I’m not talking ab out riboflavin which used to be called vitamin G before it was known as vitamin B2, but instead the benefits of getting out in green spaces.
Whether it’s a walk in the country or your local park, getting out in green spaces is wonderful for your mental well-being. It’s been shown to help you relax, lowering cortisol levels and reducing stress. Being in green spaces has also been shown to improve sleep and increase happiness.
The photo below was yesterday, I was lucky to have a day out at Stourhead national trust property and the sun shone. But even though today it may be raining I’ll just get my rain coat on and go the local park, the benefits are the same.
You may have to get your rain coat on today, but do get out and enjoy the green space near you, it’s worth it for the benefits!
Are you struggling to see the good things in life?
You’re not alone, at the beginning of my first session I couldn’t think of a single good thing to talk about. In truth I had so much to be thankful for, and still do, but I couldn’t see it and that is because anxiety shuts down the rational, positive part of the brain.
So here’s a little exercise that can help when nothing else comes to mind. Thinking of a part of the body and asking what it enables you to do. For example think of your head, it holds your brain which is vital for everything you do, your eyes, which help you to see and enjoy nature and prevents you tripping over things, your hands help you make a cup of tea which you enjoy and so on. It’s amazing how just a minute of this can open your mind to find more positive things in our lives.
Remember what we think determines who we become, and so choosing to think positively will help you to lead a happier life.
So which part of the body would you like to focus on first. Let me know if any work particularly well for you.
Staying focused
This morning I completely lost my focus, you may be able to relate…
I’d forgotten I wasn’t seeing a client at 9am and so with an unexpected free hour I thought it was a great opportunity do some marketing (not my favourite thing, I’d much rather be spending my time helping clients, but it must be done!).
Then I thought I’ll just quickly move a blanket that was drying, into the sun. I then realised first I needed to make room because there were some overgrown plants just where the sun was shining. After cutting those back I realised I needed to rehang other clothes because I’d taken them off the dryer which I was using for the blanket.
Finally, when I sat down to my laptop, I realised the screen needed cleaning, and spent a few minutes doing that. And if truth be told those weren’t the only things that caught my eye along the way. So, I now have ten minutes instead of an hour!
It can be difficult to stay focused on what we need to do. The same applies to thinking positively. We need to stay focused and make a conscious decision to see things as positively as we can. It’s not about lying to yourself, and it is important to be realistic. But there is always an opportunity to reduce the negative thoughts which only make us feel even worse ultimately.
Someone who lost their partner told me how wonderful it had been spending time with the family when they all came together in grief. She was going through one of the most difficult times in her life, but she was able to identify something positive.
Positive thoughts result in chemical responses in the brain and body which make us feel better. So, if we can keep our focus on finding the good in any situation, we really are determining how we will feel in the future.
And to keep my focus on positive thoughts I am pleased that the blanket will definitely be dry when I need it later, it’s nice to have the plants cut back, I can now see what’s on my screen to be able to write this, and I have done some marketing by writing this post!
Three positive changes for a better life
I had Solution Focused Hypnotherapy eight years ago, and I learnt to look for ways I could make changes. This was helped by having three areas to focus on.
I still continue to use these three areas of focus and they have helped me to manage life in the best way for me. They may seem to be simple steps but they can make all the difference to how I feel.
I look to do things that I enjoy doing - ‘positive actions’ and I look for ways to interact with others - ‘positive interactions’ and I also focus on positive thinking, ‘positive thoughts’.
So, every day I ensure that I include these things and when I’m having a bad day, quite often I’ll realise that I’ve let that slip.
So today you can ask yourself what positive action can you take to make yourself feel better; going for a walk, having a bath, doing a puzzle, making a music playlist, the list is endless.
You can also ask yourself what you can do to make yourself feel more connected to others; text a friend to arrange to meet up soon, call a family member for a catch up, walk in the park to be around others, meet up with friends… again there are lots of possibilities.
Finally, being mindful of our thoughts. If we catch ourselves saying we are rubbish at something, we can rephrase it, maybe to something like this “I may not be able to do that as well as I’d like but if I spent more time on it, I could probably improve”. It doesn’t change the facts but by seeing it from a different perspective it is processed in a different part of the brain and won’t lead you down the path of more negative thoughts.
How to enjoy Park Run
When should I ask for help?
Don't wait until tomorrow, reach out for support today. If things are really bad and you need someone to talk to right now call the Samaritans on 116 123.
"The most important thing to keep in mind is that there is no problem too small to share and the sooner you seek help the less likely it is to overwhelm you. Don't wait until it's too much for you to manage. Seek help as soon as you can."
There are many reasons why people may delay asking for help; they may not want to appear weak, they may feel they'd be letting down the people who rely upon them, or maybe they don't feel they are worth looking after, or perhaps they are just too busy, there isn't time to reach out.
So what can we do to make it easier for people to ask for help? Being mindful if friends or colleagues begin to act differently. Are they quieter than usual, or not turning up for social occasions? Asking twice whether they are ok. The first answer is usually 'fine', but asking twice gives people the opportunity to be honest and I know people for whom this has made all the difference and enabled them to reach out for support.
We can also initiate conversations about mental health, whether it's a casual reference to something in the news, or another friend who may have reached out for help. By letting those close to us know how we feel about talking about mental health issues we reassure them that if they have need to in the future we are approachable and would support them in a positive way.
