“Trust other people.” “Have belief in yourself.” “Believe it will be okay.”
It’s easier said than done. Humans cannot survive alone, and we all naturally yearn for social connections. We also cannot live without subconsciously believing in something, and it’s perhaps this subconscious desire that forms the basis of our trust in other humans. In fact, the act of “believing” plays a significant role in mental health. Both the act of belief in others, as well as belief in yourself (self-efficacy) are important to the longterm wellbeing of your personal mental health, as well as the health of your interpersonal relationships. In this article, we will explore the aspects of belief and trust within clinical practices.

Trust and Belief Between Doctors and Patients

For example, when we get sick, we visit our doctor or hospital. The patient needs to trust that the doctor would do their best to treat them. The same goes for the doctor – the doctor gathers the patient’s self-account, and they must trust and believe it to be accurate. The doctors will then use this information to treat the patients appropriately and accordingly. It’s important to note here that the person treating you must be value-neutral. In clinical practice, this means keeping religious or personal ideology out of the practice while pointing out symptoms and conditions from neutral perspectives. Without this prerequisite, the trust between the doctor and patient may be easily broken.

Trust requires courage. Trust creates a connection and makes us more open to one another, but it can also make us more vulnerable. This sense of vulnerability can also trigger our self-defending mechanisms within, creating a conflict where we want to trust but can’t. In a way, trust and distrust always come into play as a fine balance. Trusting in others may not be easy, but if you believe it will be okay, then things will naturally fall into place.

Self-Efficacy is Key to a Healthy Mind

Let’s change our perspective a little bit. Athletes are known for their visualization training, which is a type of mental training aimed to improve concentration, retain physical skills, and overcome trauma – all of which are important aspects in improving and maintaining one’s self-efficacy. Soccer player Lionel Messi would run on the treadmill while watching footage of his own goals. When golfer Tiger Woods feels like he’s losing focus before a shot, he sits down, closes his eyes, and envisions a good shot. It’s scientifically proven that these mental training can lead to higher self-efficacy, and subsequently, improved records. Athletes visualize their success, and believe it into reality. We can also decrease potential disturbing psychological interferences through breathing exercises and positive thinking.

When we are completely immersed in our activities, our anxieties and tension reduce. This makes total immersion an effective psychological technique for calming down. People who can practice mental training with high levels of concentration are likely to be more imaginative. Furthermore, they are likely to possess a greater ability to have belief in themselves. In other words, these types of individuals tend to have higher self-efficacy, which actually directly impacts your capabilities and skills. Believe it to be true, and it will come into fruition. We can say that immersion is one of many ways to deal with our mental health challenges. This really goes to show what belief and trust can do for you.

Expose Yourself Through Open Belief

As mentioned earlier, trust implies opening our hearts up to others. This also requires us to be vulnerable. It’s not an easy task to trust in someone completely, even if it’s someone you like or rely on, due to fears of betrayal, embarrassment, or pain. Let your walls down, stay open, and accept things as they are. Accept others’ intentions, and believe it to be genuine. You may feel a resistance to this idea, and there will always be fears about what would happen if you were to get hurt. However, only those who can overcome these fears can make great strides towards improving their mental health. Only when we have belief in ourselves and trust others, can we build relationships based on trust and belief.

Simply saying “believe it” or “have belief in yourself” sounds easy in theory, yet difficult in practice. Do you have the courage to harness the power of your belief?

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If you’re looking for more tips on how to care for your mental health, check out some of our past blog posts!

