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Time to change your mind? 6 checks for inspection

Have you recently changed your mind? Or are you planning to do so in the near future? Wether you want to get a brand new mind set or just open your used one, here is what you need to know.

Never checked your mind before? Not a problem. Anyone can follow these simple steps. No need to get your hands dirty. Simply follow these six checks to inspect the state of your mind.

In this article Sebastian explains attitudes and essentials of mindfulness to check for your state of mind. Increase your quality of life, work and relationships with 6 simple checks of your mind. You will learn three attitudes for better self-leadership and how to use self-awareness for a healthy mind.

Three signs of poor ownership and operation

In order to better inspect your mind it is best to open it a bit. Don’t worry if you can’t open it entirely yet, that is perfectly normal. No need to look into all the dark corners. For this inspection it is enough to get a hold of essential structural parts.

Has the mind been operated with kindness or does it show marks of criticism, resentment and harshness? Did the owner apply patience or does the mind show signs of irritability, temper and unrest? And last but not least: Was the mind often forced to leap forward into the near and far future? Or was it continuously geared backwards, endlessly spinning in the past?

Battered minds are often a sign of harsh operation due to

  • Rigid thinking with internalised critical voices
  • Pressurised driven behaviour and reasoning
  • Relentless rumination and perpetuated planning

If you you find any of the above defects in your own mind there is no need to worry or spend money on a new one. The following DIY attitudes will help to get your mind functioning properly again.

Counter criticism with KINDNESS

Kindness can sometimes be a challenging attitude to hold. Many of my clients can be very kind to others but struggle to bring kindness to themselves. Oftentimes internalised critical voices create negativity and tension. Judgemental voices can occupy big parts of our awareness and attention, making it harder to bring kindness to our thoughts and behaviour.

Overpower pressure with PATIENCE

Patience means to have the courage to stand whatever triggers discomfort. Give your mind the time and space it needs to understand impatience. Impatience is the closed state of longing for resolution – urged and driven. Patience is a state of openness going hand in hand with wisdom and experience. A sense of knowing when to stay and when to go.

Leave the last and the next with PRESENCE

Being in the present is precious. When our minds wander to the past or the future we are missing precious moments. My clients often report that their partners complain about seeing them physically there and yet not feeling there presence. Our presence is a gift to us and others. It is also the main ingredient of compassion.

Three signs of poor service and maintenance

The level of service and maintenance a mind has seen over the years will heavily influence the wear and tear. Only a well-kept mind continues to provide duty and fun to it’s owner.

Seb typically checks if the mind is scattered, shows signs of confusion, rusty thinking or selective memory. He also inspects if the mind carries heaviness as well as burdens.

“Minds in mint or good condition almost always have a sparkling sense of ease, get quickly back to stillness when not in use and produce crystal clear intentions.” says Seb the MindInspector.

Sense of Ease

Pause several times per day and check for a sense of ease. You can do so with a breathing exercise or any other formal mindfulness practice. But you can also simply inspect your body and mind for signs of tension, rigidity or narrowness. If you detect anything other than ease, then turn towards the experience with an attitude that says “it’s ok, it’s already here, I can handle it.”

Stillness of the mind

A photographer uses a tripod to stabilise the camera in shaky conditions or for longer exposure. In the same way the stabilising leads to better photos, stilling the mind leads to better thinking. Allowing the mind to calm. Letting thoughts come and go without stirring up agitation.

Clarity of intention

Does the mind know why the body is here? Does the body know why it is here? If not, get out! A healthy mind has a bigger picture for what it is here for and why it brought the body with it. A healthy mind also sets an intention for the task at hand.

Three qualities of mindfulness

Find here a blog article about the mindful strategies of LETTING GO and LETTING BE

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talking ventral: daily trainings for self-leadership

In this article Sebastian lays out some foundations of the polyvagal theory and explains ventral vagal activation. States range from curious-connected, to mobilised-stressed, to shutdown-overwhelmed. One state fuels self-leadership – the ventral vagal state.

