Signs You Might Be Depressed

Depression and mental illnesses do not manifest in a way that is easily understood from the outside. There are many instances where we’re already at that stage without any noticeable symptoms.

In fact, university studies mention that most depressed patients don’t initially seek medical help for depression. Most people think they have something wrong physically and later find out the root cause was mental. This is called “masked depression.”

Consider that you might be depressed if you notice the following signs:

・You Repeatedly Make Mistakes You Never Used To Make

When we’re depressed our attention scatters, leading us to make more mistakes to perform badly. It can be small mistakes from misspelling to missing details or big mistakes like sending the wrong email to a client or forgetting an important appointment.

These mistakes can bleed into our personal life as well. Even when someone points out the mistake, we oftentimes don’t have the capacity to process what’s pointed out. Eventually, this leads to a path of more mental hardships.

・You’ve Noticed A Change In The Amount of Food You Eat

A university study indicates that when we’re depressed, we tend to overeat or crave sweets. This means that there is a correlation between the amount we eat and our mental state. There’s no doubt we need food to live, but overeating is an unhealthy habit. Weight gain and physical difficulties that come with it can become additional stress if we’re not careful enough.

・You Have Less Communication with Co-Workers

When work gets to us, we naturally distance ourselves from it and communicate less with co-workers. Even if you are an extrovert, if you find yourself being less communicative, declining work-related social engagements, it could be because you’re depressed.

5 Ways To Relieve Stress When You Feel Depressed

If you notice the signs of stress or depression, it’s best to get rid of them as early as possible. Stress coping methods differ for each person, but if you’re unsure of where to start from, below are some methods you can try.

1. Find a Hobby to Enjoy on Your Own

If work is bringing you down, allocate time for hobbies where you can completely distance yourself from the difficulties at work. It can be an outdoor or indoor activity, but ideally, it should be an enjoyable activity that is easy to incorporate into your routines.

If you don’t have any hobbies like that, we recommend books and movies. “Cry sessions” through reading books and watching movies, are known to be healthy for our mental wellbeing. Comedic movies can make us laugh and bring down our stress hormone levels. A dive into an enjoyable world will help us feel less stressed.

2. Get Enough Sleep

We all feel terrible after making big mistakes at work. If it’s a matter of our incapability, we can always take the time to grow and learn. If it’s because we’re mentally unwell, it’s solvable.

One of the most important activities for health is sleep. According to a university study, when people continue with 4-6 hours of sleep for 2 weeks, the brain function drops to as if it were pulling all-nighters for 1-2 days. In other words, unless we sleep for at least 7 hours per day, we’re carrying on with our lives under a strong stress state.

If you want to sleep but have trouble falling asleep, we recommend that you start scheduling your sleep. We share tips and tricks on that in our past blog post:

3. Have an Internal Conversation With Yourself

It’s difficult to understand ourselves from an objective perspective. Many realize the difficulties they’re going through, only after someone else points it out.

To avoid this, we recommend having a continual dialogue with yourself using methods of “self-talk.” It’s simple. All you have to do is talk to yourself in an encouraging and compassionate tone. Canadian university research shows the effectiveness of this method too.

There are many ways you can hold conversations with yourself. Talking to yourself from a second-person perspective is known to be helpful. To learn more of how to do this, check out our past post:

4. Talk With Friends Outside of Work

The basic and most effective way to release stress is to talk to friends. It may not be appropriate for you to speak about work stress to co-workers, but you can always rely on your friends from other social circles. The content of what you say doesn’t matter. The most important thing is for you to “feel better” after speaking to them.

Direct conversations with them will alleviate stress and help you gain an objective perspective on your problems. Constructively explaining what has happened and why you are feeling the way you do, will help you organize your thoughts. You might even find a positive outlook in the end!

5. Talk to a Mental Health Professional

If none of the 4 methods above work, we recommend seeking professional help.

The National Health Institute (NIH) lists ways to seek help via phone and text. They also provide guidelines in finding professional help.

If that seems like a jump to you, there are apps that can casually help. SELF MIND is an AI chatbot that assists your mental health journey. For working adults, it can be difficult to find time to go see a professional, and with this, you can converse casually throughout the day to see how you’re feeling.
→Check SELF MIND in app store

Health Is Wealth, Its Okay to Let Go

When we overthink, we tend to corner ourselves into feeling low.

Get out and enjoy your hobbies and get good sleep. Find ways to enjoy your time on your own terms, and hopefully, this will lead you to more mental and physical vitality.

References：

Konishi, K., & Hyakutake, A. (2015). Factors Associated with Depression and Atypical Depression in Japanese University Students. Showa Woman’s University Departmental Bulletin Paper, 902, 21–33. https://swu.repo.nii.ac.jp/?action=pages_view_main&active_action=repository_view_main_item_detail&item_id=6026&item_no=1&page_id=30&block_id=97

Nakao, M. (2004). Industrial Mental Health in an Information-oriented Society : Relationship between Depression and Perceived Somatic Symptoms. Japanese Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine, 44(10), 735–744. https://doi.org/10.15064/jjpm.44.10_735

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The Struggles of A Parent Today

In general, children from elementary to high school are subjected to various stressors as they confront rapid changes in themselves and their environment. This includes developing their own personality, a rebellious stage, developing secondary sexual characteristics, expanding social engagements, and school work. Simultaneously, more people in their 30s and 40s are marrying and having children later in their lives. This can result in a great deal of stress when it requires them to juggle raising children and caring for their aging parents. The 30s and 40s parents are also at their prime working-age, holding many responsibilities at work. This means there’s an increase in parents who feel more stressed from both work and home.

These stressful environments can influence family dynamics. Once a family relationship becomes strained due to stressors, it can lead to various problems such as child neglect, abandonment, or even domestic violence. Each family dynamic is different. There are no absolute cookie-cutter solutions in building or maintaining an excellent parent-child relationship. Although recently, mindfulness is gaining attention for its effectiveness in reducing parenting stress and building healthy parent-child relationships. Let us introduce how mindfulness and parenting can go hand in hand.

What is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is a concept based on the Buddhist teaching of focusing on the present moment. It’s been widely adopted in the world of psychiatry and business in recent years. The actual technique is called “mindfulness meditation,” a meditation that aims to achieve a constant state of calmness.

