MENTAL WELLBEING

We are living in tough times. Many of our patients are struggling with anxiety and depressed mood, feeling alone and finding it hard to find the help they need.

At CWM and Skin Clinic we take a holistic approach to health and wellbeing, acknowledging the relationships between mind, body and spirit. 

Three simple steps to help your mood 

1. Make your bed

The simple act of getting out of bed every day and making your bed ensures that you have completed one task in the day. Never under estimate the power of achieving just one small task.

2. Name your emotion

We all feel emotions. What are you feeling now? Calm, stressed, on edge, sad, jovial? Naming an emotion helps us to acknowledge its presence and give us control over it.

3. Take hold of your thoughts.

What is a thought? At a base level, a thought is really neurons firing in the brain. Does thinking something make it true? If you think something enough times, you will incorporate that thought into your understanding of the world and your place in it. Practice taking hold of your thoughts and naming them. Just because you think something, that does not make it true! Next time you find yourself thinking something unhelpful, such as "I am not good at anything", name that thought. For instance you might say "Oh, I am having the thought that I am not good at anything". See what difference that makes?

One of our favorite authors and speakers on the topic of thoughts and taking hold of them, is Dr Russ Harris. You can read more about him and Acceptance and Commitment therapy here. 

What do I do if I need more help?

If feelings of anxiety or depression cloud most of your days, we encouarge you to seek help. Please make an appointment to speak with one of our doctors and together we will come up with a plan to help. Outside of practie hours, we have found the Lifeline help centre very helpful for many of our patients. More information can be found here.