Wellness tracker. Review of an app.

These last few days I have been trialling a free app, brought to my attention by DBAS tweet can be found here

I thought I’d give it a bash. I have often thought what is available out there for people who are not living in a therapeutic environment, who are without clinical support 24/7. What happens when you leave therapy? Is there anything to monitor and guide you though and help you keep track of your mood, signs, symptoms and feelings?

I can say the WellnessTracker seem very thorough. There’s lots to monitor. The menu is easy to navigate

Questions are typically done using a rating scale when you can rate you mood from 1 to 5 and the ratings and boundaries are explained so there is no ambiguity.

And it ticks things off as you go so there’s no confusion.

At the end of your monitoring you can request a report, or you can do this another time and ask for a broader period to look at. For example you could have weekly or monthly reports. The reports are downloaded straight to your device in PDF format and use the same headings so they are easy to follow.

Overall I thought this app was great. I thought everything was explained and user friendly and I definately thought it to be useful in-between therapy, given what I know now about DBT. I am not a therapist but I can only imagine that I would find this useful along side any other bits I might ask someone to do in-between sessions. On that note I’d be interested in any opinions!

Are you a therapist? Are you having therapy I the community? How to do see this sort of thing?

I give this app

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Simply because I don’t know how else it could be improved…if you download it let me know what you think? Can you see any room for improvement and is it helpful along side therapy or indeed on its own?

*images taken from the app and ought to be credited to the app creator and DBS Alliance.*

Hi!! Are you ok?

Thoughts on postcard comment please! 🙂

Tying together a million therapies.

So I came across this cheerleading poster the other day on Pinterest and it got me thinking.

I looked at it and thought about all the subtle things been drawn from various therapies which over lap.

Breaking the cycle is important. Stop is about recognising there is a need for change. It is about recognising that there may be some unhelpful behaviours which are preventing a pleasant and meaningful life being had. Addressing this behaviour is often described as the first step in recognising there is an issue which needs addressing. Without this epiphany, people can’t seek therapy or help.

In my opinion, when I read Observe, the basics of Buddhism and mindfulness sprung out at me. I thought about how important it is to notice your feelings “in the moment”. It is important to pay attention to the purpose of the behaviour or the thought. How is it unhelpful? How it is preventing a forward moving recovery? How is it hindering? and most importantly, if it wasn’t there, how would ones life be different?

Lastly when I stopped to think about Shift, I thought about CBT and DBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Dialectal behaviour therapy respectively). I thought about al the tools that I have come across which serve to increase confidence, independence, change, positive outlooks and produce a forward moving recovery. Here are a few examples I thought of:

Grounding techniques – used to challenge negative thoughts and firmly plant oneself in the moment as opposed to feeding the unhelpful thoughts.

acting opposite- fight urges to be self destructive, however that be. Challenge ones thought process and see “what if” I can prove this wrong. This is particularly useful in exposure therapy- challenging arousal levels and acting the opposite to usual rituals, for instance- to challenge the intrusive thoughts and see what happens when you don’t perform the rituals.

Already after checking out a cheerleading poster for a few minutes, ideas from exposure therapy, compassion focused therapy, dialectal behaviour therapy, mindfulness and Buddhist practices…this is all what I have learnt in the last 6 months. I thought about how uplifting this might be if intense therapy programmes, particularly in a hospital setting, start to come together, hard work from individual therapy all starts to slot together. I ought to make it clear that I can not speak from experience, I am merely making a large assumption about how it might all work within an intense therapy programme which might tie in all these aspects of psychology and therapy.

I’d be interested in thoughts and views on this? I’d be interested in how people have found intensive therapy programmes- Am I far off the mark? Does this sort of cheerleading poster work? and does it encourage this sort of thinking? Am I missing the point?

Self soothing

Self soothing is anything that helps regulate emotions and balance any irregular emotional imbalance. After a change of jobs I had lost touch with my hobbies, which in effect soothe me- even when I’m ok, the definitely help when I’m not ok.

Yesterday I struggled to come to terms with a friend’s despair. Our meeting is also temporarily cancelled, this undoubtedly upset me and for 2 hours I was useless. I was really sad for her as my previous post explains.

Today I forced myself to self soothe as to not let my emotions ruin the weekend. I took myself to a local park and spent 2 hours there walking and photographing. Weather has been terrible last few days so it’s a good job my car is home to my wellies!

The fruits of my loom:

I’m glad I went now. It was refreshing and it broke the terrible cycle of being bored! I like to notice the delicacy of the world in which we live. I like to notice the detail and intricacy of nature. Trouble is…..where next weekend??

