Author: Craig Gonzalez

Do you wonder why stressed people – specifically those in advanced teacher training intensive programs – turn to therapy?

Most mental health professionals agree that overcoming life’s challenges through mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) and training can help reduce depressive symptoms, chronic unhappiness, and negative thoughts like worrying about, “I will never be size zero,” which causes anxiety and other mental health issues.

How does it work? Does mindfulness-based cognitive therapy work for everyone?

With the mind trying to keep up, people are left vulnerable to anxiety, chronic stress, mood disorders, and depression that result from the struggles of everyday life. Recognizing patterns within our behavior, however, allows us to escape this cycle and this can be achieved through mindfulness-based stress therapy. As mentioned, the treatment is as effective as the other types 0f neuroplasticity mindfulness practices.

Let’s know the importance of the mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) process which has been proven to help manage bipolar disorder, negative thought patterns, depressive symptoms, and other mental health disorders. What is this treatment really about? And why is it part of cognitive behavior therapy?

Let’s start with mindfulness practices, then relate them to mindful-based cognitive therapy.

Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy is beneficial for you. Mindfulness is a powerful concept that lets us live in the present. The aspects of this counseling allow you to adapt and deal with the fast-paced world we live in.

How To Use Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy To Improve Mental Health

Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy is one of the proven automatic cognitive processes to help people process and work on their negative thinking patterns, active depression, and other problems. It incorporates conscious principles to supplement an MBCT program. This program focuses on simultaneously learning to control and accept thoughts and emotions. Allowing letting go of negative emotions, it imparts a positive impact on interacting cognitive subsystems.

If you’re wondering whether you need therapy, a systematic review of the literature suggests that psychotherapy can be beneficial in improving relationships and overall mental health. Specifically, it can help individuals develop greater psychological flexibility, which can lead to increased resilience and better coping strategies. The sessions provide a safe and supportive environment to work through personal challenges, and can be tailored to meet individual needs and goals.

You may have more questions about what mindful-based cognitive therapy is. Here are some frequently asked questions about it.

What are the mindfulness therapy techniques that give significant improvements?

This approach uses mindfulness as a therapeutic tool. It utilizes various techniques such as MBCT, stress reduction, mindfulness meditation, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT).

Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) is a type of therapy that has been shown to be effective in reducing recurrent major depressive disorder (MDD). This therapy involves a mental health professional guiding individuals through a mindful meditation practice, which can help them become more aware of their thoughts and emotions. Minfulness-based cognitive therapy has been extensively studied, with many clinical psychology reviews showing its effectiveness in treating major depressive disorder.

It refers to a modified type of cognitive-based therapy. It incorporates mindfulness, like breathing exercises and meditation, to combat mental health problems like depressive relapse, and recurrent depression in a mindful way.

What Religion Is This Type Of Treatment Based On?

Mindfulness studies and dissemination show that mindfulness ideas originally developed from the concept of sati, one of the most important Buddhist tradition elements. It also came from Vipassana, Zen, and Tibetan meditation techniques.

Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) is a therapeutic approach that emphasizes present-moment awareness and has been found to be effective in reducing symptoms in individuals with various mental health conditions. Psychosomatic research on MBCT has shown that it can be particularly useful in relapse prevention for individuals with recurrent depression, anxiety, and other mental health concerns. It can also help improve symptoms in patients.

What are some mindfulness exercises?

You can do mindfulness exercises in your everyday routine. It may also be through a body scan meditation where you have to focus all your attention on your body (physical sensations) and deliberately touch each part as a relaxation practice.

Does mindfulness-based cognitive therapy help with anxiety?

Further studies have proven that this type of therapy exercises help combat anxiety, negative thoughts, and depression. This is helpful for people who tend to act impulsively and let emotions drive their decision. With these approaches, awareness causes a significant decrease in the chances of experiencing anxiety and downward mood spirals.

Is Mindfulness or mindfulness-based principle a psychological theory?

Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy is anchored on positive psychology theory. It emphasizes the importance of experiential and meditative practices as the primary drivers for transformation and personal growth and development. This may also describe cognitive therapy that uses mindful mood balance and other mindfulness techniques.

