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Abstract

hange your brain yourself.</p><h2 id="029b">Neuroplasticity</h2><p id="482a">Human beings are creatures of habit. A habit is a repeated action, behaviour, or thought pattern that tends to happen subconsciously.</p><p id="2e66">When you learn something new, you form <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W81CHn4l4AM">new neural networks or connections</a> in your brain. The more you repeat this, the stronger these connections become. Eventually, this new task, activity, or thought pattern becomes a subconscious habit you do without even thinking about it — like tying your shoes.</p><p id="7695">Neuroplasticity is just a fancy word to explain the brain’s ability to <a href="https://positivepsychology.com/neuroplasticity/">adapt</a>. Essentially, the brain can change through learning and unlearning. This means despite thinking in negative patterns — as in the case of anxiety disorders and depression — and whether you even realise it, these patterns can change, and you can overcome your condition.</p><p id="9e34">So where does one begin?</p><p id="4e74" type="7">“Ignorance is the root of all suffering” — Yoga Sutra 2.1</p><h2 id="f2f7">Awareness</h2><p id="17fa">Negative patterns of thought can lead to anxiety disorders and depression when sustained over a long period. They are most often rooted in the subconscious, and therefore difficult to spot. However, we all have them and you must become aware of yours if you are to overcome these conditions.</p><p id="c6bc">The two most powerful practices that helped me bring these patterns of thought to light are journaling and meditation.</p><p id="c25a"><b>Journaling</b> helps you clearly see your thoughts as you pour them out onto the paper in front of you. You don’t have to know what to write, and it doesn’t even have to make sense right now. Just getting your thoughts onto a piece of paper can be a relief in and of itself.</p><p id="0507">If you are completely stuck, ask yourself questions like:</p><ul><li>How am I feeling</li><li>Why do I think that is</li><li>What happened today that could have caused it</li><li>What conversations have I had and who with</li><li>And similar</li></ul><p id="d1df"><b>Meditation</b> helps you quiet the mind over time, allowing you to focus on the thoughts that do not serve you. It does not have to be complicated. If this is new to you, try starting with a guided practice like <a href="https://www.headspace.com">Headspace</a> or <a href="https://www.calm.com">Calm</a>.</p><h2 id="9da1">Practice stopping</h2><p id="1dea">Once you’ve recognised the thought patterns that are not serving you, you can learn to catch them as they pop up and stop them in their tracks. You can even say stop out loud which helps you

Options

take control.</p><p id="7a7d">This is going to happen again and again and you will not always be able to stop your thoughts, particularly when you first begin to practice. What’s important here is continuity. You must practice stopping these negative thoughts over and over again.</p><h2 id="bb60">Shift your language</h2><p id="1a20">It is not enough to just stop your negative thoughts, they have to be replaced. What do you actually want instead? You cannot say “I don’t want to be anxious or depressed”. You have to look beyond that and say what you do want. Do you want to be happy? Successful? In control? Empowered? If that is the case, your language — whether spoken or thought — must reflect that.</p><p id="f221">Imagine yourself dropping a glass of water on the kitchen floor. The glass shatters, and both water and shards of glass, spill all over the floor. What do you say or think to yourself?</p><p id="4509">For some people, including a previous client of mine, it may go something like this: “I’m such an idiot. I always do this. I’m useless. So dumb. Why do these things always happen to me? This is why no one wants to hang out with me. Is that true? Nobody wants to hang out with me? Of course, only the other day your best friend didn’t respond to your coffee invite even though he had definitely seen the message…”.</p><p id="e883">This language serves no one, but similar thoughts will keep coming (even subconsciously) unless you actively make an effort to stop them. A healthier and more practical response would be to acknowledge the fact that you dropped a glass, clean up the mess, and move on with your day.</p><p id="8cd2">The above is a simple example to demonstrate how the mind sometimes runs amok. Yet, however simple it seems to stop and change the language in this situation, it is often difficult. Again, the keyword is practice.</p><h2 id="1bf9">Final thoughts</h2><p id="e701">The three steps above are just the beginning, and they take time.</p><p id="b352">The point is, mental illness does not have to be a lifelong debilitating condition you have to manage. With the right tools and the right help, you have the potential to overcome it. To do so, you must <i>believe</i> you can do it and you must take appropriate action.</p><p id="20f2">With these three relatively simple steps, you can start to get back to your old self and live the life you most desire.</p><blockquote id="28d6"><p>The content of this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your<b> </b>mental health professional or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding your condition.</p></blockquote></article></body>

Your Anxiety Is Not A Going Concern

Three steps to start overcoming mental illness

“Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t — you’re right” — Henry Ford

In 2009, when I experienced my first panic attack and was diagnosed with general anxiety disorder (GAD), I was convinced I had to learn to live with this condition for the rest of my life. Everywhere I looked, this seemed to be the common opinion. That mental illness is a lifelong condition.

