Overcome Your Fear Of Blogging Without Help From Psychologists With These 4 Practical Tips

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Have you ever met someone with great potential to become the blogging counterpart of Stephen King or J.K. Rowling if only he or she does not want to reach out to psychologists every time you mention this possibility?

I know of some people who are so skilled in writing, but they seem to get startled whenever they hear the word “blog.” They have not ideally gone through bullying in the form of articles; there are perhaps companies that want to back them up as well. Despite that, all they want to do is write for themselves and stay away from the blogging world as much as possible.

In all honesty, this is the kind of phobia that does not make sense to me. Not to sound as if I’m trying to invalidate your feelings, but if you know your capabilities and you have a clear idea about what you can do, you do not have to be afraid of potential criticisms or praises whatsoever. And you can never be called boastful because of that; you practically exude complete trust to yourself by doing so.

It is normal to feel jittery when you are about to post your first blog. However, if it is already your second or third blog, and your knees still shake due to the idea of hitting that Publish button, try to read the following tips to get over your fear about blogging on your own.

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Claim That You Can Make It Happen

From the get-go, you ought to remember that your brain creates your fear. “Fear, or getting scared, is an emotion that’s part of our biology as human beings, just like other emotions such as sadness, joy and anger. It serves a purpose that’s crucial to our ability to survive,” says Steve Orma, PsyD, clinical psychologist. In a way, you create your mental adversaries. Perhaps you think negatively about yourself, for instance. Well, you have to stop trying to pull yourself down now if you want to be a successful blog. Start saying the encouraging words such as “I can do it,” “I am invincible,” and “I am no longer the crybaby that I used to be” soon after you wake up and when you are already working. In this manner, your self-affirmations might take effect and allow you to create a blog for the first time.

Be Proud Of Your Writing Skills

You can merely find a handful of individuals who can produce well-informed and exciting blogs, but you can still see the ones made by people with less writing skills than you do. Instead of ridiculing them, have you ever thought of how they can think of posting those blogs even if they know that they are not as good as the others’?

The reason is that not-so-amazing bloggers have an inkling on how to take pride in their abilities. They do not care about being bashed by the viewers because they like what they are doing. If a harsh comment comes, these people allow their eyes to pass through it yet not linger there long enough to depress them. Besides, they strive to be better.

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If YOU know that you have the talent which is far higher than what these people have, then why are you still sitting there and letting your fear about blogging eat you? I assure you, a little bit of confidence to yourself and your natural blogging skills combined can take you to places in no time. “Get outside of whatever your thought of traditional journaling may mean, and have fun with it!” Lindsey Pratt Psychotherapy, LMHC suggests.

Treat The Blogging World As Your Jungle

It is not egotistical to consider yourself as the king or queen of the jungle, especially if you remain undecided whether you will start blogging or not. For the record, you should do that and (hopefully) inspire others to overcome their fears. If you are having a hard time dealing with yours, though, you should see the activity as no different from a jungle that wild animals live in. It may be a massive place that’s covered by the trees, but it does not mean that you will not be able to create a path for yourself towards an opening.

Contact A Therapist

Contacting a therapist who can help you overcome your fear of blogging should serve as a last resort if the tips above either do not work or are not enough for you. Of course, we are aware that some people prefer to deal with their sources of anxiety on their own to avoid making their loved ones worry or prevent becoming a laughingstock because of it. Nevertheless, a psychological counselor is the type of friend you want by your side if all else fails.

When choosing a therapist, the first thing to consider is their knowledge about phobias and anxiety-related disorders in general. “Finding a therapist is the first step in helping to crawl out from under depression,” says Susan Block, LMFT. You may also ask about the activities that can treat or counter your condition. Since mental health is not included in many insurance policies, though, you should prepare for doctors’ fees.

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Final Thoughts

Getting rid of your fear once and for all can sound like an impossible task, especially if you have had the problem for a long while. However, how can you follow your dreams and pursue a career in writing if you cannot even create a blog?

Think of the ideas above so that you can publish your first blog article soon. Cheers!

