
Steve Clifford, Psychotherapist
www.facebook.com/yourmentalhealthmatters
www.facebook.com/bexhillmindfulnesscentre
Twitter @cbt4you
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How many times have you opted to stay in your comfort zone rather than try something new? How many things have you not done because you didn’t believe in yourself? Missing opportunities leaves us feeling regret and erodes our sense of self.
I really believe that all of us were born with infinite energy to achieve things. It takes courage to move out of our comfort zone, but growth happens right on the edge not in the middle. Yes, it may feel scary, but by gritting your teeth and facing your fears of not being good enough you can achieve great things.
There are a number of things you can do to begin to make changes and no better time than the present to do so. Go out and do something with others, perhaps joining a local choir or club. Many organisations welcome volunteers no matter how little time or experience you have. Helping other people is not only good for them and a great thing to do; it also makes us happier and healthier too.
Going for a walk or doing some other outdoor activity can help with self-esteem. Research shows that getting active makes us happier as well as being good for our physical health. It instantly improves our mood and can even lift us out of a depression.
Trying out new things or learning a new skill can gives us a sense of accomplishment and helps boost our self-confidence and resilience.
Set yourself some goals for 2016. Something exciting, new, ambitious but realistic. Setting goals and having dreams gives our lives direction and brings a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction when we achieve them.
Stop comp airing yourself to others. No-one’s perfect. Dwelling on our flaws, makes it much harder to be happy. Learning to accept ourselves, warts and all is the key to improving our self-belief.
If you’ve ever felt there must be more to life? The answer is, there is! Next time that negative inner voice tries to talk you out of something… say NO.
Make 2016 your year.
Until next time, Steve
www.facebook.com/yourmentalhealthmatters
www.facebook.com/bexhillmindfulnesscentre
Twitter @cbt4you
Steve Clifford Integrative Psychotherapist. Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapist.
Image: By Camdiluv ♥ from Concepción, CHILE (Colours) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons
With Christmas all but a fading memory, it not unusual for people to feel fed up and fatigued at this time of the year. In Britain it is estimated that at any one time 1in 5 people feel unusually tired and 1in 10 have prolonged fatigue, according to the Royal College of Psychiatrists.
Essentially, there are two main types of tiredness. There is the type of tiredness that is like a solitary grey raincloud. This is the type of tiredness that is transient. It might seem like it is with us for a while, but it will pass and usually it is the result of a busier than usual few days, several bad nights in a row or as a result of a stressful event you have just passed through.
The other type of tiredness is more like a grey oppressive sky, heavy and unmoving. It is typified by of a chronic loss of energy that accumulates over months. It may not always feel like tiredness or physical exhaustion but it doesn’t seem to shift.
Often the signs are subtle, perhaps hidden behind behaviour traits that might easily be missed such as:
1) Finding yourself constantly checking your texts, emails and phone messages.
2) Difficulty relaxing or switching off.
3) Forgetting about tea breaks or unable to relax over a meal.
4) Piles of unread magazines with articles you must read.
5) Having too much to do that you can’t take a day off.
6) “Switching off,” by eating, drinking or spending too much.
7) Losing yourself in mindless TV.
8) Working harder and harder just to stand still.
All these types of behaviours are signs that you need to stop and take a break. Powerful indicators that you need to take time out and really look at what is important. It is as if you have “over- ridden” the “over-ride” switch. This type of behaviour, whilst aimed at improving our lot, simply puts the rest of our life at risk of failure and leads to what psychologists call ” burnout.”
So what can be done to address the balance?
Here are a few pointers:
1) Start the day with a relaxing activity such as yoga, meditation or a fifteen minute walk.
2) drink more water, adopt healthy eating, exercising and sleeping habits.
3) Set “boundaries”- learn to say “no.”
4) Take time to disconnect from technology, put away your phone, lap-top or tablet.
5) Discover your creative side, take up a hobby or other activity that has nothing to do with work.
6) Finally, slow down, get support and re-evaluate your goals and priorities.
Make this the time to put the spring back in your step.
Until next time, Steve
www.facebook.com/yourmentalhealthmatters
www.facebook.com/bexhillmindfulnesscentre
Twitter @cbt4you
Steve Clifford Senior Accredited Integrative Psychotherapist. Accredited Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapist.
Many people find themselves struggling to sleep. It may only be the occasional night, but for some, night after night is a struggle. Here are a few tips that may make a big difference. It’s not a case of picking the ones you favour, you really need to put as many in place as you can.
* Keep a fixed bedtime and getting up time even if your sleep has been awful.
