Psychotherapy-Mindfulness-Creativity

17 signs of emotional exhaustion | Mental health awareness quotes ... Found on Google from pinterest.com.mx

As a therapist, it’s important to know the difference and how we might go about helping a client. Equally important to know, often a build up of unresolved issues/stress that has been suppressed over a long time feeds into panic attacks. Self esteem gets eaten away, avoidance is often a key to that keeps the issues going.
Not easy to say it all here, as it can be complex and details are needed to be of help.
As therapists and clients- we need to be aware of resistances to overcoming these states 🙏

Meditative practices work to shift our perspective from our reactive emotional brain to our more reflective higher brain- getting a wider perspective- stepping back seeing the bigger picture..

Spiritual bypassing! I wasn’t aware there was a term for this! In my Integrative Psychosynthesis counselling/psychotherapy training- 30 odd years ago! We included a spiritual perspective but not at all at the expense of real psychological/soulful work!! It was continually warded against- as it ends up being avoidance/denial- typical defence mechanisms!

Spiritual Bypassing as a Defense Mechanism Spiritual bypassing involves using spiritual explanations to dismiss or avoid complicated emotions or psychological issues. Learn the signs and effects.

3 factors that influence our ability to experience joy:
1.The ability to re-frame our situation more positively.
2. Our ability to experience/ engage in gratitude.
3. Our choice to be kind/generous/ compassionate.

Each one of these 3 can take time and care to develop. Obviously circumstances impact us- we may have little control over!
But we do have control over our attitudes and actions.

( Research driven)

Interesting article on the difference between Empathy and Compassion.

Compassion fatigue: Is it a thing? - Sussex Mindfulness Centre Annie-Akasati McAuley shares how while empathy can lead us towards exhaustion and a state known as empathic overwhelm, it can also lead towards an enriching experience of compassion.

The more rigid a person’s beliefs the more stuck in their feelings they’ll be!

Difference between sadness & depression?
Sadness feels alive & fluid & is an essential part of living. While depression feels stuck & dead and gets in the way of living.

Well this has happened to me ! Very interesting read 👍

4 Ways a Narcissist Manipulates the Emotionally Intelligent People who are self-aware, harmony-seeking and empathic may be exploited.

Does Mindfulness Practice turn experiences into pleasant ones? NO.
Does it make time pass more quickly? NO.
Mindfulness helps to reduce distress by NOT adding to it, (recalling the past or predicting the future) in this way we can tolerate the present moment more easily.
Mindfulness does not solve our problems, but gives us choice in any moment - therefore reducing reactiveness, harsh judgements of self and others, seeing the difference between fact and fiction.

How to Cope with a Toxic and Estranged Family Relationship I hope this helps those who may be experiencing a toxic and estranged relationship with a family member with whom they had once been close.