personal development

How to Manage Moving Out for The First Time

Posted on 21 April 2022 - 1:40 pm by admin

So, the time has come; you’ve decided to move out and start your own life.

It can be extremely difficult to move out mentally. It’s a new fresh start to move out of your guardian’s house, and it means letting go of your past. Despite how difficult it can seem and feel, it is healthy for your mind. You will have a lot of freedom. Every decision is now yours, and you are responsible for everything yourself now.

This article is going to help you in many ways, from preparing mentally for your move, to the positives and negatives of having full responsibility.

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Description automatically generated — It can be a daunting experience, but once you have moved out, things should get better!

Why You May Want to Move Out

Before delving further into the topic; you need to understand the groundwork of your need to move out.

There are numerous different mental issues at home that can affect your need to move:

Toxic environment
Unsafe
Outgrowing home
Too much responsibility
General attitude to move

Toxic Environment

You may be living in a toxic environment; this could be the people you live with or just the general environment itself. This can be unsafe for your mental health and can lead you down a dark path if exposed to it for a long time. It can also affect future social situations if you are around people who do not allow you to be yourself.

Unsafe

Your home may be unsafe; this is particularly worse if any siblings, or other residents steal or make life even more stressful for you. This will make you never feel comfortable or safe in that residence, but once you have moved, that negativity is sure to cease.

Too Much Responsibility

It may just be that you seem to do almost everything at your home despite not owning it, and not having the ability to decide on aspects of the house. It may be much better to just move out so you then have the same responsibility in your own place.

General Attitude To Move

Or simple enough, you may just want to move out to start your own life with your own family someday. It doesn’t always have to be a negative situation that forces you to move out. Especially after university, or working, as you will have the mentality, experience and money to move out yourself someday!

How To Move Out

You can move out by using multiple sites online, like:

Or even local estate agents which will almost always have places on display in windows.

Usually, one-bedroom places would not be a lot of money but always make sure you have enough money to pay the bond and rent before applying to them. You don’t want to be caught by surprise expenses.

A furnished location will generally be suitable for someone without a lot of money but it means you don’t exactly own the furniture so you need to be more careful.

It may also take quite a heavy impact on your bank account due to having to furnish the location, if the location you apply for is unfurnished, with whatever you like but it will be worth it in the end.

Read Now: 7 Ways to Ease Financial Stress and Manage Your Money

The Housing Association

This is an association you sign up to and they will find a place suitable for you to live. It isn’t a guaranteed place but over time they will ask you to go to viewings and they may decide to let you move in there or not.

It is a council-funded residence so it will be cheaper than a normal location from an estate agent but the drawback is the long waiting list.

Gathering Supplies

The thing about moving out is that you can bring whatever you like but don’t forget the essentials; usually, you bring a lot of clothes, a bed, and sort out the basics like electricity, gas and water before moving in. Some people may want to move out ASAP to not have to deal with living at home any longer and some may choose to wait it out for a couple of weeks to get it all set up. It is entirely up to you!

Mentality to Move

Mentality is key to being able to happily move out, it’s important to look after it when moving out for the first time. You may not feel 100% ready and that small inkling of regret or overthinking may creep up on you while you are thinking about it. These feelings are normal. It is just your brain realising that things will change once you move out and it can be scary but in a way hopeful.

Your new home will be yours, and everything within it will be based on you. You may have new routines, and more freedom but obviously, more responsibility within the house in terms of cleaning.

You have got to learn that every story starts somewhere, instead of you being part of someone else’s story, you are now in control of your own story. Being in control is healthy for your mind and soul.

Read Now: How to Overcome Your Negative Thoughts

Positives and Negatives to Moving

Obviously, there are both positives and negatives to moving out.

Positives:

freedom
make your own routines
no distractions
independence
privacy

Negatives:

rent
bills
loneliness
responsibility
household chores

Even though these may seem outweighed, it is great to keep these in mind for when you are thinking about moving out or not.

Don’t blindly jump into the deep end but analyse how you can deal with keeping yourself afloat and getting out of it eventually.

