Managing Your Emotions

Emotions can often be complex and confusing, yet our days are filled with an almost constant barrage of different feelings. Some such as happiness, excitement or contentment are positive and make us feel good. Others such as shame, anger or embarrassment are almost always much less positive and have a real effect on ourselves and our families if we cannot identify and manage them.

Identifying Emotions

Looking inwards, reflecting and being honest with yourself is important. Men in particular can struggle with this as emotions that lead to a feeling of perceived weakness might be hard to acknowledge. On the other hand, research shows that women can experience emotions more strongly. Some emotions are easy to identify, yet others can be difficult, the difference between envy and jealousy for example, or shame and embarrassment. It can be helpful to ask yourself “what am I feeling right now?”

Choose to Enact your Rational Mind

How you feel about a situation is largely beyond your control, but how you respond to it is. Imagine arriving at a crossroad, one path leads to an instant and perhaps negative reaction, the other to a much calmer more analytical approach. Consider asking “what does my rational mind think is the best course of action?”

Relaxation

Everyone needs an appropriate venue to vent their emotions, to feel understood and get things off their chest. Friends, an online psychologist (or your Gold Coast psychologist if you are in the area) are excellent resources to help you feel understood. E counselling can definitely help you to reduce the stress. Sometimes a different perspective can change how you feel, sometimes the simple act of talking is enough to relax you. A good psychologist can give you a number of strategies to calm down quickly that are tailoured to your specific needs.

Keeping a journal can also prove helpful to give your thoughts and feelings a safe place to exist outside your own mind. Online psychologists tend to agree that writing is therapeutic.

Practicing positive emotions, communication skills and meditative reflection won’t just help you to rehearse the reactions and emotions you want, it will also help you to relax. Not just in those moments but much more generally throughout your life, giving you much better emotional regulation and helping you to stay more relaxed and positive.

For further information on relaxation techniques and strategies for emotional regulation, click, tap or call me if you are in the Gold Coast area. You can also check out the online psychologist resources on my website at PSYCoaching.com.au

You are not alone

Mental illness is happening all around you, but you probably don’t see it.  Imagine, for a moment, a school prom – and you are standing around like a “wall flower;” feeling self-conscious.  Then look around and realize all the other wall flowers.  The irony in this situation is that there are many others in the room thinking “I really stand out here, and everyone is looking at me.”  Then consider this: how plausible it is that people will be worrying about how you look, when they are so busy worrying about themselves?

When you suffer depression or anxiety, (as we all do from time-to-time) it’s easy to feel like you are the only one going through such pain.  Isolation is normal when dealing with an overwhelming problem like depression or anxiety. But you are not alone.

Depression and Anxiety: A Laughing Matter – part 1

As a quick fix for a low mood, there is nothing quite like a good belly laugh. But have you ever thought of it is a cost-effective form of treatment for anxiety and depression?

Next week I will bring you an amazing interview from one of Australia’s funniest comedians –who has been working with PSYCoaching to spread his unique insights about mental health and the great work he has been doing to help adults and kids lift their spirits.

Why So Serious?

There are times when it is not easy for us to get out of our heads and appreciate the world around us with a sense of intrigue and curiosity.  There are times when we find ourselves   “stuck in our heads” and dwelling on our problems.

Beating the Christmas Blues

There’s an unrealistic image of holiday perfection that permeates our culture. Turn on the TV from December onwards and you are likely to be inundated with images of the perfect, affluent, nuclear family happily enjoying each other’s company during a holiday meal (of KFC). Some of us have memories from our childhood that feed this drive toward the nostalgia of holidays past. If we lived it, we want to replicate it every year. If we didn’t, we may feel we are missing out, and we may strive to create the perfect Christmas. This can be a recipe for feelings of failure.

PSYCOACHING SEMINAR: Working with MOVEMBER for your mental health and for men’s health in general

Help change the face of men’s health and help the 1 million Australian men living with depression or anxiety. Let’s put the moustache back on the face of fashion and have some fun supporting a good cause. For one, prostate cancer is the biggest cause of natural death for men and is desperately in need of donations and funding. And let’s not forget – men’s health is great for women’s health!

National Psychology Week – Tips for wellbeing

Feeling Flat, anxious or depressed?  National Psychology Week (9-16 November) is as good-a-time as ever to take control of your mental health!  Start by following these tips from the Australian Psychological Society and think about how to get your life on track:

1. Identifying the benefits of change

Think about how your lifestyle is affecting your health and happiness: is your current lifestyle costing you your health? Do you avoid activities or social events due to your health or weight? Would making a change actually benefit you?

Get up to 20 Medicare -rebated psychology sessions by seeking help this month*

A quick hello from from Richard Moore of PSYCoaching.
At times we all deal with issues that lead to anxiety, depression and stress.  When we get stuck in these states, we can get help from an extensively trained, friendly, non-judgemental professional, such as a registered psychologist.
*How to get up to 20 Medicare-rebated weekly sessions with a psychologist:
  1. A client with a (Medicare card) Informs their GP of their difficulties with Depression, Anxiety or Stress.   The GP asks some questions to assess whether the person is likely to need a referral to a psychologist.  They will base this decision primarily on a quick assessment of the client’s anxiety, depression and stress.  The GP then makes a  psychologist referral / mental health plan.

Demystifying Life Coaching – a (very) brief overview

Demystifying Life Coaching – A Brief Overview.

My life is exactly where I want it to be. I have overcome all of my faults, and found redemption. I am no longer afraid of death. I can handle any situation without stress or anxiety. And I am filthy rich. My family and friends are also perfect.  On top of that, I am, of course, really, really, really, ridiculously good looking.

Still reading?

I almost forgot to mention – I have a sense of humor.  And  if you hadn’t guessed it already – that last statement is the only true statement so far.   The above list merely represents my brief attempt to come up with some silly stereotypes about life coaching Program.  Of course, none of these things are true of me (though the power of life coaching has got me much closer).  They are impossible.