Skip to main content

Tag: mental health

Newer posts

The Great Health Benefits of Practicing Gratitude

Posted on by

Practicing gratitude is a great habit to start. By giving thanks regularly you’ll reap benefits to both your mental health and your overall wellbeing.  

You can practice gratitude in a variety of different ways depending on your personal preference. Below we’ve laid out all the different ways you can start practicing gratitude today and the benefits you’ll begin to see.   

Gratitude helps people enjoy good experiences!

What Does it Mean to Practice Gratitude? 

Gratitude is the quality of being thankful or appreciative. Practicing gratitude involves recognising the positive things in your life and how they affect you.  You can be grateful for anything, big or small, and bringing awareness to both will be beneficial to you.  

Some examples of things to be grateful for are:  

  • A great cup of coffee in the morning 
  • Loving friends and family 
  • A drive to work with no traffic 
  • A sunny day 
  • Any pets that you have 
  • Getting to spend time in nature 
  • Finding a great new song.

Read Now: Why is Journaling Good for Your Mental Wellbeing? 

Getting Started Practicing Gratitude 

There are many different ways to start practicing gratitude, try a few from the list below and see which method best works for you. 

  1. Gratitude journaling 

Gratitude journaling is the most common technique which involves writing down and keeping note of all the things that you’re grateful for.  

This can be a simple as writing a note in your phone or buying a specific diary especially for this. A great way to start is to sit down each evening and write 3 things you noticed about your day that you appreciated.  

  1. Gratitude mapping 

Gratitude mapping is a fantastic method if you’re a visual learner. It’s a mind map or mood board of everything you’re grateful for, which you can place somewhere you’ll see every day to remind you.  

  1. Gratitude jars 

Gratitude jars are a fun way of practicing gratitude, whenever something good happens write it down and put it in a jar. When you’re feeling sad pick from the jar at random and remind yourself of something good in your life that you might’ve forgotten.  

  1. Morning meditation 

If you’re already into meditation, you can introduce gratitude to your practice. Reflect on what you’re grateful for and the accomplishments you’ve made in life. A morning meditation can set you up with optimism for the day, or an evening meditation can help you to relax before bed.   

  1. Prayer 

Prayer is a popular method of practicing gratitude, accessible to anyone. You can pray to faith, a higher power or even the universe. Expressing gratitude for your life and the world you live in and simply being thankful for being alive.  

  1. Volunteering 

Sometimes practicing gratitude can be hard, so if you’re not ready to sit and self-reflect volunteering is a practical form of gratitude. Helping those less fortunate than you can highlight areas of your own life to be grateful for, whilst bringing you a sense of purpose. 

Read Now: How to Live With Anxiety 

Benefits of Practicing Gratitude 

There are many benefits of practicing gratitude, for both your mental and physical health. When practiced regularly gratitude can have some of the following positive impacts on your wellbeing.  

Notice good things, look for them, appreciate them.
  1. Boosts the immune system 

Practicing gratitude can help to alleviate stress, and the less stressed you are, the better your immune system will be.  

Stress lowers the immune response in your body so increased mental well-being can help your body fight off illness. 

  1. Improves mental health 

Practicing gratitude is one of the many methods that can improve your mental health. A daily gratitude practice can ease symptoms of anxiety and depression and benefit your overall mood.  

  1. Improved relationships 

Practicing gratitude can help partners feel more satisfied with each other. By specifically acknowledging what you appreciate in your partner you can increase your overall relationship satisfaction.  

  1. Increased optimism 

Practicing gratitude can help you become an optimist, which can lead to you feeling positive about your life and your future. Being an optimistic person will not only help you enjoy your life more, but could also lead to a longer lifespan.   

Read Now: Practicing Mindfulness: How to Stay Stress Free 

Summary 

Practicing gratitude is a beneficial daily habit to implement for both your physical and mental wellbeing.  

To get started with a gratitude practice, there are many techniques you can try or you can simply start with being mindful of the little things in your life that you appreciate.  

For further advice on changes you can make to better your mental health, contact our experts at Ceed today.   

How to Improve Your Productivity with Neuroplasticity

Posted on by

Neuroplasticity is the ability of the brain to adapt, rewire and change shape with new experiences.  

At any age, the way the brain works can totally transform. We can become more optimistic, joyful, productive and better at learning without ever returning to our ‘old ways’.  

Find more productive habits with neuroplasticity!

With the myth that we use 10% of our brains debunked, we now know that our entire brains are neural real estate, forming and strengthening different neural pathways throughout the day. 

Understanding neuroplasticity can unlock a clear pathway to more productive habits. By tapping into neuroplasticity, we can achieve:  

  • Better time-keeping 
  • Improved short-term memory 
  • An efficient work life 
  • An overall more dynamic brain.  

What is Neuroplasticity? 

Neuroplasticity is the “plastic” nature of the brain – its ability to shift and change layout.  