Melancholy

It’s strange when you find yourself feeling true sadness of another. Almost mirrored. I find myself trying to practice what I preach, or indeed what I hear being preached. It’s hard to distract when you hear of a close acquaintance’s suffering. It was like I’d hit a wall. No more. No more mask, no more random laughing. Just me, my thoughts and I. I found myself wondering into trails of thought where only a call of my name would bring me back to the present moment. It’s not nice thinking about why that person can’t or won’t accept the help you offer- despite your profession. It’s not nice and it’s a lot different when you don’t have to be professional. Melancholy was my companion today. I didn’t want it, ask for it nor did I deserve it. But somehow it felt the only appropriate thing. I can’t help at this moment in time. Knowing no one else can help either is a feeling I now comprehend. The loneliness and dissatisfaction with your own ability to problem solve took over me.

Melancholy. An annoying smell. Air fresher will not help. Open windows will not help. Perfume will not help. Instead I have to sit tight and ride it out and try my best to distract. Horrible.

The Genie has been set free.

Today the world mourns the loss of a fabulous actor. Robin Williams. A very talented man who features in most of our top 10 films; Aladdin, Ms Doubtfire, Hook, flubber and many more.

Today it was reported he had been found dead at his home after an apparent suicide attempt. This news truly saddened me and rang massive bells again for those who, despite their speculated wealth, riches and lucky position in life doesn’t report to have had a rosy existence in those final few months leading to this tragic decision.

He has been reported to enduring a severe period of depression. Who would have guessed when someone appears to be so jovial and talented. The talent for acting and his immense comedic value may have masked the severity of his mental health state.

This post isn’t about speculating on someone’s mental health, or casting judgement, its simply about recognising that mental health does not discriminate and anyone is vulnerable. Circumstances do not matter. All I have to offer is my condolences to his family, friends and colleagues who may be having a difficult time at the minute.

I have reflected on the times he has made me laugh and my most memorable character he played was Aladdin’s Genie. Disney is a huge part of my life and I have many happy memories surrounding films like Aladdin. Still, to this day, quotes from his part still make me laugh and the thing is, no one could do that part better. He had a knack of combatting dark or adverse matters with comedy and wit. The message he gives out within his film are not lost. He had a true ability to blend wit and deep and meaningful stories and metaphors and deliver them to his audience with elegance, grace yet with a punch and a wallop. Personally my favourite films are Ms Doubtfire and Aladdin. The messages of family, love and relationships are very significant and important to me and I personally would like to think him for making those so significant for me.

I’m sad that his existence wasn’t as he perhaps would prefer. I challenge anyone to admit they like to live a depressed life, but I only hope he is now free of his dark emotional surroundings. Like the Genie he played in Aladdin he has been freed of his emotional shackles and I hope he is in a happier place.

Thank you Robin for all your influence, thank you for the laughs and the joy.

“You make me want to kill myself”….Be careful of what you say!

Earlier in the week, the channel 5 reality TV programme Celebrity Big Brother aired some footage whereby one particular member of the household Liz (a Journalist) said to a fellow housemate during nomination, “You are so pretty that you make me want to kill myself, its not good for my esteem” (or words to that effect). This deeply upset her fellow housemate who had disclosed to others that there was a history of suicide within her family not to mention an eating disorder. Upon confrontation Liz apologized that she said that having had no idea that this sort of history lay within her family. She then continued to say “I don’t even know why I said it“.

This is the crux of this post.

Why say things if you do not mean it? These days it has become normal to use people’s mental states to describe a situation which has become a case of widespread hyperbole. For example; “ooh I’m so depressed”
“This will be the death of me” (talking about ‘anxiety’)
“Urgh hate this, i’d rather die”
“I’m sure I have OCD”
You get the picture I’m sure.

Thing is, I often find that people who say these things have no idea of the contrast between what they are experiencing and what someone with a condition experiences. The above comments are often said in flippant and almost disposable way-as though these words mean very little.

I am sure it wasn’t Liz’ intentions to hurt someone, and I am sure she isn’t a bad person. However it is a stark reminder that people ought to just think before they make such meaningless yet meaningful remarks-about anything, not just mental health.

Defeating depression with food.

It is well documented that some super foods have the powers to help you through a difficult and dark time. It hard to believe when you feel so dark and horrible. An article on twitter caught my eye this morning and I thought I would offer my support. My support can only be personal and not academic but significant enough for me to understand the paper on this level.

A study by Pedersen (2014) investigates the levels of zinc in the blood stream in two different groups; depressed individuals and controlled. The study was inclusive of psychiatric inpatients and community samples.

