, catching up with friends and family, and winding up with work for the year. For many, this time of year is associated with getaways and family holidays, however that may not be the case this December. 2020 sure hasn’t been your average year. It’s been filled with many ups and downs, and challenges. For the most part, us Melburnians have spent the year in lockdown and many people felt alone and isolated. As we start to peak our heads out and begin to socialise, we might find ourselves feeling quite overwhelmed and quickly burnt out.
It is important to take a moment to pause and reflect on self-care and how you’re coping. Whilst some may feel obligated to spend every moment socialising, it is important to remember that balance is the key. Here are some tips which I hope you find helpful:
If you are struggling to adjust following the lockdown period and you would like some support, why not give us a call? Our team of psychologists are here to help.
Your Mind Matters Psychology Services will be closed over the holiday season from 23/12/20 and reopening on 14/01/21. If you require support during this time, please contact your GP. There are phone counselling services you can contact including Beyond Blue 1300 22 46 36 and Lifeline 13 11 14. If you require immediate support please call 000 or attend the Emergency Department at your local hospital.
From all of us here at Your Mind Matters, we wish you a Merry Christmas and a safe and prosperous New Year.
As we near the end of another year, we often start to think about our New Years’ resolutions. We reflect on the year that was and what we hope to achieve in 2020. We usually create goals related to work, family, health, holidays, money… which is all well and good however, we often drop the ball within weeks, if not days!
WHY?
Well, lots of reasons. Perhaps the goal you set seems too big to ever possibly achieve and you have become discouraged. Maybe your circumstances were different when you made your goals (head here to learn more about Why NY Resolutions fail: https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/blog/modern-mentality/201812/why-new-years-resolutions-fail), or maybe you aren’t sure of your goals anymore….and this is where a lot of people get stuck.
The question “What do you want? What will make you happy?” can be tricky to answer. Sure, most of us would love to win the lottery and live a life of leisure, or at least a life whereby there is financial freedom to do as we please but let’s be honest, a lottery win is unlikely and also, we know that money doesn’t always equal happiness.
That in mind, let me ask you some questions (you may want to get a pen and some paper):
Okay, next step, let’s start thinking about what you can start doing TODAY to move you closer towards the things which bring you fulfilment. Think about each question and start brainstorming. Start off small if you like, and work your way up to bigger things. Our goals are usually achieved through a series of smaller achievements, but when you string them all together, the outcome can be incredible!
You may also need to think about the things which you are doing which are not bringing you happiness, and think about the ways to do less of those things.
Another huge barrier to actively working on your happiness is the age-old excuse “I have no time” (I am also guilty of this!) The harsh reality is, we probably do have time, but we typically end up looking at our screens, doing low-energy tasks like flopping on the couch and doing something to zone out because we are exhausted and want to reward ourselves with some kind of “rest”. But here’s the thing, resting won’t energise you anywhere near as much as working on your happiness, and non-productive rest is unlikely to help you reach your goals.
What I propose is scheduling in time to refocus on your goals. Prioritise this! Find a time at least once a week where you will have time to yourself, interruption free, to refocus and plan some things to do in advance which will move you towards your goals.
Planning is key, otherwise we won’t “find the time”, but really, we just haven’t prioritised it.
So…you know what you need to do.
Go grab a coffee, some pen and paper, answer the questions and start planning you best year yet!
One of our psychologists has taken the time to put together a batch of her favourite self care resources! The team at YMM loves it and we thought we should share if with you.
If you are going through difficulties and need support, why not give us a call today? Our team of highly skilled and well-experienced Psychologists are here to help.