REFRESH YOUR LIFE! The Psychology of Health, Happiness and Resilience

Shane Martin C.Psychol.Ps.,S.I.

TODAY9.30 am – 11.00 pm MANAGING STRESS

11.30 – 1.00 pm HEALTH, HAPPINESS, BOUNCIBILITY / Reflections

2.00 pm – 4.00 pm HEALTH, HAPPINESS, BOUNCIBILITY / Reflections

• Open-mindedness

• Space

• Time-out

• Hearing ourselves

• Respecting each other’s privacy

• No need for personal sharing

• Support

Why are you here?

• I don’t care

• It doesn’t matter

• Maybe……..

• The best possible life…..

• Innate capacity to embrace a better quality of life

• It’s a lifelong project

The three promises

• Evidence-based strategies

• Will cost you nothing

• You can start NOW!

Web: www.moodwatchers.com

Email: moodwatchers@eircom.net

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What do You See?What do You See?

What do You See?(c) moodwatchers

What matters most?

• HEALTH

• HAPPINESS

• MONEY?

• RESILIENCE

Happiness counts……..• Happier people live longer

• Happier children learn better

• Happier people encounter less disease

• Happier employees last longer in their jobs and are more loyal to their work

Three undeniable realities

• We are all vulnerable

• We will all face challenges, crises

• We underestimate our own potential to cope during the challenging times

(c) moodwatchers

What as psychology researched?

• Illness

• What is wrong with people

• Why people fall down

(c) moodwatchers

What does psychology provide?

• Interventions for people when they have symptoms

• Assessment and reports about what is wrong and what is causing it

• Theories for failure rather than success

• Tests to see how weak you are, how low your mood is, how anxious or stressed you are?

• Science is as good as it gets

• Science can be applied to help us understand what makes us healthier and happier

• Authentic happiness

• What keeps us strong during the challenging times?

• What is right about us?

• Harnessing inner-strengths

• - 8 to 0 but also 2+ to 8+

MANAGING STRESS

• A degree of stress is helpful

• We all bark and bite!!

• Stressful events merit stress.

• Prolonged stress is bad for us

• Unhealthy stress eats away at our health and happiness

The Role of Thinking within Stress• At the heart of stress is stressful thinking

• How we make sense of things

• How we see ourselves in the world

• Conclusions we make about ourselves, others and the world

The Role of Thinking within Stress

• Bias thinking

• Irrational thinking

• Private thinking

• Powerful thinking

The Power of Thinking• Affects our physiology

• Prolonged stress impacts on our general physical health

• Prolonged stress is often an inroad to mental illness

STRESS

Impact on the Physical

• Appetite • Cold hands/feet • Constipation • Diarrhoea • Dry mouth • Sweating

• Facial twitches or tics • Need to loo • Indigestion • Tiredness • Irregular breathing • Headache

Impact on the Physical• Chest pain • Palpitations • Rashes • Stomach ache • Sleep problems • Weight loss/gain

• Frequent colds/flu • Muscle tension • Choking voice • Tired eyes • Nausea

Impact on the Emotional• Feeling tense/nervous • Apprehensive/anxious • Suspiciousness • Gloominess • Fussiness • Low enthusiasm

• Cynicism • Alienation • Less confident • De-motivated • Feeling ‘under attack’

Impact on the Behavioural

• Less social • Claiming to be ‘too busy’ to

relax • Eating fast • Low productivity • Managing time poorly • Driving badly

• Smoking/drinking more • Taking work home/

thinking of work at home

• Withdrawal from supportive relationships

Impact on the Behavioural

• Being ‘ratty’ • Obsessed with punishing the

enemy • Less friendly to others • Not smiling • No humour

MOODWATCHERS

moodwatching• We are thinkers

• We do a lot of thinking

• A lot of our thinking is automatic (learned)

• We do not stop and reflect on how we think

MOODWATCHERS

moodwatching• Our thinking affects our physiology

• We are not aware of the link between our thinking and our mood.

• How we think affects how we feel and in turn influences our behaviour.

MOODWATCHERS

moodwatching• How we think influences our approach to life

• The sense we make of our own circumstances is crucial

• The meaning we attach to things

MOODWATCHERS

INTERNAL DIALOGUEAUTOMATIC SELF-TALK

MOODWATCHERS

LIFE EVENTS

HOW I FEEL

HOW I THINK

MOODWATCHERS

LIFE EVENTS

HOW I FEEL

HOW I THINK

INTERNAL DIALOGUEAUTOMATIC SELF-TALK

Our private world of thoughts, our interpretation of past and present, our predictions for the future are

very powerful influences on mood

THE WAY WE THINK INFLUENCES OUR BEHAVIOUR

MOODWATCHERS

THOUGHTS

FEELINGS

BEHAVIOUR

Mary is waiting in the restaurant for her date to arrive. He’s 30 minutes late.