This is a part 2 of my polyvagal article from 2021 which you can read by clicking here. It explains the psychological states in more detail with an emphasis on the Social Engagement or Ventral Vagal system.

You are not your mind.

Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now

Psychological states in Autonomic Nervous System activation

I can’t

When we feel overwhelmed and find ourselves out of control and unable to cope. Too much is happening. We spiral into freeze or collapse. We feel perplexed, like the deer in the headlight. Or we shut down, zone out and lie flat. Some people in this state still function in their roles at work and in family, but operate bloodlessly without life energy.

I must

When we are driven, on a mission and fixated to get something done – often at the cost of self-care, health, relationships, joy and kindness. We feel strongly activated, sometimes accomplishing tasks last minute (watch blog and video Procrastination-Monster). This state uses stress resources of the sympathetic system – aka fight before flight.

I should

Every should you hear in your head is a sign of stress and inner conflict. The louder the should the more tension will build in the body. The more shoulds are nagging you, the harder it gets to stay focused and content. To do lists sprout in your mind. These lists often cause irritation and a sense of pressure mobilising the sympathetic system (DOING mode).

I can

When we have options, feel in full control of our resources and generally have a grip on things. Think the first days and weeks after coming back from vacation. Getting out of bed is easy and the coffee tastes amazing. We manage us and others with clarity and body-mind connection.

I may

This is the pure ventral vagal state in which we feel grounded, we are present with our Self and the world around us. When people – or dogs – experience our physical presence in this state, they want to connect and join in. Judging is unnecessary in this state of BEING.

You can find a diagram of the states by clicking here.

The Benefits of BEING

My clients often talk about the things they should do. Feeling challenged or overwhelmed by the obligations and unavoidable tasks in their roles and responsibilities. This indicates activation of the sympathetic system. It is a stress-response of the body – the fight-flight activation.

Mobilising the sympathetic system is necessary for us to carry out tasks. Planning, organising and executing tasks make us look good. However, when we over-do it our system might get overwhelmed and we might experience freeze or collapse. But let’s now focus on the state associated with self-leadership.

I want to show you how cultivating ventral vagal states in our nervous system is crucial for well-being and self-leadership. When we address what we can and may do, we activate our social engagement system (see below video at 3:44 “self activation”). Encountering others and ourselves in this state of curiosity and calm trains our capacity for self-leadership.

Cultivating Self-Leadership

We can grow and strengthen our Self-Leadership by cultivating the social engagement system – aka ventral vagal state. Every time we are present, experience joy or a sense of groundedness in the body we activate this state. It also appears as stillness of the mind, when we are able to listen with compassion. It’s main characterisation is openness and curiosity toward whatever we encounter.

In the absence of threat – perceived or real – our nervous system evolved to add social skills and engagement. Ventral vagal activation of the facial muscles and voice production plays a significant role in our ability to connect and form relationships in a way only humans can. This is also the source of creativity, courage, confidence and clarity.

Awareness of polyvagal states

In order to tap into the source of self-leadership we first need to practice self-awareness. Becoming aware of the states as described above can help to start inner dialogues. By knowing where to place our attention, we can acknowledge our needs and manage our resources.

Let’s say for example that you want to practice awareness of breathing and soon find that some parts of your body feel tight and tense. When you become aware of the need to stretch, you can negotiate how and when to apply self-care without interfering with your meditation practice. Or you feel tired and the need to sleep can be negotiated with your need to netflix. Self-awareness is the attitude of noticing and turning towards experience in the moment.

Awareness of emotion

With self-awareness we also become aware of our emotional states. And the better we can detect and pinpoint Emotions, the better we can regulate body and mind. We can train to respond to anger, anxiety, shame or guilt in more skilful and less harmful ways.

Let’s say for example that you feel unfairly treated by an email from work. You feel furious, your breath is chesty, your jaw clenched and feel hot. Self-awareness acknowledges that anger has been triggered and that you can choose to take a timeout. There is no need to fuel the anger with negative thoughts or defensive behaviour.

Let your Self be in charge, not your anger.

