Random acts of kindness, giving and mental health

Christmas is generally a time of giving gifts and many people this year will be unable to spend time with loved ones and give their presents to them in person. This is really sad as for many people, the joy of giving gifts is in people’s reactions to their surprises.

It is for me anyway.

So, I thought I would spend some time looking into giving and random acts of kindness and consider how they can help our mental health. I also wanted to give you some suggestions so that if you fancied having a go, you can get some ideas.

Why is self-compassion so hard?

I came across some of the research around self-compassion as part of my masters in psychology studies. On an academic level, the concept of self-compassion interested me and was relevant to the case study I was working with however there was also a personal interest.

The more I read about self-compassion the more I realised something a little difficult to stomach, I was actually pretty poor at practicing it myself….

One of the amazing things about furthering my studies and working as a hypnotherapist is that I get to experience a wide range of different ways that people learn to manage their anxiety and often have to take a bit of a look at myself and consider how I deal with issues that come up for me.

So, realising that I am not great at self-compassion is a little tricky for a therapist but also a great opportunity to learn.

In order to get better at something, I personally like to understand it so this blog is going to consider what self-compassion is, why someone might struggle with it and how you might be able to get started in a small way even if the whole concept seems a bit unattainable to you.

references

Neff, K. (2003). Self-Compassion: An Alternative Conceptualization of a Healthy Attitude Toward Oneself. Self and Identity, 2(2), 85–101. https://doi.org/10.1080/15298860309032

Bluth, K., & Neff, K. D. (2018). New frontiers in understanding the benefits of self-compassion. Self and Identity, 17(6), 605–608. https://doi.org/10.1080/15298868.2018.1508494

Breines, J. G., & Chen, S. (2012). Self-Compassion Increases Self-Improvement Motivation. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 38(9), 1133–1143. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167212445599

Neff, K. D. (2011). Self-Compassion, Self-Esteem, and Well-Being. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 5(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1751-9004.2010.00330.x

Building a connection with nature for better mental health

There is more and more evidence coming out that nature has a really positive impact on people's wellbeing and their mental health. For many people though, nature is not an important part of their lives.

In a study done by the National Trust and Derby University they found that only 19% of children regularly notice wildlife, 57% of adults rarely or never watched the sunrise in the last year and only 27% of people regularly watched the clouds.

All of these activities are completely free and have been shown to make us feel good so the question is, how can we improve our relationship and connectedness to nature?

Here is a link to the research that this episode is based on, I would highly recommend taking the time to read it as there is so much useful information in there:  https://nt.global.ssl.fastly.net/documents/noticing-nature-report-feb-2020.pdf

How mindfulness in nature can improve mental health and anxiety

One of the key things I have learnt from the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lock downs and restrictions is how much enjoying nature has been a huge part of helping my own mental health.

In this episode I am talking about the link between nature and mental health and why it can be hugely beneficial to incorporate mindfulness into your nature experience.

I also talk you through a really easy mindfulness exercise that you can have a go at next time you are in nature, whether that is the countryside, your garden or a community space.

The research used for this episode is here: https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/eco.2018.0061

And you can find more information about how I help clients with anxiety here: https://www.anxiety2confidence.com/

How anxiety affects sleep and insomnia

It is really common for me in clinic to work with people who are really struggling with sleep. There are a huge number of things that can affect sleep so in this episode I am going to talk about how anxiety affects sleep and then give you some suggestions as to how you can help yourself if sleep is an issue for you.

This is quite a personal episode for me because I have struggled with sleep throughout most of my life, especially when I have been experiencing mental health problems. Many of the suggestions that I am going to talk about here are things that I still use or have found to be really helpful.

What is optimism and how can you learn to be more optimistic?

This week I am taking you through a really interesting and important topic for mental health, optimism.

We have all heard of optimism and pessimism, the glass is always half full right?

But do you know what optimism really is and how it can affect your mental health?

Crucially, I also talk about how you can improve your optimism with a couple of simple techniques that you can try at home...

How to mentally prepare for a big event

In this episode I am talking about the ways that you can prepare yourself when you have something big coming up.

I cover:

• How to plan ahead
• What do do if you have left it until the last minute
• How to deal with negative and intrusive thoughts
• How to visualise the event going well
• How to manage negative visualisation
• The benefits of positive self talk

I have loved making this episode as I will be taking on the Virtual London Marathon in just a couple of days and so the techniques I am talking about are all ones that I am using!!

I am running to raise money for an amazing charity local to me, the Andover branch of the Riding for the Disabled Association. I also volunteer for this charity and we help people with disabilities learn to ride and develop key skills like empathy.

If you can spare a small amount to help us then please head here: https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/SiobhanBooth

Thank you and enjoy the episode :)

Tips for coping with crisis PLUS a campfire meditation

In this episode I am answering a question around tips for coping with crisis moments when dealing with anxiety.

I cover a couple of different breathing techniques and for the first time, I have included a guided meditation for you to have a go at!!

This campfire meditation is a personal favorite so let me know how you get on and if you would like more guided meditations included in episodes :)

You can find more information about how I work with anxiety here: https://www.anxiety2confidence.com/

And you can email questions to be answered on the podcast to siobhan@ymyb.co.uk

What is “mind over matter” and is it a good idea?

I was inspired to record this episode because of a really interesting conversation I had with another healthcare professional in relation to my marathon training at the moment.

During the conversation I said quite flippantly that the training was just mind over matter and as I have learnt many ways of controlling my mind over the years, I’m pretty sure I would be fine.

Later during a half marathon, I had quite a lot of time (I’m not a very fast runner) to think about this statement and consider what does it really mean and Is it in fact a good idea?

If you would like to support my Virtual London Marathon effort in support of an amazing charity then please head here for more info: https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/SiobhanBooth

Typical behaviours of people with low self-confidence

Low self-confidence? find out if any of these behaviours describe you.

In this episode I talk about how people with low self-confidence tend to act and think and how this can impact their confidence even more.

I also have some suggestions as to how you can start making changes to improve your confidence.

You can find out more and download the free exercise mentioned in the episode at: https://www.anxiety2confidence.com/