Feelings are very important since they are central both to human identity and to the experience of self. Feelings are also important messengers and guides of needs and desires, both for the individual and for communication among humans. Still, there is not a shared definition of feelings. The Tomkins Institute helps us with the following…
Another extremely important exercise to improve your self-worth and self-esteem is reading aloud your list of your 10 positive traits (see last week’s exercise) to yourself. In therapy, there are important healing phenomena such as mirroring and validation, when one is feeling understood and seen, e.g. by regard and affirmations from another human being. You…
The second step in traditional CBT is to be aware of your thoughts and the feelings they contribute to as well as what situation that triggered them. A trigger is something that happened and/or something somebody said/did which make you react with thoughts and feelings that reinforce each other making you create a response. Common…
One of the most important exercises within mindfulness is to learn to observe your breathing without necessarily altering it. This is one step in developing the ability to stay in the observant, non-judging position and postpone reactions, an ability that can be used in more stressful or distressing situations. Here comes one version of the…
To be able to assist with stress management, we first need a common basis of understanding. The body needs stress to function, to perform but also for survival. The system in the body that is the most responsible for speeding up the system is the sympathetic nerve system, one of the two parts of the…
Before diving into the possible changes you would like to make and new directions you would like to explore, I suggest you reflect over and honour yourself for what you already have accomplished over the last period and who you have become during the last year or two since this will set a positive tone….
Stress is a common cause for both physical and mental health issues. The inbox of life never empties. We are able to reach out and be reached at almost any time. At the same time, it is human nature and often makes sense to do what appears to be more urgent and keep going without…
Feelings are innate with the purpose to be our best compass needles describing to us how we are doing and what we need/do not need. They can also be exaggerated when based on a somewhat distorted perspective of reality – such as fear in phobias. Many of us benefit from paying more attention to our…
Research has shown that positive self-affirmations – if not too unrealistic – actually work, reducing negative effects of stress and improving performance! So try to find at least 10 positive traits that describe you. For many this is surprisingly difficult, 3 is normal to be able to come up with. If difficult, you can try…
A common first step in traditional CBT is to be aware of how you are doing/the mental status of your life at that moment, i.e. how you are feeling at a given time. If you want to improve your ability to be aware of this, you can try this exercise: Try for one week to…