Finding have shown that zinc levels within the depressive samples are significantly lower than those who are not depressed. What’s more is that the greater the difference in the zinc levels, the bigger the difference in depression levels, the association being that the lower the zinc level, the lower the mood thus making the depressive state more severe. The association is still not conclusive in that we are still unsure as to which direction the causal relationship lies.  

I find this particularly interesting as I myself am finding that the better the minerals and vitamins that I include in my daily intake is having a profound effect upon my mood. I am becoming less tired, less irritable and more alert due to my new lifestyle change. Recent personal circumstances have been testing and at times I have predicted a very low mood, yet after having my supplement I have been proved wrong.

 

So what is this magical supplement?

I have started Herbalife (http://www.herbalife.co.uk/). This is part of a healthier lifestyle for myself, but not only am I noticing a physical change, I am noticing a change in my psych. So much so that now struggle to think what I would do if I did not have this in my life. It has lead me to be able to agree with and support this recent research.

I have to say that this product also has Zinc in it. Maybe, this morning- by accident I have found what I need when I’m running on empty. I am not endorsing Herbalife, although I find it is a fantastic product, it just seems such a consequence that I feel this difference over the last month or so (this is my first attempt at Herbalife) and this paper with significant finds in this area has been released.

It seems to work. But I here the critics saying “what about those on meds?” “what about the genetics-food cannot override this”

Yes and I agree to some extent. Food can not override the genetic predisposition which seems too exist, and no, food cannot behave in the same way that medication can, but surely, despite being on medication you can still eat well to the point where you can assist the medications in boosting your neurotransmitters and vital vitamins used up by the brain? I also argue that food could be used as an alternative to medications for those who do not want to use medication if they can help it. It would be interesting wouldn’t it? Raise your intake of zinc and see if you notice a difference in yourself! In a way, I wish I had a way of testing this myself so I could know.

If you have struggled over the winter and Christmas period especially, try and feed your brain, or continue to do so if you already eat well.

Below is a summary you may find useful:

I would be interested to see if anyone else uses Herbalife or any other supplement where they have noticed a difference in their mood, or  any other feedback about what foods help to increase your mood….we all know a bar of chocolate increases ones mood, so this doesn’t count ladies! 😉   

Pedersen, T.  (2014). Depression Tied to Low Zinc Levels in Blood. Psych Central.  Retrieved on January 5, 2014, from http://psychcentral.com/news/2014/01/04/depression-tied-to-low-zinc-levels-in-blood/64076.html

The importance of contributing

***WARNING*** This may contain TRIGGER MATERIAL please read with caution if you are affected by self harm or negative affect. If you ARE affected you can visit Mind’s website for assistance.

I went to a course yesterday on self harm (SH) and how we (therapists/psychologist/psychiatrists) can help those who self harm. It was very good and I gained a lot of insight and understanding of the types of things which may trigger an ‘episode’ of harming. However I would have loved to have a bit of perspective. It would have been nice to speak to someone who may have been on a recovery possess to speak about what they expect from health practitioners.

So….I wanted to discuss the importance of contributing. However you do this, as a service user, as a student or as a professional, and from which ever side of the fence you sit, it is important that you attempt to contribute to these sort of conferences or workshops for professionals CPD. I firmly believe that there is far more value to a service users perspective than the perspective of a professional who may never had the mind set, struggles or difficulties of someone who experiences the need to self harm. For example, we were asked to discuss how we could help someone with self harm history. “This is all well and good (I thought) but how can I answer this question if I have little experience or little understanding of what service users require of me?” My ideas surrounded activities that might push the individual in areas they may not have considered, like arts and crafts- keeping hands and minds busy which in turn would help to raise self esteem and confidence at a time when they may be feeling at their most vulnerable. Pardon me but I realised that I might be far off the mark by suggesting creative distractions. Others offered practical things like detailed care plans and the like. Nobody offered a therapy that they had found to be effective, or one they recommended. They all spoke about treatments/tactics that occur during appointment time, not one person offered something that could be transferred to the home. I would have thought this would have been the first thing I would try to tackle. As an aspiring clinician, I know that someone will only spend a tiny fraction of time with me, so what can I do to help them when they are not with me!? Am I missing the point?

I strongly urge any body who has a slight interest in mental health to get in touch with charities to see if they can contribute in any way shape or form to get your perspective across, because actually, clinicians expect a lot of their clients, but I suspect that patients expect a lot of their professionals too-if not more. The trick is, to GET YOUR VOICE OUT THERE. Without your monologue how are we supposed to help? I would be intrigued to hear people’s stories; what prompts you to self harm, how do you do it? Have you noticed a pattern or change in your SH method? and what do you find that works? and just as importantly, if I was YOUR MHP (Mental Health Professional) what would you want from me? how could I help you best?

