Counselling Articles

10 Suggestions to Improve Your Mental Health Today!

Having good mental health, or “balance” in our social, emotional, and psychological states, does not have to be complicated. The key to working towards this balance is to recognize that our lives are made up of several components such as work, social, spiritual, and family, to name a few. It is the sum of these parts which creates our daily existence. Striking a healthy balance in these gives us the sense of “wholeness” or good mental health. When we try to reap all life’s satisfaction out of one area of life, the other areas often become neglected and imbalance occurs which might lead to poor mental health. This being said, there are simple things that you can start doing today to work towards keeping, or improving, the “psychological balance” in your life. The following 10 easy steps are designed to help you find your own optimal “balance.”

The 10 Steps to improve mental health:   (more…)

Are you suffering from too much stress? If you answered “yes” then here are some easy stress reducing remedies, which you may not have thought of, to help you in your busy life.

Stress can be defined as your body’s response to external pressures you experience in your daily life. So what exactly can you do to limit its negative effect on you?

• Cry: Though it may sound strange, crying is healthy and helps to remove stress.

• Laugh: Laughing releases positive hormones which help to lower stress levels.

• Reduce intake from media sources: Try not reading, or listening to media sources for a day or more.  Limiting the access of negative “news” in your life may help to lower your stress level.

• Leave your desk: Physically remove yourself from your desk and allow yourself to breath.  Try concentrating on the rhythm of your breathing.  This is a simple meditation technique and also effective at lowering stress levels.

• Talk with someone: Speaking with someone else about your stress can help to reduce your level of stress.

• Tense and release your muscles: Did you know that by tensing and then releasing the muscles in your body you will rid your body of stress?  Systematically tense, hold and then release the muscles in your body; starting at your head, then working your way down to your feet.  By the time you get to your toes you should be feeling more relaxed.

• Turn your phone and computer off: Try taking just a few minutes to yourself and just do nothing.

• Have an orgasm: Whether with someone else or by yourself, an orgasm will lower stress levels and you will feel better.

Try some of these tips for stress relief and see if you experience a difference.  Finally, if you are concerned about the effect your level of stress is having in your life, speaking with a therapist can sometimes help.

By Justin Duwe, MBACP Psychotherapist

You may wish contact Harley Therapy: Psychotherapy and Counselling to schedule a consultation with a stress management counsellor in London. If so, call 0845 474 1724. 

If you have a job and you do not always “click” with your boss, read on. Whether you believe that your boss is too demanding, incompetent, crosses professional boundaries, or regularly pushes you to your psychological limits, there is hope! This article will highlight some strategies for improving the professional relationship between you and your ” difficult boss”.

Our work environment can become psychologically toxic when we don’t have a good functional relationship with our work superior. Many of us spend a large amount of time at work and some even spend more time at their work place than home. So it’s beneficial to have healthy professional relationships with those whom we work alongside. Poor work relationships can add unwelcomed psychological stress which may have a detrimental effect on work performance, motivation levels, and overall job satisfaction. So what can you do when you have a poor relationship with your boss? (more…)

In workplaces across the country, the major responsibilities of a business often ride on the shoulders of the executive staff. While this can result in high praise and reputations of efficiency, it can also bring incredible amounts of pressure and workplace stress. Further, the individual often has to juggle these high workloads with time spent with their families and time for themselves. Consequently, is it any wonder that executive staff are the main sufferers of workplace stress and burnout?

The Diathesis-Stress Model

A current perspective on understanding the interaction between stress and psychological/physiological health problems is the ‘Diathesis-Stress Model’.

It is believed that a Diathesis is a predisposition for a health problem that is inherent within an individual as a result of genetics or a childhood experience. This diathesis may reside within an individual undetected for their entire life. However, stress in everyday life may trigger this diathesis and result in a mental health problem or physical health issue. (more…)