Other Residents (Pets, Roommates)

Luckily, there is a workaround for the con of loneliness; This is fixed by moving in with someone, or something. You can move in with a roommate, a partner or a friend as well as bring pets if the residence allows it. It is always great to have friends, and people around you to not feel alone in your thoughts.

Someone else around the house can also help cheapen the bills, and help with housework but you share the house. So, choose who to move in wisely! You don’t want to end up back at square one.

Read Now: Why Friendship is Important for Your Health

Animals are a great morale booster no matter how small or big.

Conclusion

Hopefully, now you can deal with the thoughts of moving out easier and know that you aren’t alone in your thoughts. People go and have gone through the same situations as you almost every day. It is normal to feel like you are attached to your home and can’t leave but eventually, you need to start your journey into life.

If you have any further queries, then please contact us here at Ceed today!

The Importance of Congruence: How to Manage Your Thoughts

Posted on 18 April 2022 - 12:00 pm by admin

A term you might’ve heard a lot nowadays is how you shouldn’t “bottle up” your thoughts, let alone your emotions. This means that you’re deliberately holding back from expressing a thought. Especially if it worries or concerns you because you don’t wish to face the emotions that will follow.

There are many harmful effects caused by you bottling up your thoughts. Just a couple include:

Feeling anxious. As you’re trying to trick yourself into not confronting what’s on your mind, your anxiety levels will increase.
Developing harmful coping mechanisms. To avoid the thoughts that are bothering you, you may find yourself eating or drinking and, if you smoke, smoking more than before.
Following from the previous point, these habits can lead to not just weight gain or loss, and digestive issues as well.

This article will explain how you should not bottle up those thoughts by confronting and accepting that you’ve been having them.

Read Now: A Happy Diet: 9 Foods Proven to Lift Your Mood

Write Things Down

Writing can help you to understand your thoughts.

Although it sounds simple, writing down your thoughts is an effective technique. It’s even proven that it helps create catharsis.

Whether you’re using putting a pen to paper or typing on a computer, there are several ways in which you could do this. It could be a diary or journal entry, or even a letter to a person who might be bothering you. Remember not to send that letter, as it’s only being used for self-therapy.

As you write, your thoughts will properly take shape and become a lot clearer to you. They can become more personal than you expect. But writing will help you understand them more and give you a proper idea as to why you’ve been thinking about them.

Exercise

At first glance, you might be thinking “if I decide to exercise, won’t I be avoiding confronting my thoughts?”

No matter what method of exercise you engage in or how long you’ll be doing it, you’ll have the space to focus on what’s on your mind. This can be as simple as going for a walk, or going to the gym and lifting weights. Regardless, exercise gives you a chance to reflect on your thoughts and emotions.

After all, the brain is often likened to being a muscle, so you’ll be exercising that as well as you move around.

Read Now: Surprising Benefits of Exercise: Confidence and Creativity

Consider Why You’re Bottling Up

Negative thoughts can be difficult to deal with alone.

Sometimes, you are already fully aware of why you’ve been bottling things up.

There are a variety of reasons for doing this. You could be angry or upset (or a combination of the two) over someone or something, which can cause emotional distress. Thinking about and focusing on these thoughts might feel as though you’re reliving the initial experience that led to you having them in the first place. This can lead to you not wanting to go through them again, but ignoring them won’t make them go away.

By choosing to ignore the problem itself, you’re going to cause yourself numerous harmful repercussions. The biggest side effect of not challenging those thoughts is the increase in your anxiety levels, which can eventually make you feel anxious all the time.

Express Yourself Creatively

There are times when you just feel as though you want to express yourself, but you don’t want to downright say what’s on your mind. The thoughts can be negative or positive. But, that won’t stop them from being intrusive and possibly distracting you from whatever you’re doing.

There are many creative ways for you to convey your thoughts and ideas. Some methods include:

Writing: We’ve already mentioned writing a letter or diary entry, but you could also write a story. It doesn’t matter if it’s too short or too long – go for it!
Draw ing or painting: It can be a pencil on paper or a paintbrush on a canvas; it will reveal how dedicated you can be when creating something.
Listening or dancing to music: The latter is especially effective, as your moves will help you let out any suppressed emotions you might have.
Cooking or baking: Whether it’s a treat or a meal you’ve always wanted to make, you’ll be surprised by the enthusiasm you’ll have due to the anticipation of seeing the finished product.