Mind-Body Approaches For Fertility: Healing For Health

 

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Mind and body therapy pertains to the connection between one’s physical and mental health. Stress is the culprit of various illnesses, both emotional and physical. Chronic conditions like infertility may cause severe stress, which may subsequently lead to anxiety and depression. But could these mind-body therapy approaches really help women conceive? Studies and clinical trials prove this to be true. Results have shown that mind-body medicine provides women with healthier ways to cope with the stress and anxiety of fertility, including fertility treatments.

Although more has to be done to confirm 100% efficacy of these approaches, most studies have claimed an increase in the number of pregnancies in couples participating in mind-body programs. And according to a Pediasure and pregnancy-related article, for those studies where pregnancy was not the target outcome, the participants showed improved emotional well-being. Moreover, some people believe that our minds can work on our bodies efficiently and our health in general, doing as much as literally healing our bodies. In fact, one does not need to believe to reap its benefits. Practitioners of this field of medicine see and utilize mind-body therapies to decrease stress and increase one’s quality of life, but not to actually cure a disease or condition.

 

Mind-Body Therapies

Mind-body medicine is also known as mind-body-spirit medicine, holistic care, or integrative medicine. Here are some of the most common therapy approaches that may help with fertility and improved overall health.

Yoga

“Many practitioners and teachers of yoga claim it offers benefits for one’s mental health. It seems like an obvious conclusion, given that most yoga focuses on exploring one’s inner world of consciousness.” John M. Grohol, Psy.D. said. A combination of pranayama (breathing) and asanas (postures), yoga is a systematic and meditative exercise. It has been used for thousands of years to clear the mind and achieve inner peace. Lately, practitioners have utilized it to assist women who are diagnosed to be infertile or couples who have been unsuccessful in conceiving. Fertility-friendly yoga DVDs are slowly gaining popularity in the markets. Only a few results connect directly to achieving fertility through yoga, but the restorative and gentle yoga types have been very beneficial for women who are undergoing IVF treatment, which may have a link to successful conception.

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Group Therapy And Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

CBT is a known technique of counseling that is done by a therapist guiding a patient through a process of replacing his negative thoughts with positive ones. “CBT is a relatively brief, skills-focused treatment that has been shown to be effective for a wide variety of mental health issues, including anxiety, depression, anger, social skills deficits, and relational problems.” Shelby Harris, PsyD, CBSM elaborates. Breathing and relaxation techniques are also involved here. It is one of the most effective methods for individuals with anxiety, stress, and infertility. One study claimed that more positive results were seen in patients with depression than those who were taking antidepressants. Group therapy, on the other hand, is a type of counseling where women or couples with similar emotional issues have found beneficial in terms of mental and emotional healing.

Acupuncture

One of the oldest practices, acupuncture, works by working on trigger points to balance energy in the entire body. It is considered as alternative medicine and at the same time a mind-body approach, as it induces relaxation, comfort, and stress reduction. Research and clinical trials on the acupuncture-fertility link are thought to be due to these positive benefits.

Meditation

According to Andrea F. Polard, PsyD “Meditation is not just relaxing, but to be keenly aware of the present moment while not interfering with mental activities that revolve around our little self.” There are various types of meditation, and the type of meditation that may help women conceive is that which guides women to cope with the stress of attempting to have a child. This kind of meditation teaches the mind to let go of the useless thoughts and focus on the goal you want to achieve. It encourages the mind to move further from worry and nearer to peace and calm. This is a new practice that has just been introduced in fertility programs, and not much can be said about it in terms of positive or negative outcomes.

Hypnotherapy

This can be done either alone through audio recording or with the guidance of a hypnotherapist. The patient/client is walked through a state of light sleep or a trance, and this results in deep relaxation of the mind and body. While in a trance, the therapist assists the patient by inducing hope and positivity in the patient’s thoughts. He enumerates alternative ideas to replace the patient’s negative thought patterns. Two or more studies have proven that hypnosis during IVF treatments increased the success rate of the procedure. Additionally, hypnosis is a popular remedy for heavy smokers those who want to lose weight the healthy way.

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Guided Imagery

It is a type of meditation that involves guidance from a therapist or an audio recording walking the patient through a relaxation and breathing exercise while ‘daydreaming’ beautiful colors and peaceful spaces such as the forest or the beach.

 

 

 

Alternative Treatments You Might Want To Try For Your Chronic Pain

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Have you been dealing with chronic pain for some time now, but you prefer to see a therapist online instead of meet with a real doctor to get help?

