#Psychological resilience | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

azura-tsukikage · 7 months

Text

Depersonalizing criticism is the practice of not taking criticism or negative feedback personally. It's an essential skill for maintaining a healthy emotional state and effective communication.

Understanding Depersonalizing Criticism

Criticism as Feedback: Depersonalizing criticism involves recognizing that feedback is primarily about the situation, task, or behavior, not about your worth as a person. Feedback is often given to improve something or help you grow.

Separating Self-Worth: Your self-worth and identity are not defined by your actions or the feedback you receive. You are a complex individual with strengths, weaknesses, and room for growth. Constructive criticism helps you grow; it doesn't diminish your worth.

Mindful Listening: Practice active listening when receiving criticism. This involves fully engaging with the feedback, understanding the points made, and seeking clarification if needed. By focusing on the content of the criticism rather than the emotional tone, you can better depersonalize it.

Detaching Emotionally: Understand that people's opinions and judgments are influenced by their perspectives, experiences, and emotions. Sometimes, criticism may be fueled by someone's frustration or anger, and it might not reflect your actual performance.

Cultivating Resilience: Developing resilience is crucial for depersonalizing criticism. Resilience allows you to bounce back from setbacks and maintain a positive self-image. It involves managing your emotions and stress effectively.

Maintaining Perspective: Keep in mind that one piece of criticism, especially if it's not constructive, should not define your self-esteem or self-concept. It's essential to maintain a broader perspective of who you are and your accomplishments.

Practical Steps for Depersonalizing Criticism

Take a deep breath and give yourself a moment to process feedback.

Ask clarifying questions to ensure you fully understand the criticism.

Focus on areas for improvement and how to address them constructively.

Seek support from friends, mentors, or a therapist to help process criticism.

Practice self-compassion and remind yourself of your strengths and achievements.

Depersonalizing criticism is a skill that takes time to develop, but it can lead to greater emotional resilience and better relationships. It allows you to receive feedback without feeling attacked or diminished, fostering personal and professional growth.

#spiritual growth #psychology #self care #self awareness #healing #perspective #awareness #resilience #criticism #mental health #self-worth #emotional health #emotional intelligence

74 notes · View notes

rebeccathenaturalist · 2 years

Text

How Nature Makes Us Feel Better

A shiny new study just came out detailing nature’s restorative effects, specifically on children and adolescents. It’s an in-depth literature review that not only demonstrates the effectiveness of nature as a therapeutic tool, but supports the future use of standardized measures to make the study of ecopsychology, ecotherapy and similar practices more scientifically rigorous. The study is just the latest in a long line of research showing how nature makes us feel better.

Earlier this year, I wrote an article on nature’s effects on the brain. Mobile EEGs are able to record changes in the brain as study participants spend time outdoors, and multiple studies use their readings. This is an example of a more quantitative approach to studying the restorative effects of nature, in which certain metrics can be measured reliably over and over again.

But what, exactly, happens when nature makes us feel better? Let’s look at some of the measurable effects. (Note: I drew from a previous article of mine from several years ago for the following material, though it was a great opportunity to check in on more recent research.)

Physical Ways Nature Makes Us Feel Better

Increased Immune Function: This extensive literature review shows that time spent in nature improves immune function on a variety of levels. Studies show how time in nature can increase the number of white blood cells that help fight infection and other ailments: in senior citizens after exercising, and after forest bathing.

Improved Vision: Children are less likely to develop myopia (near-sightedness) when they spend more time outside. This study suggests that dopamine is a key player in this phenomenon. A literature review further supports the connection between eyesight and outdoor time.

Lower Blood Pressure: A 2020 study suggests that exposure to the UV light in sunshine can lower blood pressure. So can thirty minutes of outdoor activity (along with lowering symptoms of depression.) Forest bathing was shown to lower blood pressure in older people in a 2012 study. This study posits that nature’s effect on blood pressure may be accomplished through calming the sympathetic nervous system.

Improve Socioeconomic Conditions: Decreasing poverty is an incredibly important part of increasing intergenerational mobility in socioeconomically disadvantaged people. This 2019 study suggests that access to greenspace can reduce the chance of poverty by boosting creativity, emotional regulation, and academic performance. Another study links boosts in creativity with forest bathing, one particular use of greenspace. Moreover, greenspaces can also lower crime rates, another significant factor in improving conditions in disadvantaged communities.

