Dealing with "ugly days"

In this episode I share some ideas for dealing with days where you just feel... ugly. To book an online counselling appointment click here.

I've been meditating and practicing mindfulness (very imperfectly) for about 10 years now. I first got into it as a way of dealing with anxiety and depression and while it has been a slow process it has definitely changed my life for the better. It has been a matter of small steps and moments of learning building on top of each other. Here is what I have learnt and what I got wrong. Link to the blog: mindbalancecafe.com Link to the Headspace website. 

Distraction can be a helpful coping strategy when we're too distressed to cope with the situation or when we're tempted to use unhelpful coping strategies such as self harm, substance misuse, binge eating or ruminating. These coping strategies cause more problems than they solve and will probably leave you feeling worse than before. In this case distracting yourself might be the best thing you could do. But if we rely on distraction every time we feel upset we won’t learn how to deal with our emotions effectively. In this episode I discuss how and when to use distraction for the best results.

1 in 4 people in Australia report feeling lonely with this number increasing dramatically since Covid-19. Loneliness and mental health issues have a two way relationship. You are more likely to be socially isolated and avoid people if you are anxious or depressed but loneliness also contributes to mental health and physical health issues.  Link to my article How To Connect With Others For Better Mental Health.  To book an appointment click here. 

Research confirms what we know intuitively, that time in nature is good for our physical and mental health. So why is this and how get can we more? To book an appointment click here. 

In this episode I look at the idea of having a life's purpose. How important is it? What if you don't know what your life's purpose is? And what if you have been unable to achieve your dreams? I also discuss what I loved about the movie Soul and what we can learn from ACT (Action Commitment Therapy). Books recommended The Happiness Trap by Russ Harris.  To book an online counselling appointment visit my website.

Have you ever asked yourself who you really are? Or maybe you've wondered what exactly an Ego is? If so then this episode is for you! I dive into the question of you are not in order to answer the question of who you are. To book an online counselling appointment go to mindbalancecafe.com  

Do you struggle to make decisions fearing there might be something better out there? Do you try to do to much and then fall in an exhausted heap? You might be dealing with FOMO (Fear of Missing Out). In this episode I discuss why I believe FOMO is about resisting reality and what to do about it.  To book an online counselling appointment click here. 

The Enneagram is a personality test which outlines 9 personality types. It explains their strengths, weaknesses and the way they tend to react in times of stress and security. To book an appointment visit https://mindbalancecafe.com/book-an-appointment/ For more info visit The Enneagram Institute  Books recommended: The Sacred Enneagram by Christopher Heuertz 

All of us will lose someone we love and experience grief in the course of our lives, if we haven’t already. As Robert Neimeyer says, “We’re wired for attachment in a world of impermanence… There’s no getting over it there’s only getting through it.” In this episode I discuss my experience of grief, describe some of the tasks of grief and the dual process model. To book an online counselling appointment visit https://mindbalancecafe.com/book-an-appointment/