Yes, you are not the only physically troubled individual who does that. With the emergence of digital counseling, a growing number of folks turn to it as they look for a remedy for their health problems. That is irrespective of the fact that such form of therapy is most applicable for non-severe cases of depression and anxiety.

If you genuinely do not wish to take medicine or go under the knife to cure or reduce your chronic pain, there are other alternative treatments that you might want to try.

Egoscue Method

It is best known as the world leader in non-medical pain relief. One of its central belief is that “your body will never let you down,” strategically telling the patients that this therapy is effective for stopping chronic pain by focusing on improving your posture.

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Whole-Body Vibration

The procedure for this method requires you to stand, sit, or lay down on a vibrating platform. The goal is to make your entire body vibrate so that your lower back muscles may soften and gain more strength afterward.

Active Release Technique

It is a movement-based massage that mainly works on overworked soft tissues to reduce chronic pain. The process is different from other therapeutic techniques, considering the masseuse “feels up” the tensed muscles and treats them by manipulating the area that affects the patient’s movements.

Myofascial Release

This alternative therapy involves exerting pressure your tight muscles or tissues, which typically restricts you from moving. The treatment is highly ideal not only for chronic pain patients but also for those who have migraine, fibromyalgia, et cetera.

Rolfing Structural Integration

The treatment aims to rearrange or realign an individual’s connective tissues so that their motions can go back to normal again. Patients will go through what the experts call as a Ten-Series format, which can adjust their body to its regular form in a systematic approach.

The first part of the treatment focuses on relaxing the shallow tissues. The second part lengthens the deeper muscles in the body and some improvement on the person’s daily performance is already visible. Once you near the end of the program, the therapist will work on body integration and function as a whole.

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Spinal Decompression

The technique relieves the pressure on the nerves in the spinal column. Inversion therapy is one of the common traction forms used to decompress the spine which encompasses being hanged upside down.

Chiropractic

It involves manual therapy like adjusting of joint and manipulating dysfunctional joints. Chiropractic treatment practices include Spinal Manipulation Therapy (SMT), Applied Kinesiology, Diversified, Activator, Thompson, Gonstead, Sacro-Occipital, Nimmo-Receptor Tonus, and Cranial techniques.

Atlas Orthogonal

It promotes “painless and safe spinal correction” by using light touches to help heal the back problems. An Atlas Orthogonist is supposed to be skilled at using a percussion instrument, which produces the sound waves that can ideally adjust the misaligned spine.

Biopuncture

It is a form of therapy that gets done by injecting active substances like arnica, Echinacea, nux vomica, and chamomile, to the skin or to the muscle to regulate the muscles physiologically. Biopuncture is mostly useful for chronic pain caused by sports-related injuries.

Prolotherapy

Also known as regenerative injection therapy, it involves the injection of a non-irritant solution to the body to treat injured connective tissues that are said to cause back pain.

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Source: acc.af.mil

Acupuncture

It is done by inserting needles to the skin to stimulate specific points in the body. There had been studies showing that back pain can be treated by acupuncture successfully by introducing needles at various parts of the body at different depths.

Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP)

The treatment starts by centrifuging a small amount of the blood of the person who’s in pain. When everything settles down, the expert injects the concentrated platelets at the injured part of the body. Some scientists believe that platelets have bioactive growth constituents; that’s why they can help in tissue recovery.

Neural Prolotherapy (NPT)

It merely uses 5% dextrose to resolve pain by obstructing TRPV1, a neuropeptide that generates the release of pain. The treatment will continue until the patient is completely pain-free.

Final Thoughts

The goodness of these therapies is that they’re also worthy for other kinds of body pain so smile now and look forward to your physical healing. So, you see, there’s still hope for your chronic pain and more.

Good luck!

 

Five Facts About Single Fathers

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Ever since the family movie “The Pursuit of Happyness” from 13 years ago, there have been more and more children from single-parent families who lived with their fathers. The percentage of father-led single-parent households since 2007 has increased since then by 12.5%, making a total of 16.1% according to the US Census Bureau.