Talk

This sounds like the simplest thing to do, doesn’t it? But just saying “I’m sorry” or “I was wrong” is not easy for some people. If you’re an introvert, or you don’t want to confront your thoughts and the connected emotions, then talking won’t be easy for you.

But, this is the most effective way to relieve yourself of stress. It doesn’t matter who you decide to talk to – it could be a friend, a family member, a work colleague, or even a stranger. Just as long as you speak to someone and say what’s on your mind, you’ll feel the burden go away.

Read Now: How to Practice Active Listening

This was just a small number of ways to prevent you from bottling up your thoughts. If you’d like to know more on this topic, or perhaps an entirely different one altogether, please contact us today at Ceed.

Why Hobbies Are Good for Your Mental Health

Posted on 4 April 2022 - 12:00 pm by admin

It’s very common for people not to prioritise hobbies and downtime. With working or studying full time it’s difficult to set aside time for ourselves to relax and indulge in activities we enjoy.

Having a hobby is a great way to spend your spare time and unwind from your daily routine. Hobbies can range from learning an instrument, playing a sport, reading, photography or something artistic.

By setting time aside for hobbies you can help improve your mental health and wellbeing. Research shows that people with hobbies are less likely to suffer from low moods, stress and depression.

What is a Hobby?

A hobby can be any activity that you do regularly for your own enjoyment. Whether this is something creative, athletic or academic, what matters is that it’s meaningful to you.

When you dedicate time to voluntarily engage in pleasurable activities, your mental health can benefit.

Read now: The Valuable Mental Health Benefits of Cold Water Swimming

Mental Health Benefits of Hobbies:

Reduce Stress

Hobbies are a perfect way to distract yourself after a busy day. They provide the opportunity to focus on yourself and release any stress built up from your day.

Spending time on a hobby can be as simple as finding the time to listen to music. Whatever activity you choose will help manage your stress levels. So, take some time out of your busy day to start painting, or go outside and walk in nature.

Creativity Boosts Wellbeing

Partaking in creative activities such as song-writing, knitting, art and musical performance have all been shown to increase positive moods. By pursuing creative hobbies you’ll see an improvement in your mental wellbeing.

Creative activities also allow you to expand neural connections in your brain, which has been linked to the release of the feel good hormone dopamine. Spending as little as two hours per week on an activity you enjoy can help you live a more positive life.

Form Connections With Others

Hobbies that include other people, such as team sports, offer great opportunities to foster social connections and friendships. Having a healthy social life can have a highly positive impact on your mental health.

Shared experience through hobbies can also enhance your enjoyment of the activity and help you feel less isolated. So, if you’re looking for a new hobby, try something interactive team sport or even joining a band.

Read now: Intentional Living: How Can it Benefit You?

A hobby is something that you do for fun or personal fulfilment.

Tips to Make Time for Hobbies

A common issue when it comes to investing in hobbies is time. When it comes to how our lives are typically structured, work tends to come before play.

Although many of us feel like there isn’t enough time in the day for hobbies, there are a few changes you can make to help free up some time for the things you love:

Regularly participating in a hobby doesn’t mean you have you do it daily, a weekly activity will be a lot easier to fit into your schedule. Just an hour or two a week is a great addition to your lifestyle. If you feel you still don’t have the time try saying no more often and putting a hobby higher up on your list of priorities.

It’s easy to lose a lot of valuable time in your day by doing mindless things like scrolling on social media or watching TV. Be conscious of how you’re spending your free time and try to make sure you’re using it wisely.

If you’re finding it difficult to find extra free time, try taking more micro-breaks during the workday. This will help you find the time to do things you enjoy while also increasing your overall productivity. You could use these short breaks to go for a walk outside, listen to your favourite podcast or read a few chapters of a book.

Read now: Surprising Benefits of Exercise: Confidence and Creativity

Having a hobby can greatly improve your life. Do some research and find a few activities that interest you and simply try them out. There’s no pressure to stick to anything you don’t enjoy but eventually, you’ll find a hobby that’s suited to you.

