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Guide to Modules

Module 1: Rational Emotive Therapy This module uses Rational Emotive Therapy (RET) to address Distorted Thinking. It reveals Faulty Assumptions and Biases that we all hold which influence how we view and react to the world, and gives advice on how to more accurately interpret the world and take control of our emotions. I recommend this module to: - anyone who wants a better understanding how their mind works - anyone who feels that their emotions and feelings are uncontrollable Module 2: Anger and Being Effective This module addresses Anger by teaching Effective methods to deal with intense anger and conflict.  It helps you figure out your personal anger styles, teaches how to make yourself aware of your anger, and skills on how to manage anger. I recommend this module to: - anyone who wants to better resolve conflict in their life - anyone who feels that their anger reactions are unhealthy and would like to learn helpful skills - anyone who lives with or are otherwise r
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Treating Depression Through Activity and Achievement

The symptoms of depression such as tiredness, lethargy, loss of interest, loss of motivation, loss of pleasure, and indecisiveness can lead to inactivity, and this often keeps the depression going or even make it worse. Also, because of the lack of motivation, a depressed person might begin to neglect everyday tasks and responsibilities at work or at home, and the list begins to pile up. As such, when a depressed person thinks about the things they have to do, they might feel overwhelmed by the pile of things they have put off doing. This might result in them feeling guilty or thinking that they are ineffective or even a failure. This will also worsen the depression. Increasing Your Activity Level One of the ways of overcoming depression is to increase your level of activity. There is a lot of evidence that shows that the more people do, and the more pleasant activities they get involved in, the better they feel. Becoming active has a number of advantages: Activity h

Basics to Exposure Therapy

What is Exposure Therapy? Exposure therapy si the most effective psychological treatment for anxiety. Exposure means “facing your fears” and is the opposite of avoidance. When we avoid something that we fear, the fear only gets stronger; by avoiding we don't get to learn anything about our ability to cope. If we confront our fears and learn that we can cope then we become more able to manage similar situations in the future. Exposure can be done to real situations or to imagined ones. In psychological terms exposure leads to the “extinction of a learned fear response”. How Exposure Works One helpful way to think about how exposure works is to consider memories. A scary event creates a “fear memory” linking the object, event, or situation with a feeling of a fear. Reminders activate this fear memory and make you feel afraid. It is not possible to get rid of old memories, but it is possible to create helpful new ones which will outnumber the old ones. Exposure therapy creates n

Helpful Tips for Better Sleep Hygiene

Tips for Improved Sleep Hygiene If you have problems sleeping, them it is important that you practice good sleep hygiene. This means doing things which are known to improve sleep, and avoiding things which are known to disturb sleep. Here are 10 things you should know about getting better sleep; each of these points is based on scientific research, and could help you to get the most out of your sleep. Remember, this advice only applies if you are having sleep difficulties: 1) Products containing caffeine (tea, coffee, cocoa, chocolate, soft drinks, energy drinks, etc) should be discontinued at least 4 hours before bedtime. Caffeine is a stimulant and can keep you awake. 2) Avoid nicotine (including nicotine patches, gum, vaping, etc) an hour before bedtime and when waking at night. Nicotine is also a stimulant. 3) Avoid alcohol around bedtime because although it can promote falling asleep, it can disrupt sleep later in the night. 4) Avoid eating a large meal immedi

Lifestyle Tips for Stress Management

Tips for Healthy Living Our lifestyle can have a big impact on how we feel. When we don't take care of ourselves, we can experience a number of problems, including sleep difficulties, fatigue, low energy, trouble concentrating, and increased tension and stress. These problems can leave us vulnerable to anxiety and depression. Making healthy choices will help you feel better. Remember, the goal of developing a healthy lifestyle is to help us function at our best, not to eliminate anxiety or depression, because that would not be realistic. Having a healthy lifestyle puts us in a better position to manage the stresses of life. Here are some ideas for building a healthy lifestyle. Set a Routine Establish a routine by setting specific times for meals, work, housework, quiet time, and bedtime. We feel more secure when there is some predictability to our day. It also helps us get things done and reminds us to take time for ourselves. Having a routine can help you to set the st

Module 7.7: Mindfulness - Relapse Prevention

How We Can Use Mindfulness to Reduce Relapses As you continue through your life, you will face new challenges and new situations. You will inevitably experience times of increased distress when you find it more difficult to continue your mindfulness practices. As we have discussed, mindfulness and skillful action are processes - we all need to continue to attend to these areas, notice when things are slipping, when our attention has wandered or we've begun to avoid feelings or situations, and gently bring ourselves back. This can be a very difficult and disheartening process. Often, the first response after noticing this kind of lapse is a feeling of disappointment and a thought like "I'm right back where I started" or "I can't do it on my own". It can be easy for this to start a cycle of self-critical reactions, increased distress and experiential avoidance, which feeds back into the sense of disappointment and self criticism, continuing the cycle and

Module 7.6: Thoughts are NOT Facts

The realization that thoughts are not facts is vitally relevant to all of us. Our thinking will often reflect our mood and mode of mind, not what is "actually" here or who we actually are. Thoughts are not facts. We need to start observing and recognizing thoughts as thoughts, to bring awareness to them as discrete mental events, and to see each thought as simply a thought, an idea in the mind. We use the phrase "thoughts are not facts" to suggest that we don't have to believe everything we think or take it as absolute truth. Exercise: Thoughts and Feelings We ask that you settle into a comfortable position, feet on the floor, eyes closed, and imagine the following scenario:  - You are walking down the street, and on the other side of the street you somebody you know. You smile and wave. The person just doesn't seem to notice and walks by. Take a moment to become aware of what is going through your mind, including your thoughts, feelings, or

Module 7.5: Mindfulness - One Mindfully and Effectiveness

Mindfulness Exercise: A First Taste of Mindfulness - Eating One Raisin 1. Holding  - First, take a raisin and hold it in your palm of your hand or between your finger and thumb.  - Focusing on it, imagine that you've just dropped in from Mars and have never seen an object like this before in your life. 2. Seeing  - Take time to really see it; gaze at the raisin with care and full attention.  - Let eyes explore every part of it, examining the highlights where the light shines, the darker hollows, the fold and ridges, and any asymmetries or unique features. 3. Touching  - Turn the raisin over between your fingers, exploring it's texture, maybe with your eyes closed if that enhances your sense of touch. 4. Smelling  - Holding the raisin beneath your nose, with each inhalation drink in any smell, aroma, or fragrance that may arise, noticing as you do this anything interesting that may be happening in your mouth or stomach. 5. Placing  - Now slowly