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How Reading Can Make Your Mind And Body Healthy (Meet The Better You)

Time spent on reading books is time well spent according to psychologists.  You can start reading as a hobby, which can eventually be developed into a habit.  A good habit that can be the source of your happiness and pleasure as it allows you to escape reality for a moment.

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Reading Helps You Breakaway From Stress

A study revealed that reading could reduce stress by 68%.  Whether it’s fiction, novel, romantic paperback, cooking or gardening magazine, it works faster and more efficient than other forms of therapy.  It does not have to be a best seller book, as long as it is something that interests you, and provides you with enjoyment.  It allows you to escape from stress.   You may not notice it, but even browsing a telephone directory can relieve your anxiety for a while.

“Reading, doing challenging puzzles such as crosswords or Sudoku, debating issues with others who have opposing viewpoints, learning a new language or musical instrument, trying a new hobby, or teaching and tutoring others are all ways to maintain or improve your intellectual wellness.” –Marjie L. Roddick, MA, NCC, LMHC

When going for a long ride or as traffic jam begins to affect your mood, reading traffic signs and billboards along the road snatched you away from the boredom.  It distracts you from getting stressed.

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Kids usually get bored quickly and hate being inside the car for long hours.  Getting them to read signs on the road is a trick to distract them.  The moment they enjoy it, you have happy kids in the car that keeps stress away.

 

Reading Can Inspire You To Be Better

Reading is not just a source of enjoyment; it can inspire you in many ways, and encourage you to try new things.  The words on every page stimulate your brain, boost your imagination, and bring out the creative and adventurous person in you.

Some books share success stories of people known for their craft. Books also shaped their lives, improved their well-being, boost their creativity and productivity, transform their careers, and more.  Understanding what brings them happiness, success, and health can impact you to behave and think the same way.

Sometimes as we read, we find the answer to some of our questions, like what we wanted to be, what’s is life’s purpose.  It is in continuous reading also that you will find the answer and how you can achieve it.  A book can inspire you to change your life for the better.

 

Reading Can Make You More Social

A wide reader understands and interacts better with people.  People who love to read can be a good conversationalist as they can easily hold a conversation, share meaty facts about life and other stuff in general.

You can easily tell a person who likes to read with his sharp memory.   He never runs out of a topic that makes sense.

 

Reading Good Books Trains Your Brain To Be More Empathic

Good reads motivate you to have a positive perspective on life.  A person with a positive outlook animates his thoughts by doing good deeds.  He is aware that being kind inspires others to do the same.

It gives you a sense of fulfillment knowing that you contributed something to society.

 

Reading Can Result In A Healthy Body And Mind

“Rest time is essential to recover from the burden of stressors in our day to day lives. Rest can include sleep, relaxing, time doing something that you enjoy doing such as reading, fishing, calling a good friend.” Gretchen Flores, MA LPC LCPC said. Being able to free yourself from stress means your body feels relaxed, and no more tensed muscles.  When you are cool as a cucumber, your heart rate decreases and blood pressure is lower.  If you’re in pain, reading can also help alleviate the discomfort you are in.

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Reading book is found useful in calming the body 30 minutes before sleep and is effective in combating insomnia.  Put down your gadgets, and hold a book.  Many people I know read their Bible before bedtime, and instantly they fall asleep.  Calming prose and poetry can also be your lullaby. Audra J Lee LMFT suggests that “Take a mental health day, take time off from work and refuel & recharge, whatever that looks like for you personally.”

Don’t you think it’s time for you to pick a book that will allow you to escape to another world, let go of your stressors, be inspired, and find yourself again?   It’s just this time; it is the better person in you that you will come to meet.

How To Express Love To A Person With Bipolar Disorder 

Loving a person is a continuous decision that you need to make every single day. The moment you profess your love to a person, you must be prepared with the consequences that come with it. As such, it is imperative on your part to be careful in assessing your feelings for someone before you express it. Otherwise, you will only end up being hated or disliked by the other individual.

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Importance Of Mindfulness To Our Modern Teens

Today’s generation is far different from yesterday. The teens nowadays deal with various stressors such as the social media, peer pressure, social standards, parents, social demands, and change in morals and values of society. There is too much to think about that sometimes, all the things that occupy the mind make it crowded and confused. It is essential that the teens be mindful and goal-oriented. They should be able to distinguish which is vital in their individuality and life in general. 

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