References:
Iida, T. (2016). The Effectiveness of Mental Training Based on an Understanding of the Psychological State of the Athlete. Iwate University Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences, 25, 39~51. doi: 10.15113/00014452

Kumakura, N. (2008). A Study of “Believing” in Clinical Practice: Thoughts on Kenro Doi’s article, “Psychotherapy and Belief”. The Japanese Journal of Mental Health, 23(2), 49-60. doi: 10.11383/kokoronokenkou1986.23.2_49

Sekizawa, Y., Goto, Y., So, M., Noguchi, R., & Shimizu, E. (2016). Future Predictions on Income and Livelihoods and Their Relationship to Well-being/mental health: An Examination Using Questions From the Consumer Confidence Index. RIETI Discussion Paper Series 16-J-052. Retrieved from: https://www.rieti.go.jp/jp/publications/dp/16j052.pdf

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Exercise in the Evening for Better Sleep

A study of 99 patients with depression in the United States showed improvement in their depressive state after they had done an hour of exercise, aerobic or anaerobic, 3 times a week in a duration of 8 weeks. Although transient (one day only) exercise did not have much effect on stress relief, people with regular exercise habits had a lot of deep sleep, so-called non-REM sleep.

How and when we do our exercises matters for good sleep. In general, sleepiness occurs strongly when our body temperature begins to drop. Elevated body temperatures gradually fall for a few hours after exercising, and the amount of melatonin, a hormone that controls the sleep cycle, increases at night. The synergistic effects of physical activity and our biological rhythm makes it easier to sleep when we exercise in the evenings. In other words, exercise later in the day can act as an effective stress-reliever. However, experts do not recommend exercising right before bed, as it can cause physical stress. Excessive exercise is also counterproductive because the sympathetic nerve becomes stimulated and excited. As for the appropriate kind of exercise, experts recommend jogging and fast walking for moderate exercise that is effective for stress relief. Soaking in a lukewarm bath is also adequate.

Sleep Deprivation Leads to Mental Crisis?

There seems to be a very strong relationship between sleep deprivation and depressive symptoms. In Finland, a survey of 40,791 non-depressive individuals found that those who experience insomnia more than five nights a week were more likely to develop depression. Experts generally recommend adults to sleep about 7 hours a day. Shorter or longer sleep tends to result in higher mortality rates over the course of 6 years. Chronic sleep deprivation can interfere with our daily well-being through symptoms of constant fatigue, lack of focus, and increased irritation. It’s very important to encourage healthy sleeping habits and moderate exercise for stress relief.

Fun Exercise Improves Brain Function

According to recent research, excessive stress causes thinning of the hippocampus, a part of the brain which can lead to various mental disorders. On the other hand, animal studies have also shown that spontaneous exercise promotes the growth of hippocampal nerve cells while reducing depression, thereby acting as a stress-reliever. Other studies demonstrate that forced activities do not promote hippocampal nerve cell growth as much as willing activities.

17 people answered a survey after they had exercised for 1 hour, once a week. Most people who found the lesson enjoyable had a higher tendency towards improved mental health. Hip-hop dance classes had a particularly high satisfaction rate. Perhaps the participants enjoyed it because they could do their best within a reasonable range by using the basic steps of hip-hop dancing. In order for physical activity to act as an effective stress-reliever, it’s important to exercise with interest rather than being forced to do it.

Incorporate a Little Exercise Into Your Daily Life

Disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) is the summary measure used by the WHO to indicate the overall burden of diseases. Since 2004, unipolar depressive disorder is now the 3rd burden of diseases globally. It’s even projected to become the leading cause of DALYs by 2030. Anyone can develop depression. Working out potentially improves sleep and creates positive change for both our mental and physical well-being. We can say that exercise is an effective means of self-care and stress relief. (Figure 1)

The development of transportation and the internet has made human life more and more convenient. However, as technology develops, we have fewer opportunities to demonstrate our fundamental motor ability. Therefore, it is vital to actively move our bodies. Try some light stretching if you are busy, or try walking a little bit further if you aren’t good at exercise. Regardless of your skill level or intensity of activity, exercise is one of the best natural stress-relievers. The sum of these small efforts will surely help improve your general health in the long term.

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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：

Uchida S., Ganeko M., Shioda K., Takeda N., Umezawa J., Tashiro S., Sato D., Abe T.,(2011).Introduction of Exercise for Depression Prevention in Company Workers Japanese Society of Psychosomatic Medicine, 52, 718-725.