Self-leadership lets the anger know that it sees it and hears it and that it understands how it feels to be unfairly treated. With self-leadership you will disengage from further escalation: knowing what truly matters to you in this case (i.e. to be acknowledged by colleagues for good work and reliability, etc.).

You may and can decide if, how and when to respond to the email. You are fully present with calm and compassion.

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Metaverse in your head? How Letting Go & Letting Be can help

In this article Mindfulness Coach Sebastian explains two of his favourite mental strategies Letting Go and Letting Be to stop overthinking and reduce stress immediately. Keep your eyes open, the letters will travel wirelessly into your brain!

Mindful strategy: Letting Go

Our minds are problem solving machines. Whenever we are facing emotional stress, our minds will try to help us by finding solutions. This results in overthinking of past and future events. While playing situations back and forth, we entangle ourselves in trains of thoughts. These trains can carry us far away within seconds and often lead to more negativity instead of resolution.

The idea of Letting Go is to disengage from thoughts altogether. Knowing that thoughts are mental events and only become reality in the way we are dealing with them. Furthermore, Letting Go works best if we are able to anchor consciousness in our present moment experience.

We can do so by …

  1. Setting and holding an intention
  2. Noticing whenever attention is being pulled or distracted
  3. Coming back to what you actually set out to do

Say you want to write an email or do a 30′ cardio-workout. Instead you find yourself checking the news, social media or messaging friends. The moment you notice that you are being distracted or distracting yourself, you choose to gently bring back the focus of your attention to the task that you set out to accomplish. In this case, to write the email or to do the cardio workout.

Mindful strategy: Letting Be

Our minds are comfort seeking machines. Whenever we are facing discomfort or stress, the mind will try to help us by finding something comforting. This often results in “having it your way”. It can lead to the constant optimisation of your surroundings. And it is a bad habit.

Be with whatever arises

The intention of Letting Be is to indeed be with whatever arises in the field of your awareness. This way helps to keep an open state of awareness. If an urge to change or do something forms in your mind, you can choose to be with it, knowing that you don’t have to act.

“Letting Be is the courage to NOT have it your way”

Be non-judging

The trick is to notice and pay attention to any sense of discomfort without judging. Any thought that tells you that this is not your favourite way, any tendency to change the current situation, any bodily discomfort can be invitations to let be.

Your attention will only be divided for a moment and then return to connecting with presence. This can be very useful in any social setting or when you want to improve your performance at work or in sport.

Ways of strengthening the Letting-muscle

Any formal or informal mindfulness practice can be used to In order to strengthen the mental LETTING-muscle. Each practice sets an intention, like “anchoring awareness in the present moment” or “bringing back the focus of attention whenever attention is being pulled”.

An awareness of breathing exercise for example sets the intention anchor awareness in present moment experience by paying attention to the body sensations of breathing.

Every time you bring back the focus of attention to breathing, you also let go of a distraction. Every time you choose to not act on an urge to move or shift, you also let the sensation and the urge be.

Interview – Mindfulness Coaching to stop overthinking, reduce stress and increase performance
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Couples Counselling or Individual Therapy or Both?

In this article Sebastian sheds some light on the decision making between couples counselling and individual therapy. Each service has specific advantages and is in some cases more suitable than the other.

How does Couples Therapy work?

In the couples counselling setting both partners participate at the same time and are oftentimes in the same room – either in-person or remotely via video-conference. As couples therapist I typically combine speech therapy and experiential approaches.

Experiential approaches highlight the experience in the present moment. For example the verbal and non-verbal behaviour of partners when they speak and when they listen to each other. This increased awareness is key to emotional regulation. When we are calm and open, we can connect in the loving way we once knew.

Individual sessions can be part of the couples process. In my practice these are restricted to a few sessions and with the clearly delineated purpose of serving the couples process. For example by fostering my working alliance with each partner, by tuning in to specific needs and by understanding the motivation and commitment to the process in more depth.

Identifying the “signature moves”

My goal is to identify and delineate the dynamic in a couple and the “signature moves” of each partner. We define a stress cycle with disappointing and hurtful interactions already early in the process. Behaviour often indicates that partners feel stuck, distant or unfulfilled.

