Ruth Potter Counselling

08/20/2025

Movement is medicine for the body and mind!

06/15/2025

04/24/2025

Working on this!

We check our phones every 4 to 6 minutes.
That’s over 150 times a day.
📱⏱️

This is more than just distraction.
It’s a conditioned dopamine loop.
Every buzz, ping, and scroll trains your brain to expect something new — even when there’s nothing there.
🧠🔁

New studies show that spending 5+ hours/day on your phone is linked to:
• ↓ Focus & memory
• ↑ Anxiety + reactivity
• ↓ Sleep quality
• ↑ 25% higher depression risk
(BMC Medicine, 2025 | PNAS Nexus, 2023)

And just putting your phone away doesn’t fix it.
A study from the London School of Economics found that moving phones even 1.5 meters away didn’t improve focus — people just shifted to other screens.
Because the real issue isn’t proximity.
It’s the loop.

⸻

But here’s what does work:

✅ Use your phone less than 2 hours/day for just 7 days
✅ Interrupt the loop with intentional habits, not just restriction
✅ Replace screen time with:
• Walks
• Silence
• Real connection
• Sleep

Results?
• ↓ 18% Anxiety
• ↑ 16% Well-being
• ↑ Focus, Sleep, & Mental Clarity
• 🧠 Reversal of 10 YEARS of cognitive decline

⸻

Try the 2-Hour Rule This Week

Set limits. Put it down. Watch what happens.
💬 Comment YES if you’re committing to less screen time this week
🔁 Share this with someone who needs a brain reset.

Your phone isn’t evil.
But it is engineered to hijack your biology.
You’re being baited.
Let’s take our focus back.

⸻

04/11/2025

It’s Friday. You’ve barely started the day, and your brain already wants to shut down.

Here’s why — and what actually helps. 👇🏻

You’ve been told to journal.
To reflect.
To meditate.

But when your brain’s fried by Friday, sometimes none of that works.

What does?
One word: Patterning.

Patterning is your brain’s reset loop.
It’s not mindfulness.
It’s not stillness.
It’s repetition — low-stakes, rhythmic, no-pressure repetition.

- 🧺 Fold a few towels
- 🗂️ Sort your desk drawer
- 🚶🏽 Walk the same block
- 🎶 Loop one song

Why it works: your prefrontal cortex (the part of your brain responsible for decision-making, focus, and emotional regulation) gets overloaded by the end of the week.

That overload is called prefrontal exhaustion — a measurable state of cognitive depletion where your executive functions are tapped out.

📊 A 2020 study found that patterned movement reduced mental fatigue by 27% in just 15 minutes.

You don’t need more insight.
You need to offload.

If your brain feels scrambled by Friday — this is why.

This isn’t about productivity.
It’s about regulation.
It’s about relief.
And it works fast.

Try it before your next Friday crash.
You’re not failing — you’re fried.

Loop it.
Let it land.
Then keep going.

TGIF

02/05/2025

Small steps and small victories are the building blocks of recovery! You can do it. You are worth it!

Let's increase our recognition of small steps in 2025. Progress for our mental health is a journey of small steps. It's okay if it's slower than you hoped, or if some days feel like a pause. Keep trying to implement positive habits. Each step, no matter how small, moves you forward. You will get there.

01/22/2025

We self-soothe to manage challenging situations and emotions. On this very cold day, take good care of yourself to maintain your optimum health.

01/12/2025

.trauma.educator

01/11/2025

Rest may be the most productive thing you can do!

01/04/2025

Primal Trust Academy & Community with Dr. Cathleen King 💗

12/02/2024

When is the last time you focused on your breathing?