Happiness

In part three from her series introducing us to maternal mental health, Anne Marie McKinley (who is a Midwife and Birth Trauma Specialist at Afterthoughts NI) guides us through ‘happiness’ – some of the research done, how it affects our lives and how it can shape our future generations.

Happiness has been studied in many ways. One study which looked at the biological factors that influence happiness and health and concluded that both biological and health factors underlie happiness. Genetics play a role too, and have a clear and significant effect on happiness (Dfarhud et al., 2014). 1 Another study demonstrates that about 33% of the variation in human life satisfaction is explained by genetics (De Neve etal., 2012/2013). 2 [Read more…]

Creating the Biology of Courage

The second part from her series introducing us to maternal mental health, we welcome back Anne Marie McKinley who is a Midwife and Birth Trauma Specialist at Afterthoughts NI. Here, Anne Marie explains how pregnancy is an opportunity to influence the future mental health and wellbeing of baby before birth and shares simple strategies to build resilience and interestingly, how imagination and visualisation can be of benefit.

The influences of external and internal factors on the health of the developing fetus and a growing baby have been widely researched. The belief that investing in psychological support for women who have mental health diagnoses and who report symptoms of depression or anxiety in pregnancy has evolved. Midwives, on booking, are encouraging women to appropriate pathways when symptoms are revealed. The importance of self-regulation, supportive environments, GP input, and psychological care are more prominent now than at any other time in the history of maternity care. [Read more…]

Dealing with the Symptoms of PTSD

Other than using the Rewind Technique, which I have found to be the kindest treatment for dealing with symptoms associated with traumatic events, there are many other treatments and activities which can help alleviate the symptoms a sufferer is experiencing. Here, Robert Johnson guides us briefly through what PTSD is and some of the options available to those living with the symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Complex-PTSD (cPTSD).

As we know, life consists of ups and downs which we overcome daily. When we think about any type of mental disorder, just think of the ‘many more’ ups and downs that those people need to deal with. For PTSD, the battle with fear and anxiety is a long one and can last the whole day. It can also continue through the night when the reliving of the events is frequent. In order to understand PTSD, it is important to have it defined before proceeding. [Read more…]

Perinatal Mental Health

We are pleased to be sharing the first part in a series by Anne Marie McKinley on the theme of maternal mental health. Anne Marie is a Midwife and Birth Trauma Specialist at Afterthoughts NI who, over the coming weeks, will be introducing us to maternal mental health and its related aspects.

For every year of births, the estimate long term cost to society of Perinatal Mental Health in the UK is 8.1 billion pounds (Bauer, 2014). 1 This estimate is based on the costs of mental health care of women through pregnancy and beyond, and it follows the trajectory of the cost of health-related ‘quality of life losses’ over the lifetime of mothers and their children’. [Read more…]

Charity Says Schools Must Make Mental Health as Important as Literacy and Maths

Traditional school subjects like English, maths, science and the arts are an important part of a child’s upbringing. But as the Mental Health Foundation Scotland (MHFS) points out, so too is a child’s mental health. The national charity is calling on schools all across the UK to give mental health the attention it deserves. The charity, in fact, believes it should be a key part of the curriculum, on par with literacy and maths – something I strongly agree with. [Read more…]

Make 2019 the year you stop waiting for it to be okay!

As another year ends, we can be grateful.

Some, however, will not be feeling a desire to express gratitude as 2018 was yet another year of psychological pain and turbulence. They wonder if these symptoms will ever leave – and peace and non-suffering will ever come to them.

We know there will always be suffering but to what extent, is in our own hands. The world may often be chaotic, but we can remain separate from that chaos if we elect to skilfully and mindfully observe more, and judge less.

[Read more…]

5 Benefits of Listening to Music During Meditation

We are continuing with the theme of music and adding a little mindfulness meditation with our guest, Marquis, highlighting the benefits of combining music with meditation.

Meditation is a way of expression that increasingly finds its place in scientific research. The practice has numerous benefits and one of these benefits is to release the mind and body from negative emotions. It can help us to be more resilient when it comes to depression or anxiety, it can help slow down the ageing process and contribute to our overall happiness. Similarly, music is something that can bring a reassuring and relaxing feeling as when we listen to music we begin to feel pleasant changes in our body! [Read more…]

What to do if your brain is wired for negative thinking?

When I think of the changes I’ve gone through since childhood, it really does show how malleable the mind is to patterns of ways of thinking, behaviours and being. I think we can connect neural pathways to create more or less positive/negative thinking and bias. Kristin Savage covers this topical subject and provides some excellent tips on how we can deal with negative thinking. She has had a most colourful career in writing for Pick Writers as she majored in Germanic Languages, speaks German and Dutch fluently and is now studying Spanish and planning to obtain her PhD in Applied Linguistics since she is interested in how to use language processes in everyday life.

Do you frequently catch yourself thinking negative thoughts? Do you tend to see everything in the worst possible light? Do you beat yourself up over your mistakes? No one can think positively all the time, but to lead a more contented life, it’s important for us to break any negative thinking patterns we may have. [Read more…]

How Meditation Makes Senior Living Easier

As I grow older, I’m much more aware of the importance of keeping a healthy and active mind. Over the last few years, in a professional capacity, I also see the concerns of my clients as they are much more aware also. It seems we all want to know how we can reduce our chances of contracting dementia and keeping active mentally, not just physically. So, this overview from our guest Holly, of how meditation can help us, is thought provoking not only for seniors but also for those of us approaching our senior years to appreciate how living mindfully and meditating can help us build a foundation now.

Transitioning from working full time to retirement, and living in a senior home, comes with a lot of challenges, and many seniors find it very overwhelming and stressful. However, meditation is a wonderful tool that can be used to reduce some of this stress and make life easier and more comfortable. I’m going to touch on how meditating for a few minutes each day is often enough to help keep us centred and how it can help us approach our day with more focus and confidence. [Read more…]

Music Therapy: What is it and how can it help?

Music is a universal language and medium that is evocative, expressive, creative and therapeutic. Who couldn’t use a little music? We welcome back Will, who shares a brief overview about music therapy which is based upon his excellent 7-parter written for My Audio Sound.

Music is a universal language which means we can communicate using it regardless of the country we come from or our native tongue. Music uses emotion to connect with us, and that is why so many people have such a deep connection with it. This is one reason why music therapy is such an interesting and successful form of counselling. But, what exactly is it and how is it able to help us?

[Read more…]