Articles
Transforming Leadership: Coaching Beyond Therapy for Anxiety
Leadership stress management coaching: Coaching leaders for stress requires a distinct approach, focusing on performance enhancement and practical solutions for a work environment. Unlike therapy, which may delve into the past, coaching is future-oriented and emphasizes action and accountability. Coaches help leaders challenge negative thinking, transform habits, and build confidence within the framework of their work-related goals. The coach’s role is to empower the client, facilitate self-discovery, and support them in moving toward a preferred future. Key coaching strategies include reframing, developing coping strategies, and focusing on what matters most to the client. The coach and client work together, co-constructing the dialogue and action plan.
Uncoupling from Thoughts: The Power of Defusion
Defusion techniques involve a shift in how we relate to our thoughts, so that we see them as mental events, not facts. This process can reduce reactivity, increase flexibility, and support general well-being. Defusion may seem strange but it can allow more freedom in life and less intense reactions to thinking.
Seeking Confidentiality and Control: Why Senior Managers and Professionals Choose Private Anxiety Treatment
Senior managers and professionals often choose private anxiety treatment due to a need for confidentiality, control, and discretion. They may have specific workplace-related stressors, or preference for particular therapeutic approaches. Private therapy can provide a safe space, develop coping skills, and foster increased self-awareness, ultimately helping these individuals to manage their anxiety effectively and maintain high performance in their careers. It allows them to address their unique challenges without the fear of negative consequences within their professional lives.
Finding Relief: How Counselling Can Help with Anxiety
Counselling offers a supportive and structured approach to managing anxiety by addressing its underlying causes and equipping individuals with effective coping strategies. Unlike medication, which primarily targets the symptoms of anxiety, counselling aims to address the root issues and help individuals develop a healthier relationship with their anxious feelings. How Counselling Approaches Anxiety Counselling uses… Read More »Finding Relief: How Counselling Can Help with Anxiety
Automatic Negative Thoughts: Origins, Impact, and Management
Automatic Negative Thoughts are spontaneous, negative thought patterns that are influenced by our negativity bias, habitual thinking, emotional triggers and past experiences. Instead of fighting against these thoughts, the most effective approach is to acknowledge and identify them, challenge and reframe them, create distance from them, and practise mindfulness and self-compassion. Techniques such as journaling, focusing on coping thoughts, and actively shifting the focus on solutions can help individuals manage the impact of ANTs.
Strategies for Managing Workplace Anxiety: A Practical Guide
Managing workplace anxiety involves a multifaceted approach that includes recognising your physical responses, identifying triggers, focusing on your breath, being mindful, challenging negative thoughts, setting boundaries, prioritising self-care and reframing your perspective on work. It is important to view anxiety as a normal part of life and to develop skills and strategies that enable you to manage it in a healthy and productive way. Remember that your goal is not to eliminate your anxiety entirely, but to manage it so that it does not interfere with your ability to work effectively.
Why Businesses Invest in Anxiety Coaching: Enhancing Performance and Well-being for Long-Term Organisational Success
Businesses that invest in anxiety coaching services are not only prioritising the well-being of their employees but are also making a strategic decision that leads to long-term organisational growth and sustainability. Coaching helps employees manage stress and anxiety, which results in increased productivity, improved communication and collaboration, lower absenteeism, and a positive workplace culture. By addressing anxiety and stress in a holistic way, companies can unlock their employees’ full potential, driving innovation and achieving greater success.
How does ACT differ from traditional CBT in treating anxiety?
ACT and traditional CBT offer different routes to address anxiety. While CBT targets the content of thoughts and aims to reduce symptoms, ACT focuses on the process of thinking and feeling, aiming to increase psychological flexibility and committed action through acceptance, defusion and mindfulness. ACT provides a more holistic approach that goes beyond symptom management and helps individuals lead richer, more meaningful lives aligned with their values. A client might consider ACT if they feel that traditional CBT is too focused on symptom reduction and is looking for a more comprehensive and value-based therapy that helps them accept their anxiety and move forward in their lives despite their anxieties.
The two distinct pathways in the brain that generate anxiety
There are two main pathways in the brain that can generate anxiety: the cortex pathway and the amygdala pathway. Both pathways can cause the amygdala to create an anxiety response, but they operate differently and can be targeted with different techniques. The Cortex Pathway: This pathway involves the thinking part of the brain and is… Read More »The two distinct pathways in the brain that generate anxiety
How does the amygdala contribute to anxiety responses?
The amygdala is a crucial component of the brain’s anxiety response system. It quickly detects threats, initiates the fight-or-flight response, forms emotional memories, and influences other brain regions. The amygdala’s influence is particularly evident when anxiety feels out of proportion to the situation, or when anxiety arises with no clear trigger.
Guide to CPR for the Amygdala: Understanding, Application, and Benefits for Managing Emotional Reactivity and Stress
CPR for the Amygdala is a tool that helps individuals manage their emotional reactivity and stress by using the SNAP protocol: Sense, Notice, Apply and Preoccupy. It combines mindful self-touch with cognitive distractions or “brain games” to redirect attention and calm the amygdala. It can be used both reactively in moments of distress and proactively to build resilience and can be adapted for relationship support and managing difficult feedback. CPR for the Amygdala can reduce stress, increase internal control, develop neuroplasticity, improve the relationship with self, and provide a better ability to manage physical and emotional sensations.
How does ACT differ from CBT in treating anxiety?
CBT and ACT are effective treatments for anxiety, they differ in their approach. CBT focuses on changing the content of thoughts and behaviors, whereas ACT emphasizes acceptance of thoughts and feelings, and commitment to value-based action. ACT seeks to change a person’s relationship to their thoughts and feelings, instead of changing the thoughts and feelings themselves. ACT aims for a more fundamental shift, questioning the dominance of language and rules that don’t work, and helps clients to move towards living a valued life, even in the presence of anxiety.
What is experiential avoidance?
Experiential avoidance is a core component of anxiety disorders, contributing to a cycle of suffering, restricted lives, and reduced well-being. By reducing this avoidance and embracing acceptance and willingness, individuals can experience a higher quality of life, with increased psychological flexibility, more opportunities, and a greater sense of meaning and purpose.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for anxiety
ACT recognizes that psychological suffering is often caused by experiential avoidance, which is the attempt to avoid unwanted thoughts, feelings, memories, and sensations. ACT aims to break this cycle.
Creative Hopelessness: ACT challenges the client’s past attempts to control anxiety, often through creative hopelessness exercises, to help them see the futility of these efforts.