Curious Mind Psychology

17/05/2022

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Being cut off from our own natural self-compassion is one of the greatest impairments we can suffer. Along with our ability to feel our own pain go our best hopes for healing, dignity and love.

What seems nonadapative and self-harming in the present was, at some point in our lives, an adaptation to help us endure what we then had to go through.

If people are addicted to self-soothing behaviours, it's only because in their formative years they did not receive the soothing they needed. Such understanding helps delete toxic self-judgment on the past and supports responsibility for the now.

Hence the need for compassionate self-inquiry.

Gabor Maté, In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction

21/04/2022

✨Sometimes, understanding the function and message of our emotions can be a powerful medicine ✨

24/09/2021

Resources, like energy, are scarce in the chronic stress of the pandemic. Living with others in lockdown can easily breed tension and resentment. Boundaries are actions informed by our limits that protect our resources, integrity and relational safety.

Boundaries aren't about controlling others. This is an enmeshed dynamic characterised by the sentiment: my needs / feelings/ beliefs should be yours too, and if there are differences or you set boundaries, I experience this as neglect or even abandonment.

We are often conditioned to ignore our boundaries to placate others and avoid conflict. As a result, it can be scary and guilt inducing to set boundaries.

Some principles to reflect on if you wish to develop boundary setting skills:

👍 It's ok to say no
👍 It's ok not to respond immediately
👍 It's ok if others are disappointed
👍 I have a right and responsibility to my own emotional state and how I behave in response to it
👍 It's not my job to take responsibility for other adults feelings or manage their behaviour
👍 I don't have to anticipate the needs of other adults, it's their responsibility to communicate
👍 It's ok for others to disagree
👍 It's ok to be misunderstood

Credit to the holistic psychologist for the infographic

25/08/2021

I had the pleasure of chatting with Lan and Dak from the Youtube Health series "The Practical Approach" on some of the drivers that influence our actions and reactions during these times of stress and uncertainty.

Watch the full video here: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fU3VjFbgSd4&feature=youtu.be

The Practical ApproachWelcome to the Practical Approach … Where our goal is to educate and empower you to achieve your health and fitness goals!PRORAWGYMhttp...

19/08/2021

While the uncertainty of lockdown 6.2.1 grinds on, I've put together a resource for you on our nervous system response to chronic stress, and how we can support ourselves through this time of adversity 🧿.

Click to read the post and download your pdf for easy access.

https://www.curiousmindpsychology.com/post/the-window-of-tolerance-and-nervous-system-regulation

*Based on The Theory of the Window of Tolerance first created by Clinical Professor of Psychiatry Dr Dan Siegel.

A resource to understand how our nervous system responds to chronic stress, and what we can do support ourselves through adversity with simple body based emotion regulation techniques.

21/07/2021

🔊Signals from your body that you are burned out and at (or beyond) your limits:

♾Noticing cyclical, preoccupied thoughts?
👁 Picking at yourself or your environment in obsessive ways?
🥵 Overwhelmed and anxious?
😭 Hair trigger for tearfulness?
🤢 Digestion out of whack?
😡 Irritable?
😖 Chronic headaches or muscle pain?
😒 Vaguing out or unmotivated?
😔 Hopeless and Apathetic?
😵 Fatigued?

The fear, uncertainty and disempowerment from lockdown 5.0 has snowed some of us under. For others, the enforced slower pace has revealed the unsustainable level of commitments our lives.

Whatever the impact, be an ally to yourself and tune into these pleas for help from your body. Respond with care rather than contempt for your limits. You are a finite and precious resource ❤.

♻️ Image from Brenè Brown's podcast, Unlocking Us

20/03/2021

🤓 New research has found that denying, making light of or minimising our or other's emotions reduces resillience. Instead, it promotes shame, anxiety and low self esteem.

🗣While there is no script for empathy, here are some tips to help your loved ones through their painful feelings:

I'm sorry this is happening to you
That sounds really hard
It makes me sad to hear this happened
I'm feeling for you
I'm here for you
I can't imagine what you're going through
How are you feeling about everything?
Wow, that sounds like a lot
What do you need right now?
I'm in your corner

28/01/2021

What are you burning to do this year🔥?

11/01/2021

💡 On emotions, and how we can hold them 💡 "Maybe you’ve always thrown yourself into work or a busy social life or several glasses of wine.... Which means you didn’t get much practice in actually feeling your feelings. And without much practice, it’s all too easy not to trust that you can tolerate negative feelings. It’s all too easy to think you’ll fall apart"

Experiencing sadness, anger, anxiety and other "negative" feelings can be hard. In fact, many of us just don't do it. Because we're afraid. We've "been taught that [negat

26/12/2020

Thank you to all who chose to overcome 2020 with us. We are taking a break and will return on the 11th of January, when we look forward to supporting you through 2021 and beyond.

Wishing everyone a peaceful festive season 🌟

28/06/2020

Do you know how your childhood conditioned you? 🧐🧸

The impact of our early life influences:

🧩 Our core sense of self worth
🧩 How open and trusting we are with others
🧩 Attitudes towards our emotions and how we conceal or avoid feeling them
🧩 Our ability to recognise and respect internal and external boundaries
🧩 The personas we use to gain approval when we feel insecure

Conditioning is the behaviours and beliefs we learn to survive. Our survival is dependent on our relationship with our family and other caregivers in childhood. Which means we suppress, internalise, deny and betray parts of ourselves to maintain connection 💔.

As adults we might rationally understand we are no longer powerless, although sometimes certain triggers make us regress, feeling and behaving in a less than adult way. This is our inner child.

If you want to start understanding the impact of your childhood conditioning, the info graphic below from Dr Nicole Lepera is a solid introduction.

We can help you through the rest.

16/06/2020

It's Men's Health Week.

Have you seen how disturbing the statistics on Men's Health are?

❗️Globally, alcohol kills 6x more men than women
❗️75% of all Australian suicides are men
❗️Men utilise less mental health services than women
❗️93% of Australian workplace deaths are men
❗️4 x more men die of heart disease (under 65)
❗️Inactive men are 60% more likely to suffer from depression than active men

Seven days is not enough to address the complex reasons why men are more vulnerable to these types of harm, but we can start a discussion.

Genetics only account for 30% of men's health outcomes, meaning your behaviour and choices are very important. To all the fathers, sons, brothers, uncles and cousins out there, use your voice to speak up when you're struggling. Treat yourselves with care, respect and sensitivity 💙.