PsychNotes March 2014
by Monica A. Frank, Ph.D.
Clinical and Sport Psychologist
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March 31, 2014
Practice these exercises many times throughout the day with your different activities. If your mind wanders, gently bring your focus back to your immediate experience.
These audios are not imaginal experiences. It is necessary to actually engage in the behavior described. The audio is for guidance only.
You do not listen to the audio while practicing mindfulness. This
exercise focuses on experiencing the different sensations when lying down on different surfaces. Depending upon the surface you are lying on,
this is a good mindfulness practice for
learning to tolerate discomfort. Instead of trying to make yourself comfortable, allow yourself
just to experience the sensations whatever they might be.
March 28, 2014
50 CBT tools for panic and anxiety are divided into several categories: general skills, initial relaxation training, initial cognitive restructuring, advanced mindfulness training, advanced cognitive restructuring, and exposure treatment.
March 27, 2014
New Passive Aggressive Example: MOTHER-IN-LAW WANTS TO BE CENTER OF ATTENTION
Question:My soon-to-be mother-in-law always wants to be the center of attention. The last straw is she wants to wear a dress to MY wedding that is fancier than my wedding dress! I think this is a deliberate passive-aggressive attempt to make me look bad on my wedding day. She didn't do this at her daughter's wedding! How can I stop her?
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March 24, 2014
Practice these exercises many times throughout the day with your different activities. If your mind wanders, gently bring your focus back to your immediate experience.
These audios are not imaginal experiences. It is necessary to actually engage in the behavior described. The audio is for guidance only.
You do not listen to the audio while practicing mindfulness. This exercise focuses on experiencing the different sensations when lifting weights. Try this exercise with different weights, at different speeds, for different lengths of time. Lifting weights can be tiring so this can also be useful for developing mindful awareness when you experience muscle fatigue.
March 21, 2014
50 RULES FOR LIFE
Rule 7:
Make One Life Better Today
(read more...)
March 20, 2014
PsychNote: EAT ANYTHING YOU WANT--JUST COOK IT YOURSELF
Food for thought. The diet industry is a multi-billion dollar industry preying on the desire for an easy fix. Yet, one of today's biggest health problems is that we live in a culture with easy access to unhealthy foods. If you want to be enlightened about nutrition, watch a chef cook in a restaurant using handfuls of salt, pounds of sugar and untold amounts of oil. These are the three worst food substances for us but they make food taste good.
This video suggests that to eat healthier, we simply need to cook our own food. You will not use near the amounts of sugar, salt, and fat when you cook yourself as when eating out or eating pre-packaged foods from the store. By making the simple commitment to cook your own meals, you will be able to eat anything you want, be healthier, and maintain a better weight.
The problem, however, is that cooking your own meals is not as simple as pulling into the nearest fast food drive-thru. It requires planning and effort. However, the hardest thing is taking the initial steps. Once you have developed a routine, you will find ways to make the process of cooking for yourself easier and quicker.
You can even break down this commitment into steps. You don't have to change completely all at once. For instance, you could count the number of meals you eat out each week and then decrease that number one meal at a time: "This week I will eat out 6 times instead of 7."
March 19, 2014
Practice these exercises many times throughout the day with your different activities. If your mind wanders, gently bring your focus back to your immediate experience.
These audios are not imaginal experiences. It is necessary to actually engage in the behavior described. The audio is for guidance only.
You do not listen to the audio while practicing mindfulness. This
exercise focuses on experiencing the different sensations of walking up and down stairs. Try this exercise on different stairs, at different
speeds, for different lengths of time. Walking stairs can be tiring so this can also be useful for developing mindful awareness when you
experience muscle fatigue.
March 16, 2014
This educational audio helps you to understand the concept of tolerating anxiety and why it is important. The fear of the anxiety and the demand to get rid of it makes the anxiety worse. The more you learn to tolerate anxiety, the less intense and frequent it will be. Developing mindfulness skills increases the ability to tolerate anxiety because mindfulness focuses on the immediate present not on the catastrophic worries about the future. The more that you focus on the "what ifs" regarding anxiety, the more likely your anxiety will be triggered.
March 15, 2014
Explains how anger is reinforced biologically and how the CBT methods can help change the process.
"Managing your anger so that you don't hurt the ones you love takes determination and practice. However, your practice will pay off in many ways. Not only will you be less likely to hurt the ones you love, but you will feel a greater sense of inner peace from these methods as well as less guilt from your behavior."
March 14, 2014
Explains the biology of the stress reaction and how cognitive-behavioral therapy impacts that process at the biological level.
"...instill hope by providing you with the knowledge that you have the resources within you to control the damaging effects of stress."
March 13, 2014
Practice these exercises many times throughout the day with your different activities. If your mind wanders, gently bring your focus back to your immediate experience.
These audios are not imaginal experiences. It is necessary to actually engage in the behavior described. The audio is for guidance only. You do not listen to the audio while practicing mindfulness. This exercise focuses on experiencing the different sensations of digging in a garden. Try this exercise in different places in the garden and at different times such as after a rain or when the soil is dry.
March 8, 2014
50 RULES FOR LIFE
Rule 6:
Change Yourself--Don't Wait for the World to Change
(read more...)
March 7, 2014
Free download of desert mindfulness describing a walk in the Great Desert experiencing the beauty, heat, and sounds of the sand dunes. You return to a quiet oasis pool and fully experience the sunset over the desert.
Use the audio for relaxation, mindfulness training, or sleep.
March 4, 2014
New Cognitive Diary Training Example: FEAR OF PANIC IN MEETING
EVENT: I need to attend a meeting. I am anxious because last time I had a panic attack during a meeting.
EMOTIONS: apprehension, worry, dread
DISTRESS RATING: 7—feeling distressed, less in control
THOUGHTS: “I'm going to have a panic attack again. What will everyone think? I can't handle this. I'm so weak.”
CAN YOU IDENTIFY THE IRRATIONAL THINKING IN THIS EXAMPLE? There are at least 3 irrational beliefs.
HOW CAN YOU CHANGE THE THINKING? What is another way of thinking about the situation that won't cause the feelings of being apprehension, worry, and dread?
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March 3, 2014
New Passive Aggressive Example: BOYFRIEND GETS DEFENSIVE
Question:I asked my boyfriend when was he planning on leaving the transitional house he's been in for 8 years. He starts asking what would
be the benefit of leaving? The conversation then starts to escalate. I'm trying to explain the benefit of leaving...which is a no brainer. Then he starts to yell.
I tell him to lower his voice which meant that I was yelling as well. He then says "You're yelling louder than me" and how could he get a word in when I'm talking
over him? Then he storms out. The conversation did not get resolved.
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