The Positive Mind Psychotherapy & Counselling Practice

16/01/2022

28/04/2020

Coronavirus news, talk and speculation is all around us. TV, radio and social media are awash with it and it’s likely that every conversation we have starts with … Covid-19. Undoubtedly, we’re in uncharted territory and consequently it’s difficult to know how to react. The most important behaviour is to make the situation work for us and adapt quickly to the inevitable changes.

Adapting and being flexible will allow us to not only survive the circumstances, but to thrive and find a positive way through. Getting stuck in a cycle of worry and anxiety is a very real possibility and one that has the potential to negatively impact you and your family if not managed carefully. Other family members, whatever their age, will also be unsure of how to behave and manage their feelings, so it remains important for you to keep adjusting to what is currently your new ‘normal.’

Self-isolation and social distancing mean that we may find ourselves with lots of time on our hands to think - which can lead to a great deal of rumination. This means old anxieties, perhaps triggered by current events, may come to the fore. What is key, is to use this time constructively. We are being forced to think about where we are in our lives, so we should consider this a time of consolidation and planning for the future. Set new goals. Think about it, when do we ever get the chance to pause and properly reflect on where we are? Our lives will undoubtedly change – and potentially for the better - and we should see this as a springboard to a fantastic future in which new opportunities may open up.

So how can you navigate these testing times? Read my blog and find out!

https://thepositivemind.co.uk/adapting-and-surviving-coronavirus-keeping-your-mental-health-in-check/

30/03/2020

The Coronavirus has plunged us into a time of uncertainty and many of us are getting stuck in a cycle of worry and anxiety. We need to adapt quickly to survive this pandemic and keep our mental health in check! To find out how read this article and share it with others who may also benefit.

Coronavirus news, talk and speculation is all around us. TV, radio and social media are awash with it and it’s likely that every conversation we have starts with … Covid-19.

24/03/2020

Tap ❤️ if you agree. Tag someone who needs to see this. Do you have difficulty controlling worry and would like to reduce your worrying to a reasonable level?
Then the first step is to learn to distinguish between productive and unproductive worries!
Unproductive worry can be extremely detrimental as it causes pessimism, anxiety, demoralisation, the constant need for reassurance and the inability to enjoy the present moment. Unproductive worry involves a series of ‘what-if’ questions about problems that pertain to a chain of events (rather than a single event) that are impossible to control. Unproductive worriers often want immediate answers to their problems as this brings relief from feelings of negativity (but only in the short-term). They think that by worrying, they will be better prepared and more able to control supposed negative, or even catastrophic, outcomes. They reject imperfect solutions and demand certainty in an uncertain world.
In contrast, productive worry can be extremely useful, as it can help you to manage your life TODAY and reduce stress. Productive worry involves questions to problems that centre around a single event - NOT a chain reaction - where a solution is possible; albeit an imperfect one! Productive worriers accept limitations, recognise what can and can’t be controlled and do not use their anxiety as a guide when making decisions.
Given the current global crisis with the Coronavirus, we certainly have a lot to be worried about, and a lot of time on our hands to ruminate while we are in isolation. Learning to recognise and reduce unproductive worries will help to reduce your anxiety and protect your mental health over the coming weeks and months.

23/03/2020

I am a qualified psychotherapist supporting adults, young people and children with their mental health in Kent. I wanted to reach out and utilise my skills to support anyone who may be stressed and anxious about how they are going to cope during this period of uncertainty and social distancing / isolation. Cognitive behaviour therapy in particular is excellent for addressing worries that can sometimes feel insurmountable. I am offering a free 20 minute telephone or Skype/FaceTime consultation to give some guidance on the best way to maintain positive mental wellbeing at this challenging time. Please contact me via my website www.thepositivemind.co.uk
I look forward to hearing from you.
Kind regards, Dionne Reece.

19/03/2020

Hi everyone,
I wanted to reach out and utilise my skills to support anyone who may be anxious about how they are going to cope during this period of uncertainty and social isolation. Cognitive behaviour therapy in particular is excellent for addressing worries that can sometimes feel insurmountable.
I am offering a free 20 minute telephone or Skype/FaceTime consultation to everyone and am also going to be working within my local community to help the most vulnerable.
Please contact me through my website www.thepositivemind.co.uk to arrange an appointment.
I look forward to hearing from you and hope to help in any way I can at this challenging time.
Kind regards, Dionne.