In session, we flesh out the “infinity loop” of negative (and also positive) moves. The couple then becomes aware of many possibilities to introduce improvements and of opportunities to abandon the loop altogether. In short, partners learn to detect and stop the way they trigger each other.

Advantages of couples counselling

An advantage of the couples process is, that relationship issues are being addressed openly amongst partners. My presence offers a neutral and balanced arena where each voice counts the same. I also offer guidance in leading difficult conversations and often model the way of finding the right language to express needs and experiences.

How does Individual Counselling work?

In the individual counselling setting my guiding principle is to identify and delineate the main pressure points of the person in front of me. This can happen online or in-person. Most of the benefit of therapy stems from the caring and understanding attunement between the client and myself.

I frequently apply mindfulness to help increase awareness of the impact and meaning triggers have. I trust that problem-solving and finding solutions is hardly the problem for the people I work with. Instead, we need to better address stress and dysregulation.

The regulation of emotion, behaviour and body is key to our well-being and to form and maintain relationships. I typically assess for and guide through three inner strength:

  • Self-Awareness – ability to step out of auto-pilot, be present and open
  • Self-Acceptance – ability to be compassionate and to lead one-self
  • and Self-Regulation – ability to be ventral vagal more often

One-off couples sessions can be part of the individual process. In my practice these are used to hear the partner’s concerns and getting to know “the significant other” in the relationship.

Advantages of Individual Therapy

An advantage of individual counselling is, that each partner deals with their own process of personal and emotional growth at their own pace and in full control of the process. It allows to work through family background, personality and trauma in a safe space. This in order to grow a “teflon skin” and reduce your internal reactivity.

Which one is best for you?

Individual counselling helps to address old baggage that you bring into the relationship. That could be childhood trauma, unfinished business with an ex, unhealthy lifestyle and addiction, mood disorders or drama in the family of origin.

Couples therapy helps to address recurring cycles of arguments, unhelpful patterns of emotional reactivity, couples skill building (i.e. love-languages, non-violent communication, speaking from the heart, 5 losing strategies, …) and to stay tuned after an attachment injury has been processed.

Please note that the division above is simplifying and showcasing typical applications of therapy. All of the above can be worked with in either setting.

The outcome strongly depends on a safe and respectful relationship with the therapist as much as your motivation and understanding that you bring to the process.

Interview Sebastian – How to decide between Couples and Individual Counselling?
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Men’s Events November / December 2022

These are in-person events for men to get together outside of the usual circles. The intention is to pause and reflect on life while encountering other men on the way.

Participants will benefit from 1:1, group conversations while also honouring silence and meditation. The green surroundings invite you to calibrate awareness and focus attention.

Men’s WALK&TALK Sat 19 November 2022 Hong Kong

The green easy 8km walk will pass waterfalls, reservoirs and goats – inviting us to stop.

The intention of the walk is to pause and reflect while encountering other men on the way.

This event supports Movember*.

Men’s RETREAT Fri 16 to Sun 18 December 2022 Thailand

This men’s retreat is for every man, who wants to immerse in a time and space fully dedicated to himself and his journey through life.

This retreat aims at …

  • Settling mind and body
  • Considering existential questions
  • Cultivating your masculine edge
  • Revealing your better version
  • Opening awareness with mindfulness

Find more detailed information here…

*Movember, the month formerly known as November, is when brave and selfless men around the world grow a moustache, and women step up to support them, all to raise awareness and funds for men’s health – specifically prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health and suicide prevention.

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Why online counselling is better than meeting your counsellor in-person and how to select.

Two years of pandemic have given us new science about the effectiveness of online counselling, live psychotherapy and telehealth, video-delivered psychotherapy and the use of video conferencing technology for individual coaching as well as couples counselling.

This is an update of my older blog due to the 2.5 years of our experience with the online delivery of courses, tutoring, education, social engagement, mental health and wellbeing. We now have scientific evidence to match our personal and professional experience of operation, normality and implicitness of video conferencing.