All our habits, thought processes and beliefs – the way we think – are physically represented by neurons and neural pathways. Different neural pathways get stronger with use or waste away, much like a muscle.  

It’s easy to imagine that if we had the technology, we could understand everything about someone just by looking at the physical map of their brain, looking up close at the neural pathways and seeing which are stronger and used more than others.  

We already understand a lot, like how to use brain examinations to detect dementia and determine the cause of a stroke. 

Using certain parts of our brains more strengthens those neural pathways. This is what behavioural therapy taps into – mental muscle memory. 

Read Now: Neuroplasticity: Better Your Brain with Positive Thinking

How Can We Use it? 

The future is bright. The more we dig into the science of neuroplasticity, the more we can see the limitless ways to harness and use our brains for the better. 

Below are just a few things we can achieve by strengthening new pathways and weakening old, unhelpful ones: 

1. Changing Our Habits 

Struggling to be productive is a difficulty most of us can understand. Getting started on new projects, staying motivated and working in a consistent, efficient way are all things that don’t always come easy, but can be developed with practice.  

An understanding of neuroplasticity is a great place to start when thinking about changing your habits. This way, you can make the change as easy as possible for your brain to take on.  

Try switching up your habits for better productivity!

For example, if you want to totally overhaul your work ethic and methods, start with a small change. Instead of putting pressure on yourself to fix the problem in one fell swoop, try breaking other habits in your life first by trying new things, or even doing something you know how to do already, differently. 

Even breaking and changing habits unrelated to the big one you have your eye on will help you to eventually make the change. This is because taking on new habits and experiences strengthens neural pathways responsible for learning, making your brain more dynamic and flexible.  

Changing a habit could be as simple as taking a different route to work or shopping for food somewhere different. And when it comes to making a bigger change, try doing something a different way before replacing it altogether. Your brain can learn to adapt. 

Read Now: 3 Reasons to Step Out of Your Comfort Zone and Into Your Growth Zone 

2. Communicating Better 

Communicating well is key to being part of a productive, efficient team. With good communication, skills can be shared, tasks can be completed quickly and everyone feels inclined to work well to get goals achieved.  

Using neuroplasticity to communicate better once again comes down to identifying and changing a habit. What gets in the way of feeling like we are on the same page with someone? More often than not, it is defensiveness of our own view and not understanding the view of the person we are talking with. The angrier we feel, the less inclined to connect we feel. 

This makes active listening – the act of truly trying to understand what someone is saying – impossible. In breaking this habit, the first thing to practice is checking in on whether you are actually listening to the other person.  

The second thing to do is to return to focusing on connecting and listening. While this is easier said than done, it is possible to make this a habit through practice. 

Read Now: How to Practice Active Listening 

4. A More Dynamic Brain 

The happiest brains are flexible and open-minded, open to learning and taking on new information. The more our brains experience changing and developing new skills, the more flexible and agile they become – and the more able to cope with any challenge. 

A brain that has recently been learning a new language and improving at sudoku will be developing strong neural connections in the parts of the brain responsible for learning. This makes it now more equipped to learn other new skills more easily. In other words, the more we change the brain through neuroplasticity, the more able to change the brain is.  

When it comes to productivity, the ideal brain can:  

  • Learn new skills 
  • Remember important details 
  • Switch between tasks easily.  

Try learning a new skill – no matter what it is, you will see benefits in how your brain processes information and takes on new challenges. 

Trying new things can create a more adaptable brain!

Read Now: How to Tap Into Neuroplasticity in Your Daily Life 

To Sum Up… 

These are just a few ways harnessing neuroplasticity can help to improve your productivity. With an understanding of how the brain makes and stores connections, we can develop any skill or ability we like more easily and effectively.  

With intention and an awareness of neuroplasticity, you can build an open-minded and flexible brain able to take on any challenge and navigate the unexpected. 

For help with making lifestyle changes, contact one of our coaches at Ceed today! 

The Valuable Mental Health Benefits of Cold Water Swimming

Posted on by

Cold water swimming, especially in wild locations, comes with a variety of physical and mental health benefits. 

The colder the water, the better it is for you, whether that be in the sea, a lake or a river. Cold open-water swimming has been linked to:  

  • Pain relief 
  • Improved circulation 
  • Reduced inflammation 
  • Better concentration 
  • A significant positive effect on chronic low-mood and stress. 
Cold water swimming is good for your mental and physical health!

Inducing the Stress Response 

These health benefits come from inducing the body’s natural stress response. Through cold water swimming your body learns to self-regulate and overcome the stress induced by the water. 

The human stress response is an instinctive survival mechanism that reacts to your environment. So, any sudden change in your metabolic rate, like a change in temperature, will trigger a stress response. 

During this process your brain floods the body with stress hormones, which create a state of shock. This then triggers the parasympathetic nervous system which works to regulate your metabolism. Once regulated any physiological sensations and emotions fall back into equilibrium and you will feel calm again. 