The Positive Mind is a safe space to talk through whatever is bothering you.

18/03/2020

Tap ❤️ if you agree. Tag someone who needs to see this.
Obsessive compulsive disorder is a debilitating anxiety disorder. It is characterised by a persons obsessive, distressing, intrusive thoughts and repetitive compulsions (or rituals) that are performed to avoid a perceived threat and reduce feelings of anxiety. Typical obsessions include fear of contamination, causing harm to oneself or others, discomfort with asymmetry and hoarding.
We all experience unwanted intrusive thoughts which can become stuck in our minds because of the alarming content. However, these unwanted intrusive thoughts are just that - thoughts - and are usually interpreted as meaningless, unimportant, non-threatening and dismissed as improbable!
So, how do unwanted intrusive thoughts turn into obsessive intrusive thoughts?
The key difference is that they are catastrophically misinterpreted as being highly significant and meaningful, the level of threat to oneself or others is hugely over-exaggerated and there is an inflated sense of responsibility I.e. the belief that one has the power to cause or prevent negative outcomes. These factors, combined with an intolerance of uncertainty and perfectionism, mean that these types of thoughts are not so easily dismissed.
Consequently, negative coping strategies such as compulsions (rituals), avoidance of anxiety provoking situations, distraction (for example, starting an argument) and reassurance seeking are often employed in order to try to suppress and neutralise these obsessive intrusive thoughts. Unfortunately, this only helps to make them occur more frequently and increase feelings of discomfort and anxiety.
OCD can be extremely crippling and negatively impact daily life, but the good news is that it can be successfully treated with Cognitive Behaviour Therapy. If you think you might be suffering from OCD and need advice, please get in touch with me to arrange a confidential consultation.

26/02/2020

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Feeling anxious, or anticipating anxiety, understandably makes you want to do something to avoid the feared situation. However, whilst avoidance decreases your physical symptoms in the short term, in the long term your symptoms of anxiety will only intensify. Similarly using safety behaviours (subtle avoidance like having an exit plan, reassurance seeking & distraction techniques)
means that you never have the chance to discover that this distressing feeling is not dangerous and will in fact reduce of its own accord once it has peaked! You are highly likely to find yourself trapped in a vicious cycle of anxiety!
The good news is that you can reverse this situation to create a positive cycle that will help you to overcome your anxiety.
The first step is to gradually confront feared situations. This will lead to an improved sense of confidence, which will help to reduce your anxious feelings. Often a ‘step-by-step’ structured approach (graded exposure) is the best way to move forward, as it allows you to challenge your fears and tackle the situations you find easier to handle before
working your way up to more challenging tasks. This way you have a good chance of reducing your anxiety to manageable levels.

24/02/2020

Tap ❤️ if you agree. Tag someone who needs to see this.
The essence of anxiety is worrying (thinking) about a potential threat and doubting your ability to cope with it. This negative evaluation causes adrenaline to be released into your body, which in turn triggers a strong physiological response (increased heart rate, muscle tension, sweating, trembling etc) and intensifies feelings of dread in situations where there is no actual real danger. What has happened? Your body has set off an automatic biological “alarm”. However, this is a “false alarm,” because there is no ‘fight’ to be had, or ‘flight’ to be taken. It’s like setting off a fire alarm when there is no fire! One of the key components of the fight or flight response, is an increase in your breathing rate (anxious breathing). When your breathing rate increases without any physical exertion (no danger), you breathe out too much carbon dioxide. If the body cannot quickly return carbon dioxide levels to the optimal range, you can experience further symptoms of anxiety such as light-headedness, headache and even panic attacks. If you suffer from anxiety, it can be helpful to know that adrenaline can only work for short periods of time, then it goes back down again as the body begins to metabolise it. Even better, if you are able to face your fears, rather than avoid them, over time your feelings of anxiety will start to dissipate. Remember, some anxiety is normal as it helps to motivate you. It’s the excess anxiety you want to get rid of!

