Stress

Mental Health @ Home book review: Overcoming Stress-Induced Brain Fog by Jill Weber

Book Review: Overcoming Stress-Induced Brain Fog

Overcoming Stress-Induced Brain Fog by Jill Weber covers ten strategies to find focus and make your mind work better. It’s aimed at people who are experiencing brain fog due to chronic stress rather than due to illness. The book draws on concepts from cognitive behavioural therapy (ACT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and mindfulness. The …

Book Review: Overcoming Stress-Induced Brain Fog Read More »

What Is... Series (Insights into Psychology)

What Is… Eustress vs. Distress

In this series, I dig a little deeper into the meaning of psychology-related terms. This week’s term is eustress vs. distress. The concepts of eustress and distress were first described by medical researcher Hans Selye, who defined stress as “the nonspecific response of the body to any demand made upon it.” He believed that stress …

What Is… Eustress vs. Distress Read More »

The mental illness cutlery drawer: spoon theory, fork theory, knives, and more

Big-T Trauma, Little-t trauma, and Mental Health Cutlery

I’ve heard quite a few people talk about not having been traumatized enough for their trauma to really count. I love me a good metaphor, and I think spoon theory and fork theory can be useful in explaining how little-t trauma (i.e repeated smaller stressors) can cause serious damage just like big-T trauma can. Spoons …

Big-T Trauma, Little-t trauma, and Mental Health Cutlery Read More »

What Is... Series (Insights into Psychology)

What Is… Psychological Resilience

In this series, I will dig a little deeper into the meaning of psychological terms. This week’s term is resilience. In its most basic sense, resilience means rebounding or springing back. The American Psychological Association (APA) describes it as “the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats, or significant sources …

What Is… Psychological Resilience Read More »

Self-care written in Scrabble tiles

Self-Care: More Than Just Bath Bombs

It can be easy to assume self-care is just bath bombs and spa days, but as lovely as they may be, they’re just a small part of a much bigger picture. Let’s start with a couple of definitions for self-care from Google Dictionary: “the practice of taking action to preserve or improve one’s own health” …

Self-Care: More Than Just Bath Bombs Read More »

What Is... Series (Insights into Psychology)

What Is… Autistic Burnout

In this series, I dig a little deeper into the meaning of psychology-related terms. This week’s term is autistic burnout. Autistic burnout is something I’d only heard of quite recently, and I was curious to learn more about it. It’s a concept that’s discussed a lot among autistic communities, but it hasn’t been well researched. …

What Is… Autistic Burnout Read More »

Therapy tools for mental health

Therapy Tools for Mental Health

I don’t currently do therapy and haven’t had a lot of success with it in the past, but I’m very pro-therapy in general. I’ve picked up a collection of therapy tools from acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT), and various others that are handy to pull out of …

Therapy Tools for Mental Health Read More »

The stress bucket model, with stress coming in the top of the bucket and taps releasing it from the bottom

What Is… the Stress Bucket Model

In this series, I dig a little deeper into the meaning of psychology-related terms. This week’s term is the stress bucket model. I first heard of the term stress bucket several months ago in a post by Caz at Mental Health 360º, but it’s been around for a while. It looks like it’s best known in …

What Is… the Stress Bucket Model Read More »

What Is... Series (Insights into Psychology)

What Is… Learned Helplessness

In this series, I dig a little deeper into the meaning of psychology-related terms. This week’s term is learned helplessness. Learned helplessness was first described by Martin Seligman, who is also the founder of positive psychology. It began with observations made during animal studies, and eventually became his theory of depression. While doing classical conditioning …

What Is… Learned Helplessness Read More »

What Is… the Window of Tolerance

In this series, I dig a little deeper into the meaning of psychology-related terms. This week’s term is the window of tolerance. The window of tolerance was first described by psychiatrist Dr. Dan Siegel in 1999. It’s used to describe levels of arousal, both psychological and physiological (and no, not sexual). The window represents the …

What Is… the Window of Tolerance Read More »