By regularly inducing a stress response in your body through cold water swimming, you train yourself to be more efficient at regulating stress. So for those with anxious thoughts or panic attacks, cold-water swimming can help to train your body to overcome anxiety. 

Start cold open-water swimming today!

Immersing your face in cold water is key, as this stimulates the vagus nerve. This helps to slow your heart rate, relax the body, and activate metabolism. 

By submerging your face under water you trigger the mammalian dive response, which is where the somatic nerves of the facial muscles react to water and causes your heart rate to slow and muscle tissue to store more oxygen. 

Cold water swimming can also have a positive impact on your physical wellbeing. When the body is exposed to cold the blood vessels constrict, restricting blood flow and as a result reduce inflammation. So, if you have aches and pains that never seem to go away, cold-water swimming could be the answer.   

Read Now: How to Get Out of a Funk 

Mindfulness 

Mindfulness is the practise of being fully engaged in the present moment, aware of where we are and what we’re doing and not focusing on any distractions. To be mindful is to be fully present in the given moment.   

Cold water swimming and being in nature provide the perfect conditions to keep you present. It’ll be hard to focus on anything but the physical sensations you experience. 

When you’re in the water, it’s important to focus on your breathing and your movement through the water. You’ll disengage from any worry or stress in your life and find yourself completely present. 

Swimming in cold water takes courage, just the act of going and having the discipline to stay in the water can improve your sense of self-worth. It’s not an easy feat to be a cold-water swimmer. 

Read Now: 4 Effective Ways to Clear Your Mind of Stress 

How to Start Cold Water Swimming 

To begin your cold-water swimming journey its best to start small. It can be daunting to go out into nature and plunge into the cold. Instead try starting with something less intimidating. 

You can simply reduce the temperature of your morning showers, taking it one day at a time until you’re not using heat at all.  

As you ease yourself into cold water immersion be mindful of your breath and don’t allow yourself to tense up. Take deep breaths and relax. Essentially, you’re training yourself to be comfortable in the discomfort that comes with the cold.  

Another great option to try before taking the plunge is spending time outside in the cold. If you wear light layers this can trigger the same stress response cycle in the body without the intensity of cold-water swimming.  

When you feel ready to swim in the wild you can find your local swim group online. 

Read Now: 4 Mindful Ways to Help You Live in the Moment 

Be Safe When Cold Water Swimming 

If you’re wanting to give cold open-water swimming a try, it’s important to do so safely. When swimming remember to:  

  • Tell someone where you’re going and what your plan is. 
  • Swim with other people who are familiar with the area you’re swimming in. 
  • Be aware of your surroundings, keep in mind entry and exit points of the water. 
  • Enter the water gradually and allow your body to acclimatise. 
  • Ensure you’re visible in the water, either with a bright float or swim cap.  

For further advice on lifestyle changes to better your mental health, contact our experts at Ceed today.  

Unconventional Therapy: Creativity as a Powerful Tool

Posted on by

Therapy is a tried and tested method of improving mental health, understanding emotional problems, and gaining self-esteem. But alongside the therapy types we have come to expect, there is a more intriguing branch: creative therapy.  

Creative therapy focuses on using art forms to treat mental health conditions. It encourages artistic expression to channel thoughts and emotions, creating a new way to explore problems and find solutions. It’s particularly useful for those who find it difficult to express verbally, as we don’t have to rely on our words. It can help to: 

  • Build self-esteem 
  • Resolve conflict 
  • Develop social skills 
  • Understand difficult situations  
  • Improve cognitive functions 

Being creative is a great way to improve your mental health. Creative therapy provides a structured and secure setting to explore your feelings with the help of a licenced therapist. Although there are lots of different types of creative therapy, there are four main forms that are the most common.  

Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) 

Dance movement therapy utilises body movements, dance and rhythm to improve mental and physical health. It focuses on the connection between body and mind, using movement as a language to express emotions and unconscious processes.  

Dancing can benefit physical and mental health!

It boosts both physical and mental health, helping with:  

  • Stress reduction 
  • Disease prevention  
  • Mood management 
  • Cognitive issues 

Dance movement therapy has even been proven to be successful in helping adults with depression. By using movement, it can improve physical health whilst helping you to manage your mental health. 

And don’t worry, you don’t need any dance experience to try it! Your movements and rhythms are used to explore your experiences. It isn’t like a dance class – you don’t need to learn a routine or practice choreography. All you need to do is move, and you can connect your movements to your feelings.  

Read Now: How Exercise Benefits Mental Health 

Dramatherapy 

Dramatherapy works in a similar way to dance therapy, but uses performance to express thoughts and feelings. It is used to explore issues such as dementia, physical or sexual abuse, mental illness and autism. 