In mindfulness, the value lies in “accepting the current state without evaluation or judgment.” This is difficult in practice when it comes to relationships. When someone’s behavior is not in our favor, we subconsciously judge them as “selfish” or “incompatible.” We have a natural tendency to judge others on our personal scale of good or bad. Mindfulness training builds the mental capacity to concentrate on the present moment, allowing a focus on our own feelings instead of judgment towards others. This technique can help us at times a relationship feels stressful and out of our control.

Mindfulness in Parenting

Mindfulness practice is relevant when it comes to parenting. Research report several benefits of mindfulness-based parenting and their effectiveness in improving family relationships.

Parents that focus on their child’s “present” state and behavior can accurately catch small signs, subtle changes in behavior, and even decipher an infant’s words. It also reduces the stress a parent feels when their child’s behavior doesn’t align with their own childhood expectations. The acceptance of the child as who they are, without imposed value judgments, creates a better understanding of the child’s characteristics (personality and abilities) without excessive or unattainable expectations. Accurately perceiving and responding to the child’s needs and emotions reduces the chance of stress we feel from a child’s unexpected behaviors. This also increases self-efficacy (the belief in one’s capabilities to organize and execute the courses of action required to manage situations) in a parent.

Easy Mindfulness Practice for Parents

Even when we understand mindfulness as an effective tool, it can still be a challenge to practice every day. The basics of mindfulness starts with meditation. The word “meditation” has us imagine a setting where we sit in silence with our eyes closed, mind empty. For many, this is a tall order when they’re not too familiar with meditation. The onslaught of first-time experiences also makes it difficult for child-rearing parents to maintain an adequate amount of time for themselves. Moreso if the parent has to balance between work, family, and caring for their elders. Time becomes extremely finite, making it increasingly difficult to meditate.

A common misconception about meditation is that we need time and space to do so, but sitting down and closing our eyes only helps induce a meditative state. What’s more important in mindfulness is to actively control one’s attention. In fact, there are some practices adopted by research and clinical practice that can be more easily incorporated into our daily lives.

Below are some of the easiest ways to practice daily mindfulness.

1. Walking Meditation

Applicable Time: During a daily walk or commute.

How: This meditation technique draws full attention to the action of walking. Stay relaxed and breathe naturally. Begin walking at a slow and deliberate pace. Pay full attention to sensations in the heels and toes leaving the ground, movements of the thigh and calf muscles, and the center shifts in gravity. Pay close attention to the physical conditions and changes that occur within the mundane act of walking. 

Additional Tips: Many thoughts may come up while walking, but don’t try to force clearing the mind. Instead, acknowledge the thought and let it go by returning focus to the steps. Walking meditation is a technique that focuses on deliberate walking, so be sure to do it in a safe place where there’s no concern about traffic accidents.

2. Body Scan

Applicable Time: During work or in between housework.

How: A body scan is done by drawing attention to every detail of the body, from the top of the head to the bottom of the toes. It can be done standing or sitting. Try slow, natural breathing to enhance focus as it’s brought to each part of the body starting at the top downwards- the head, the forehead, the ears, … and so on. 

Additional Tips: Understanding the natural state of your body will help you detect any changes or discomforts—for example, an itchy head or slightly tense shoulders.

3. Mindful Cooking & Eating

Applicable Time: While cooking or eating meals.

How: Cooking and eating is a mindless act we do every day that stimulates various senses. Mindfulness promotes the focus on these five senses, and cooking is a suited process for perceiving the multiple sensations. For example, while cutting a raw carrot with a knife, notice the crunchy texture, the chopping sound as the knife hits the cutting board, or the vivid orange colors cut into various shapes. A recipe can go through changes in smell and texture as the food gets cooked. After the food is prepared, pay careful attention to each bite as you chew the food -the looks, smell, the texture in the mouth. The entire process from preparing to eating can become a meditational practice if we act mindfully through each step.

Additional Tips: Through the entire process, there will be times where we’ll find ourselves distracted. If so, don’t suppress the thoughts. Instead, acknowledge the thoughts and bring the attention back to the present moment. It may seem difficult at first, but daily practice will help achieve a natural control over our state of consciousness no matter what situation we face.

Cherishing the NOW Through Mindful Parenting

A growing child continuously faces new experiences every day. The same goes for a parent too, many things occur throughout a child’s life that is new. Even for an experienced parent of several children, each child is unique. The social environment surrounding the parent and child also changes daily. Not every situation replicates a past experience 100%. New experiences can make us feel anxious and nervous, causing stress to slowly grow.

Under stress, we rely on our past experiences and place high hopes for a brighter future. However, parents should be careful not to evaluate their child using judgments based on past experiences or high expectations for the future. This can lead to frustration and anxiety when things don’t go as planned. As a result, both the parent and child will feel overwhelmed and stressed. Objectively, judgments based on past experiences never guarantee desired results for what’s happening now, just as much as high efforts towards the future doesn’t always ensure success.

We all have different personalities and capabilities, so there’s no point in comparing ourselves to others. The best way to reduce parenting stress is by letting go of the standards we hold from the past, future, or comparisons. Once we implement mindfulness and accept ourselves and our children as who they are “now,” we can start enjoying the process of parenting without stressing over each occurrence of events.

If you’re looking for more tips on how to care for your mental health, check out some of our past blog posts!
→ Looking to improve your mental health? Try the SELFMIND app FREE for a week!

References：

Yoshimasu, K., Oga, H., Kagaya, R., Kitabayashi, M., & Kanaya, Y. (2012). Parent-Child Relationships and Mindfulness. Japanese Journal of Hygiene, 67(1), 27-36. doi: 10.1265/jjh.67.27

Kitagawa, K., & Muto, T. (2013). What is How to Respond to Difficulties in Promoting Mindfulness. Doshisha Clinical Psychology: Therapy and Research 3(1), 41-51. doi: 10.14988/pa.2017.0000013384

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Have You Watched the Inside Out movie?

Inside Out (2015) is an animation film produced by Disney, with an accessible insight into our mental process of emotions. Developed under the guidance of psychologist Dacher Keltner, the film contains a lot of scientific basis in how the brain processes emotions. There are 5 anthropomorphic characters that represent our core emotions – Joy, Sadness, Anger, Disgust, and Fear. In the Inside Out movie, all humans have a version of these emotions inside of their brain. The story, however, follows a human character named Riley and her emotion characters.