30/01/2020

Tap ❤️ if you agree. Tag someone who needs to see this. Our core beliefs are the unconscious thoughts and judgements we carry about ourself. They are central to how we perceive ourself, others and the world around us and are the cause of low self-esteem, feelings of worthlessness and many mental health issues such as anxiety and depression.

Maladaptive (negative) core beliefs underlie automatic negative thoughts (irrational & self-defeating thinking patterns) - the more rigid and inflexible they are, the harder it is to challenge them! This is because there is the tendency to selectively focus on small amounts of information, or negative feedback, that support the maladaptive core belief and ignore all the evidence, or positive feedback, that contradict it.

Core beliefs start to develop in childhood and also across the lifespan through major life events and experiences. This means maladaptive core beliefs become so ingrained that we stop questioning them and accept them as absolute truths; even though they make us feel like outsiders, unlovable, stupid, flawed, helpless or failures (amongst many others).

Learning to identify, understand and challenge maladaptive core beliefs is vital for good mental health and most importantly, is the key to beginning your recovery!

23/01/2020

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Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) and social anxiety disorder (SAD) are two separate disorders that often get confused, as both are characterised by fear, anxiety and avoidance of social situations.

SAD can often be triggered by BDD, as people with this disorder are excessively preoccupied with slight, or imagined, ‘defects’ in their appearance and see themselves as unattractive, or even repulsive. This makes them want to avoid being in the public eye because of feelings of shame, embarrassment and inadequacy.

Appearance preoccupations in BDD can be with one, or multiple, areas of the body such as; having a big nose, a bulging stomach, fat thighs, crooked teeth, scarred skin or asymmetrical cheekbones, for example, and have an obsessive quality (OCD). Often thinking about the ‘perceived flaw’ can be in excess of 3 hours a day - which can be very debilitating.

Compulsive behaviours, or rituals, such as mirror checking usually accompany these obsessive thoughts and are performed repetitively in order to try to alleviate feelings of anxiety (albeit temporarily). Safety behaviours such as camouflaging are also utilised to prevent a feared consequence - like being ridiculed.

It’s really important to distinguish between BDD and SAD when formulating a treatment plan, as often people with BDD are extremely secretive about their symptoms because they feel ashamed.

22/01/2020

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Locus of Control is an extremely important concept and describes the degree in which you believe you can control the events in your life that affect you.

Your locus (Latin for location) can
either be internal (believing you are in control of your own destiny) or external (believing that your destiny is in the hands of others, or fate).

Why is Locus of Control important? When you believe you are responsible for your own actions (Internal Locus of Control), you feel empowered, have greater confidence in your own abilities, higher levels of self-esteem and are therefore better equipped psychologically to cope with stressors in your life.

In contrast, when you believe that you are powerless and stuck with your lot (External Locus of Control), this can have serious ramifications for your mental wellbeing, as you will be more susceptible to mental health issues such as anxiety and depression and will be less inclined to do something about it! The good news is that you can learn to develop an internal locus of control. You have choices. It’’s your choice how you interpret events in your life!

21/01/2020

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Our behaviours and emotions are determined by our interpretation of an event. When we appraise a situation sceptically, this triggers negative thoughts, which in turn generate negative emotions like fear, anxiety, depression and shame.

Efforts to try to neutralise these unpleasant feelings often result in avoidance and safety behaviours (abstaining from people, situations and places where we think these feelings will occur). Unfortunately, this has a rebound effect and only serves to create a vicious cycle of more negative thoughts and feelings and the maintenance of unhelpful avoidance and safety behaviours.

Most people uncritically accept their perceptions of situations as absolute truths, because these negative automatic thoughts happen so quickly. They are not aware of their negative interpretation bias! Instead, what they do notice is the negative shift in their emotions after the interpretation has occurred!

For good mental health, It is important to remember that just because you think something, it doesn’t mean it’s true! Thoughts are hypotheses (theories) that can be tested!