Dramatherapy uses an array of dramatic techniques to help people express themselves, including: 

  • Role play 
  • Puppetry 
  • Storytelling 
  • Movement 
  • Voice work  

It helps to improve self-esteem and self-worth, removing feelings of isolation and using movement to solve problems and set goals. It creates positive changes in mood, empathy, and insight, particularly helping with broadening your range of expression and emotion.   

By providing a safe space for participants to tell stories and express problems, dramatherapy can create a sense of catharsis for those involved. 

Read Now: How to Become More Comfortable in Your Own Skin 

Music Therapy  

Music therapy uses music to assess someone’s physical and emotional wellbeing, and is particularly useful for those who find it difficult to communicate verbally. No prior musical knowledge is needed, as it uses techniques including:  

  • Improvisation 
  • Listening 
  • Discussing lyrics 
  • Song writing 
  • Discussing music or imagery 

It creates space to communicate feelings and improve mental health. It combines active and passive interactions with music, often focusing on certain genres that have a positive effect on mental health issues such as depression.  

Music therapy is beneficial for a range of issues, including: 

  • Mental health 
  • Learning disabilities 
  • Alzheimer’s 
  • Substance abuse issues 
  • Brain injuries  

When words are too difficult to use, or emotions are too confusing to explain, music therapy helps to create an understanding of your problems. Finding lyrics that you relate to, or tunes that match your mood, can be beneficial in exploring your emotions.  

Read Now: How to Uncover Inspiration 

Visual Art Therapy  

Visual art therapy (or just art therapy) uses various art forms to explore emotions and help address distressing or confusing issues. Again, you don’t need to be artistically inclined to participate in it, as it focuses more on using art to discuss your own feelings.  

Sculpting is an art form used in visual art therapy!

Visual art therapy employs art forms like: 

  • Painting 
  • Drawing 
  • Sculpting 
  • Doodling 
  • Collage  

… to explore feelings, reduce anxiety, and manage behaviour. Often, the art we create is directly linked to our emotions, even if we don’t realise it at first. Art therapy analyses your creations, and helps you understand themes and conflicts that impact your thoughts and emotions.  

To Sum Up… 

Therapy is a solid foundation for improving mental health, but more conventional forms like CBT or psychotherapy might not feel right for you. Creative therapy can give you new and exciting ways to understand and process your emotions. Maybe it’s time to think outside of the box, and see if creative therapy is more suited to you.  

Ceed can provide you with a personalised life coach to help you improve your overall wellbeing. Visit our homepage for more details.  

How to Overcome Fear of Failure

Posted on by

“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” – Thomas Edison 

Failure is something that everybody goes through at some point in their life, whether it impacts them a little bit or a lot. The feeling of failure that flows through you after making a mistake can have a huge effect on you in the long term if you dwell on it.

Fear of embarrassment and shame can make you fear failure.

People can even develop a fear of failure known as “atychiphobia”, which will make you hyperaware of and afraid of failure and the shame it might make you feel.  

Whether you accidentally dropped a glass you were carrying for someone, or you got some negative feedback on a project that you spent a long time on, it isn’t wrong to feel this emotion. It isn’t the end of the world, either, failure can build you up stronger mentally and physically. 

Even the most successful people went through failure at some point. Some key people are:  

  • Steven Spielberg 
  • Oprah Winfrey 
  • Dr. Suess 
  • Michael Jordan 
  • Colonel Sanders.

Here is some advice to help you overcome that fear and help you to see the better side of these negative feelings:

Failure is the Key to Success 

Failure happens to the best of us. It’s better to have failed than not tried at all. You have to fail to understand how to improve your situation – it builds you up stronger mentally, and pushes you to be the best you can.  

Keep this thought in your mind:  

Failure is necessary for success to happen.  

It’s normal to experience failure at some point in your life, but it is understandable how people develop a fear of failure. What follows failure is a embarrassment and sense of shame – sometimes so intense that it envelops your mind – but it is never the end of the world. The more you experience these emotions, the more used to them and stronger you will get. 

You can learn from your failures to better yourself for next time around. You have not really failed but are just finding alternative solutions until you get it right.  

Reflection 

Reflect on your failure; how did you fail, and what can you do to prevent it for next time?  

Confront your own mistakes and figure out a way to improve upon it. Don’t just distract yourself from the mistake, or even “cut corners” to get around the problem. You won’t learn anything if you don’t admit to it.  

There are many ways to reflect on yourself; one of the easiest ways is to just ask for feedback on what you did wrong. People are always willing to give feedback.

Some feedback can be brutally honest, some might not be as honest. However, all in all this reflection on yourself will give you motivation to do better. 

Focus on Your End Goal

When you fail, you might start to punish yourself by dwelling on the failure. This can cloud your mind from anything that you are currently doing. Dwelling on your failure can occupy your mind for a day, a month or even longer depending on your idea of its severity.  

