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Mental Health Education
Mental Health Education
Your Brain’s 3 Emotion Regulation Systems: We know that the quality of the attachment bond between an infant and primary care giver shapes brain development and contributes to a person’s emotional regulation capacities (and this in turn influences relationship difficulties that they may encounter in adulthood – with others and with the Self). Similarly, we know that exposure to adverse events and toxic stressors in childhood play a role in brain development, coping skills, and resilience. Finally, it is important to appreciate how both of these factors relate to our Window of Tolerance, which is loosely defined as the zone of arousal in which we are able to function most effectively given the demands of every day life.
The Mental Health Benefits of Nature: Nature is exceptionally good for BOTH our mental and physical health. Regular mindful exposure to naturalistic stimuli (including Nature Sounds, and calming Nature Imagery) is an evidenced-based Self-Care strategy with a solid physiological backing: Nature has powerfully soothing and restorative effects that can bring soothing and balance to our nervous systems and it can promote and facilitate recovery from both physiological and psychological stress.
Assessing Meaning and Purpose in Your Life: This article is essentially about how we can live a life that has more meaning and purpose, and how we can become the best version of ourselves. We can only achieve these things by getting clearer on who we truly want to be, and by increasing our awareness of (and by choosing to do) what is most important.
Addiction
Addiction
What is Addiction?: Addiction is a brain disease characterized by repeated, compulsive behavior to continue a particular behavior. For a person to be considered addicted to drugs, three things need to be present:
A strong compulsion to continue using a drug;
An inability to limit how much of a drug is used; and
A sense of anxiety if access to a drug is blocked.
Divorce and Substance Abuse: How are addiction and divorce connected?
Grief
Grief
What's Your Grief: You don’t have to grieve alone. What’s Your Grief is a place for sharing, support, resources, & more.
You and Your Grieving Parts: A look at Internal Family Systems and awareness of how grief can impact our understanding of self and (often) our desire to compartmentalize our grief experiences.
Locus of Control
Locus of Control
Understanding the Locus of Control: Locus of Control is a psychological concept that refers to the degree to which individuals believe they have control over the events that affect their lives. This idea was introduced by a psychologist named Julian Rotter in the 1950s and is rooted in his Social Learning Theory (Rotter, 1954). Understanding your Locus of Control can be crucial in managing stress, exploring resilience, and improving mental well-being. It might just change the way you look at things in your life and how you handle the feeling of being out of control.
Window of Tolerance
Window of Tolerance
Understanding Our Window of Tolerance: “Window of Tolerance” is a term originally coined by Dr. Dan Siegel commonly used to understand and describe normal brain/body reactions, especially following adversity.
It is also a term used to describe the zone of arousal in which a person is able to function most effectively.
Essentially, the size of our ‘window’ depends upon how much we are able to tolerate mild fluctuations in mood, energy levels, and the challenges and demands of life, whilst remaining in the Optimal Zone.
How Trauma Can Affect our Window of Tolerance: When the balance is interfered with, either due to trauma or extreme stress, we end up leaving our window of tolerance. Our bodies typically react defensively to this.
This is where you will begin to dysregulate and experience fight or flight responses. If it is not possible to fight or flee, your body will collapse to the freeze state.
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