All In Your Head

 

Cognitive Therapy: In with the good, out with the bad. Thoughts are just thoughts. Fears are your imagination gone astray. So imagine you're strong enough to handle whatever this big, bad universe sends your way. Imagine emotions can be subdued.  Think thoughts of courage, striving, and succeeding. 

Grief Resources in Austin and Beyond

When you need more than your loved ones can provide, there is help.         

Resources for Grief and Support Groups  

Compassionate Friends - National Org.

http://www.compassionatefriends.com

Grief, Loss, and Recovery

http://www.grieflossrecovery.com

GriefNet.org

Grief Recovery ~ The Action Program for Moving Beyond Loss

http://www.grief-recovery.com

Art Therapy and Mental Health

http://www.arttherapyblog.com/c/mental-health/

Cancer Support Community - Benjamin Center

https://www.cancersupportcommunity.org/

The Widowed Parent - University of North Carolina

A new online resource specifically for parents who have   

lost a spouse or partner and are raising children on their own. 

http://www.widowedparent.org/

Dying Your Way 

The aim of Dying Your Way is to promote, educate and provide  

practical solutions for people involved in the process of dying.

https://dyingyourway.com/

Content thanks to Grief Haven

Additional Resources for the Austin, Texas Area 

 

WOMEN'S MOTHER LOSS  

for women mourning the death of their mothers

1st & 3rd TUESDAY EVENINGS || 2nd & 4th WEDNESDAY EVENINGS 

1st & 3rd MONDAY EVENINGS In-Person   512.472.7878

ADULT PARENT LOSS

for adults grieving the death of a parent

1st & 3rd MONDAY EVENINGS || 1st & 3rd WEDNESDAY EVENINGS 

LGBT SUPPORT

for LGBTQIA+ adults who have experienced disenfranchised loss 

1st & 3rd WEDNESDAY EVENINGS

Content thanks to Austin Center for Grief & Loss 

THE CHRISTI CENTER The Christi Center is a free resource for any grieving                                                                                          person in Central Texas. We provide the space for you to build your support network,                                                                              by connecting you with others who have had a similar loss. We welcome all faiths,                                                                                    all backgrounds and all ages starting at age five.

Sandy Andrews, Ph.D. Licensed Psychologist Austin, Texas  

specializing in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy CBT 

Sandy Andrews, PhD Licensed Psychologist CBT Austin Texas 78704 

On Desire in Long Term Relationships

Experiencing the sexual doldrums? Bored? Unmotivated? Waiting for your partner to light the spark? This interview with psychotherapist Esther Perel on sexual desire within a long term relationship might provide insights. Give a listen, here. (Interview by Lewis Howe). 

Want more? Take a listen to Esther Perel's TED talk on sexual desire and "erotic intelligence" here.   She is an informed and fascinating speaker.  

Want more still? Read her book, Mating in Captivity: Unlocking Erotic Intelligence. 

New Job? Say Hi with Confidence

 

Anxiety around introducing yourself at your new job? Ruminating about virtual meeting introductions?  First of all, congratulations! You're hired! 

Second, help is on the way. Prepare by thinking of these three words: Present, Past, and Future. Read more, here. 

Haven't gotten there yet? Tips for finding a new job, here. Cognitive strategy: Give yourself the pep talk you would give your good friend when they are feeling discouraged. 

Shout out to Hollie Neujahr, Colorado Physical Therapist, for the linkedIn post, here. 

Feeling Low? A Pleasant Events List Might Help

In honor of the first day of the fall season, I am re-posting my Pleasant Events List.  Those of you who read the previous post will be glad to see I've made a few changes, out with some of the old and in with some new ideas.

For those reading this list for the first time, what is it all about?

When someone is experiencing a sad, down, angry, lonely, or otherwise lowered mood, one tip that can help is to consult your own personal Pleasant Events List.

Below is a lonnnnnng list of Pleasant Events. It was compiled from a variety of sources, including group therapy participants, other professionals, and online articles. The list is comprehensive, including some activities that you or I might find anything but pleasant. Cleaning the bathroom, being one that I find a real stretch, but... different strokes. 