Yoshimoto, Y., Akezaki, Y., Nomura, T., Sato, A. Effects of Therapeutic Exercise Combined with a Behavioral Science Approach for the Treatment of Patients with Mental Disorders.(2009).Japanese Physical Therapy Association, 36(5), 287-294 https://doi.org/10.15063/rigaku.KJ00005654287

Sensui, H., Nagamatsu, T., Ihara, K., Nakagawa, M.(2009).Exercise Therapy for Recovering Psychiatric Patients : A Preliminary Study.Bulletin of the Physical Fitness Research Institute, No.107, 15-22.

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Do you ever feel lethargic and disinterested, like you couldn’t be bothered to do anything at all? Indeed, this feeling is “apathy”. We all have days where we just don’t want to do things we know we should, like dealing with house chores after coming back from a long vacation. Dealing with apathy has been a huge challenge for humans throughout history. This article will explore what apathy does to our mental health, and some ways to handle these feelings when they arise.

What Apathy Means: 2 Characteristics

Since no two people in the world are the same, what apathy manifests itself as, and how it affects us, are different for each of us. It also depends on what we are feeling apathetic about and how we got there. As an example, college students sometimes display symptoms of “student apathy”. Some students lose motivation to take on their studies without a clear reason. Researchers believe this to be one of the reasons for students to fail grades and dropout. Student Apathy is different to apatheticness that stems from depression. This is because Student Apathy is an experience specifically towards their studies, whereas Depressive Apathy is something that affects our entire life. The former kind of apathy involves the inability to think further about the problems they hold. On the other hand, the latter generally involves overthinking about problems.

In the same way that sugar and salt appears the same but are completely unlike, different manifestations of apatheticness have been lumped under the same umbrella term of “apathy”. Currently, researchers are trying to see if apatheticness can be patterned into student-apathy-types and depression-types.

Diffirent Kinds of Apatheticness

In 2003, researchers conducted a survey in Japan among 283 university students (233 valid responses). The researchers were able to sort the participants into multiple groups, based on questionnaires asking about their motivation for club activities and part-time jobs. The results showed one high motivation group, and three low motivation groups.

Furthermore, they found that the low-motivation groups had two categories: low motivation for academics alone and low motivation for everything. As a result, only the group with low motivation towards academics showed characteristics of Student Apathy. These student showed a lack of thought towards their inner selves. This suggests that the low academic motivation group had a tendency toward Student Apathy, which may be different from the other two low motivation groups. Although the study itself may not be concrete, the results show what apathy can be patterned into: Student Apathy, and Depressive Apathy. Furthermore, that these two patterns of apathy should have separate categories when considering treatment.

What Apathy Can Teach Us

The Japanese study mentioned above yielded some other interesting results. According to the study, the group with the lowest interpersonal and recreational motivation tended to look inward when they had a negative experience. Of course, it’s a good thing that we don’t run away from bad experiences. However, they were more likely to develop depression through their apatheticness. This was mainly because of their lack in dependency for support, and disinterest in entertainment. While this Japanese study focused on what apathy did to the behavior of students, in today’s fast-paced society, this situation could resonate with anyone, and not just students.

Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Help

There are times in our lives when we can’t help but feel like not wanting to do anything. If so, why not try relying on someone else? When we don’t feel good, we can’t help but think negatively. At times like this, staying in our own thought bubble can set us down into a negative spiral. If you continue to dwell in your general disinterest and lack of motivation, that’s what apathy will feed on. Before this happens, try reaching out. A family member, friend, someone you trust, or even a stranger on social media. One of those people may be able to help you stay positive and lift you out from your apatheticness. I hope this article has also served as a small light at the end of the tunnel, for someone who may need it.

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
Reference：
Kano, T., & Tsugawa, R. (2008). A classification of apathy in undergraduates. The Japanese Journal of Mental Health, 23(2), 2-10. doi: 10.11383/kokoronokenkou1986.23.2_2

Uchida, C. (2010). Apathetic and Withdrawing Students in Japanese Universities – with Regard to Hikikomori and Student Apathy. Journal of Medical and Dental Sciences 57(1), 95-108. doi: 10.11480/jmds.570111

The post What Apathy Does to Us and How to Deal With It appeared first on SELF MIND.

