Our memories don’t necessarily define us in the way we think they do. They are a narrative we have created over many years based on fragmented elements of events, situations, people and activities we have experienced. As with any narrative, we can change it to help us create a better present and future.
So, what is creativity, and how can it help you feel better? It’s a concept linked mainly to the arts these days, but it occurs in many different scenarios – cooking from scratch, coming up with a new idea to solve a problem at work, decorating your home, putting an outfit together, or designing your garden flower beds. These activities all involve a degree of creativity. It’s about using your imagination, making connections and bringing something new into existence.
Fearing positive emotions is a fairly common symptom for people struggling with their mental health. But why would you fear feeling good?
Before making a decision about starting therapy, it helps to really identify what you want from your sessions and then do some research to understand what type of therapy may help you achieve these goals. Find the one which feels like the best fit for you.
The clocks have gone forward, and days are getting longer. At this time of year, many people plan a spring clean of the home. The clean may involve decluttering the kitchen cupboards, shredding old bills, recycling unwanted clothes, and giving the hallway a new lick of paint. When you finally get to relax in your shiny, clean home, it can leave you feeling refreshed and energised.
Cleaning your physical environment is a great way to feel better generally. But how about a mental spring clean to sweep out the old unhelpful beliefs and stories you tell yourself?
At the heart of almost every film and book is the hero’s journey. This is the classic storyline in which the main character has to overcome various trials and tasks and then returns home transformed. Along the way, the hero is usually accompanied by friends. There will be a teacher or mentor to offer wise advice and an adversary who will challenge and push the hero to their limits.
Friendships play a vital role in boosting our good health. As young children, the first relationships we start to navigate outside of our families are friendships, and friendships will be with us our entire lives in one way or another. Who we decide to spend our time with influences our personal, emotional, mental and spiritual development in significant ways.
The definition of ‘good health’ and how to acquire it has changed over time. From the medieval practice of religious prayer and sacrifices to ward off disease to up-to-the-minute brain scans to understand mental health and psychological conditions.
Over many centuries of progression and change, can history actually teach us anything about how to be healthy and happy today? Taking three periods of history, let’s see what the accepted ideas for feeling better were and how we can apply these in modern society.
When it comes to establishing good health, one of your best options is to improve your sleep.
There’s a key technique in the CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) treatment of social anxiety that, when practiced by anyone, can help people start to feel more content and optimistic. This technique is called attention training.