JunegayPsych

ANXIETY AND THREAT PERCEPTION

A quick whiteboard moment with a client to explain anxiety and threat perception. When an individual is feeling anxious, they tend to fixate on the percieved risk, the negatives, "the something bad" in the situation. Thoughts, physical reactions and emotions interact, increasing the fight or flight response.

For us to act wisely and think rationally, an important strategy is to calm down physically. Take slow deep breaths & reassure yourself that you are ok. Once calmer, pause and evaluate the situation in a wise and balanced way. Label anxious and unhelpful thoughts, and explore balanced alternatives.

June Gay Psychologist

NATURE IMPROVES PSYCHOLOGICAL WELLBEING

According to Wilson, 1984, people have an innate and evolutionarily based affinity for nature. Wilson described this affinity as ‘a love of nature, an attention to nature, and a feeling of connection to nature’. Studies have supported the idea that being in natural settings has many psychological benefits:

STRESS: being outdoor reduces stress by lowering the stress hormone cortisol.
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MEMORY: Nature helps in emotional regulation & improves memory functions. A study on the cognitive benefits of nature found that subjects who took a nature walk did better on a memory test than the subjects who walked down the urban streets.
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DEPRESSION: People suffering from mild to major depressive disorders showed significant mood improvements when exposed to nature. There were reported increases in motivation & energy.
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ATTENTION & CONCENTRATION: There is evidence that a strong environmental connection leads to better performance, heightened concentration, and reduced chances of developing Attention Deficit Disorder.
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PROBLEM SOLVING: Spending more time outdoors and less time with our electronic devices can increase our problem-solving skills and improve creative abilities. 🌳

POSITIVE MOOD: Rohde and Kendle (1994) found that when people immersed in nature they were inclined to have feelings of pleasure, easiness, concentration and interest instead of feeling negative emotions, such as angry, anxiety, absentmindedness.
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Photo: exquisite reflective Loch Are in September 2019.

June Gay Psychologist