A safe place to talk openly about mental health & illness
I did a post a couple of years ago about exploring values, but when I was reading a recent post on the topic by Burnie at Squash Stigma Not Fat, I thought it would be good to revamp that post. While values matter across the board, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) places particular emphasis on… Continue reading The Role of Values in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
My friends at WeDIDitPTSD recently brought up Jack Kornfield's approach to RAIN, a mindfulness meditation for dealing with overwhelm, and I thought I'd explore that further in a post. RAIN, which is based on Buddhist teachings, was first described by Insight Meditation Society teacher Michele McDonald. Rain acronym R: Recognition The R is about exploring… Continue reading It’s RAIN-ing Mindfulness
Your Wellness Toolbox by Ali Swift is a follow-up to her first book, My Wellness Toolbox, which I previously reviewed. Both books are based on her own experience of what has helped with depression and anxiety. This book contains 14 new tools, including descriptions of the circumstances struggling with her mental health in which the… Continue reading Book Review: Your Wellness Toolbox
Action for Happiness I'm definitely not a fan of the whole toxic positivity business, and no, happiness is not a choice (or at least not always). But a while back I stumbled across the Action for Happiness website, and I like their style. I was looking through my journal and came across the 8 pillars… Continue reading Action for Happiness: More Than Just “Choose Happiness”
This post is by La Protagoniste. Dealing with Depression When Help Isn't Available It is really confusing when you have a condition that you do not have a blame for. The thoughts that cross your mind are that you must be the only one going through it. It sometimes might make you feel like a… Continue reading Emerging Blogger Series: La Protagoniste
Disclosure: I received a free paint by numbers kit from Winnie's Picks, but all opinions are my own. I probably hadn't done any kind of painting since elementary school. I'm not visually artistic at all; all of my creativity comes out in words. But when Winnie's Picks reached out to me , I thought it… Continue reading Painting as a Mindfulness Activity
In this series, I dig a little deeper into the meaning of psychology-related terms. This week we're taking a bit of a detour to look at neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity is the brain's ability to make changes to itself in response to conditions and experiences, including forming new neuronal connections. This ability is maintained in adulthood, although it's… Continue reading What Is… Neuroplasticity
When a fellow blogger asked what the science/psychology behind music's positive effects on motivation and mood might be, and of course, my virtual ears perked up, and I decided to do some exploring. Music can activate several brain structures, including the amygdala, which is involved in trauma responses. Processing music is complex and involves different… Continue reading How Music Affects the Brain and Mood
Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself is written by Kristin Neff, a prominent researcher in the area of self-compassion. It includes research findings, a variety of exercises with room to complete them in the book, and stories from the author's personal experience. The author draws on Buddhist teachings, and she writes that:… Continue reading Book Review: Self-Compassion by Kristin Neff
You hear quite a bit about mental health recovery, but what does that actually entail? An Australian National Standards for Mental Health Services document from 2010 defines recovery as: ... gaining and retaining hope, understanding of ones abilities and disabilities, engagement in an active life, personal autonomy, social identity, meaning and purpose in life, and… Continue reading The Moving Target of Recovery