As if all that wasn’t enough, this massive, comprehensive literature review has evidence that time in nature can not only lower blood pressure and resting heart rates, but also reduce the chances of heart disease, diabetes, and overall mortality. Speaking of mortality, here’s a study looking at how greenspace in particular can lower mortality in a stable community. And another one looking at lower mortality rates in urban areas with greenspace. And in case you thought that the effects of outdoor exercise was all about the exercise and not the setting, here’s one showing that mortality rates are lower when people specifically walk in greenspace.

Psychological Ways Nature Makes Us Feel Better

Reduced Rumination: Psychological rumination is basically when your mind gets stuck on some worry, painful memory, or other negative thoughts. It’s commonly associated with anxiety and depressive disorders. Unlike meditation or problem-solving thoughts, rumination doesn’t actually help a person make any changes to their distress, and may actually make it worse, like incessantly poking at a bruise.

Time in nature has been shown to reduce rumination in study participants. A 2021 study demonstrates that spending a dedicated amount of time in nature each week significantly reduces rumination as well as negative affect (in other words, a bad mood.) You don’t need to spend hours out there, though; a half an hour may be enough to see a difference. It needs to be actual nature, though, as this 2018 study shows; people who viewed a slideshow of nature photos did show an improvement in affect, but no reduction in rumination.

Cognitive Function: Time in nature can help sharpen our mental capacity in a number of ways. This thorough, multidisciplinary literature review explores several of the ways nature is restorative, and also suggests some ways to further categorize these effects to increase consistency in future research. Hospitals that have significant greenspaces are easier to navigate due to improved spatial awareness, mood, and other factors. Cognitive performance can even be boosted simply by listening to the sounds of nature. Working memory may be improved through time spent in nature. Time outside can counteract attention fatigue, that feeling when your mind is so tired you just can’t focus. Can’t get outside? Even looking out a window can improve attention. And it may only take a very short period of time to start getting positive cognitive effects.

Stress Reduction: Stress can seriously strain cognitive functioning, from attention to memory and more, never mind overall mental well-being. So reducing stress is a good idea all around. A twenty minute walk in nature was shown to lower levels of cortisol, a stress-related hormone. A 2022 study compared the activity of the amygdala–sort of the brain’s panic button–before and after time spent in nature. The amygdala was much less active after a walk outside. Most studies have participants engage in a specific activity over a set amount of time and often in the same location to help remove confounding variables. However, a 2019 study that allowed participants to set their own parameters for where and when they would have their nature experiences showed that they still had significant drops in cortisol after being outside.

A Healthier Environment: Workers who are able to look out on a greenspace fare better than those who don’t. While virtual reality greenspaces can contribute some benefit, it’s better to go with the real deal, and the more biodiversity, the better. As mentioned earlier, hospitals with greenspace not only improve cognitive performance, but they’re also more pleasing to staff and patients alike. This literature review supports the therapeutic value of healing gardens in hospitals. (Note: These studies often cover both physiological and psychological benefits of greener built environments.)

A Sense of Awe: Nature inspires us to experience deep feelings of awe, which has been shown to improve mental well-being in multiple demographics. This transcendent experience can be incredibly healing and formative. Even better, the experience of feeling awe in nature can lead to more eco-friendly behavior by making people feel more connected to the natural world.

Soft Fascination: This is a term coined by researchers Rachel and Stephan Kaplan to refer to the more relaxed, organic way our attention flows when we are in a nature-dominated environment as opposed to a largely artificial one. A 2019 study demonstrates that it simply takes less mental effort for us to view natural scenes. We also find spending time in nature to be more restorative than watching TV for the same reasons. Also, for the fun of it, here’s a neat study exploring the intersection of soft fascination, sense of humor, and mental well-being.

Resilience: Social distancing due to the COVID-19 pandemic prompted studies on how nature can increase resilience, including this one on urban nature, and another on adolescents’ mental well-being.

Studies showing the benefits of nature are just one step in making use of nature’s restorative properties. One of the themes you’ll run into again and again when exploring this topic is that greenspace is most definitely not evenly distributed, especially in urban areas. Wealthy and privileged communities have disproportionately greater amounts of greenspace compared to socioeconomically disadvantaged ones, which makes the issue of mental health and nature based therapy a social justice issue.

Moreover, many natural places are not accessible to disabled people. A significant lack of infrastructure to get disabled people to these spaces, and then allowing them to explore them as extensively as non-disabled people, means that there is a serious disparity. While there are efforts toward equality in this area as well, there is still plenty of room for improvement.

