2020- a whole new decade! As we begin a new year it is a good time to evaluate our lives, draw a line under what has come before and set positive intentions going forward. Whilst setting resolutions is a good thing and can be a goal to work towards, setting the bar too high and being restrictive can lead to loss of willpower and an increase in anxiety. Many people use ‘January’ as a month to experiment with the changes they would like to make- not only does this help focus on the present rather than the end goal (making you more likely to succeed) but it enables change to be implemented gradually, letting your mind and body adapt.

Recently Dr Jeremy Alford welcomed 50 psychology graduates from around the world who came as part of SLV global- a company providing students and graduates from around the world the opportunity to gain valuable, practical psychology work experience – to Ubud Bali where he gave an informative talk on aspects of his work around mental health.

What is CBT?
You have probably heard of CBT… but do you know what it actually is?CBT (otherwise known as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is a treatment which uses psychotherapy. It works by placing emphasis on the fact that many of life’s problems arise when we have negative thought patterns and or behaviours. (This refers to the ‘cognitive’ part).

Bali: It isn’t all coconuts, palm trees and rice paddies- although it’s close! Better known as the ‘Island of the Gods’ Bali is an island closely linked to spirituality, religion and mental wellbeing. Often those struggling with depression, anxiety, burnout or just poor mental health, in general, are subjected to an environment which fuels this. Think chaotic, busy cities, where you are forced to move at a hectic pace, have little time for self-reflection and little opportunity to de-stress. This is why we believe at Choices Personalized Retreats that environmental factors are so detriment to full recovery.

For many, admitting you need help is one of the hardest steps towards recovery but it is also one of the most important.

When experiencing depression, it can be difficult to know the most effective way to treat it. Far too often there is a reliance on antidepressant medication and whilst this works for a minority, very few people experience significant recovery by treating depression through medication alone.

Recently MEEDA came together with the talented Yara Zgheib whose debut novel ‘The girls at 17 Swann Street’ addresses the heartbreaking world of eating disorders and the strength, endurance, and support that is required to overcome a disease such as anorexia.

Yet, even when we are really busy, small changes to our daily routine can help improve our mood, keep anxieties at bay and improve overall mental wellbeing.

We all experience feelings of depression and anxiety at one time or another. Even way back in Ancient Greece, philosophers such as Hippocrates commented on anxiety disorders in their writing. Yet, due to our hectic ‘modern-day’ lifestyles, more people are struggling to cope, experiencing frequent and intense negative emotions and reporting a sense of feeling completely ‘overwhelmed’

We all experience negative emotions at times, but if we don’t handle them productively these emotions can very quickly manifest affecting both our mental and physical health. Often we are caught between knowing that we need to be more open about the way we are feeling (bottling our emotions only has negative effects further down the line) but fearing we will handle these negative feelings in the wrong way.

Anyone experiencing addiction will be familiar with the feeling of going around in circles, that feeling of never being able to break the cycle, of continued ‘good’ periods followed by relapse.

It was a privilege to share my passion with psychology graduates from around the world last Monday 24th of September 2018 in Ubud, Bali.

Up until fairly recently there was a stigma around poor mental health-that it was only something that affected a small percentage of the population, those who were more susceptible to changes in emotion, those influenced in a negative way by the media or those who had experienced extreme hardships in life

How much of your time do you spend over-doing things never taking any breaks because you don’t think you should?