This can cause various issues within yourself, but the main one is that your passion for the situation will decrease in fear of failing again. Is putting the work in worth it? You end up giving up and losing your motivation and passion. 

Push yourself to your limits every time you can. As long as you can stand back up then nothing can knock you down. You’ll thank yourself in the future when you finally achieve something that means a lot to you.  

Overcome fear to feel like you can do anything!

Focus on what you want and know that you won’t get it right the first time without practice. If you keep trying over and over again, fixing mistakes each time, one day you will get it right.  

You must come to realise that failure is just a rite of passage for everything you accomplish.  

Conclusion 

Overcoming fear of failure is great for productivity and a healthy workflow, as well as improving everyday functioning. Don’t allow yourself to be brought down by mistakes. Everybody in the world fails at something at some point. A world without failure would be boring and success would mean nothing. Learning to motivate yourself on the journey to success is a much better feeling than being successful every time. 

Keep pushing yourself and keep getting back up, for failure is just a small obstacle in the grand scheme of your success.

Related Articles

Struggling to overcome your fears? We got you, check out our other articles for help and advice, and feel free to contact us here at Ceed for anything further we can assist with.  

Why is Journaling Good for Your Mental Wellbeing?

Posted on by

It may come as a surprise to some that simply writing down your thoughts can be beneficial to your wellbeing. It seems strange that something as simple as keeping a journal can have a significant impact on your health, but the past thirty years of scientific research suggests just that.  

There are a variety of ways to journal, from daily entries in a diary or keeping a log of writing on your computer.  Journaling usually explores the thoughts and feelings you have towards life events. Its best when engaged as a daily practice but even sporadic journaling can be beneficial if you focus on emotional processing. 

Below are five of the main benefits of journaling to encourage you to get started today. 

Write your way towards better health! 
  1. It Reduces Stress 

Journaling is a very accessible stress management tool. Its free and you don’t need to book a class or be taught by someone. All you need is a pen and paper.  

Journaling doesn’t release tension from your body like yoga or meditation, but it’s a good practice for overall stress relief.  

There are three main methods for journaling to relieve stress which are: 

Gratitude Journaling 

This a practice of making daily entries of what you’re grateful for. This can make you more aware of the good in your life and encourage you to appreciate the little things even when times are tough. 

Bullet Journaling 

This is a journaling practice that helps you stay organised. Most use a bullet journal to keep track of what they have to do each day and any goals they want to work towards. Being more organised is a great way to feel more in control of your life and relieve stress. 

Emotional Release Journaling 

This is a form of expressive writing about your thoughts and feelings toward any troubling life event. This can relieve stress due to its physical and mental benefits which we’ll discuss further below. 

Read Now: 4 Effective Ways to Clear Your Mind of Stress 

  1. It Regulates Emotions 

Journaling is an opportunity for emotional catharsis. By transferring thought to paper you allow your brain to process the emotions you feel instead of supressing them. By writing down your emotions, you can alleviate their intensity. 

Journaling can also help you be mindful and bring a better perspective to any situation. This can be helpful for regulating emotions, as it can be difficult to see past your how you’re feeling in the moment. By bringing a better perspective to the situation, you can better understand what triggered you and ease the strong emotions you feel.  

Regular journaling also has the benefit of greater self-identity and confidence. This is important for managing strong emotions and helping you to feel more equipped to overcome any challenge you face.  

  1. It Boosts Your Mood 

One of the benefits of regulating your emotions is that you’ll be more able to boost your mood. By recording the details of your day-to-day life your brain is more able to process the emotions that come with life events. This increases your overall sense of wellbeing as you’ll feel happier, calmer and more in control. 

By keeping track of your emotions and what triggers them, you’ll become more self-aware. This well help boost your mood as you become more aware of what results in positive feelings and what doesn’t. You’ll be better at seeking out what makes you feel good and more able to avoid anything that doesn’t. 

Your diary can keep you healthy!

Read Now: How to Tap Into Neuroplasticity in Your Daily Life 

  1. It Helps With Memory 

Keeping a journal improves your memory, comprehension and working memory capacity.  

A 2012 study on college students explored how expressive writing about emotional events can significantly improve autobiographical memory. This is beneficial as having more specific memories about your own life can help you to navigate future goals and problems.  

Studies in improving working memory, also known as short term memory, have also found that writing expressively about thoughts and feelings is beneficial over other forms of journaling.  

Although it isn’t entirely clear why the research shows that expressive writing is better than trivial topics when journaling, you can certainly reap the health benefits. 

Read Now: 4 Great Techniques to Boost Your Short-Term Memory 

  1. It Improves Your Immune Function  

Believe it or not but regular journaling actually decreases your risk of illness. Studies by psychologists in the healing effects of writing suggest that journaling about emotions and stress can boost immune functioning in patients with HIV, asthma and arthritis. Expressive writing has also been reported to improve liver and lung function.  