The Inside Out movie may seem like a children’s film at first glance. However, the story can teach anyone at any age about the complexity of emotions and the fundamentals of emotional intelligence. The film is surprisingly accurate about our emotional developments from a cognitive, developmental, and clinical psychology aspect. It was perceived so well in the field of mental health, some journals have even been published on the topic. (See: Why patients and doctors should watch Inside Out.)

Below we’ll discuss some lessons we can learn from watching the Inside Out movie and how we can apply them to better regulate our own emotions. Furthermore, we will explore how to reduce stress through incorporating different understandings of our emotions.

Emotional Regulation Lessons from The Inside Out Movie

Anthropomorphic Thinking

A research inspired by the Inside Out movie explored anthropomorphic thinking – thinking of emotions as their own people – and how it influences our behavior. Scientists asked all participants in a study to recall their saddest moments in life. The group was then split into two, where one group was asked to write down what their sadness would be like if it were a person, while the other was asked to write the emotional impact and effects of this sadness. The group that anthropomorphized their sadness reported lower levels of sadness after the writing exercise. They then asked all the participants to make consumer choices for a meal and a computer for themselves. The group that anthropomorphized their sadness was able to make healthier choices for food and more practical choices for their computers instead of an indulgent choice.

Researchers believe that decreased sadness leads to better self-control when making decisions. Furthermore, they believe this leads to healthier choices when looking for how to reduce stress. The study suggests that “anthropomorphizing sadness may be a new way to regulate emotion”, as it makes us feel better and helps us resist temptation. On the other hand, when researchers asked participants to anthropomorphize happiness, it actually lead to lower levels of happiness. Therefore, not all emotions are recommended for this method.

Clashing Emotions in the Inside Out Movie

We all have moments where we want to block certain inconvenient and less pleasant emotions. At one point in the Inside Out movie, the emotion character Joy tries to block Sadness. This leads to the main character, Riley, completely shutting down emotionally. The film not only addresses sadness, but also other discomforting emotions such as disgust, fear, and anger. It then goes onto highlight the important roles these emotions play as an integral part of our life experience. For example, disgust keeps us safe by avoiding potential harm (poison, etc.), fear allows us to take precautions, and anger acts as a means to express frustrations and defend ourselves. These negative emotions can be hard to embrace because we associate them with being negative. However, the Inside Out movie teaches us to embrace these emotions too.

Mindfully Embrace ALL Emotions

When we’re developing emotions, it can be hard to understand healthy coping methods or how to reduce stress. This can be especially true in our teenage phase of development. A common regulation strategy is “emotional suppression”, which is to suppress certain unwanted emotions. However, experts believe this can lead to anxiety and depression. Instead, we need to learn how to validate all emotions, the good and the bad. For example in the Inside Out movie, after trying to block Sadness, Joy tries to shift the brain’s emotional responses to exclusively positive ones. Research actually finds this method to sometimes increase depressive feelings. In the end, the film shows the acceptance of sadness as an emotion that is also as important as other positive feelings.

Experts describe this acceptance as “mindfully embracing” an emotion. This means to objectively observe our own emotions without judgment nor dramatic reaction. This allows us to create space for a healthy response to better deal with our situation. Once we embrace even the seemingly negative, we can fuel those emotions towards positive growth. For example, recognizing sadness can help us develop empathy and strengthen relationships. It can even provide us with insights on how to reduce stress, if we understand how to embrace our feelings properly. For example, in the Inside Out movie, Joy learns to recognize that Sadness is behind feelings of empathy and regret. Both of these feelings prove to be very important throughout Riley’s emotional journey in the Inside Out movie.

Understanding Emodiversity Through the Inside Out Movie

Emodiversity – emotional diversity – is our ability to experience a diverse range of emotions in fairly equal measures. Once we start embracing all of our emotions, we become capable of experiencing emodiversity. The Inside Out movie shows this as the character Joy learns to accept that all emotions, positive or negative, have an important role in Riley’s life. By the end of the Inside Out movie, all emotions are working in harmony. A 2014 study with 37,000 respondents revealed that people who experience “emodiversity”, or a rich array of both positive and negative emotions, demonstrate better mental and physical health. An appropriate emotional journey, as well as finding how to reduce stress in a healthy manner, are what we need to achieve higher levels of happiness. Just as the saying goes, “variety is the spice of life.”

According to this study, the more emotions we feel for a particular situation, the more detailed understanding and perspectives we gain. As a result, this leads to better behavioral choices and potential greater happiness. Researchers also found that people high in emodiversity were less likely to be depressed than people high in positive emotion alone. In terms of physical health, a second study pointed out that emodiversity leads to less medication use, lower health care costs, fewer doctor visits, better diet, more exercise, and better smoking habits. Surprisingly, the effect of emodiversity on physical health is proven strong.

As we can see, enriched emotions are vital to our well-being and seeking how to reduce stress in a healthy manner. If you’d like to know where you stand on the scale of emodiversity, you can try a test at Emodiversity.org to see where you’re at.

Watching the Inside Out Movie from a New Perspective

Cultivating self-awareness regarding our emotions is vital for emotional regulation and finding how to reduce stress appropriately. The Inside Out movie teaches us a few important tips on how we can better regulate these emotions. First, anthropomorphizing our emotions helps our negative emotions feel less intense and give us better self-control. Second, mindfully embracing all of our emotions, even the negative, allows us to avoid emotional suppression and helps us grow and deal with situations in a healthier manner. Third, fully feeling our authentic emotions through emodiversity can be beneficial for us both mentally and physically. Understanding and embracing these lessons will help us become a better version of ourselves, as well as finding healthy ways to relieve stress regularly, leading to a happier and healthier lifestyle.

Never considered Inside Out as more than a children’s movie? It’s time to watch or rewatch it again from a mental regulation standpoint. You might be pleasantly surprised to find more insights and tips that go beyond what this article covers!

Image: Unsplash
Reference:

A new strategy to alleviate sadness: Bring the emotion to life: Researchers show how characters from the movie “Inside Out” hold the key to regulating emotions and behavior. (2019, October 3). ScienceDaily. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/10/191003103515.htm


Chen, F., Chen, R. P., & Yang, L. (2019). When Sadness Comes Alive, Will It Be Less Painful? The Effects of Anthropomorphic Thinking on Sadness Regulation and Consumption. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 30(2), 277–295. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcpy.1137


Docter, Pete. (Director). (2015). Inside Out [Film]. Walt Disney Pictures Pixar Animation Studios


Four Lessons from “Inside Out” to Discuss With Kids. (2015, July 14). Greater Good. https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/four_lessons_from_inside_out_to_discuss_with_kids


How the GGSC Helped Turn Pixar “Inside Out.” (2015, June 19). Greater Good. https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_ggsc_turned_pixar_inside_out


Keltner, D., Oatley, K., & Jenkins, J. M. (2018). Understanding Emotions (4th ed.). Wiley.