* No reading, listening to the radio, watching television in bed.
*No computers, tablets, smart phones (the light omitted disrupts the release of melatonin, a hormone required to sleep) – the bed is strictly for sleep and sex only.
* Put your watch and alarm clock completely out of sight.
* Use ear plugs and an eye shade in bed to keep avoid exposure to sound or light during the night.
* Avoid caffeine (tea, coffee, fizzy drinks and chocolate) and nicotine from 2PM.
*Avoid exercise in the hour or so before bed.
* Eat a small snack several hours before bed.
* Spend no more than 20 minutes lying in bed trying to sleep.
If you can’t fall asleep within 20 minutes, get up and go to another room. This room should be warm and dimly lit. Then perform a relaxing activity (not doing daytime tasks which act as a ‘reward’ for staying awake).
When you start to feel sleepy, go back to bed. If you are still awake about 20 minutes later, repeat the process.
* Absolutely no naps during the day at all.
* Just prior to going to bed perform a relaxing activity.
* Once in bed switch off the light immediately.
* Always remember that sleep will come to you naturally and that different people need different amounts of sleep.
* Remember difficulty sleeping is very common, it is not as harmful as you believe. Getting upset about it will only make it worse.
Good luck in putting these strategies in place.
Remember, sleep is a passive process, the harder you try to sleep the harder it will be.
Contact me if you wish to book an appointment to look closer at any sleeping difficulties you may have. Alternatively visit www.insomnia-treatment.co.uk
Until next time. Steve
You may wish to know that Steve is now offering therapy sessions via Skype Please contact us through our website @ www.stevecliffordcbt.com
Visit our facebook sites:
www.facebook.com/yourmentalhealthmatters
www.facebook.com/bexhillmindfulnesscentre
Twitter @cbt4you
Steve Clifford Senior Accredited Integrative Psychotherapist. Accredited Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapist.
New research has found that CBT can help sufferers of low back pain and accompanying psychological distress manage their condition. Contextual Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CCBT) is aimed at helping people to learn to live with and accept pain that cannot be cured.
The researchers compared CCBT with physiotherapy in 89 patients with low back pain. The CCBT group reported greater improvements in pain and disability than those who received physiotherapy. However, many who took part in the study thought the best treatment was a combination of CCBT and physiotherapy. Patients also expressed a preference for one-to-one therapy rather than in a group setting.
Until next time. Steve
You may wish to know that Steve is now offering therapy sessions via Skype Please contact us through our website @ www.stevecliffordcbt.com
Visit our facebook sites:
www.facebook.com/yourmentalhealthmatters
www.facebook.com/bexhillmindfulnesscentre
www.facebook.com/mgbhillclimbchallenge
Twitter @cbt4you
Steve Clifford Senior Accredited Integrative Psychotherapist. Accredited Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapist.
Ref: www.therapytoday.net/Therapy Today: July 2015
Talking therapy shows promise for people with low back pain: http://tinyurl.com/ntb96qp
Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ASpinal_column_curvature_2011.png
A new draft guideline from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) suggests that Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) should be more widely available to women who experience low mood and anxiety related to the menopause.
Here at my Bexhill practice I see many women with low mood and anxiety associated with the menopause. It is estimated that somewhere in the region of 80 per cent of women experience some symptoms during menopause and these may continue for several years. For one in ten women symptoms can last as long as twelve years.
The new guideline suggests that a combination of hormone replacement therapy and psychological therapies such as CBT can help with low mood. While the guideline does not support other non-pharmaceutical treatments, such as herbalism, there is evidence for the effectiveness of genistein and red clover. However, there are concerns about the safety of these two treatments.
CBT is also effective for menopausal anxiety related to hormonal changes. Psychological symptoms are very common and can impact on personal, social and professional lives. The use of antidepressant medication such as SSRIs/SNRIs is not recommended as a first-line treatment for low mood associated with the menopause, except where women may be experiencing clinical depression. Primarily this is because of adverse side effects and because low mood may be the result of hormonal changes.
Until next time. Steve
You may wish to know that Steve is now offering therapy sessions via Skype Please contact us through our website @ www.stevecliffordcbt.com
Visit our facebook sites:
www.facebook.com/yourmentalhealthmatters
www.facebook.com/bexhillmindfulnesscentre
www.facebook.com/mgbhillclimbchallenge
Twitter @cbt4you
Steve Clifford Senior Accredited Integrative Psychotherapist. Accredited Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapist.
References: Therapy Today/www.therapytoday.net/June 2015
Draft guideline:http://tinyurl.com/qxyy8xq
Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ASymptoms_of_menopause_(raster).png