19/01/2020

Tap ❤️ if you agree. What is mindset?
Mindset is a groundbreaking idea that your set of beliefs affects how you think, feel and behave. According to World-Renowned Psychologist Carole Dweck, it’s not just our abilities and talents that bring us success, but whether we approach them from a fixed or growth mindset!

A ‘fixed mindset’ is the belief that your basic abilities, intelligence and talents are set in stone and will not improve, even with effort.
A ‘growth mindset’ is the belief that your basic abilities, intelligence and talents can be developed through effort, hard work and perseverance.

Importantly, these two beliefs lead to very different behaviours and very different outcomes in life!

Mindset is also important for positive mental health;
People with a fixed mindset are closed-minded and tend to give up easily and get very discouraged by setbacks which causes stress, aggression, anxiety and depression. Whereas, people with a growth mindset are open-minded and tend to view setbacks as opportunities to learn, are happier, enjoy life more and are more psychologically resilient!

So, if you want to enjoy good mental health, be happy, successful and fulfil your true potential....remember...minds are like parachutes, they only function when open!

15/01/2020

Tap ❤️ and Tag someone who needs to see this.

It’s common to worry about things like relationships, work, finances, and of course our physical health. From time to time we may notice sensations or changes in our bodies and wonder if there might be a serious underlying medical cause. When we do, we seek the most appropriate medical advice in order to alleviate our worries.

However, many people, particularly women, become excessively concerned about their health - much more than normal - despite reassurances from medical professionals that they are Ok! This preoccupation with the idea that they have, or will get a serious illness is often an indicator that they are suffering from a health, or illness, anxiety disorder!

What causes this to happen?
Obsessively thinking that there is a threat to their health can trigger an anxiety response. Anxiety itself can cause physiological symptoms like headaches, or a racing heart. These symptoms then get misinterpreted as a sign of serious illness such as; a brain tumour, cancer, Alzheimers Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, or even a heart attack. Or they may simply think that something is “not quite right”.

Health anxiety disorders can be extremely debilitating and negatively impact social, occupational and emotional functioning, as well as mental health in the long term. The good news is that psychological interventions such as cognitive behaviour therapy can help to change unhelpful thinking patterns and find alternative ‘non-threatening’ ways of viewing body sensations.
Health anxiety disorders can be very difficult to diagnose as they can present as social anxiety, eating disorders or even OCD. Are you experiencing any of these symptoms?

12/01/2020

Tap ❤️ if you are an OPTIMIST. Tap ❤️ ❤️ if you want to be an OPTIMIST.
What’s the Difference Between ‘Learned Helplessness’ & Learned Optimism?’

In psychology, ‘Learned Helplessness,’ is when people repeatedly tolerate pain, suffering and discomfort that they could easily avoid. Why is this? They become conditioned and perceive, or believe, that they have no control over what is happening to them and start to think, feel and behave as if they are helpless and unable to change their situation.
Common Characteristics Include;
Blames self when things go wrong
Sees failure as evidence of worthlessness
Devalues attributes and accomplishments
Focuses on weaknesses and mistakes
Loses Motivation in the face of obstacles
Increases Stress and Avoidance
Feels Overwhelmed and Shut Down
What is the Impact of ‘Learned Helplessness’ on Mental Health?
Depression
Anxiety
PTSD
Low Self-esteem
Frustration
Passivity
Loneliness

In contrast, ‘Learned Optimism’ is the idea that a positive or optimistic mindset, can be taught, or learned, so that you can change your life for the better.
Common Characteristics Include;
Sees bad events as unlucky or unfortunate
Sees failure part of life
Gives oneself credit for attributes and accomplishments
Focuses on strengths
Maintains motivation to overcome obstacles
Uses stress to push towards goals
Works harder to find a solution
What is the Impact of Learned Optimism on Mental Health?
Reduction in Depression & Anxiety
Resilience
High Self-esteem
Higher Levels of Subjective Wellbeing (Happiness)
Fulfilment
Pro-activity
Greater Meaning in Life

How Can Optimism Be Learned?
You can learn to consciously cultivate an optimistic perspective by challenging pessimistic thoughts and replacing negative self-talk with positive self-talk!

Which one are you?