Does mindfulness-based cognitive therapy actually work?

Mindfulness cognitive therapy sessions work in terms of helping people relax, reducing reliance on maintenance antidepressant medication, and managing chronic stress. However, there’s no specific evidence on what it scientifically does to the brain and how it influences overall health.

Is mindfulness-based cognitive therapy the same as meditation?

Meditation and mindfulness-based cognitive treatment play in the same sphere, but there are still things that do not overlap between these two. For instance, most people who regularly do yoga poses also perform mindful stretching and sitting meditations.

Final Thoughts 

Supplementing your cognitive therapy sessions with mindfulness-based cognitive techniques has great health benefits and an MBCT therapist agrees. Remember that the practical aspects and effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions such as mindfulness meditation is a journey and process.

The main goal of an MBCT program is to change and develop patterns in your behavior eventually. How you approach things affects your thinking. Allowing a different perspective is helpful for stressful situations to come. Remember, you can use it when needed to keep grounded in the present moment.

As you venture and get acquainted with using mindfulness-based cognitive techniques, expect an increased awareness of yourself, even in self-compassion. It aids in achieving this and ultimately prevents recurrent depression so you could start a new life and a new relationship.

More Considerations Regarding This New Form Approach

Though benefits are evident and proven, mindfulness itself is just a tool. Allowing yourself to process negative thoughts and behaviors is important to live a fulfilling life. Start with consulting with therapists or mental health professionals to see how to facilitate mindful stretching.

I hope through this, you have understood more about the concepts of cognitive therapy and how it is different from other types of therapy. The treatment is something that adults, teens, and children alike should try. Practice mindfulness today.

FAQs

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I was only 13 years old when the movie The Devil Wears Prada came out. When my mother saw promotional posters for it a week before its premiere, she was already excited because she loved Meryl Streep.

Upon finding out that it was rated PG-13, Mom suggested that we should watch the movie as a family as soon as it was out.

At the time, I was one of those teenage kids who did not want to do anything with their parents. I enjoyed being with my friends; I would rather hang out with them than go anywhere with Mom and Dad.

However, like most teenagers, I got scared when my parents said they would confiscate my Nintendo if I didn’t join them for movie nights, so I obeyed them.

Before the show began, I asked Dad to buy a big bucket of popcorn, a large soda, some chips, and a corndog for me. Although I agreed to watch the good movie, I feel like I would want to eat through the entire thing, considering I didn’t know the women actors back then.

But ten minutes into the film, I found myself transfixed to the enormous screen, my food forgotten.

The reason was that Meryl Streep’s character, Miranda Priestley, was too interesting to ignore. She was classy, bossy, and straightforward; though she did not seem to respect her subordinates, it showed that she wanted to know who was loyal to her.

Every word that came out of her mouth was iconic; in truth, even if Miranda did not have a dialogue, her facial expressions and actions demanded attention. I loved the movie so much that I played it on DVD at least once a month that year – no exaggeration whatsoever.

The more I watched The Devil Wears Prada, the more I related to Anne Hathaway’s character, Andrea Sachs. She was a young journalist who wanted to write for a famous publication in New York – I wanted that, too.

Since it was not easy to do that without connections, she worked for Miranda Priestly, even if she knew nothing about fashion. Once her commitment got questioned, Andrea began dressing well, emphasized by the video montage of her going to work in various designer outfits.

But several years after I watched the movie, one thing remained in my mind: you need to be the smallest size which is size 0 in the fashion industry.

That’s what Emily Blunt’s character strived for throughout the film because she wanted her body looked amazing once Miranda brought her to Paris Fashion Week. It did not happen because she got into an accident while she was running an errand for Miranda.

Andrea naturally accompanied Miranda, showing off a slimmer figure, basically a size zero, and women loved her for it.

How It Changed My Mentality

Since I had been a size 6 for as long as I could remember, I thought of losing weight to become size zero, too. I want a thigh gap that fits perfectly hip bones. I worked out at the gym, played sports, went hiking, and even tried yoga because I believe it can create a permanent change in my ideal body and it would make me feel good.