Quoidbach, J., Gruber, J., Mikolajczak, M., Kogan, A., Kotsou, I., & Norton, M. I. (2014). Emodiversity and the emotional ecosystem. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 143(6), 2057–2066. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0038025


Variety is the Spice of Emotional Life. (2014, December 22). Greater Good. https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/variety_is_the_spice_of_emotional_life

The post How to Reduce Stress Instantly – The Inside Out Movie appeared first on SELF MIND.

What is Email Fatigue?

Worldwide, roughly 306.4 billion emails are sent and received each day in 2020. Email traffic is projected to increase even more each year. Moreover, according to research by Edison Software, 74% of Americans feel overwhelmed by the emails they receive. In terms of email volume, 33% feel stressed when they receive too many emails.

Email Fatigue is a term in email marketing, and describes a state where we feel overwhelmed with handling emails. Most of us have likely tried to combat email fatigue and relieve stress in one way or another. For example, closely managing inboxes, or spending hours deleting unwanted messages.

The Effects of Email Engagement

The University of British Columbia published a 2014 study that tested the frequency of email-checking and its effects on wellbeing. For one week, 124 adult participants limited their email-checking to three times a day. Then, for the following week, they checked their emails for an unlimited number of times. When email usage was limited, participants felt less stress, tension, and were less distracted by incoming emails. With lower stress levels, their overall health and wellbeing also improved. Consequently, participants experienced positive outcomes such as higher mindfulness, increased self-perceived productivity, and better sleep quality.

According to a 2017 Jobvite survey, on average, 45% of Americans tend to check their email after work hours every day, many at the request of their employers. Many of us feel pressured to check our emails frequently for one reason or another. Another study found that monitoring work emails during non-work hours is detrimental to the health and wellbeing of not only employees, but their spouse and family members as well. Even when a person didn’t actually work, the expectation of availability over emails during non-work hours increased stress, which then leads to strain and conflict within family relationships.

University of California, Irvine found that it takes an average of 23 minutes and 15 seconds for someone to regain focus after a distraction. In other words, constantly tending to emails throughout the day requires multi-tasking and scatters our focus. If we are always checking our emails, we’re not only decreasing focus time, we’re also spending additional time trying to regain that focus.

Ways to Relieve Stress from Email Fatigue

Allocate a Daily Email Allowance

Each person is different in the way they need to prioritize the amount spent on emails. Consequently, each person requires different ways to relieve stress from email fatigue for their wellness.

One way to limit email engagement is by setting the times we allow ourselves to check emails throughout the day. For example, set yourself to only check and respond to emails 3 times per day: morning, afternoon, and evening. Setting specific times like 9:00 am, 12:00 pm, and 5:00 pm, can also be helpful.

Another way to set boundaries is by assessing how much time we really need each day for email and communication. How much time do you spend checking notifications while you’re at work, on the bus, or waiting in line? A lot of these small moments of checking can be gathered into a few time frames. Consequently, we can stay more present in what we’re doing. Once you’re done with a self-assessment, set a few brief checks (5-10 minutes max) per day where you can reply to urgent emails, but also allocate a specific amount of time in your day where you can really concentrate and deal with emails.

Try to keep the email tab closed and notifications on phones turned off otherwise for optimum stress relief!

Better Email Management

Managing emails can feel mentally overwhelming if there’s a lot to go through. Sometimes, it’s not about the time spent on emails, but a matter of how we manage our workflow dealing with emails. Try to use email managing tools, or set up a filtering system for your inbox in a way where you won’t feel overwhelmed when you check-in.

An easy way to feel less clutter is by unsubscribing. For example, spend some time going through newsletters subscriptions and social media email notification settings. Our engagement and attention are exactly what many businesses want, and they’re becoming smarter in reaching us. Therefore, cutting some of the unwanted solicitations will bring more peace to our inbox. This activity alone can be a cathartic way to relieve stress.

Take an Email Sabbatical for Your Wellness

We all need time off to disconnect and reset once in a while. For example, if constant emails are clearly affecting your health and wellbeing, an email sabbatical can be a great solution to relieve stress. Some people do this when they go on vacation. Communicate with your boss, co-workers, and collaborators in advance and finish all necessary important email communications before a sabbatical. There are ways to set emails to filter and forward to certain addresses or give automated responses so that people know when they’ll get a response. This may require some planning and understanding, but an email sabbatical can be a great way to rejuvenate!

Healthy Relationships with the Internet

Electronic communication has become so integrated into our lives, but the constant reach can tire us out. If you felt like limiting emails could help your mental health and wellbeing, this article on social media detox may also be helpful!

If you’re looking for more tips on how to care for your mental health, check out some of our past blog posts!
→ Looking to improve your mental health? Try the SELFMIND app FREE for a week!

Image: Unsplash
Reference:

Becker, W. J., Belkin, L., & Tuskey, S. (2018). Killing me softly: Electronic communications monitoring and employee and spouse well-being. Academy of Management Proceedings, 2018(1), 12574. https://doi.org/10.5465/ambpp.2018.121
In-text citation


Business Wire. (2017, August 30). Edison Unveils 2017 State of Email Report on 35th Anniversary of Email. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170830005343/en/Edison-Unveils-2017-State-of-Email-Report-on-35th-Anniversary-of-Email


Jobvite. (2017). 2017 Job Seeker Nation Study. https://www.jobvite.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/2017_Job_Seeker_Nation_Survey.pdf


Kushlev, K., & Dunn, E. W. (2015). Checking email less frequently reduces stress. Computers in Human Behavior, 43, 220–228. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2014.11.005


Limit the Time You Spend on Email. (2014, November 2). Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2014/02/limit-the-time-you-spend-on-email


Mark, G., Gudith, D., & Klocke, U. (2008). The cost of interrupted work. Proceeding of the Twenty-Sixth Annual CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems – CHI ’08, 107–110. https://doi.org/10.1145/1357054.1357072


Statista. (2020, October 2). Number of e-mails per day worldwide 2017-2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/456500/daily-number-of-e-mails-worldwide/


Stop Email Overload. (2015, August 12). Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2012/02/stop-email-overload-1

The post Instant Ways to Relieve Stress – Limit Time Spent on Emails appeared first on SELF MIND.