For further advice on lifestyle changes you can make to benefit your mental health, contact our experts at Ceed here.

How To Overcome Your Negative Thoughts

Posted on 24 March 2022 - 12:00 pm by admin

When we have a physical injury, it’s usually easy to notice it. This makes it easier to manage, and eventually fix.

The mind, on the other hand, isn’t so simple. We often struggle mentally without realising, and without anyone noticing. The way we think can easily impact our mental health, and it can be tough to break out of negative thought patterns.

It’s perfectly normal to have negative thoughts, but they can become distressing when they start impacting your daily life. There is a variety of reasons as to why we might have them. Negative thoughts can come from stress, confidence issues, and even deeper mental health problems like anxiety and depression.

Luckily, there are ways you can tackle your negative thoughts. This article will give you some guidance on how to challenge your negative thinking.

Read Now: Better your Brain through Neuroplasticity and Positive Thinking

Focus on The Thought Itself

Take time to acknowledge your negative thoughts.

It might sound counteractive to focus on your negative thoughts. But the truth is, if you decide to ignore them by pushing them away, they’ll still come back. To make things worse, it’s likely that they’ll come back stronger than before and could become even more intrusive than they were previously.

Allow yourself a little time each day to focus on these thoughts. Committing your focus to them, can help you to understand where they are coming from. Taking a moment to acknowledge them will prevent you from bottling up your emotions.

Identify the Thoughts

Now that you’re allowing yourself some time to focus on the thoughts themselves, the next thing to do is to identify them. This is not just the negativity, but the cognitive distortions created from them. Cognitive distortion is a more technical way of saying thought patterns, meaning you’ll be understanding why you think about those thoughts in the way that you do.

There are multiple ways in which you may develop negative thoughts and thought patterns, which include (but are not limited to):

Catastrophising – Assuming the worst is always going to happen, and not considering more realistic or likely outcomes.
Blaming yourself – Assuming you’re at fault for something that happened or might shortly take place.
Jumping to conclusions – Making assumptions about something that will happen or what someone is going to think.
Labelling – An identification method where we describe ourselves or the people around us. For example, you might not be good at cooking and label yourself as a “terrible cook”. This will then make you feel pessimistic about any activities that would require that skill.
Overgeneralisation – If you’ve had one bad experience, you’ll develop a tendency to apply that to future experiences you’ll face. This can fuel your negative thoughts, increasing anxiety and making it seem as though another bad experience could happen again.

Read Now: How to Overcome the Fear of Rejection

Stop Saying “Should”

‘Should’ is a dangerous word to use if you’ve been finding yourself experiencing a negative outlook on life.

Saying “should” implies that what you’re already doing is bad – “I should eat fruit instead of crisps”, “I should walk or jog instead of driving to where I need to be later”, and “I should stop thinking about this” are all just a few examples of how we apply that one word to a problem.

The constant use of “should” will lead to you developing a sense of guilt for not carrying out the actions or tasks which you know would be more useful for you.

The solution is simple: replace “should” with more positive phrases. “I am going to eat fruit instead of crisps”, “I will walk or jog to where I need to be later”, and “I want to stop thinking about this and focus on something else” are all statements with an optimistic and determined approach opposed to the original’s pessimistic and not enthused attitude.

Keep a Diary

Keeping track of your thoughts is not an easy process. If anything, the mind can best be described as being non-linear. So how can we keep our thoughts organised enough to understand them?

By using a diary or journal to jot down what those thoughts are, we’ll be able to understand not just why we’re thinking about them, but why we react the way we do when they suddenly occur. After this, we can learn what we’re being negative about and figure out how to be positive from then on.

Read Now: A Guide to Handling Criticism

To Sum Up…

It can be hard to manage our thoughts, especially when they are negative. But it’s important to remember exactly what they are: they are thoughts, not facts! By following these simple tips, you will be able to reduce the negative thoughts you have and manage them in a better way. This is just one step in creating a more positive outlook on life.

If you’d like more advice on this particular topic, or perhaps another one altogether, don’t hesitate to contact us today at Ceed.