Efficacy and Accessibility

A brand-new meta-analysis of efficacy regarding video vs in-person treatment concludes that “…Live psychotherapy by video emerges not only as a popular and convenient choice but also one that is now upheld by meta-analytic evidence…” (JOURNAL Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy. Volume28, Issue 6 Special Issue: Psychological Consequences of COVID‐19, Pages 1535-1549)

Necessity and convenience

Individualised and real-time online services for well-being, life coaching and mental health are popular. Increased disruptions in public life such as social movement and waves of outbreaks of infectious diseases impel the demand. People reduce their commutes and value the safety and convenience of home over the workplace and face-to-face socialising. Video conferencing, live chat and phone conversations have widely replaced in-person contact to address personal emotional challenges as well as mental well-being.

Efficiency and Cost

Video conferencing makes it easy and accessible to keep a healthy routine of self-care. Online counselling offers advantages in flexibility, efficiency and mobility. It demonstrates a broad range of suitability. Many people can benefit from online consultation services via video call, phone sessions, text messaging and chat.

The VDP (video delivered) improvement is most pronounced when CBT is used, and when anxiety, depression, or PTSD are targeted, and it remains strong though attenuated by publication bias. Clinically, therapy is no less efficacious when delivered via videoconferencing than in-person, with efficacy being most pronounced in CBT for affective disorders (mood disorders).

Ephrem Fernandez et al. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy. Volume28, Issue 6

.

Boundaries and Safety from Home

Some of my online clients appreciate in particular the virtual nature of online therapy, because it also offers an additional sense of safety, built-in boundaries of time, distance and technology (i.e. mute microphone, camera on/off, etc) and occasionally anonymity.

Staying home and still being able to connect with me online is often a relieve, when suffering from anxiety or nervous tension. For clients with low mood or depression it is helpful to know that they can shorten their sessions if needed or take a break without needing to commute.

How to find an online counsellor, live coach and video-delivered psychotherapist

1. Using the first session wisely

The most important criteria for the success of remote therapy and coaching is the working alliance with your virtual coach and online therapist. A relationship of mutual trust and respect contributes 50% to successfully working together. I recommend to invest the first appointment in order for you to get a feel for your rapport.

Ask yourself if your therapist or coach is listening, resonating and empathising with you. Do you feel unconditional support and respect? From my personal experience in therapy I want my therapist to be kind, but not too soft or fluffy. It is key that he/she is honest about their feelings and thoughts and enquires into your interpersonal connection.

2. Background and Training

You can usually check the background and education of your counselor, coach and therapist on their website and social media such as LinkedIn. A simple google research will also provide you with some appearances in their professional capacity – you might find publications, videos and programs of their involvements.

Regarding further development, professional registers, specialty education and memberships it might be worthwhile to look into the online listings and registers of certifying institutions where you can search by name or location. In addition to these formal checks, I recommend for you to also get an understanding of your practitioner’s personal and professional journey through life. Does this person embody an open mind, a wholesome approach to life and possess values that serve you well?

3. Technology and Infrastructure

Although most social media provides channels and means to converse online, WhatsApp, FaceTime, HangOuts, Skype et al might not provide the best technical stability, privacy and confidentiality.

  • Does your therapist, coach and counsellor use a renown video conferencing software that enables audio, video and screen as well as file sharing features?
  • Which timezone is he/she based in and how does that align with your schedule?
  • And even more importantly: Does the connection work?
  • Is the quality of sound and vision high and stable? After all, if the line is bad, your session will be a waste of time and money.

4. Cost and Efficiency

Apropos money: Cost depends on duration, practitioner experience, specialisations and clientele. Much like seeking out a personal trainer, it is essential that you become clear of your ambition, budget and priorities.

Beware of someone who makes unrealistic promises or seems to want to make a sale rather than seriously offering services with integrity and decency. Online coaching is not a one-off. Therapy and counselling benefits from regular and steady commitment to depth and experience.