What is Emotional Differentiation?

One helpful technique in regulating our negative emotions is called emotional differentiation. In short, this refers to our ability to identify and label our emotions. Ph.D. at Harvard University, Erik Nook explains, “Some people are very specific in making sense of what they’re feeling, whereas other people might just say they feel bad, but can’t be more specific than that.”

Nook says our ability to differentiate emotions score high as a child. This is because we only start with very straight-forward single emotions to identify with. However, from childhood to adolescence, our emotional differentiation skills decrease to an all-time low. This is due to the shifting developments we deal with to understand complex emotions. This is part of the reason why we struggle to make sense of emotions during our teen phase. Then, as we grow into adulthood and gain more experience with complex emotions, our emotional differentiation skills tend to improve again. In other words, you learn how to control your emotions as you grow older. Emotional differentiation skills are also crucial in building our future emotional intelligence.

Why is Emotional Differentiation Important?

We Can’t Fix What We Don’t Understand

As adults, we all vary in our levels of emotional differentiation skills. For instance, a 2012 study at Michigan University asked participants to identify and note their emotions throughout the day for a week. As a result, emotional differentiation skills widely differed between depressed and healthy individuals.

• People vulnerable to stress have a vague understanding of how they feel and have more trouble differentiating their negative emotions.
• People resilient to stress are skilled at differentiating their negative emotions.

In other words, mentally healthy people put labels such as “anxiety” or “sadness” to their negative emotions. In contrast, people prone to stress tend to leave them unarticulated in one pile as “bad”. Therefore, unless we can clearly identify the core of our negative emotions, it becomes a challenge to help ourselves or reduce stress. Overall, the more you learn how to identify your emotions, the more you learn how to control your emotions in a healthy way.

Emotional Control and Coping Skills

Another 2015 joint study by George Mason University and Northeastern University found that emotional differentiation correlated with how well we could cope in intensely stressful situations.

• People with LOW emotional differentiation skills were up to 50% more likely to resort to unhealthy coping methods such as binge drinking, aggression, and self-injurious behaviors.
• People with HIGH emotional differentiation skills naturally down-regulated their neural reactivity in the brain regions that formed negative feelings. Thus, they experienced less anxiety and depressive disorders.

According to these findings, the experience of a negative emotion widely varies depending on our skills. Thus, this is an essential developmental processing skill that reduces our psychological problems and increases our sense of wellbeing.

How to Control Your Emotions Using Emotional Differentiation

Identify Negative Emotions

All of the above research teaches us that we should never over-simplify our negative emotions. Moreover, carrying a vague sense of terrible feelings will not help us in any way. Instead, let’s try to ask questions that assess these negative emotions. For example, are you feeling angry? If so, what’s one of the root emotions that’s causing this anger? In effect, focusing on identifying these feelings can instantly steal our attention away from experiencing the damaging effects of negativity. Consequently, you will have a better grasp on how to control your emotions and reduce stress in an appropriate manner.

The Negative Emotion List

However, it’s not easy to immediately identify our feelings in the heat of the moment. In this case, a reference list of negative emotions comes in handy. According to psychologist and California State University professor Tom G. Stevens, our primary negative emotions can be grouped into three main groups of anxiety, anger, and depression.

Emotional Control Takes Practice

Of course, there are many more emotions, and complex emotions can have more than one label. The lines between the emotion groups can also be blurry, as some emotions may overlap groups. In essence, try to create group categories and labels that work best for you. Write them down on a piece of paper or on post-its. Whenever you need to reduce stress, take a look at the list of words and try to see if you can identify and organize the source of your feelings. Above all, ientifying and understanding feelings is the cathartic step towards better understanding how to control your emotions.

Overall, if we want to help ourselves, we must first allow ourselves to understand how we feel. Although it may seem unpleasant to explore negative emotions, this is an essential step in developing our emotional intelligence skills. Next time you feel “bad” don’t discard it so quickly. Instead, pull out your chart of feelings to find better coping methods and figure out how best to control your emotions.

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Images: Unsplash
Reference:

Demiralp, E., Thompson, R. J., Mata, J., Jaeggi, S. M., Buschkuehl, M., Barrett, L. F., Ellsworth, P. C., Demiralp, M., Hernandez-Garcia, L., Deldin, P. J., Gotlib, I. H., & Jonides, J. (2012). Feeling Blue or Turquoise? Emotional Differentiation in Major Depressive Disorder. Psychological Science, 23(11), 1410–1416. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797612444903


Kashdan, T. B., Barrett, L. F., & McKnight, P. E. (2015). Unpacking Emotion Differentiation. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 24(1), 10–16. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721414550708


Reuell, P. (2018, September 21). Harvard researchers examine evolution of emotion differentiation. Harvard Gazette. https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2018/09/harvard-researchers-examine-evolution-of-emotion-differentiation/


Stevens, T. G. (n.d.). Choose To Be Happy and Overcome Negative Emotions such as anxiety, anger, or depression. You Can Choose To Be Happy. Retrieved August 26, 2020, from https://web.csulb.edu/%7Etstevens/anxiety,_anger,_and_depression.htm

The post How to Control Your Emotions with Emotional Differentiation appeared first on SELF MIND.

How to Use an Intervention Bracelet

The “intervention bracelet” method was devised at the University of Texas. According to their research, students with high tendencies of anxiety found this method to reduce stress and improve self-esteem.

The intervention bracelet method is extremely easy in practice.

1. Prepare a bracelet that’s easy to put on and remove. (Rings, wristwatches or elastic bands are also acceptable)
   
2. Go about your day as usual with the bracelet on one of your wrists.
   
3. Whenever you feel any negative emotions arise, remove the bracelet, and put it on the opposite hand.

Repeat step #3 every time you feel any kind of stress. The importance is in the predetermined action we take whenever negative emotions arise. This helps us acknowledge our stress in a rational manner. According to the study, subjects who practiced this method for three weeks developed awareness towards stress, and also successfully reduced their chronic discomfort.

The Importance of Noticing Stress

Whether it’s going on vacation, enjoying hobbies, or exercise, different people have different ways of getting rid of their stress. Of course, we should be practicing self-care methods suitable to our needs, but in order for that to work, we need to first ‘notice’ when we feel stress. When stress impacts, it’s only natural to get caught in the emotional reaction of irritation or exhaustion. Moreso than our reaction, we need to acknowledge and focus on the fact that we’re feeling ‘stress’.