I feel good that I completed this CPD course and I am glad that I went but it left me feeling more knowledge, perspective and insight is to be had! I can’t help feeling like I don’t understand enough.

If you are affected by the content of this post please see http://www.mind.org.uk/
http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/info
http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Self-injury

coping, dealing and moving forward with Depression.

It has occurred to me in recent weeks that there maybe some crossed wires between Mental Health Professionals and their patients. A recent Twitter craze #DearMentalHealthProfessionals, championed by @Amanda_Stand highlighted some points of view that might not be so obvious to professionals. It was a nice and calm opportunity to have some CPD from my perspective and some bonding time too. It is not often you get to hear the opinions of those who are subjected to the wrath of the NHS and similar structures. It was comforting to know that other people have had the same experiences and opinions as I have done in the past, and it was (I felt) a nice self help group. A chance to spread awareness without making it negative, a nice way to voice opinions that might not be voiced in appointments/service surveys.

One thing which struck me was the lack of communication or inappropriate circumstances. One person said they had received a text to cancel an appointment! Whilst I am aware this may be quick and convenient for the professional, and there may be strict time constraints involved too, I am all too aware of the effects this might have on the patient and even more so now #DearMentalHealthProfessionals was able to highlight these feelings. Additionally it occurred to me that some forms of communication have not accepted as an attempt of communication. The ‘Professional’ has disregarded someone’s entire (and private) thoughts. Personally as an aspiring clinician I know it is important (due to my current and previous work experience and training) to adjust ones communication because what works for one does not work for another, some people are more visual in terms of their learning, some people are very verbal in their expression and others are very auditory in the way they dish out their ‘stuff’. I know (due to my various training courses) that if someone tried to draw me a picture I would listen (I made this clear on twitter) because that is someone’s inner thoughts, effort, time and most of all~ bravery has gone into producing that to show me how they feel. Just because it isn’t verbalised does not mean that it isn’t a legitimate attempt at engaging in a session.

So how can this be avoided in the future? What measures can we put in place to ensure those with Mental Health appointments are a) coping in between appointments and whilst it be cancelled and b) being listened to-regardless of their communication method.

It occurred to me that there may be some tools available to help during times like this when we might be struggling to get across what we are really feeling.
All resources I found are available for free from http://www.getselfhelp.co.uk/freedownloads2.htm

I thought I would start with a simple thing that doesn’t even involve your MHA or professional: A planner!
By planning your week you can pace yourself, set goals and get jobs done STEADILY so you can keep track of things that really matter in that week. Just being organised really helps me. My dad always says, state of bedroom equals state of mind. I guess he is right in that if you clear and organise your mess then your mind will be more organised and clear too. This sheet could help you to do this:

When you might need some help to recognise what might make you feel better, this sheet might help:

I know I need some help and reminders to help me assess how I can deal with a difficult situation. I also thought that the pictures might make me smile too when I might not be in the mood for much else.

These next few sheets are helpful for when the moment/antecedent has not long since occurred. I say this because I find it useful to look for pattern and trends in behaviour when your still feeling or experiencing the emotion, feeling or situation. The sheet is helpful in the sense that on the bottom of each column it talks you through what is expected of each column. I would be tempted to do this for a week, see if I noticed any patterns myself before the next appointment. Not only might this help individually but it also provides great insight for the professional too. I know I would be blown away if my patient came to me with a week of these. It shows initiative, willingness to engage and learn and it shows dedication to ones own situation. This particular sheet can be found here http://www.getselfhelp.co.uk/docs/docpics/trs7.JPG

Lastly, I thought about the emotions we experience all the time. This sheet is also about recording your own observations on your mood. Again it might help you track your own trends, common themes and common antecedents. The mood Diary can be found here: http://www.getselfhelp.co.uk/docs/docpics/mooddiary2.JPG

Notice throughout this blog I have never said the word ‘will’ as in ‘This will help’. I say this because we are all human as we know and what works for one may not for another, it MIGHT help and it MIGHT not. I am not to dictate to anyone what ‘will work’. I noted this during my ‘CPD’ hours. Every one is individual so what I have disclosed in this blog is only a fraction of the surface. There are plenty more on the website~ far more than I dare think! I would suggest having a look though, you never know what might be of use to you (if anything). It could even make your sessions a piece of cake!

I would be interested to know what other professionals think- would you welcome this sort of interest in your sessions, would you welcome this sort of engagement? would you only recommend this outside of sessions? either way, let me know…I’m interested.