I also did intermittent fasting without my parents’ knowledge and reduced my mealtimes from thrice to once a day just so I could be size zero.

After a month, I saw a positive change in my body when I look in the mirror. I lost 10 pounds, which I never imagined I could do. It was awful to avoid my mother’s delicious dishes, but I got used to saying no to them.

But then, I became a bit sad the moment when I hit a plateau a couple of months later, which meant that I got stuck at size 4. While it was a significant achievement, it was still far from my dream of becoming a size 0.

I still don’t look thin and skinny in my clothes compared to other girls in my life. But, I know I’m not just an ordinary girl.

How I Changed My Mentality

I would have fallen into depression and feel worse because of my weight if I didn’t get wind of plus-sized models like Kate Wasley, Barbie Ferreira, Tara Lynn, and Ashley Graham.

I was nowhere near their body type of size zero dress size, but there I was, moping over the fact that I would never be size zero.

When I finally began to accept that I would never be size zero, I reverted to my old, healthy eating ways, acknowledging that it was impossible to achieve my dream size. I enjoyed Mom’s cooking again and stopped being obsessed over calories.

I refused to do intermittent fasting again unless it was to support recalibrating my digestion. I also reduced my physical activities to hiking and going to the gym thrice a week to maintain my figure.

Final Thoughts

I was only 16 years old at the time, but I already learned my happiness possibly did not depend on wearing a size 0 fit. I guess it was my time of luck that I realized that early; other girls needed to reach their 20s or 30s to doubt their wrong beliefs, reflect and figure that one out, and only after their slimming pills, teas, and programs did not work.

Will I still watch The Devil Wears Prada even if I have almost lost myself because I followed the characters’ lead? Of course! I just watched it again last night, and I will continue to do so for as long as I shall live my life.

Even if I don’t watch it for their “words of wisdom” anymore, I still love the actors’ impressive acting, after all.

FAQs

Can An Individual Have A Fitting Of 0?

What Does Being Fitting Of 0 Mean?

How Do You Stay In Fitting Of 0?

What is zero size no size?

 

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One of the most significant facets of a harmonious family is connectedness. It is the ability to support, communicate, and improve relationships between family members. Family connectedness is the shared or common emotional bond among parents, children, and siblings that persists for a long time. It creates a feeling of belonging, security, and comfort. Being connected implies that family members are comfortable and eager to engage in meaningful and enjoyable activities, practicing family traditions, creating memories of quality time together, and giving each other freedom and space when necessary.

Several studies have revealed that the close connections between parents and children become a source of protection and strength. These apparently help reduce the incidence of many mental, social, and emotional problems, particularly among adolescents and teenagers. Connectedness is effective from the bottom all the way to the top. It doesn’t matter if you’re co-parenting or sharing parenting roles with an ex-spouse, family member, close friend, or significant other, or if you are a single parent. You can learn and practice a parenting technique that will work on cultivating connectedness.

Below are three steps to creating an effective parenting style.

Think about it. Take time to contemplate what kind of parenting style you want to use and enforce for your child. You can do it by yourself, with your spouse, or significant other. What do you expect in terms of your child’s behavior? Do you want to raise a focused, serious, and relatively dependent child? Or do you want him to grow up to be a carefree, headstrong, and compassionate person? What values do you wish for him to learn? How can you support your children so that they grow up to become successful adults?

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Make a plan. Try making some kind of a parenting plan or mission and vision, writing a list of the main aspects that are more relevant to you and your family, and put these on top of your list so you know that they are a priority.

Develop a scheme that encourages team parenting. If you have a partner, come to an agreement on the approach that you will use for your children and make sure you work on enforcing this approach as a team. For instance, when a small misunderstanding comes up, you can agree to settle it right away. However, more profound issues like problems in school or discipline issues must first be discussed in closed doors with only your partner or significant other and then talk to the child after you’ve come up with the appropriate solution.