The list is meant as a starting point: A list of ideas that will help you generate a list of your own. So that you can write your own personalized list of activities and thoughts you find pleasant, fun, funny, joyful, entertaining, relaxing, soothing, or in some other way, mood-lifting.

So I post this list in the hopes that readers will be inspired to read it, to do some of the things on the list, or to merely think about doing some of the things on the list, to leave a comment with some new pleasant event that can be added to the list, or to generate a new list of your own. Best of all, generate your list with as many readily do-able, easily accessible, easily affordable events as you can come up with.

As one exercise, I often suggest before reading the list that you rate your mood on a scale of 1 to 10, where:

1 = feeling very down or "low"

and

10 = feeling really happy or "up"

Then, after you have finished reading the list, rate how you feel once again. Any change?

PLEASANT EVENTS LIST

1. Soaking in the bathtub   

2. Looking at the stars       

3. Feeling the wind in my hair

4. Collecting things (coins, shells, etc)

5. Listening to fun, educational programming, such as TED or NPR podcasts

6. Thinking how it will be when I finish school

7. Working a crossword or sudoku puzzle

8. Trying out a new hair style

9. Sitting under a shade tree

10. Going to a movie in the middle of the week

Dreaded Conversations and the Sandwich

Most people don’t take negative feedback lightly and most of us dread giving it. Judith Orloff, M.D. explains one way to offer criticism in the most effective and sensitive way: the sandwich technique. This deliberate strategy lessens the risk of offending.

Orloff suggests that you begin and end your feedback on a positive note. For example, emphasize a positive quality, then express your concern, and last, end the conversation with another compliment.  Orloff notes that it’s important to be authentic, stay away from generic people pleasing, and do not, under any circumstances, hand them the kitchen sink (listing every complaint in one sitting).  Read more HERE.

Mindfulness is the New Black

Like orange is the new black, mindfulness may be the new psychotherapy.

Talking to a licensed therapist can be a critical step to wellness.  It can include sharing problems, worries, and yes, those reliable and messy mainstays, family of origin issues. Getting evaluated by a professional can be one of the most important tools for treating anxiety, depression, and other emotional disorders.

Learning cognitive behavioral tools ( CBT ) is another branch on the tree called getting back to wellness. One of the most up-and-coming, state-of-the-art CBT tools is mindfulness.  Thirty years ago, when I was walking my dinosaur on my college campus, mindfulness was not echoed in the hallowed halls of learning.  I'm not sure it was even a thing back then.  But it certainly is now.

Mindfulness is a form of meditation.  It is the art and skill of redirecting one's mind away from the everyday thoughts, worries, judgments, and distractions that occupy our brain when it's on auto-pilot. Where are my keys? Did I take the load of laundry out of the dryer? Don't forget to return those pants, pick up that prescription, talk to my professor, get the car inspected.   "Monkey mind" is what Dr. Alejandro Junger, M.D., cardiologist, calls collectively, all those pesky thoughts. 

Today we all have a new worry: the pandemic. To protect us from Covid-19, many new restrictions are in place.  Mask wearing, vaccinations, avoiding unfamilliar people and crowded outdoor spaces.  Mindfulness can be used as a stress reduction tool. Try this mindfulness video, here, let by Dr. Robert Hindman, a clinical psychologist with the Beck Institute*.  

For more ideas on how to learn about and practice mindfulness, have a look at Harvard University Medical School's suggestions, here.    Because maybe, just maybe, fifteen minutes a day is the new 60 minutes on the couch.

*The Beck Institute was founded by Aaron T. Beck, MD, largely considered the father of Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) and his daughter, Judith Beck, Phd. 

Sandy Andrews, Ph.D. Psychologist

Teaching CBT in South Austin, Texas

Psychologist Austin TX CBT Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Anxiety Depression Panic Disorder Anxiety Attacks Psychologist Psychothrapist Therapy e