8 Ways Everyone Can Benefit from Seeing a Therapist

Posted on 21 March 2022 - 12:00 pm by admin

Life throws us curveballs sometimes. Everyone will experience challenging situations at some point in their life and talking it through is a healthy way of navigating through it. Although talking to friends and family is a great option, if you have the means, a professional can benefit you.

Studies show that voicing your concerns can have a therapeutic effect on your brain. By verbalising what you’re going through you relieve yourself of the burden. A professional therapist or life coach can help you work through any issues you may be having in your life.

Below are eight ways everyone can benefit from seeing a therapist.

Therapy can help you even if you don’t have a mental illness or a major loss to work through.

1. To process the past

Events from your past affect who you become when you get older. Events from childhood, past friendships or relationships all shape the person you are today.

If you’ve experienced trauma or a significant event, going to a therapist can help you work through what you experienced and process your feelings.

If you have negative feelings about an event or person, a therapist can help you gain perspective. Often, we don’t process big life events as they happen because we simply don’t have the tools to do so. A therapist can give you the tools you need to move past anything you still struggle with.

Read now: 8 Quick and Small Changes to a Better Life

2. To help you understand your emotions

If you often experience mood swings or you just don’t understand how to manage your emotions, therapy can help you with this.

A therapist will help you explore the emotions that come up with life events and personal relationships. Therapy can guide you to gain a healthy perspective which can lead you to understanding and managing your emotions.

What you process in therapy doesn’t have to be a life-altering event or even traumatic. You can bring anything into therapy that you want to work through with you therapist and better understand yourself.

3. To learn healthy coping mechanisms

A lot of people come to therapy after having used other unhealthy coping mechanisms. People often turn to substances to help them deal with difficult situations.

But these aren’t healthy long-term solutions. Therapy can help you deal with these issues and learn healthy coping mechanisms. Self-medicating doesn’t help anybody, and it usually leads to more problems.

Therapy will help you get to the cause of the problems you’re facing. You’ll learn how to cope and communicate in a productive way.

4. To help strengthen your relationships

If you’re having trouble communicating with your spouse or loved one, therapy can help. Relationships can be difficult. When partners don’t feel understood or appreciated, it can cause a big strain.

Couples therapy can help you communicate better and sort through any issues you may be having. Even if one partner doesn’t like the idea, you can go alone. You’ll find it helpful and it’ll provide you with tools for a better relationship.

Read now: 5 Ways to Strengthen and Improve Your Relationship

5. To deal with grief

Bereavement is one of the hardest things you’ll have to face in your life. Losing a loved one hits you hard and there’s no avoiding it. So if you are experiencing the loss of someone for the first time, it can be especially painful.

Death has a lasting impact on our lives and we aren’t all equipped to deal with the grief of it. Grief counselling can help you cope with your loss and deal with it in a healthy way.

Group therapy is just as effective as one-to-one therapy!

6. To help you solve a problem

If you’re facing hardship in your life and don’t know where to turn, therapy can help. Going to a therapist can help you come up with a solution.

A therapist can help you gain new levels of perspective. They can help you look at the issue from many different points of view. Once you’ve got clarity and a new perspective, it can help make the problem easier to solve.

7. So you won’t feel alone

One of the most common symptoms of mental health issues is the feeling of being all alone. When you suffer from depression or anxiety, it can make you feel like the loneliest person on earth.

Talking with a therapist about your feelings can help a lot. Having a professional validate you and tell you that you’re not alone can be very helpful. A therapist may also be able to put you in touch with a support group. This can help you meet people like you who are also struggling and help you feel less alone.

Read now: How to Manage Your ‘Winter Blues’

8. To deal with the future

Life is a rollercoaster, and this won’t be the first or last time you have difficult stuff to deal with. Things like conflict, loss, and sadness will continue to arise as you go through life.

It’s natural for these things to bring you down and make you feel upset. But therapy can help you with healthy coping strategies. A therapist will help you healthily cope with these things. Then, you can bring this knowledge with you into the future.