Make room for errors. Just like other roles, parenting is not easy at all and no parent is perfect as well. Either the dad or the mom will commit errors in the way they discipline or approach their child. Whatever it may be, remember not to blame each other or show anger immediately. Disagreeing on this aspect will never help each other, nor does it benefit your children. Ultimately, if you’re having trouble agreeing on one thing, you can always reach out to a mental health professional that can provide help and guidance in finding common ground.

Indications of Good Family Connections

Each family member should feel loved, understood, and respected so that the atmosphere created in the home is comfortable and with strong and stable emotional connections between parents and children and between spouses as well. It is not uncommon for society to be inconsistent in cultivating good family connections. This is because nowadays there are a lot of devices and gadgets brought about by modern technology that we no longer find the time to communicate face to face through meaningful conversations and fun activities that foster togetherness and joy.

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Amidst our busy lifestyles, can you honestly say that you are effectively connecting with your children or your spouse?

The myriad of problems that your teens and adolescents are experiencing – drug and alcohol abuse, suicide, improper physical and sexual behavior, and self-isolation – are due to the lack of healthy and strong connections with their families. Even the younger generations that belong to rich families don’t feel successful and determined and go through the same things mentioned above just to get attention or have some kind of connection.

Study these questions below and assess how ‘connected’ your family is with each other. You may need this to help establish family connectedness.

Is eye contact present in your typical conversations? Making eye contact is something personal and is seen in families that are closely connected to each other.

Do you have set limitations with regards to responsibilities, privacy, and freedom? Family members have chores that are performed routinely, like children washing the dishes, mom doing the cooking, dad working, etc. Additionally, privacy should be respected. Children have the right to make time to play or do their hobbies while parents must have time out for themselves.

Do you care to check in with one another? A connected family always cares about how each is doing or if they feel okay. Children must feel comfortable to talk about their emotions and express them honestly and completely.

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Do you cultivate family values? A strong and stable family has rules and values that they call ‘theirs.’ Children are made aware of what values to cherish when we use the phrase ‘in our family’ – ‘In our family, we don’t yell, we just reason and talk,’ or, ‘in our family, we find ways to help each other.’

Do you show love as often as you can? Hugs and kisses are among the most evident gestures that you can do to show how much you love and honor your family. Do show them how much you love them. A small act of love will surely go a long way.

 

 

During this pandemic, you experience a lot of stress. Sometimes, you do things your way only to avoid stressing over the situation. However, have you ever wondered if you were maybe harming your mental health without even realizing it? Have you ever thought that perhaps some of your habits are the reason you are stressed and anxious? If you are not sure, you must identify the mental health pitfalls. That way, you can start improving your mental health.

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Having A Fixed Mindset

If you believe that your character and qualities are fixed and unchangeable, then you have a fixed mindset. It is a condition that damages your mental health because of the kind of reality you put in it. A fixed mindset can make you unwilling and unmotivated to learn because you already believe in the idea that you are incapable of a lot of things. It makes it impossible for you to embrace challenges, and sometimes you draw yourself to constant failure. Having a fixed mindset makes you think that a minor struggle is a sign that you need to quit doing what you are supposed to do.

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Being Stuck In The Past

If one of your daily occurrences happens to be a recollection of the past, and you often find yourself dwelling over things you should have done to control a particular situation, you might want to consider it a sign for mental health damage. The thoughts you repeat over and over in your head can cause mental exhaustion. This condition responds to negative emotions and gets associated with higher depressive symptoms over time.

Seeking Reassurance

In this time of the pandemic, nothing is assuring. All the things you do in life depend on how you adapt to the changing world. But if you always find yourself asking if you are doing something right, it is a sign that you are harming your mental health. Seeking excessive reassurance tends to involve depressive symptoms by potentially playing a role of vulnerability factor. The negative attitude contributes to unwanted stress and anxiety, as well.

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Intense Feeling Of isolation

Understandably, this pandemic situation is scary. The adjustments you have to take are not the ones you are used to, which can take a toll on your life. But if you feel all alone even if you are surrounded by caring individuals, especially on difficult times, then that’s a red flag. You are harming your mental health the moment you think that no one is there for you in this unfortunate time. Such thoughts lead to pressure on your emotional and mental health.  Often, it gets predictive of future depressive episodes as well.