Most decent practitioners value timeline over quick-wins and hence are willing to reward your engagement into a process and a series of sessions over time. Expect to pay in a range of 100 to 450USD (70 to 400EUR, 130 to 660AUD, 400 to 3500HKD) with rates being typically higher for business coaching.

5. How to prepare as a client

From many years of experience as an online counsellor I have learned to check with my clients if they are ready to work with me. Here is what I am asking for in order to ensure best results. I basically want you to show up for an online session in exactly the same way you would show up face-to-face in my office – my recommended online way is per video call.

  1. Environment – be in a quiet space, with good light and sound and a steady camera
  2. Attitude – be dressed in smart casual and ready to stay focused while our meeting lasts
  3. Discipline – be on time, but prepared to wait a few minutes in the waiting room feature
  4. Privacy – be present (no cats, colleagues or other communications)

Being well prepared is great gift of respect from both sides. It always yields better results for your online therapy.

Wishing you an insightful and healing online experience, Counselling Psychologist Sebastian

Resource

Good Practice in Action 047 – Fact Sheet: Working Online in the Counselling Professions is published by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, BACP House, 15 St John’s Business Park, Lutterworth, Leicestershire LE17 4HB. (Updated March 2019)

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MEN’S WATCH AND TALK – online event

This is an online event for men to get together to watch and discuss a documentary about a men’s group and – amongst others – the question “What does it mean to be a man?”.

In the film, the members of a diverse group of men take center stage. Their personal reflections on life’s challenges is contrasted by a journey to WWI sites – shockingly topical – mirroring the present times of war in Europe.

Counselling Psychologist Sebastian hereby responds to the recent impact of the pandemic on quality of life in Hong Kong and Asia Pacific. The intention being to reflect on male topics and to connect through a shared experience – far away from the often depressing daily news.

“Every man is an island. But some men build island chains, underneath they are connected”

E V E N T

  • Monday 28 March 2022 on Zoom
  • Start 19:30 HKT time
    • Introduction & Meditation (or technical setup)
    • Watching the movie (70′)
    • Sharing session (30′)
    • Closing Meditation
  • End 21:30 HKT time
  • Cost: FREE – registration required

M O V I E durch T E C H N I K

  • Participation in the Zoom Meeting is free of charge upon registration
  • Participants need to rent or buy the movie on Vimeo
  • The purchase is not part of the registration
  • Link and further info: MAKE ME A MAN

D I S C L A I M E R

Sebastian has no affiliation with the owner/producer/promoter of the film, nor is he affiliated with the vimeo platform. Sebastian does not have any commercial upside by organising this event. I simply liked the documentary as a piece of art and deem it worthwhile sharing with likeminded men.

Register here…

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Micro-pollution of the mind. How it causes negativity and poor performance

What are micro-stresses and how do they affect you?

Micro-stresses are the abundance of minor annoyances and small adversities we experience throughout the day. The driver who cuts you off in traffic, the colleague who slows down your time-sensitive assignment, the broken coffee machine that messes with your refreshment pause.

Each occurrence on it’s own does not seem like a big deal. It’s the accumulation that weighs on you like a stein-holding contest. Added up, they are a whole lot of straws resting on the proverbial camel’s back. They are often the reason we’re exhausted at the end of the day (in HBR. July 2020) or why we will snap at the most minor of inconveniences.

In this short read you will learn that micro-stresses only get to you if you let them and what you can do to develop a teflon-skin from which stressors just roll off.

Why “micro” and not “macro“?

While macro stress manifests more directly and instantly, micro stress will nibble at your subconscious over a prolonged period. Wearing you down bit by bit until you feel overwhelmed by the sheer weight of it all. Managing these micro stresses could be the key to unlocking a heightened sense of worth.

There are many facets to the world of micro-stress. One aspect is purely psychological: how we interpret actions, how we manage situations, and how we will dwell on minor irritations. The link between both is Emotion.

