The champion of Australian Ultra Running, Australian National ranked boxer, King of Pomona, winner of the Guzzler, Blackall, Hares and Hounds and the record holder of Beerwah mountain. Did we mention this unicorn use to be 140kg?
10 men on a massage table - what’s the common thread? We talk mental health from for the busy man and how to manage stress potential burnout and depression.
Jamie speaks to the UnPanic Project founder Danielle Eaton about her initiative and mental health awareness blog.
They discuss panic attacks living with bipolar type 2 disorder and anxiety tools resources and a mother of two’s desire to share her story to help others.
Cognitive distortions have a way of causing havoc in our lives - if we allow them to.
This sort of unhelpful, ''stinkin' thinkin'' can be undone, but it requires effort, patience and lots of practice - every day!
If you want to put an end to these irrational thinking patterns, you can start by trying out the 'STOPP Strategy'. Learning this one essential skill can help you to take control of your emotions and your life.
Watch the video or download this podcast audio and take a few minutes to read through the steps below and then, why not? Start practising!
Here are the STOPP Steps:
STOP: Don’t act impulsively. Wait.
TAKE A BREATH Slowly breathe in and out a few times.
OBSERVE What am I focusing on? What am I thinking about? What is it that I'm reacting to? What am I feeling in my body?
PERSPECTIVE Consider the bigger picture. Is this fact or is it opinion? Could there be a different way of looking at this? Consider what someone else would say about it? How does this affect other people? What advice would I offer a friend in the same situation? How important is this situation right now?
PRACTISE WHAT WORKS Consider the consequences. What is the best thing to do? Do whatever will help the most!
How to put STOPP into practice:
Practise the first two steps frequently for a few days - several times every day.
Read through the steps regularly.
Practise STOPP by working through each of the steps several times a day, every day... even when you don't need it.
Start using it for minor upsets - when you notice yourself responding emotionally to something that's happening.
Over time, you'll find that you can use it for more major and distressing situations. Like any new skill or habit, it will become automatic - with practise.
Anxiety & stress can be debilitating and overwhelming.
Definition of "stress":
Stress is often described as feeling overloaded, wound-up, tense and worried, and occurs when we face situations where we feel we can’t cope, or have the resources available to deal with it.
(Australian Psychological Society 2015)
Definition of "anxiety":
Feeling anxious in certain situations can help us avoid danger, triggering our 'fight or flight' response. It is how we’ve evolved to keep ourselves safe. Sometimes though, we can become overly worried about perceived threats – bad things that may or may not happen. When your worries are persistent or out of proportion to the reality of the threat, and get in the way of you living your life, you may have an anxiety.
(Black Dog Institute Australia 2018)
So what is "Worry Time"? Worry time actually allocates time to emptying your mind, problem solving and trouble solving particular situations to eliminate generalised anxiety and stress, and puts your mind set, thought process into a positive problem solving lens.