How we interact with and wear our clothes can say a lot about us. For instance, how do you choose what you wear? Are you a minimalist who owns a micro-wardrobe? Or do you own many of the same outfits to avoid decision fatigue like Steve Jobs did? Perhaps you’re a fashionista that follows the latest trends; a bold person who loves to express through colors and decorative patterns; a type that just doesn’t care at all for what you wear. Before you go ahead and disregard fashion as an unimportant choice, you may want to reevaluate a wardrobe that will help you become the person you want to be. The power of fashion may have bigger effects than you expect.

Whether we like it or not, every morning, we wake up and put our clothes on. Every item of clothing, from work uniforms, suits, dresses, traditional outfits, casual outfits, gym wears, to pajamas, all make social statements for the occasions we participate in. It’s easy to associate social status with textile materials and brands, but there is more to fashion and its effects than we understand at a superficial level. Above all, it can change our psychological behavior and how we feel.

The Transformative Power of Fashion

We’ve all heard the saying, “dress for the job you want, not the job you have”. In fact, the truth of this phrase is actually backed by science. Furthermore, there are studies dedicated to this idea. In scientific terms, it’s called “Enclothed Cognition”. In simple terms, it is the field of study in how symbolic fashion effects can impact our behavior and moods.

For example, a 2012 study showed that wearing a white lab coat where people associated the coat to scientific or medical professions, increased their performance in detailed oriented tasks. In another 2016 study, people who wore a tunic and associated it with a nursing scrub, showed more empathy and volunteered more hours. Formal clothing has repeatedly demonstrated positive benefits through studies, resulting in increased abstract thinking, feeling of power, and profits in negotiations. Therefore, our personal interpretation of the symbolism in each of these fashion items is what changes our processing and behaviors.

All of these studies point that wearing fashion items associated with certain symbolic meanings have measurable effects on our mental state. So yes, dress not only to impress others, but yourself! For instance, you could wear a sharp suit to work to perform better in business, casual clothes to be more friendly, and sporty gym wears to stay active. Who do you want to be? The person you aspire to be could become just a step closer through the power of fashion effects. To start, you can begin putting your wardrobe together in the direction of your goals.

Color Symbolism in Fashion Effects

The influence of color goes beyond its effects in fashion. Have you heard of color psychology? It’s the idea that different colors hold different meanings, emotions, and power over how we behave. We see this applied everywhere nowadays as a powerful communication tool, especially in marketing, art, and design.

Color can be so influential, that swallowing the same pill with different colors show significantly different placebo effects on a patient. Particularly, red has been a high-interest color for scientific studies. For example, in the 2004 Olympics, some scientists noticed that winning combat fighters often wore red more than blue. This led to research in 2013, where 28 athletes were matched with similar age and size opponents, each wearing red and blue jerseys. They then competed against each other while measuring strength and heart rates. Although wearing red did not result in more wins, participants wearing red showed significantly higher heart rates and pre-contest strengths. In other words, we are subconsciously influenced by the color we choose. In this way, color also plays a significant role in the fashion effects that impact our mood.

Different Colors have Different Effects

Although color perceptions are highly subjective, there are some universal and general understandings. For example, warm colors such as red, orange, and yellow tend to side with a range of emotions from warmth and comfort to anger and passion. Cool colors, such as green, blue, and purple, often associates with a range of cold and sad feelings to tranquility and calmness. On the other hand, bright colors are a great choice in giving a boost to your energy and mood. I recommend you look into the effects of each color and use it to your best benefit in fashion. To find out more about the psychological effects of colors, check out the article below.

Be Unique!

It’s pretty common for us to want to wear clothes that best conforms to our societal beliefs, values, and ideals. If a style is not aligned with what we feel emotionally comfortable in, the uneasiness reverts us back to what we feel most familiar with. This is especially true if you are not the type to take risks in fashion. However, it pays off to intentionally risk showing your own unique style that’s different from others.