“The salient stressors in the lives of most human beings today — at least in the industrialised world — are emotional. Just like laboratory animals unable to escape, people find themselves trapped in lifestyles and emotional patterns inimical to their health.“

― Gabor Maté, When the Body Says No: The Cost of Hidden Stress

But this only represents half of the story. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is also paramount to overall wellbeing. A healthy level of diet and exercise will have a doubling effect on mental health. These activities promote and maintain overall health and create a fulfilling feeling of achievement, which goes a long way when dealing with stress of any kind. 

The effects of stress on overall health

Stress plays a massive part in our overall mental welfare, but people often don’t acknowledge its effect on physical health. Many studies have proven stress to cause increased heart rate and blood pressure. It is estimated that stress negatively impacts the lives of up to 85% of the population, and 60-80% of all doctor visits are for stress-related ailments and complaints.

In strong cases, stress can manifest as panic attacks, paranoia and poor mental health along with a weakened immune system. And more frequently than you may realise, unmanaged stress can lead to physical burnout.

How to train yourself to deal with micro stress

The first step to dealing with micro-stress, is identifying and acknowledging its existence. Due to the sheer volume of micro-stresses, some studies claim that we are on the receiving end of between 20 and 30 micro-stressful situations on any given day. We can analyse these occurrences, determine the common factors and learn how and when to disengage when we encounter them. 

A helpful habit is to halt what you’re doing and gather yourself for a moment or just a few seconds. As micro-stresses impact our daily lives, then conversely, micro-affirmations can have a positive effect. Small pauses can have big impacts.

Engage in short activities that generally induce a calming effect on your personality. Everyone has their preferred method. Standard practices include listening to calming music, taking a walk, or practicing some simple breathing exercises.

The important factor is to take a break from what you are doing. If you work in an office environment, get away from that screen. Set a timer if you need to. Get up and stretch, take in some nature if possible, or talk to a friend—but avoid any topics that generally get you riled up.

Conclusion

Micro-stresses are NOT a genuine problem endemic to today’s society, even though it is impossible to prevent them altogether. The stress only arises within our SELF (after all the coffee machine is not stressed at all about it’s poor performance) and we can adopt several ways to avoid becoming overwhelmed.

Amongst those ways are mindful attitudes like kindness, acceptance and patience. Moreover, it is essential to respect and listen to your body, feelings and emotions: maintain a healthy diet, regularly engage in physical activities and work on getting a good night’s sleep. 

“We no longer sense what is happening in our bodies and cannot therefore act in self-preserving ways. The physiology of stress eats away at our bodies not because it has outlived its usefulness but because we may no longer have the competence to recognise its signals.“

― Gabor Maté, When the Body Says No: The Cost of Hidden Stress
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2 answers from a client regarding depression

This is a short read. A client of mine kindly provided some feedback on his counselling process with me and what he thinks of medication facing symptoms of depression.

This is an update of an older blog. You can read the original blog here…

How counselling helped you with low mood and lacking pleasure?

Looking back, it’s difficult to remember how I got myself into such a mess. At the time, though, it was very real, destructive and dark. My sessions with you were like a lifeline. One of the most important factors was feeling that I had a team around me. That you shared my different battles and that I was not alone. Your wholehearted approval (and surprise) when I mentioned that I had gone sailing while in the very depths of melancholy was especially memorable! Various insights you offered – and a couple of the books you recommended – helped me to better understand my depression. Some of the techniques and words of advice you shared helped me to create a toolkit to dig my way out of the hole I was in.

Where would you draw the line to medication and psychology?

As you will recall, I chose to go onto Prozac during all of this. In retrospect, it’s hard to know what role, if any, it played in my recovery. In fact during the first ten days, it made me worse. However, there was a watershed point about 6 weeks after I started the Prozac when I began to quickly and steadily recover. At the time, it felt as if I had absorbed a sufficient level of Prozac and my brain was now being flooded with happy chemicals. However, I have no way of objectively quantifying what was the Prozac and what was my natural recovery mode kicking in. If I were ever to go into serious depression again (God forbid), I would probably go back onto anti-depressants. I would certainly immediately go into counseling. I hope these comments are helpful to others.

(anonymous)

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