Finally, nature should not only exist for our benefit, but for its intrinsic value independent of our human agendas and biases. While personal restoration and rejuvenation are certainly good things to enjoy whenever we get the opportunity to go outside, and we shouldn’t feel any guilt or shame for how nature makes us feel better, I think it is very important that we not take our greenspaces for granted, and work to make sure they are preserved and restored for generations to come.

Did you enjoy this post? Consider taking one of my online foraging and natural history classes, checking out my other articles, or picking up a paperback or ebook I’ve written! You can even buy me a coffee here!

#long post #psychology #ecopsychology #ecotherapy #health #nature #forest bathing #shinrinyoku #gardening #outdoors #forests #gardens #mental health #mental illness #depression #anxiety #stress #resilience

496 notes · View notes

theshadowworker · 1 month

Text

What is to give light must endure burning

- Viktor E. Frankl

11 notes · View notes

quotelr · 16 days

Quote

Are you comfortable and willing to be of service to others, but find it difficult to receive the same in return? Why are people so quick to resist receiving, even when they need the help? Your ability to receive not only opens the space for great things to enter your life, but it returns a gift of grace to the giver.

Susan C. Young

7 notes · View notes

mahinee · 21 days

Text

Nurturing the Heart: Understanding the Social and Emotional Well-being of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities

Welcome to my Blog series on PSYCHOLOGY, WELL-BEING, AND RESILIENCE Where I will highlight 5 interesting topics. Read to explore!

In the rich tapestry of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, the essence of well-being lies in the social and emotional interconnectedness. As highlighted by the Commonwealth of Australia in 2017, this delicate balance serves as the cornerstone upon which both physical and mental health are built.

It's important to recognize that the concept of social and emotional well-being transcends individual experiences, encompassing a web of relationships that extend from the individual to the family and community. As noted by Brown et al. (2023), the nuances of well-being vary across Indigenous communities, shaped by diverse cultural perspectives and historical contexts. The notion of social and emotional well-being acknowledges that a person's well-being is also impacted by the social determinants of health. Indigenous Australians define health as the "social, emotional, and cultural well-being of the whole community" in addition to an individual's physical well-being (Fatima et al., 2023, p.31). This definition is based on a person's relationships to their country, culture, family, spirit, and physical and mental health.

Additionally, the National Agreement acknowledges that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures are essential to better life outcomes for Indigenous Australians. All initiatives carried out by the Agreement must uphold, protect, and enhance these cultures. The following goals have been specifically set by the agreement to promote the cultural wellness of Indigenous Australians as shown in Figure 1 below (indigenoushpf.gov.au, 2024).

Figure 1: Targets to support cultural well-being

(Source: indigenoushpf.gov.au, 2024)

This particular group is marked with suicides and attempts to death based on different stress in life and stress factors. In the words of Smallwood et al., (2023, p.2088), the Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders had been facing severe issues over time in search of good living and livelihood. Owing to this there had been intervention which was developed for the betterment of indigenous people living in Australia. Figure 2 below shows the rate of suicide attempts which had been caused by the people of this indigenous group (indigenoushpf.gov.au, 2024). Thus, the intervention of the Mental Health Agreement was formulated to secure sustainability and improve the services provided by the Australian mental health and suicide prevention system. It also aimed to improve the mental health of all Australians and governments have come together to establish the Mental Health Agreement (Masotti et al., 2023, p.741).

Figure 2: Suicide attempts by Aboriginals

(Source: indigenoushpf.gov.au, 2024)

In addition to responding to the Productivity Commission Inquiry into Mental Health, the National Suicide Prevention Adviser's Final Advice, the Mental Health Agreement pledges to carry out work under the Fifth Plan going forward (indigenoushpf.gov.au, 2024). Regional planning and commissioning, priority populations, stigma reduction, safety and quality, gaps in the system of care and suicide prevention are the main areas of attention. On the other hand, psycho-social supports outside the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), workforce, and national consistency for initial assessment and referral are among the priority areas covered by the Mental Health Agreement.