Researchers at Harvard examined the effects of non-conforming behaviors through fashion. In this study, the status and competence of a professor increased when the professor showed his uniqueness by wearing red Converse sneakers during a lecture. The experiment concluded that unique non-conforming styles that stand out positively influenced us when perceived as styled in a deliberate manner. This interesting phenomenon in fashion effects is called “The Red Sneaker Effect”. In real life, we see this when high-status individuals or successful entrepreneurs choose to dress casually in jeans in formal business settings. Higher status and performance correlates with stronger tendencies to deviate from conforming dress codes. Vice versa, research also suggests that people judge these deviations from the norm as positive because we perceive the individual as powerful enough to risk social costs as a nonconformist.

Use the Power of Fashion to Your Advantage

It can be a simple bright tie, a shoe, a sock, a piece of statement jewelry. You can start with anything small. Show your originality through unique styles! It will not only give you the liberating opportunity to express yourself, but elicits positive impressions from others. If you haven’t tried expressing yourself through using fashion effects to your benefit, now is the time to start experimenting!

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!

References:

Adam, H., & Galinsky, A. D. (2012). Enclothed cognition. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 48(4), 918–925. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2012.02.008

Bellezza, S., Gino, F., & Keinan, A. (2014). The Red Sneakers Effect: Inferring Status and Competence from Signals of Nonconformity. Journal of Consumer Research, 41(1), 35–54. https://doi.org/10.1086/674870

de Craen, A. J. M., Roos, P. J., de Vries, A. L., & Kleijnen, J. (1996). Effect of colour of drugs: systematic review of perceived effect of drugs and of their effectiveness. BMJ, 313(7072), 1624–1626. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.313.7072.1624

Dittrich, A. (2019, September 24). Fashion’s impact on mental wellbeing. Retrieved June 16, 2020, from https://www.dw.com/en/how-fashion-impacts-our-mental-wellbeing/a-50562794

Dreiskaemper, D., Strauss, B., Hagemann, N., & Büsch, D. (2013). Influence of Red Jersey Color on Physical Parameters in Combat Sports. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 35(1), 44–49. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsep.35.1.44

Elliot, A. J., & Maier, M. A. (2014). Color Psychology: Effects of Perceiving Color on Psychological Functioning in Humans. Annual Review of Psychology, 65(1), 95–120. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-010213-115035

Hutson, M., & Rodriguez, T. (2016, January 1). Dress for Success: How Clothes Influence Our Performance. Retrieved June 16, 2020, from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/dress-for-success-how-clothes-influence-our-performance

Karl, K. A., Hall, L. M., & Peluchette, J. V. (2013). City Employee Perceptions of the Impact of Dress and Appearance. Public Personnel Management, 42(3), 452–470. https://doi.org/10.1177/0091026013495772

Kraus, M. W., & Mendes, W. B. (2014). Sartorial symbols of social class elicit class-consistent behavioral and physiological responses: A dyadic approach. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 143(6), 2330–2340. https://doi.org/10.1037/xge0000023

López-Pérez, B., Ambrona, T., Wilson, E. L., & Khalil, M. (2016). The Effect of Enclothed Cognition on Empathic Responses and Helping Behavior. Social Psychology, 47(4), 223–231. https://doi.org/10.1027/1864-9335/a000273

Sarda-Joshi, G. (2016, June 17). 7 ways your clothes change the way you think. Retrieved June 16, 2020, from https://brainfodder.org/psychology-clothes-enclothed-cognition/

Slepian, M. L., Ferber, S. N., Gold, J. M., & Rutchick, A. M. (2015). The Cognitive Consequences of Formal Clothing. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 6(6), 661–668. https://doi.org/10.1177/1948550615579462

Thrive Global, & Carlos, V. (2019, May 30). Why So Many Successful People Wear the Same Outfit Every Day. Retrieved June 16, 2020, from https://thriveglobal.com/stories/why-successful-people-often-wear-the-same-outfit-every-day/

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