For the first few months, this is what I was working towards — finding ways to manage my condition, rather than overcome it. Until one day, I was sitting on the bus heading to work and I had a moment of clarity. It suddenly struck me, for most of my life I had not been this anxious. In fact, I used to do all the activities that now scared me. I realised, if I had learned to be anxious — I could learn to not be anxious.

The same is true for you. You don’t have to settle into a new life and learn to live with or manage your mental health disorder. It is possible to rewire your brain to such an extent that you can live a happy, desired life for the rest of your life. However, one key thing needs to change — your belief.

When I was on that bus, a shift occurred in my mind. My thinking changed from I can’t overcome this to I can overcome this. And that was the key to my success.

Belief

The placebo effect can help us understand the power of belief. If you are unaware, the placebo effect in medicine is when you believe you are given an active treatment in the form of a pill, injection, or otherwise, when in fact you are not. Despite not receiving active medical treatment, symptoms still improve.

This was the case for Janis Schonfeld who had suffered from chronic depression for much of her life. As a participant in a clinical trial for a new antidepressant drug, she was unknowingly given a placebo and yet her symptoms improved within 8 weeks. Many years later, she still felt better.

You do not have to be given a placebo to experience the power of the brain. You can help change your brain yourself.

Neuroplasticity

Human beings are creatures of habit. A habit is a repeated action, behaviour, or thought pattern that tends to happen subconsciously.

When you learn something new, you form new neural networks or connections in your brain. The more you repeat this, the stronger these connections become. Eventually, this new task, activity, or thought pattern becomes a subconscious habit you do without even thinking about it — like tying your shoes.

Neuroplasticity is just a fancy word to explain the brain’s ability to adapt. Essentially, the brain can change through learning and unlearning. This means despite thinking in negative patterns — as in the case of anxiety disorders and depression — and whether you even realise it, these patterns can change, and you can overcome your condition.

So where does one begin?

“Ignorance is the root of all suffering” — Yoga Sutra 2.1

Awareness

Negative patterns of thought can lead to anxiety disorders and depression when sustained over a long period. They are most often rooted in the subconscious, and therefore difficult to spot. However, we all have them and you must become aware of yours if you are to overcome these conditions.

The two most powerful practices that helped me bring these patterns of thought to light are journaling and meditation.

Journaling helps you clearly see your thoughts as you pour them out onto the paper in front of you. You don’t have to know what to write, and it doesn’t even have to make sense right now. Just getting your thoughts onto a piece of paper can be a relief in and of itself.

If you are completely stuck, ask yourself questions like:

How am I feeling
Why do I think that is
What happened today that could have caused it
What conversations have I had and who with
And similar

Meditation helps you quiet the mind over time, allowing you to focus on the thoughts that do not serve you. It does not have to be complicated. If this is new to you, try starting with a guided practice like Headspace or Calm.

Practice stopping

Once you’ve recognised the thought patterns that are not serving you, you can learn to catch them as they pop up and stop them in their tracks. You can even say stop out loud which helps you take control.

This is going to happen again and again and you will not always be able to stop your thoughts, particularly when you first begin to practice. What’s important here is continuity. You must practice stopping these negative thoughts over and over again.

Shift your language

It is not enough to just stop your negative thoughts, they have to be replaced. What do you actually want instead? You cannot say “I don’t want to be anxious or depressed”. You have to look beyond that and say what you do want. Do you want to be happy? Successful? In control? Empowered? If that is the case, your language — whether spoken or thought — must reflect that.

Imagine yourself dropping a glass of water on the kitchen floor. The glass shatters, and both water and shards of glass, spill all over the floor. What do you say or think to yourself?

For some people, including a previous client of mine, it may go something like this: “I’m such an idiot. I always do this. I’m useless. So dumb. Why do these things always happen to me? This is why no one wants to hang out with me. Is that true? Nobody wants to hang out with me? Of course, only the other day your best friend didn’t respond to your coffee invite even though he had definitely seen the message…”.

This language serves no one, but similar thoughts will keep coming (even subconsciously) unless you actively make an effort to stop them. A healthier and more practical response would be to acknowledge the fact that you dropped a glass, clean up the mess, and move on with your day.

The above is a simple example to demonstrate how the mind sometimes runs amok. Yet, however simple it seems to stop and change the language in this situation, it is often difficult. Again, the keyword is practice.

Final thoughts

The three steps above are just the beginning, and they take time.

The point is, mental illness does not have to be a lifelong debilitating condition you have to manage. With the right tools and the right help, you have the potential to overcome it. To do so, you must believe you can do it and you must take appropriate action.

With these three relatively simple steps, you can start to get back to your old self and live the life you most desire.

The content of this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your mental health professional or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding your condition.