Joanna Groves

Psychotherapy & Training

Tel: 07538 041967

Can food improve your mental health?

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As part of the fight against mental health problems we have a very much underutilised tool – food.

Source: How food can improve your mental health – BBC News

In my personal and professional capacity, nutrition is key.

When working with teenagers and adults alike at my private practice at The Affinity Centre, Cheadle and Wilmslow, I get interested in the person’s lifestyle and nutrition. I’ve lost count of the teenagers in particular who complain of feeling stressed and anxious who regularly skip meals. 

Our bodies job, it’s sole purpose, is to keep us alive. And that means the energy supply in has to support the energy supply out. When we’re hungry and dehydrated the body becomes stressed and sends out all sorts of signals – headaches, loss of concentration, increased fear response, fatigue, lethargy, nausea,  feeling jittery or nervous. The body is super clever in getting attention.

Sadly, us humans are not always tuned-in to our bodies and so we override these signals resulting in increased cortisol levels. And increased cortisol is at the very heart of stress and anxiety. 

It isn’t just the young either, adults are often too busy to pay attention to the basics and our ever aging bodies need different nutrition at different times in our lives. For example, new parents – mums and dads – would benefit from looking at foods that support them with energy levels given sleep deprivation ultimately kicks in.

I also work with lots of women approaching or in their menopause who truly benefit from better nutritional support. Personally, I’ve got to my mid-forties and have to accept that sugar truly does mess with my system. As a cake lover this isn’t good news. Alas, when I ignore the signals (…and I do!) of aching joints, fatigue, acid reflux and irritability, ultimately I end up feeling very low and with heart palpitations. Within a week or so of detoxing from sugar my anxiety and low mood is gone.

Thankfully, there is now so much we can do to take care of feelings of stress and anxiety. Get in touch and let’s look at your personal health plan that will put you back in harmony with your body. 

Stress: It’s Not in Your Head, it’s in Your Nervous System

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How to release traumatic memory that could be stored in your body.

Source: Stress: It’s Not in Your Head, it’s in Your Nervous System

Unprocessed stress becomes traumatic memory that lies dormant in the body. A present day trigger can cause the stored memory to resurface. Understanding what is happening inside our body and brain, gives us compassion. Learning why our body responds the way it does, leads to awareness and empowerment.

I see lots of clients reporting symptoms of stress and anxiety, most of which want to get-rid-of or stop feeling the way they do. Some talk shamefully of “not coping” and how they believe they should be able to manage the little things that seemingly pushed them closer to stress.

But did you know that stress and anxiety are experiences that are in your body? Sure you’re going to experience lots of symptoms in your head like brain fog, headaches, loss of concentration. That makes sense as we know that the brain reacts and responds to the body’s signals of distress. What we’re less tuned in to are the body sensations that can offer us lots of information on how best to manage stress.

Read more in this article that articulately describes the body – mind connection and also some simple, effective, immediate ways you can impact feelings of stress and anxiety. There is no magic answer to managing stress, and by tuning inwards and listening to your body you can learn what to do to sooth and regulate those stressful emotions that works for you.

Anger and hatred can make us feel happy

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People have higher life satisfaction if they feel emotions they desire – even if they are unpleasant.

Source: Anger and hatred can make us feel happy, says study – BBC News

Interesting research on the positive impact of so-called negative emotions. What I really like is the call to feel your feelings in an appropriate way. I often struggle with the idea that emotions are described as positive and negative as I believe all emotions have equal value.

People who come to see me at my therapy practice in Cheadle and Wilmslow often want to “get rid of” or “stop feeling” certain emotions. Especially when experiencing those feelings are uncomfortable. Makes sense huh. Only, when we don’t express our emotions it can have a real impact on our wellbeing.

The best way I’ve found to get-rid-of feelings is to have them. I support people to understand what their emotions are signalling and to learn how they can take steps to validate and express emotions in a healthier way.

As this article says, sometimes by feeling our feelings we can feel happier and more content.

How to release the stress stored in our bodies

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There is one muscle in the body that often stores trauma. Here’s how to joyfully release the Stress.

 

Source: How to Release the Stress stored in our Bodies

“If you spend as much time stretching your psoas muscle every day as you just did reading this article, you will notice some big changes in your life.” writes Jacob Devaney.

This is a great article on the benefits of stretching the psoas muscle. This mighty muscle connects your torso to your legs and is responsible for core strength. The psoas can impact everything from posture, knee and back pain, to shallow breathing, menstrual cramps, and tiredness.

You don’t have to become a yogi…well, not unless you want to!…but a few minutes stretching will help the body let go of stress and leave you feeling more relaxed.

When people ask me about coping strategies and techniques for managing stress, I always talk about body health. To take care of the mind we must take care of the body and stretching can be hugely beneficial. Give it a try and let me know if it works for you.

Stop the Glorification of Busy and Give Yourself Permission to Be Happy

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“The reality is, if we want to increase the general well-being of our culture we need to stop the glorification of busy. Can we begin to accept that it’s also okay to lead a calmer and more joyful life?”

Source: Stop the Glorification of Busy and Give Yourself Permission to Be Happy | Mindfulness and Psychotherapy

Seriously, we’re human BEINGS not human DOINGS! When did play, relaxation, enjoyment, fulfillment and the like become terms associated with ‘being selfish’ or self-absorbed?

Hell yeah! To be selfish is to take care of the self and I believe we’d all be alot happier if we learned to take care of ourselves – body, mind and spirit, alongside those maths and science lessons at school. Unsurprisingly, being so busy has a direct impact on our health, wellbeing and mood.

In my work with schools, students and teachers alike are relentlessly busy. We’re experiencing this first hand at home as our teenager and pre-teen struggle to keep up with the pressures from the school system.

It’s the same throughout my practice, people are often beyond busy and the thing they want most from life?To feel happy. Of course, there are all sorts of reasons why we keep so busy with external and internal pressures playing a part. It’s not as simple as to ‘just relax’ or even ‘learn to take better care’, if it were that easy we’d have just got on with it by now!

We each carry social, cultural and family messages around being busy and resting. Therapy can give you a great insight into your patterns and support you in making the changes you want to enjoy your life.

10 Warning Signs You Have High Cortisol Level and How to Lower It

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Source: 10 Warning Signs You Have High Cortisol Level and How to Lower It

Cortisol levels and adrenal glands are my newest soap-box topic of choice as I’m really interested in learning how to balance my hormones naturally. In my practice, I also regularly run Exam Stress workshops for students who are showing all sorts of signs of high cortisol with the growing pressures of getting the right grades. More and more I am seeing 25-35 yr old clients who are reaching burn-out and one of the first things we look at is lifestyle and pockets of stress.

This is an interesting article on what cortisol is and its functions, as well as the symptoms of high cortisol levels and how to lower your levels naturally. How do you take care of yours?