THOUGHT I hope he’s okay. He is always speeding on the road.

FEELING ANXIETY/WORRY

ACTION Ring his mobile. I’ll phone his mother.

THOUGHT My mother is right. He’s a ‘no-good’! A total user!

FEELING HURT/ANGER

ACTION Chill him out / Leave / Row

Mary is waiting in the restaurant for her date to arrive. He’s 30 minutes late.

Mary is in the restaurant waiting on her date. He’s 30 minutes late.

THOUGHT He’s a character. No sense of time. Won’t even be aware that he’s late.

FEELING Relaxed, undisturbed

ACTION Have another gin and tonic!!

THE SENSE WE MAKE OF OUR WORLD IS CRUCIAL

HOW WE SEE OURSELVES, OTHERS AND THE WORLD

WHEN CHALLENGED

MOODWATCHERS

THE WAY WE THINK INFLUENCES OUR BEHAVIOUR

• Is what I am thinking helping me? • Is what I’m thinking fair? • Is what I’m thinking true? • Am I right to be as annoyed as I am? • Does it really matter? • How long do I want to be annoyed for? • Have I got good advice or am I making

conclusions on my own? • Am I my own best or worst coach?

CORE BELIEFS

STRESS BUILDING BELIEFS

• Perfectionism • Control • People Pleasing • Competence

Health, Happiness, Resilience: An evidence-based approach to achieving the best outcomes

Shane Martin C.Psychol.Ps.S.Iwww.moodwatchers.com

● Science is as good as it gets

● Science can be applied to help us understand what makes us healthier and happier

● What keeps us standing during challenging times

Ten tips for a better quality of life

Scientifically validated for enhancing health and happiness

THIS IS FOR YOU!!

INTERNAL DIALOGUEAUTOMATIC SELF-TALK

Our private world of thoughts, our interpretation of past and present, our

predictions for the future are very powerful influences on mood

● Is there another way of making sense of this?

● Am I right to be as annoyed as I am?

● Would this annoy you as much as it’s annoying me?

● Does it really matter?

● Have I got good advice or am I making conclusions on my own?

● Am I my own best or worst coach?

Consulting / Practical advice and solutions

Watch out for KNOW-ALL-ISM

The power of questions

Not to be governed by panic

● The clinical benefits of kind acts

● Putting our worries into context

● Physiological rewards

● Seeing the world

Self-compassion● Self-blame

● Over analysing

● Exclusive rights to stress

● You're not on your own!

Reflection• BK to me

• BK to others

● Failures are temporary setbacks!

● Never underestimate your own potential

● Doing different things, doing things differently

● Change (even forced change) can produce opportunities

● Being social – staying social● The powerful resource of family● Keeping friends● Making new friends● The greatest friend of depression is

solitude● Getting away from it all● Joining clubs and organisations● Volunteering

● Psychologists have shown that social ties and increased contact with family and friends are associated with a lower risk of illness

● What’s more, a 2010 meta-analysis of 148 studies showed that social connection doesn’t just help us survive health problems but the lack of it causes them

(Williams, 2011)

• The anterior cingulate cortex—the same structure involved in the emotional component of physical pain light up when we are lonely or detached

• Physiological effects of exclusion

Reflection• LINKS

• Family

• Friends

• Work

● Counting our blessings● Looking at what is right about our

lives● Celebrating all the things that we

have rather than always talking about the things we don’t have

● Digging deep● Savouring golden moments or days

Reflection • WWW

• 3GTS

• Golden Days Past & Planned

● Respecting the past but not being governed by it

● Not letting the past hold you back

● Over anxious about the future

● Today is a gift

● Make today count!

● Doing the things we love best● Doing the things we are best at● Starting new things● Switching the channel● Being ‘stretched’

Reflection• Digging up

• Starting new

● Sense of purpose● It’s not all about me!● Life as a journey● The benefits of prayer● Investing in our spirituality:● MINDFULNESS

9. Mind your body

EXERCISE, DIET, SLEEP

• The gift of humour

• Humour therapy

• Hanging around with good humoured people

“Laughing one hundred times amounts to the same exercise as riding a stationary bike for fifteen minutes. Five minutes of intense laughter can double the heart rate. Three minutes of laughter is equivalent to three minutes on a rowing machine. Laughter stimulates circulation, tones muscles, energises lungs and stimulates endorphins in the immune system.”

Dr William Fry (Stanford University)