Grounding is a coping strategy designed to bring your focus to the present, or to “ground” you in the current moment. There are many grounding techniques that you can explore to see what works best for you, and one of these techniques is something you have at your fingertips: engaging with your 5 senses.
Humans are social creatures. We make numerous types of connections with others throughout our lives: familial relationships, friendships, romantic partners, professional relationships with co-workers, and friendly relationships with our community; we even create connections with animals and our pets, plus we can have connections with others, not only in-person, but online as well!
Connecting with others is a basic human need, but sometimes it’s difficult to take the first step to reach out or connect with someone.
So, this week, we’re learning how to build healthy, meaningful relationships!
We’ve done it time and time again: scrolled through cute cat videos when we “should” be working on a term paper, or played games when we’re “supposed” to be cleaning the house. Or maybe we’re watching a video or reading an article (like this one!) about how to cure our persistent tendency to procrastinate…when we were “supposed” to be working.
As a consequence, we may push the task off again and again, then rush to complete the task just before it’s due. We may also call ourselves “lazy” and shame ourselves for not completing a task early or in a timely manner. And, when we continue to procrastinate, rush to complete, and shame ourselves, we fall back into the cycle of procrastination, and it can be difficult, even overwhelming, to break free from the habit and actually feel accomplished with the tasks we have completed.
In this article, we’re breaking down the stigma of procrastination.
We’ve covered a lot of topics over the summer: we have learned
about the grieving process and how to cope with grief,
how to befriend our body,
how to mindfully color,
how to overcome procrastination and build discipline,
and last week, we learned how to build healthier relationships with social media.
Whew! That’s a lot to take in! And understandably, it can feel overwhelming, so this week, let’s pause and check in with ourselves.
Social media is pervasive and unavoidable. You may use social media not only during your leisure but also for work or school. We may know that we shouldn’t be spending so much time on social media—the countless articles and studies have shown us time and time again how social media can negatively impact our mental health. But still, we get stuck into bad habits, mindless scrolling, comparing ourselves to others, and an unpleasant algorithm.
This week, we’re not talking about how and why social media can be bad for your mental health. Instead, we’ll share how we can create a healthy relationship with social media.
Have you ever established a goal and felt excited to start, but as the days go on, you lost the motivation to continue pursuing your goal? Perhaps life got in the way or you didn’t have enough energy—even though it’s something you still want to achieve. As a result, you dropped the pursuit of your goal, and it now remains as a dream or a far-off distant goal you may or may not achieve one day.
If you’ve experienced this, then let us propose an alternative strategy to achieving your goals: self-discipline.
It is all too tempting to put off work, chores, tasks, or even the things we want to do in favor of scrolling through social media, playing games, or binge-watching movies and YouTube videos. Procrastination makes distractions tempting, even if it’s not something you want to do. We may never be free of distracting cute cat videos, but we can learn ways to overcome procrastination.
Grief is one of the oldest universal aspects of human experience, and yet it is also unique to each person and each situation. Grief is our emotional response to the loss of someone or something we love, and thus grief can feel overwhelming or all-encompassing. There is no right or wrong way to grieve; however, understanding grief can help us find healthier coping strategies.
In honor of National Grief Awareness Day, today, we’re looking at the grief process and tips to cope with grief.
Have you ever returned home from a paw-ful day, your pet comes up to greet you or you give them loving pets and your stress seems to melt away?
The bonds between humans and animals are powerful and valuable. Our companion pets provide us not only with their unconditional love but also with a wealth of mental health benefits—all while being their paw-some and adorable selves.
It’s easy to get caught up in the grind of our day-to-day lives. And, maybe we push our emotions off to the side without acknowledging or listening to them, so we can focus on our work. Or, maybe we let our emotions, like worry, anxiety, stress, or frustration, walk with us throughout the day without taking the moment to face them and listen.
So, let’s pause, take a mindful breath, and listen to what we have to say when we ask ourselves:
“How am I doing?”
© Breathing Space Psychotherapy. Copyright 2022. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use |
Congratulations on taking this step!
We look forward to working with you!