References

Brown, A., Haregu, T., Gee, G., Mensah, F., Waters, L., Brown, S. J., ... & Armstrong, G. (2023). Social and emotional well-being of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Aboriginal-controlled social housing. BMC public health, 23(1), 1935. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12889-023-16817-y

Fatima, Y., Liu, Y., Cleary, A., Dean, J., Smith, V., King, S., & Solomon, S. (2023). Connecting the health of country with the health of people: application of" caring for country" in improving the social and emotional well-being of Indigenous people in Australia and New Zealand. The Lancet Regional Health–Western Pacific, 31. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanwpc/article/PIIS2666-6065(22)00263-2/fulltext

indigenoushpf.gov.au (2024) Social and emotional wellbeing Retrived on 9 May 2024 from: https://www.indigenoushpf.gov.au/measures/1-18-social-emotional-wellbeing

Masotti, P., Dennem, J., Bañuelos, K., Seneca, C., Valerio-Leonce, G., Inong, C. T., & King, J. (2023). The Culture is Prevention Project: measuring cultural connectedness and providing evidence that culture is a social determinant of health for Native Americans. BMC Public Health, 23(1), 741. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12889-023-15587-x

Smallwood, R., Usher, K., Woods, C., Sampson, N., & Jackson, D. (2023). De‐problematising Aboriginal young peoples’ health and well‐being through their voice: An Indigenous scoping review. Journal of clinical nursing, 32(9-10), 2086-2101. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/jocn.16308

#psychology #wellbeing and resilience #aboriginal australian #indigenous issues #first nations #indigenous rights #indigenous health and wellbeing

7 notes · View notes

previouslyafangirl · 10 months

Text

Why couldn't they give Ken a new job that makes him feel special. He can be barn. He takes care of horses and has a life without Barbie and is okay if she doesn't look at him because he has skills and talent that he dedicated time and research to and can build healthy relationships with the horses (especially since equine therapy would probably actually be really good for him)

#barbie 2023 #ken #ryan gosling #i am kenough #barbie #psychology #codependency #resiliancy

23 notes · View notes

religion-is-a-mental-illness · 1 year

Text

#Seerut Chawla #personal resilience #resilience #privilege #fragility #emotional fragility #human psychology #psychology #religion is a mental illness

29 notes · View notes

omegaphilosophia · 1 month

Text

The Philosophy of Strength

The philosophy of strength delves into the nature, significance, and implications of strength as a concept in various domains, including ethics, psychology, and metaphysics. It explores different dimensions of strength, ranging from physical prowess to moral fortitude, and examines how strength influences individual behavior, societal values, and philosophical perspectives. Here are some key aspects of the philosophy of strength:

Physical Strength: This aspect of the philosophy of strength focuses on the attributes and capabilities associated with physical power and fitness. It considers questions about the nature of physical strength, its importance in human evolution and survival, and its role in sports, martial arts, and physical culture.

Moral Strength: Moral strength encompasses virtues such as courage, resilience, integrity, and determination. The philosophy of strength examines the ethical principles and values that underpin moral strength, as well as the challenges and dilemmas individuals face in cultivating and exercising moral courage in the face of adversity and temptation.

Emotional Strength: Emotional strength pertains to the ability to cope with and overcome emotional challenges, such as stress, grief, fear, and trauma. It involves resilience, self-awareness, and emotional regulation, as well as the capacity to find meaning and growth in the face of life's struggles and hardships.

Intellectual Strength: Intellectual strength involves cognitive abilities such as critical thinking, creativity, problem-solving, and intellectual curiosity. It encompasses the pursuit of knowledge, the ability to think independently and analytically, and the willingness to question assumptions and explore new ideas.

Spiritual Strength: Spiritual strength relates to inner resilience, inner peace, and a sense of purpose and connection to something greater than oneself. It involves practices such as meditation, mindfulness, and self-reflection, as well as the cultivation of virtues such as compassion, forgiveness, and gratitude.

Social Strength: Social strength refers to the capacity of individuals and communities to build and maintain supportive relationships, networks, and social connections. It involves empathy, cooperation, trust, and mutual aid, as well as the ability to navigate and resolve conflicts in interpersonal and collective settings.

Existential Strength: Existential strength concerns grappling with questions of meaning, identity, and mortality in the face of life's uncertainties and existential dilemmas. It involves confronting existential anxieties, finding meaning and purpose in one's life, and embracing the freedom and responsibility of being human.

Metaphysical Strength: Metaphysical strength explores the ontological and cosmological dimensions of strength, contemplating the nature of power, agency, and causality in the universe. It considers philosophical perspectives on strength as a fundamental aspect of reality and the implications for human existence and understanding.

In summary, the philosophy of strength encompasses a broad range of physical, moral, emotional, intellectual, spiritual, social, existential, and metaphysical dimensions. It explores the nature of strength as a multifaceted concept and its significance in shaping human experience, values, and aspirations.

3 notes · View notes