Noticing stress is a crucial step in treating it. Of course, you could deal with the vague feelings of stress by, let’s say, dancing it out. But the later you precisely acknowledge your stress, the harder it becomes to accurately determine the level and cause. At this point, it would be difficult to feel completely refreshed no matter what we do, and unexplained stress will continue to accumulate.

In order to efficiently and appropriately relieve stress, we need to notice it the moment it happens. This process helps us figure the intensity and causes of our stress. The intervention bracelet is a technique that creates an opportunity for us to recognize this stress moment.

Throw Away the Negative, Turn to the Positive

The intervention bracelet effectively increases our awareness of stress. It’s also a great stress relief practice in itself. It’s recommended for people who feel unexplained, vague sources of stress.

Having a coping mechanism on hand, such as the intervention bracelet method, keeps our mental health in check. This is just one of the many easy stress-care techniques you can try. Figure out what works for you and get into the habit of practicing. One of the keys to living a healthy and happy life is to properly cope with stress.

Image：Unsplash
Reference：
Elke Smeets, Kristin Neff, Hugo Alberts, and Madelon Peters
MeetingSuffering WithKindness: Effectsofa BriefSelf-Compassion Intervention for FemaleCollegeStudents（JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY, Vol. xx(x), 1–15 , 2014)

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Talk to yourself. Does that sound like what old people do? We all do it in some form whether we are aware or not. For instance, you may have heard your inner voice reassure, “It’ll be okay”. At other times, asking criticizing questions like, “How did I screw this up?” Self-talking is a habitual and natural inner dialogue that we all have. If you don’t recall, these self-talks may be happening unconsciously for you. Moreover, the inner voice usually helps us plan, motivate, problem-solve, practice critical thinking, and reflect. Talking to ourselves can also help us find healthy ways to relieve stress.

For many of us, the self-talk persona is directly tied to our self-worth image. Furthermore, self-dialogues are typiclly shaped by how the surrounding people talked to us as we grew up. What have you said to yourself recently? Moreover, was the voice positive and encouraging, or was it full of self-criticism? Learning how to control our internal conversations can have a positive effect on our mental well-being and stress coping capabilities. Therefore, the next time you talk to yourself, try to listen to the intentions of your internal voice

Positive & Negative Ways to Talk to Yourself

Negative Self-Talk

An increase in negative self-talk allows the development of self-doubt and poor self-perception. This refers to negative or harmful intent behind the languag you use when you talk to yourself. Negative self-talk leads to higher stress, anxiety, depression, and shame. In addition, research indicates that self‐criticism is related to stress‐induced changes in our biochemistry.

If the tendency of self-criticism is already a habit, it can be hard to catch. In this case, observations of our internal dialogues can identify where the negative traps are. Some environments or people may be making you vulnerable to negative self-talk. Being aware of situations prone to stimulate negativity can help us navigate better, prepare, and avoid them altogether. Another good method is to recognize, stop, and evaluate how you talk to yourself in times of stress. If we feel entangled within our own negative thoughts, we can instead focus on how to rephrase our experience in a neutral or positive light. Changing the way we think may take some time, but with practice, we can re-wire our brains to steer away from toxic internal conversations. Moreover, this is essential in finding healthy and appropriate ways to relieve stress.

Positive Self-Talk

An increase in positive self-talk enhances our motivation, performance, and general well-being. This refers to positive and helpful intent behind the language you use when you talk to yourself. An optimistic and encouraging perspective leads to better mental skills for problem-solving, out-of-the-box thinking, and coping skills for hardships or challenges. In addition, it can relieve the harmful effects of stress and anxiety.

A study on the impact of self-talk affirms the important habit of restating negative statements into positive ones. Scientists say that consciously feeding our minds with positive empowering self-talk is a crucial skill that changes our perspectives and attitudes towards ourselves and others. This is why many self-help advisors suggest using daily positive affirmations. Therefore, try to increase the frequency and volume of encouraging internal dialogues through self-talk. Hanging out with positive people can also help. This is because the people we surround ourselves with can have a huge impact on the language we tend to use. See how you can reframe a negative comment into a more encouraging one. In the end, the best pep-squad for you is YOU!

‘How’ You Talk to Yourself Matters

A Constructive Second-Person Dialogue

Some of us may find that forced positivity onto our inner thoughts can be uncomfortable. People who identify themselves as ‘realists’ may have difficulties turning a blind eye to the negative while covering it with positive self-talk. In other words, when you talk to yourself, it’s not as simple as drowing yourself in positive rhetoric. The good news is that there are more constructive and effective ways to relieve stress.

In 2014, a research team at Michigan University examined the different ways people held their internal conversations and how it affected them. Researchers asked participants to prepare for a public speech, and then divided them into different groups. Each group was given instructions to perform self-talk using different pronouns as they prepared. The results revealed that the pronouns and language mattered more so than whether the conversation was negative or positive. Above all, the group that used second-person pronouns performed the best; feeling less regret, shame, or stress after their speech. These results help us understand that small shifts in pronoun use towards ourselves influence our ability to regulate feelings, thoughts, and behaviors, even under social stress. In other words, when you talk to yourself, try to use second-person pronouns!

Pronouns Matter When You Talk to Yourself

To give a comparative, here are examples of a first, second, and third-person perspective. Try reading these sentences out loud as if to talk to yourself, and feel the difference.

First-person conversation:
A. “I should prepare for my exams. Why haven’t I started?”
B. “I am not nervous. I am going to talk slowly so people understand me.”

Second-person conversation:
A. “You should prepare for your exams. Why haven’t you started yet?
B. “Don’t be nervous. You should talk slowly so that people understand you.”

Third-person conversation:
A. “(Your Name) should prepare for his/her exams. Why hasn’t he/she started yet?
B. “(Your Name) shouldn’t feel nervous. (Your Name) should talk slowly so that people understand him/her.”

A first-person question like “Why haven’t I started?” can sound like self-criticism. On the other hand, a second-person perspective can create a friendly distance when you talk to yourself. Subsequently, the third-person pronoun may feel more distant where the closeness fades away. Therefore, according to science, introspections in the second-person creates the perfect distance between our internal voice and issues.

