Hello Banjoman and everyone else. So sorry about your work situation Banjo, but I totally accept your priorities right now and that you have other more important things to attend to.
Please remember that your mental health is critical at times like this. So keep up the study if not the posting.
I will help to keep it going, with others too. I just started the course this week. The first lesson helped me gain perspective. I thought that you could totally eliminate anxiety and low mood, but research shows that even healthy people have anxiety and low mood throughout the day.
Anxiety happens when we feel threatened or frightened. Low mood happens when we experience loss or disappointment.
Emotional wellbeing depends on breaking the cycle of unhelpful thoughts, physical symptoms and unhelpful behaviours.
The first lesson helps you to recognise these parts of the cycle. It helps you to become aware of what's going on for you mentally, physically, and behaviourally.
While the course gives us hope that symptoms can be managed, it's important to set realistic expectations for yourself. Causes of anxiety and low mood can be genetic, learned in the family, from the environment such as events, experiences, loss or trauma, and also what we do.
Poor emotional health affects motivation, confidence and self esteem. Triggers for stress and anxiety occur when we feel unsafe, we think something bad might happen, we think we can't cope. If we are not aware of our patterns or cycles then more things can act as triggers. After trauma we have anxiety about safety and worry about coping. Low mood and depression can happen when we experience significant changes, challenges and disappointments.
Good well being means feeling safe, stable and content.
Feel free to comment or add your own experience.
Sandra