Journaling can even make physical wounds heal faster. A study from 2013 found that 76% of adults who spent 20 minutes writing regularly about their feelings two weeks before a medically necessary biopsy had fully recovered eleven days later. Contrastingly, 58% of the control group had not recovered.  

To Sum Up… 

The benefits of journaling are undeniable, and it doesn’t take a big commitment to start experiencing the effect. Begin with just fifteen minutes a couple times a week and increase from there when you feel ready. 

Related Articles

At Ceed we have trained coaching experts to help you work towards improving your wellbeing. Visit our website to find out more. 

How to Live With Anxiety

Posted on by

One of the most important topics of discussion, especially in a world that’s been affected by a pandemic, is the matter of our mental health. There was a significant increase in depressive and anxiety disorders in 2020 due to the pandemic throwing our lives out of synch, disrupting our day-to-day sense of normality. 

Our mental health isn’t something that should be treated lightly, as when there’s a problem, it can get worse without treatment. If a person suffers from an issue regarding their mental wellbeing, it can actually be worse than suffering from a cold or breaking a bone.

The longer a mental illness persists, the more difficult it’ll be to treat, leading to possible panic attacks while unaddressed trauma could culminate in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Address anxiety as soon as possible for a healthy mind!

If you or someone you know suffers from a form of anxiety, then this article will help you by providing advice on how to live with and manage it. Please note that this isn’t medical advice – if are suffering with anxiety it’s always worth seeking professional advice as well as taking these tips on board.  

Read Now: The Impact of Screen Addiction on Health and Wellbeing

Determine Your Triggers 

Anxiety can be caused by a variety of factors. These can include: 

  • Experiences from childhood that had a negative impact on you and have stayed with you until now
  • Your current life situation, e.g. pressure from work or studying, unemployment, financial issues
  • Physical health problems
  • Other mental health problems; some people who have depression develop anxiety as a result of this
  • Drugs and medication, including recreational drugs and alcohol. 

(Source) 

Many of these can lead to what is known as an emotional trigger. This is defined as something that will “spark intense negative emotions”. The key thing is to figure out what your trigger is and then limit your exposure to it. If this is seemingly impossible – say, the trigger in question is from just visiting your place of work – consult the other methods to manage anxiety in this list to help you cope.  

Do One Task At a Time 

To give one example, let’s say you’re at work or your place of education. As you know, you’re going to be bogged down with tasks that will require completion, often in a short span of time. This alone can fuel your anxiety and make you feel overwhelmed. 

There is a very simple solution to this problem: focus on one task at a time. 

Take things one at a time to avoid feeling anxious about a task!

Think – which task has the closest deadline? Which is the trickiest? Which will take the most thought? It’s important that you prioritise these particular tasks first, as putting them off will just make you feel anxious for when you do approach them. 

Focus On Your Sleep 

While there are certainly people who prefer to be active rather than rest, something we all need to do is sleep. Unfortunately, if you suffer from anxiety, it can lead to you having difficulty sleeping (insomnia), or difficulty sleeping can actually cause anxiety. 

Here are just a few ways for you to ensure that you can catch a good night’s sleep: 

  • Create and keep to a routine. If you break away from it, sometimes even slightly, this could make sleeping more difficult for you.  
  • Make sure your bedroom’s temperature is cool. A hot and stuffy bedroom will make sleeping seemingly impossible to accomplish. 
  • Have a comfy bed. After all, how are you supposed to relax if your mattress is lumpy, too soft, or too hard? Like with Goldilocks, it needs to be just right! 
  • Avoid using screens. Whether it’s the TV, a phone, or a computer/ laptop, the blue light emitted from them affects our Circadian rhythm, which is what helps us fall asleep. 

Read Now: Why Understanding Sleep is Crucial to your Wellbeing

Go For a Walk 

It’s as simple as this. If you find yourself in a situation that’s giving you anxiety and making you feel stressed, you just need to walk away. 

However, this doesn’t mean you should then start running away from your problems and avoid them altogether. If anything, this is going to make your anxiety even worse than it was before. By simply moving ourselves away from the problem temporarily and having a walk, we’re more likely to develop discerning thoughts. This means we’ll be better at making judgements and formulating good thoughts. 

Taking a walk can truly clear your head!

Sometimes it’s best not to make decisions sitting down. Being on the go matches how our thoughts are constantly moving and changing, allowing those ideas to be processed and analysed internally more easily. 

Related Articles

These were just a small number of ways for how you or someone you know can learn to live with anxiety. If you’d like to learn more about this topic, or perhaps an entirely different one altogether, contact Ceed today. 

How to Heal After an Unexpected Breakup

Posted on by

Going through a breakup is painful, but one you didn’t see coming can be particularly hard to wrap your head around. It comes with the anger at your partner for jumping ship without warning, or at yourself for not noticing the signs.  