Self-Distance When You Talk to Yourself

When we are self-immersed in situations, we tend to use first-person pronouns. Switching-up pronouns can be effective in creating a “self-distance” when you talk to yourself. Self-distancing is the ability to critically reflect on ourselves from an external perspective. In addition, this naturally tends to follow the languages of a second or third-person pronoun. When we talk in third-person, our brain behaves the same as if we were talking to another person.

Why is internal self-distancing an important skill to our mental health? First, it can assist us to better regulate anxieties under stress, as well as objectively find healthy ways to relieve stress. Second, it helps us appraise potential social stressors as less threatening and more so a healthy challenge to take on. Third, it strengthens us to preserve self-control in stressful situations, also helping us to perform better.

Self-Distancing in Practice

Here is how to create self-distance when you talk to yourself:

• Use second-person pronouns to assure that you are not self-immersed.
• Offer reassurance and encouragement, the same as you would do for a friend who’s struggling.
• Acknowledge your emotions. Instead of dismissing it, see if you could give constructive and compassionate advice.
• Visualize the goal. Detach yourself from the current moment and concentrate on making a plan to achieve results.
• Journal. Writing things on paper can create the necessary emotional distance for more objective perspectives.

Self-distancing through visual imagery can also be useful, but a lot of times it requires environments where we can concentrate on our imaginations. Talking to ourselves through an internal dialogue is much easier to do even while we are carrying difficult tasks. This is why using second-person pronouns when you talk to yourself is one of the best ways to relieve stress.

Talk to Yourself as a Mental Health Check-In

Practicing our skills in self-talk is a great way to regulate our mental health. After all, our own voice what we will be hearing most repeatedly throughout life. Furthermore, it’s something we can start immediately without external help and feel instant results of encouragement. Therefore, try to talk to yourself regularly and check in on your own emotions and feelings. This could help regulate and maintain a healthy mind, as well as finding appropriate ways to relieve stress as necessary. Do you talk to yourself in a way that excels you or harms you? Give yourself a chance to be the best support possible!

→ Looking to improve your mental health? Try the SELF MIND app FREE for 1 week!
If you’re looking for more tips on how to care for your mental health, check out some of our past blog posts!

Image: Unsplash

References:

Cascio, C. N., O’Donnell, M. B., Tinney, F. J., Lieberman, M. D., Taylor, S. E., Strecher, V. J., & Falk, E. B. (2015). Self-affirmation activates brain systems associated with self-related processing and reward and is reinforced by future orientation. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 11(4), 621–629. https://doi.org/10.1093/scan/nsv136


Chopra, K. (2012). Impact of positive self-talk. University of Lethbridge Research Repository. https://hdl.handle.net/10133/3202


Gruen, R. J., Silva, R., Ehrlich, J., Schweitzer, J. W., & Friedhoff, A. J. (1997). Vulnerability to Stress: Self-Criticism and Stress-Induced Changes In Biochemistry. Journal of Personality, 65(1), 33–47. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6494.1997.tb00528.x


Holland, K. (2018, October 17). Positive Self-Talk: How Talking to Yourself Is a Good Thing. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/positive-self-talk


Kross, E., Bruehlman-Senecal, E., Park, J., Burson, A., Dougherty, A., Shablack, H., Bremner, R., Moser, J., & Ayduk, O. (2014). Self-talk as a regulatory mechanism: How you do it matters. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 106(2), 304–324. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0035173


Rawlings, R. (2019, May 7). The Connection Between Self-Talk and Wellbeing – Mind Cafe. Medium. https://medium.com/mind-cafe/what-self-talk-has-to-say-about-mental-health-d87a22ca0848

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The Widely-Used Method of Keeping a Diary

The “three good things” utilizes the popular self-care technique of writing in a diary. It’s very simple in practice. All you have to do is write down 3 positive things that happened that day, every day before bed. That’s all there is to it. What you choose to write down can be anything if it makes you feel positive. It could be little things that happened in your day, such as that your family was in a good mood, or you woke up in the morning feeling rested.

According to a study conducted by the University of California, subjects who practiced this habit for 10 weeks increased their resistance to stress by 25%. The three good things method has many positive benefits, including but not limited to:

・Increased feelings of happiness from reminiscing the positive
・Increased proactivity in finding the good in life, resulting in optimism
・Induces natural sleep when made into a regular bedtime habit

The one controversy experts have about this method is the frequency it’s practiced. Some say its best to practice it every day, while others say it’s more effective if done once a week. Moreover, because it’s a well-known technique, there are so many studies about its various perspectives, some of which claim that its effects on happiness are minimal. Just because it’s a commonly recommended method in self-help books, doesn’t mean that it works like magic for everybody.

Having said that, the three good things is definitely a very quick and easy stress care method that has potential for many good outcomes. The investment required in time and money are very low, so why not give it a consistent try!

Refine Your Ability to Find the Positive

In this world, there are people racked with stress, spending their days feeling gloomy – while there are others who have positive outlooks on everything, seemingly always happy even from afar. What is the difference between these two types of people? Of course, there may be inherent differences in personality, living environment, or social standing. But maybe, people with a higher sense of happiness are just “better at finding the positive in life”.

Many of us focus on negative experiences where we repeatedly remind ourselves of the bad. This leads our thinking to be more negative in general. In order to suppress these negative thoughts and practice positivity, we need to intentionally focus our consciousness on positive events.

The three good things method serves as a practice for turning your awareness to positive events. Once you make a habit out of it, you’ll acquire a strong mentality that’s resilient to stress.

Throw Away the Negative; Turn to the Positive

Practicing the ‘three good things’ method creates the potential to improve our sense of happiness and resilience towards stress. It’s perfect for people who want to build strong mentalities against stress.

Having coping mechanisms on hand, such as the ‘three good things’ method, keeps our mental health in check. This is just one of the many easy stress-care techniques you can try. Figure out what works for you and get into the habit of practicing. One of the keys to living a healthy and happy life is to properly cope with stress.

Image：Unsplash
Reference：
Jeffrey J. Froh , William J. Sefick , Robert A. Emmons

「Counting blessings in early adolescents: An experimental study of gratitude and subjective well-being」

（Nat Hum Behav. 2017 May; 1(5): 0093）

The post Instant Ways to reduce stress – The Three Good Things appeared first on SELF MIND.

“You must learn to heed your senses. Humans use but a tiny percentage of theirs. They barely look, they rarely listen, they never smell, and they think that they can only experience feelings through their skin. But they talk, oh, do they talk.”