Ignoring Mental health Days

Have you ever spent a moment for yourself to think, reflect, and internalize thoughts? Have you tried making an extra effort in putting your emotional and mental health first before anything else? If you are always busy and you forget to take an off from the stress even for a day, there is a chance that you might suffer from a mental breakdown. If you don’t take a step back from all the toxicity that is happening in your life during this pandemic, you might not mentally survive from a complete burnout.

Take a step back and seek guidance if you need to. The BetterHelp app is an online counseling platform that aims to guide you into managing your mental health despite life’s challenges. Their professional and credible therapists are ready to talk to you anytime, anywhere. If you want to know more about it, visit their official Facebook account.

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Setting Unrealistic Expectations

It is crucial in this time to think passively. However, if you continuously convince yourself to get unattainable ideals, and often look for perfection, that’s a huge mental health mistake. Having high expectations lead to disappointments. Facing disappointments over and over can make you lose faith in yourself and others. It becomes a reason for you to self-destruct. It takes away your motivation because of the thought that nothing in this situation plays out the way you expected.

Since the Coronavirus outbreak, the World Health Organization challenges itself in sustaining a safety measure to avoid people getting infected with the disease since there is no cure for it yet. Therefore, they come up with a solution that wants the countries of the world to follow. That is how social distancing becomes a top priority. It becomes entirely crucial in managing the spread of the virus. However, who would imagine how challenging and hard social distancing is, especially in times when people are used to social interaction? And the idea of being alone or surrounded by limited people for weeks and months, it is causing everyone cabin-fever.

While self-isolation and social distancing are challenging, you should not be miserable. You must understand that its purpose is to provide security in uncertain times like this. Social distancing is a significant first step to look after your health and navigate through physical, emotional, and mental stability. So without further ado, here are the self-care guides you can do while maintaining distance from other people during this pandemic.

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Managing Your Needs

When your movements are restricted, it quickly disrupts you from your daily routine.  Therefore, you find yourself separated from family and friends. Sometimes, you find yourself struggling with loneliness, boredom, anxiety, and even depression. There are unwanted levels of worries of uncertainties of how things are. Therefore, it is essential to ensure the things you need not just to survive the pandemic situation, but to thrive in living as well. Some of the essentials you need to have are medications, toiletries, clothing, and food. You also need provisions to source out entertainment to avoid mental health issues. You can include having board games, books, television, and even a smartphone.

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Stop Over-Doing The Checking

Be mindful to only check the pandemic updates from time to time. Never allow yourself to indulge in the unfavorable situation of the world because it will only increase the level of anxiety and stress you may be having. You can keep up to date with what’s happening, but only tune in to trusted news sources. Never allow yourself to branch out different information as this only leads to confusion and mental torture. Understand that the information that is well-presented and trust-worthy helps reduce stress and anxiety.

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Reach Out To People

Reaching out to people such as your friends and family can help reduce loneliness and boredom during this crisis. Note that you don’t have to be afraid of telling your loved ones how you currently feel. It is okay to express your sadness, confusion, and loneliness relating to the effects of the pandemic in your life. Take time to enjoy the company of others as much as you can. Focus on the memories you are making with them, even for a little while. Understandably, personal communication is restricted. But you can always find other options to connect, such as using your mobile device or computers.

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Focus On Getting Better

Undoubtedly, this situation is stressful. However, instead of complaining about it, you should enjoy each day. Always keep your emotional and mental health intact so that you can fight the anxiety and stress this global health crisis is giving you. Try writing a journal and list down the things you are thankful for. Also, remember to take deep breathes regularly to ease your mind from negative thoughts. Stretch your body and do a little exercise as well to help boost your immune system. Just focus on getting better every day.

Social distancing is not a bad thing. Despite how many of us look at it as a challenging task, it serves a purpose to keep us safe from getting Coronavirus infection.