How you heal from a breakup is a personal experience, as everyone recovers differently.  So, although there’s no ‘right’ way to heal after a break up, below are some steps you can take to care for yourself during this difficult time. 

Be compassionate towards yourself while you heal from a breakup.

Don’t look for closure 

When your breakup seems to come out of the nowhere it can be incredibly destabilising. It reveals that your partner wasn’t communicating and being honest like you thought and it can feel as if the breakup up just doesn’t make sense.  

It’s common to want answers, but often with unexpected breakups you’ll receive vague unsatisfying explanations and a sudden no contact policy. This sudden one-eighty of your relationship can leave you reeling and in shock.  

When someone ends a relationship with you abruptly and without warning, it’s not a reflection of you or your worthiness to be loved. They do this because of their own issues and their inability to communicate. Focusing on this can help you to move on when you feel you need answers.  

You didn’t deserve to be broken up with this way, your ex simply didn’t have the tools or emotional maturity to handle the breakup properly. You’re unlikely to get closure from any explanation they could provide, so instead seek closure by healing and allowing yourself to move on.  

Let yourself be sad 

When you’re in pain it’s natural to seek a remedy, to try to find the answer to “how long will I feel this way?” but it’s important not to rush anything. Let yourself heal and be kind to yourself. It’s okay to wrap up in your duvet, put on a movie and eat a whole tub of Ben & Jerry’s. After all, the clichés exist for a reason, and ice cream is the ultimate comfort food.   

If you’re not ready to let yourself be sad, that’s also okay. Leaning into your friends and filling up your social calendar is a good way to distract yourself from thinking about your ex and the whirlwind of emotions they bring.  

It’s good to reach out to your support network and remind yourself you’re not alone, but you also can’t distract yourself forever. Eventually you’ll need to let yourself feel and to sit with the pain of your breakup, but it’s okay to only do so once you feel ready. 

Feeling sad is an important stage of healing.

Going through a breakup is a form of grief and as frustrating as it can be to hear, there isn’t an easy fix – you simply need to give yourself time. Allow yourself time to heal and try not to compare yourself to the healing journey of others. Every breakup is different and everyone’s recovery will look different.  It could take you weeks, months or years and that’s okay.  

Don’t wallow 

While allowing yourself to be sad is important, make sure not to let yourself wallow. If a period of sadness comes, ride the wave and let yourself feel your emotions, but don’t go looking for things that may trigger you.  

As tempting as it might be, don’t look through old photos or stalk them on Instagram. If there’s a TV series you were in the middle of watching together or a café that was your go to spot, it’s best to avoid these while the breakup is fresh. By triggering yourself in this way you’ll only prolong the healing process.  

The best way to start moving on from your ex is by removing their presence from your life. Mute them on socials, put all their things away in a memory box and most importantly don’t reach out to them.  

Trust in love again  

Unexpected breakups are particularly hard because they demolish your sense of trust. Romantic relationships are deep vulnerable connections and it takes trust to be physically and emotionally intimate with someone.  

So when your partner blindsides you with a breakup it’s easy to lose trust in the belief that romantic bonds can be safe. It’s also very easy to lose trust in yourself when you question if you ever really knew your partner like you thought you did. 

Unexpected breakups are unfair, don’t let it affect your future relationships.

This breakdown of trust can cause you to approach new relationships with caution and wariness. Chelsea Lee Trescott, Relationship coach and host of Thank You Heartbreak, recommends writing down a list of all the ways your ex-partner blindsided you.  

Just the act of putting thought to paper can help release your emotions and start the healing process. Write under each point what you fear this means for your future relationships.  

For example, if your ex was behaving normally and lovingly up until the day they broke up with you, you could write that you worry you won’t be able to trust that someone means what they say. Write next to each of these points that you won’t blindside someone in the same way. So, you promise not to spare someone how you truly feel about them because being honest avoids confusion and breaking their trust.  

This is an important exercise that can help you to recover from the impact of your unexpected breakup and to move on once you’re ready. 

Related Articles

For further guidance from our expert lifestyle coaches contact us here. 

A Happy Diet: 9 Foods Proven to Lift Your Mood

Posted on by

When you’re feeling low it can be tempting to turn to sugary food to help lift your mood. But in reality, those foods have a short-lived feel good effect and can leave you feeling worse in the long run. Instead, try making informed choices about the food you consume and implement them into your everyday diet.  

The relationship between nutrition and mental health has become a hot topic in the wake of the Covid pandemic and the impact it’s had on everyone’s mental wellbeing. Research shows a link between certain food groups, brain health and the presence of mood disorders. 

However, your mood can be impacted by many factors in your life – from stress, poor sleep and even genetics. This makes it difficult to measure the full impact of healthy food on your mood, but research suggests that a healthier diet means a healthier brain, which alleviates certain mood disorders. 

Below are 9 healthy foods that can lead to a healthier brain.    

Your food choices are important for your brain health!