Michael Scott (Irish writer)

That’s right. Our minds never stop chattering, but we can disengage from the chatter by heeding to our senses. It is also an effective technique to reduce stress and anxiety instantly. If you ever feel the need to break from the thoughts that run through your mind, give this exercise a try!

The 5 Senses Countdown

– Pause for a moment.

Find yourself a calm comfortable space to fully participate with your 5 senses.

1. The SIGHT Phase – 5 Senses Countdown

In the first of the 5 senses, we are going to utilize our sight.
First, take a deep breath.

Next, look around and notice FIVE things that you can see.

The floor, table, curtains, trees, animals, anything you see is okay.

You can say them out loud or silently in your head. With each of the five sights, pause to take them in completely. 

2. The TOUCH Phase – 5 Senses Countdown

Take another deep breath.
Next in the 5 senses countdown, we will be using touch.

Notice FOUR things that you can feel in contact with your body.

For example; your watch against your wrist, your trousers against your legs, your feet on the ground, or your back against the chair.

Note them out loud or in your head, and rest your attention with each sensation for a few deep breaths.

3. The HEARING Phase – 5 Senses Countdown

The next step in the five senes countdown utilizes our hearing.
First, breathe deeply as you bring attention to your ears.

Then, listen carefully and notice THREE things that you can hear.

For instance: the sound of the wind, birds chirping outside, the hum of appliances, cars running, etc.

Listen and notice things in the background that you normally wouldn’t pay any attention to. As you listen to each sound, note the unique characteristics of the different tones and patterns.

4. The SMELL Phase – 5 Senses Countdown

As you take another deep breath, concentrate on the air going through your nostrils.
The next phase in the 5 senses countdown focuses on smell.

Notice TWO things you can smell.

Bring attention to scents that you usually filter out, either pleasant or unpleasant. Catch a whiff of the pine trees outside, food cooking in the kitchen, or the smell of your clothes. Note the different characteristics of these scents.

5. The TASTE Phase – 5 Senses Countdown

Take a final deep breath and bring your attention to the tongue.
The last step in the 5 senses countdown will focus on taste.

Notice ONE thing you can taste.

Take a sip of a drink, chew gum, or nibble on a piece of chocolate. If you don’t have anything in hand, notice the current taste in your mouth or taste the air against your tongue.

Concentrate and savor that one flavor.

Reduce Stress in a Way that Works for You

The goal is to use our 5 senses to focus on the present environment instead of our thoughts. Consequently, this activity helps to ground us and relieve anxiety. By the time most people reach the ‘taste phase’, their overwhelming emotions will fade away. This doesn’t mean the negative feelings are gone, but we do get a break from it taking over our minds. It’s human nature to worry and feel anxiety about the past and future. Therefore, bringing our attention to the present can relieve us from these thoughts and help reduce anxiety. Appreciating the ‘now’ and ‘present’ is a great way to enjoy life. Even more, what better way to celebrate our current existence than with our 5 senses!

However, there are still many different ways to instantly relieve stress. Perhaps you are looking for a more long-term solution in stress management, rather than an instant stress reliever. In that case, check out how you can better learn to control your emotions through “emotional differentiation“.

Looking to improve your mental wellbeing?

Try the SELF MIND app FREE for 1 week!
If you’re looking for more tips on how to care for your mental health, check out some of our past blog posts!

Reference:

Harris, R. (2013). Getting Unstuck in ACT: A Clinician’s Guide to Overcoming Common Obstacles in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (1st ed.). New Harbinger Publications.

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Make Stress Disappear in 14 Seconds

The Positive Memory method was devised by Rutgers University in New Jersey. It’s a technique that is considered to have a quick and strong effect on relieving stress. The steps are very simple. All you have to do is remember happy memories for 14 seconds. In an experiment, this is all it took for the participants for their stress to start lifting off their shoulders.

In addition, experiments showed that the participants’ cortisol levels were suppressed when the Positive Memory method was practiced. Cortisol is known as the stress hormone that secretes when we feel stress. This means that the Positive Memory method not only makes us feel better but has a scientific basis as to why it relieves stress.

The good memories you pick during this exercise can be anything, given that it’s something that makes you feel happy. Success in the workplace, a fun holiday, a compliment from a friend, etc. It can really be anything, as long as it is a positive memory.

Stock Up on Good Memories

It’s not a bad thing to feel stress in our day to day life. The problem occurs when we avoid dealing with the stress and ignore it. It’s normal for the aforementioned hormone, cortisol, to temporarily increase when we feel stress. But if we leave our stress unresolved, it will eventually trigger a big stress response within.

In recent years, there’s been an uptick of interest in mental health. This has lead to many different mental care methods widely available over the internet. Some of these techniques may be difficult for beginners, and many of them require us to spend a lot of money and time. This might put some people off if they believe it’s too difficult to put into practice. On the other hand, all you need for the Positive Memory method are your good memories. You don’t need money or any special techniques. Moreover, it has been scientifically proven to reduce stress in just 14 seconds. It may be hard to come by another stress care method that is as easy and efficient and this one.

It may be difficult to conjure up good memories when we’re feeling strong frustrations and anxieties. To make things easier, keep a strong focus on the positive events that occur on a regular basis and keep a stock of good memories in mind.

・Write down your positive memories in a notebook or diary.
・Keep an item that has a positive memory attached to it, such as a photograph.

By practicing these things on a regular basis, you’ll remember the good memories more strongly and more quickly, even when you’re in a stressful state of mind.

Recall Good Memories for a Positive Mindset

The Positive Memory method allows you to alleviate negative emotions in a short amount of time, using nothing but your recollection of good memories. Give it a try whenever you feel stressed in your daily life.

Having a coping mechanism on hand, such as this Positive Memory method, keeps our mental health in check. This is just one of the many easy stress-care techniques you can try. Figure out what works for you and get into the habit of practicing. One of the keys to living a healthy and happy life is to properly cope with stress.

→ Looking to improve your mental health? Try the SELFMIND app FREE for 1 week!
If you’re looking for more tips on how to care for your mental health, check out some of our past blog posts!

Image：Unsplash
Reference：
Megan E. Speer，Mauricio R. Delgado
「Reminiscing about positive memories buffers acute stress responses」（Nat Hum Behav. 2017 May; 1(5): 0093）

The post Instant Ways to Relieve Stress – Recalling Positive Memories appeared first on SELF MIND.