Therapy Benefits Everyone

There are so many reasons to go to therapy. You don’t need to be suffering from mental health issues, as therapy benefits everyone. Now more than ever, people are willing to open up about their struggles. The stigma against therapy is fading. So if you’re looking to improve yourself, why not give therapy a try?

For further advice on how therapy can help you, contact our experts at Ceed today.   

How to Better Your Mental Health by Getting Creative

Posted on 10 March 2022 - 12:00 pm by admin

Everyone is creative – whether it is solving problems or creating content. It isn’t just a case of different jobs being creative or not. If you work in a warehouse for example, you may just utilise creativity in a different way.

Creativity stems from the imagination of an individual who can improvise, using their brain in any situation to think of a solution. Utilising this creativity we all have, you can engage in many different creative activities to help you mentally, and emotionally.

There are countless ideas that can sprout if you allow yourself to be creative.

It’s a worldwide “rumour” that creativity lies in the right-side of your brain, however, it lies in both. The right when you are imagining something on the spot, and the left when you are imagining based on something already learned or established.

Creativity is an extraordinary concept that allows us to build ideas out of thin air. Through mental construction we can form our own creation that we can be proud of. Knowing that you created it yourself can give you a tremendous boost in mood that, if you choose, can lead into a more creativity-oriented mindset.

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Here are a few activities that can help you release your creative energy:

Creative Writing

Writing itself has been around for at least 5000+ years, and creative writing has been around for about the same time. One of the first known creative writers or authors in the world was “Enheduanna”, who lived in around the 2200 BCE time period. She was one of the first known poets and authors – she even wrote hymns.

This is a fine example of how despite having less technology than we have now, ancient civilisations still found a way to distil their imagination, creating something out of nothing.

In modern times, we have many more ways to be inspired, whether that is by films, shows, music, paintings, games or speeches. There are countless forms of these things out there in the world for someone to begin their own journey on the creative road.

Creative writing is one way to express an experience, emotion or a fabrication into a story format. It can be the most outlandish idea, or something very realistic.

Why Write?

Outputting your creativity can improve your brain’s memory. What’s more, this flow of “venting” out your opinions and experiences will release any negative emotion into what you are writing, like capturing it in a bottle. Connecting emotionally when writing embeds these feelings into the writing, strengthening the bond with it and meaning behind it.

It’s your own creation – your own opinions, memories and inspiration mixed into a bundle. This makes writing a wonderful outlet for negative emotions, and can even preserve positive emotions forever in a written piece.

Playing Instruments & Making Music

It’s only in the past hundred years that music began to get more varied, more experimental and deeper, and it’s now become a part of everyday life. This is because of the dopamine released from listening to music that unknowingly lifts your mood and provides motivation.

Why Play Music?

Playing music yourself and learning an instrument can release this creativity and dopamine rush. This in turn strengthens the positive effect that comes with listening to music. This ultimately de-stresses you and gives you many health benefits.

You can write as complex or as simple music as you like, but no matter what it engages and stimulates your brain. By having a song you can play yourself at anytime at home to express yourself; you basically have a infinite way to stimulate your brain at your disposal.

Drawing & Crafting

Express yourself and let yourself have mental freedom!

Artists can come in any form – creativity is a hidden ability in people and we can’t initially tell who is creative. Anyone can ultimately become an artist if they can learn to express themselves through drawing, and art. If they can reflect emotions, and experience and capture this in a drawn format it can inspire other people, and they can understand what the artist is demonstrating by having an open-mind.

It can be difficult to start learning to draw but as you get better you can start to develop your own style, and way to express yourself.

Why Draw or Craft?

Just like other forms of expression, the benefits you gain wouldn’t be something you’d want to miss out on.

Listening to Music & Reading

This is easier as it doesn’t require you to create content. What it does require is for you to hold an open-mind and envision what you are taking in – whether it is imagining the characters in a book, or letting the sounds of music flow through you.

Why Listen to Music/ Read?

Your brain will get engaged with the content and release dopamine that lifts your mood. You can indulge in whatever content you like, whether that’s listening to a happy song or a sad one.

Relating to the music or story you’re taking in can help you find a solution to how you are feeling. Perhaps relating to a song about depression may open your eyes in some new way.

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