1. Oats 

Oats are a great way to start your day as they slowly release sugar into your bloodstream to keep you energised for a long time.  

Oats achieve this by being very high in fibre. This slows the digestion of the carbohydrates in oats allowing for a gradual release of sugar and stable energy levels throughout the day. A high fibre breakfast can have a positive impact on your mood as stable sugar levels have been linked to controlling mood swings. 

2. Coffee 

Coffee is a widely popular drink and stimulant that makes you feel energised. Caffeine works by blocking adenosine, a neurotransmitter in the brain that causes drowsiness. This can boost your mood by making you feel more alert, sharp and productive.  

But the benefits don’t stop there, coffee increases the release of dopamine and norepinephrine in your brain which are both neurotransmitters that help regulate your mood.  

A small study of 72 people found that both caffeinated and decaf coffee significantly improved mood compared to those provided with a placebo. This suggest that coffee contains many other compounds that influence mood, although more research is needed. 

3. Nuts and seeds 

Nuts and seeds are high in healthy fats, fibre and protein. They also contain tryptophan which is an amino acid that produces serotonin and stabilises your mood. Nuts can also help with zinc deficiency which is a vital mineral for healthy brain function. 

A long-term study reported a link between moderate nut consumption with a 23% decrease in the risk of depression. This suggests that nuts and seeds are an important food group for maintaining your brain health.  

4. Berries  

A diet rich in antioxidants has been linked to lower levels of inflammation which has been associated with depression.  

Berries contain a variety of antioxidants which help to prevent an imbalance of harmful compounds in your body. They’re also particularly high in anthocyanins which have been associated with preventing symptoms of depression.  

Fresh berries can be expensive so if you’re struggling to have them regularly in your diet try buying frozen instead. Make sure to purchase berries that are frozen at their peak so that you’re still getting the same number of antioxidants as you would from fresh fruit.   

Choose healthier options for a healthier brain. 

5. Fish  

Oily fish are a good source of omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3s help build membranes around each cell in the body, including brain cells. They improve the structure of neurons which are necessary for all function within the body. 

A 2017 study found that high levels of omega-3s increased blood flow in the brain and resulted in a greater ability to process information. This suggests that eating oily fish can do wonders for your brain function.  

Examples of oily fish that contain high levels of omega-3s include salmon, tuna and sardines. However, you can also find omega-3s in soybeans, nuts, and seeds if eating fish isn’t an option for you. 

Read now: Hungry, Or Just Bored? Keep Track Of Your Eating Habits 

6. Bananas 

Bananas have been reported to alleviate the symptoms of depression. This may be because bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into mood-lifting serotonin.  

Bananas also contain vitamin B6, which has been shown to even out your mood naturally by helping synthesize the feel-good hormones dopamine and serotonin. 

Bananas are also a great source of prebiotics which encourage and feed healthy bacteria in your gut.  This is important because a rich gut microbiome has been associated with lower rates of mood disorders. To reap the full benefits of this, make sure to eat your bananas while the peels are still green. 

7. Fermented foods  

To make sure you have a rich microbiome in your gut you should consume fermented foods, like yogurt and kombucha. The fermentation process allows live bacteria to thrive in foods that are then able to convert sugars into alcohol and acids. 

These live bacteria are called probiotics and they support the growth of healthy bacteria in your gut.   

However, not all fermented foods are sources of probiotics, for example beer isn’t due to the acid from the hops that kills any beneficial bacteria.   

Probiotics are important for boosting your mood as up to 90% of your body’s serotonin is produced by your gut microbiome. Serotonin is the key hormone that stabilises your mood, feelings of well-being, and happiness.  

Explore the relationship between what you eat and how you feel!

8. Dark chocolate  

Similar to coffee, dark chocolate contains a stimulant, called theobromine, that can make you feel alert and positively impact your mood.  

It also contains tryptophan the amino acid that your brain uses to produce serotonin. The darker the chocolate the more serotonin is produced and the more your mood will be boosted.   

Dark chocolate also contains several antioxidants including polyphenols which are known to reduce anxiety and depression.  

Read now: What is a Life Coach and What Do They Do? 

9. Beans and lentils  

Beans and lentils are high in fibre, plant-based protein and healthy nutrients. They’re an excellent source of B vitamins, which help improve your mood by increasing levels of neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine, which are all vital for regulating mood.  

B vitamins are also important for nerve signalling, which allows for proper communication between your nerve cells. This means that including B vitamins in your diet is highly important. Vitamin deficiencies, especially in B12, can lead to depression and other serious complications such as nerve damage. Eating beans and lentils is a good way of avoiding this. 

Related Articles

For more advice on how to stay healthy and live a better lifestyle, contact us at Ceed here. 

Newer posts

Learn More About Ceed

We’re on a mission to help every individual achieve their potential

    Copyright © 2024 Ceed | All Rights Reserved