Shame Spiral
Shame can be defined as a feeling of embarrassment or humiliation that arises in relation to the perception of having done something dishonourable immoral or improper (verywellmind.com). Whilst it’s a negative emotion its origins play an important role in our survival as a species. Without shame, we might not feel the need to adhere to cultural norms, follow laws or behave in ways that allow us to connect meaningfully to other humans.
Connections Matter
Australia holds an unenviable position globally as second-most medicated nation for depression and anxiety. For a nation that is proud to punch way above its weight on the sporting field on the big stage like the Olympics, when it comes to mental health pretty unenviable position to hold. And I suspect that in Melbourne and maybe Sydney after the last two years of lockdowns things might be worse now than ever.
Get to burnout before it gets to you
There’s been a LOT happening this past 18-months and we’ve all done our very best to keep going and hang in there through it all. But I’m really struck by how exhausted people are as we re-enter the world and all its busy-ness, especially on the build-up to Christmas. There’s a big difference though between exhaustion and burnout so this week’s blog is about recognising those early-warning signs and symptoms with a view to catching it before it depletes us fully.
Get to know your nervous system
As a ‘bottom-up’ therapist, I spend a lot of time working with people’s nervous system. That might sound a bit odd but I think it’s important I spend a blog explaining why this is so important, especially when working with trauma.
Our body reacts, and then our mind does the thinking. This is why we might startle in fright when we see a hosepipe lying in the long grass on a summer afternoon (living in Australia) before we register that it’s a hosepipe, as opposed to a snake. That’s because the part of the brain that develops earliest in life is the brain stem – the part of our brain that is responsible for keeping us safe. The higher brain regions – the limbic system (responsible for attachment and emotional development) and the cortical brain (responsible for thinking, learning and inhibiting) don’t work so well if the lower part of the brain isn’t working very well, or is busy keeping us safe and well, or under real or perceived threat.
Addiction
Humans are designed to move toward pleasure and avoid pain. It’s one of those instinctual drivers that has ensured our survival thus far. There’s a fairly delicate balancing act that goes on to ensure that we remain on just the right side each of them. And in our modern-lives, rife with consumerism, with easy-access to so much that creates deep pleasure for us, is not surprising that there are not only increasing rates of addiction, but there is also a lot of attention on expanding research and new approaches to recovering from addiction.