So what should we do when we need help? There are many options available but in the moment when we feel stuck in our problem it can be difficult to know where to begin. Friends and family, or our GP can be the first place people turn. If things are really bad and you need someone to talk to right now call the Samaritans on 116 123 or you can email them, athough you may have to wait for a response it's usually within 24 hours. You may find reassurance reading forums, you don't even have to participate but just hearing other people share their stories can mean you don't feel so alone in your problems. MIND www.mind.org.uk can be a useful starting place with lots of resources and guidance about what to do next.
The most important thing to keep in mind is that there is no problem too small to share and the sooner you seek help the less likely it is to overwhelm you. Don't wait until it's too much for you to manage. Seek help as soon as you can.
Kindness and self-compassion
Small changes can have a big impact on your life.
"Being kind to ourselves and others can help us to be healthier; both physically and mentally. It can help to lower blood pressure, improve heart health, result in a more effective immune system, a greater ability to manage our weight, and of course most importantly it makes us feel good!"
Being kind to ourselves and others can have a really beneficial effect on us, both emotionally and physically, as well as making other people happy, which can also add to our happiness.
Kindness can lead to the release of various chemicals in the body, including; oxytocin, serotonin and endorphins, which together help us to feel happier and calmer, and better able to cope with pain. It can also result in lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol. If cortisol is reduced, this can lead to lower blood pressure, an improved immune system and a better ability to manage weight.
You don’t need scientific proof of these chemical reactions to know this is true. You will know this just by observing how you feel in your daily life when you’ve been kind to people. It can be as simple as smiling and saying hello to someone. Next time you’re not having a good day, try smiling and this can be enough to change your mood, especially if your smile is reciprocated.
Being kind to other people is good for them and good for us. But maybe it is more important to be kind to ourselves. This leads to positive chemical responses in our bodies and can change our mental state long-term. It raises our self-esteem and self-confidence, which increases our ability to achieve those things we want to do.
Even people who regularly demonstrate kindness to others can struggle to be kind to themselves. When things go well they didn’t deserve it, and when things go badly it’s because they are useless. As well as believing this to be true it has become a habit. This makes it more challenging to change. However, scientific research on the neuroplasticity of the brain has shown us that we can change neural pathways. We can change the way we think, and we can learn how to be kind to ourselves and take advantage of the physical and mental benefits of self-compassion and kindness.
Flipping your thoughts around and changing your vocabulary is really important. This can take effort, but solution focused hypnotherapy can help you to achieve this more easily. You don’t have to believe it, you just have to think it, to benefit from these positive thought patterns.
The next time you notice yourself being self-critical, consider how you can change the way you talk to yourself.
For example:
“I’m useless at that” can change to “I haven’t managed to do that in the past, but I know I can learn new things and try a new approach. What changes can I make to help me get better at it?”
It might seem a small change, but it’s enough to stop our brain responding in a stressful way and releasing cortisol. This stress hormone can put increased stress on our bodies, possibly leading to an increase in blood pressure, a less effective immune system and a potential increase in body weight. Instead, the new response means we are now looking at the issue with a forward-looking, positive approach and being kind to ourselves, with the reassurance that we do have the ability to do the task at hand.
Being kind to ourselves and others can help us to be healthier, both physically and mentally. It can help to lower blood pressure, improve heart health, enhance the effectiveness of our immune system, help us to manage our weight, and most importantly, it makes us feel good!
https://www.exeternaturalhealthcentre.co.uk/kindness-selfcompassion/
How has dry January been?
How we approach a challenge will influence the outcome...
"Do you begin with a dread, a worry about how difficult this is going to be and how much you are not going to enjoy it? Or instead do you visualise what it is you hope to achieve and keep that in your mind?"
For any of you who decided to have a break from alcohol this month, now you’re almost at the end of January I wonder how you’ve found it?
So often, especially if it’s for a set period of time, such as a month, we spend the whole time counting down the days until we can drink again. It doesn’t help when you only need to turn on the radio to hear presenters laughing that surely no one is still doing dry January? Go on, pour yourself a drink! Almost from January 1st the pressure is on to go back to drinking. We are told that abstinence is boring and difficult, and most of the things we read or hear seem to confirm that.
Imagine if you saw an advert that claimed it could “help to improve your sleep, help you to feel energised and wake up feeling good, reduce your anxiety, or help to relieve the symptoms of depression. It can make you less likely to crave high fat/sugar/salt content foods, it will probably lead to weight loss, give you clearer skin and improve your memory”. Is that something you would consider buying? If we have approached dry January realising that this is exactly what we are choosing to gain and that we are actually benefitting in lots of ways, it becomes something we are positively choosing to achieve, rather than something we are depriving ourselves of.
The secret to success for going alcohol-free for however long is to look forward to the benefits. If we started off on January 1st believing we were missing out then we set ourselves up to fail. Nobody wants to miss the fun. However, by choosing to spend January hangover-free you’re more likely to be having more fun because you have more time, more energy and more motivation.
I realise that the timing for this post might seem a bit late, because if you did choose to try dry January, you’re either still going strong and almost at your goal, or you’ve given up on it. But whatever your situation, it can help to consider what your approach has been so far and also consider how you approach any of life’s challenges.
Do you begin with a dread, a worry about how difficult this is going to be and how much you are not going to enjoy it? Or instead, do you visualise what it is you hope to achieve and keep that in your mind?
As with anything in life, be it big important things or small chores around the house, if you begin by focusing on the benefits that you are going to experience, you can maintain an optimistic approach, which makes the task easier to undertake and more likely to result in success.
https://www.exeternaturalhealthcentre.co.uk/how-has-dry-january-been/
