Skill #19 How to Change How You Think: Cognitive Distortions Part 2

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This post is part two of our discussion on cognitive distortions. If you haven’t already, go back and read part one, where I cover the 10 common cognitive distortions. Cognitive distortions happen when our thinking gets twisted or exaggerated. But most of the time we don’t notice that we’re thinking this way. It often feels […]

Skill #18 Cognitive Distortions Part 1 Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Techniques

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Cognitive distortions are thoughts that aren’t actually true but feel true. Is there anything you can do about these thoughts? Cognitive Behavioral Therapy can help you change how you feel by changing how you think. The first step is to learn what cognitive distortions are and notice when you’re using them. https://youtu.be/aAVGyRMS3gE “It is in […]

Skill #17 Reframing Negative Thoughts

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You can change your negative thoughts by learning the skill of reframing. In this post I’m going to teach you a technique that therapists use in almost every session but you probably didn’t know about. And when you learn how to do it yourself, you can change how you think and feel. Our negative thoughts […]

Skill #16 Change How You Think to Change How You Feel: Neuroplasticity Fundamentals

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Neuroplasticity shows that your brain can change. When you change how you think you can physically change your brain’s structure and chemistry. And that means that when you change how you think, you can change how you feel.  https://youtu.be/1EHI2hF9Iak When you change how you think, you change how you feel. In this post you’re going […]

Skill #14 How to Turn off the Fight/Flight/Freeze Response With Grounding Skills for Anxiety

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Grounding is a really important skill to have if you experience dissociation, anxiety, panic attacks, or flashbacks. Grounding strengthens the parasympathetic response (which is our body’s ability to return to calm effectively). This counteracts the fight/flight/freeze response. The more you practice it, the stronger your ability to turn on that parasympathetic response in your nervous […]

Skill #13 Coping Skills for Depression and Anxiety

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Using coping skills to get through a crisis and get calm and then coming back and resolving the problem is the best long-term practice. This ability to pause before choosing an action is an essential skill of emotionally resilient people. Coping Skills for Crises Do you ever feel like your brain falls out when you’re […]

Skill #12: How to Turn off the Fear Response and Create a Sense of Safety

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Sometimes we feel like we’re in danger even when we’re actually safe. In this post you’re going to learn four skills to turn off this fear response, aka the fight/flight/freeze response, and restore a sense of calm in your body and mind. https://youtu.be/0DpDywOxEWc I’m going to teach you to recognize the lie of perceived danger […]

Skill #11: How to Calm Anxiety in your Nervous System

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You can learn to turn on the parasympathetic nervous system and calm anxiety by doing these simple body-based skills. Anxiety, PTSD, trauma, and other intense emotions are rooted in the nervous system, specifically the sympathetic response, but our body has a built-in natural ability to calm anxiety by turning on the parasympathetic nervous system. Learn […]

Skill #10: How To Release Trapped Emotions

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Today we are going to talk about skill 10, how to release trapped emotions. Trauma, anxiety, and other emotions can get trapped in your body- essentially emotions can get stored in your autonomic nervous system response. Your nervous system has two responses: the sympathetic response and the parasympathetic response. Both serve an important function in […]

Skill #5 – The Negative Cycle of Avoidance and Anxiety

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You probably don’t realize it, but most people get stuck in a struggle with their emotions. They feel like they have to fight against their emotions or their emotions will take over. But struggling against emotions, or avoidance, tends to make them more intense over time. In this episode, you’re going to learn how to […]