Cognitive restructuring: Self-talk for a better “You”

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The way people perceive life events greatly affects whether they find them stressful or not. Thus, cognitive distortions, or patterns of faulty thinking, can impact attitudes and behaviors.

Self-talk, the internal dialogue in the head that interprets, explains, and judges the situations one gets into, can make things seem better or worse. Some tend to see things in a positive light, others may view things more negatively. The pessimist would often employ overgeneralization, magnification, or all-or-nothing thinking. These cognitive distortions and self-talk begin at childhood, but it does not mean that people cannot break free from them as they grow into adulthood.  

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 Constructive restructuring

Also called constructive reframing, this is a process of recognizing and changing cognitive distortions so that people can alter their thoughts and thereby their feelings. This is not simply about “thinking positive,” but about evaluating the evidence of one’s thoughts and challenging their truthfulness.

The first step is self-monitoring. People need to become more aware of the messages they give themselves . This can be difficult as negative messages tend to run automatically and routinely in the head. Stopping to identify and examine negative thoughts should be done. Writing them can also give clarity to this irrational thinking.

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The second step is disputing these thoughts with more rational ones. For instance, overgeneralized thinking such as: “Person A was mean to me so nobody likes me” can be disputed by more accurate thought such as “Person A was mean to me but there are many people who like me.”

Learning to dispute faulty thoughts can be difficult especially for those who have been breeding and owning negativities, but constructive restructuring can help reframe those to become building blocks of better thinking.

Psychotherapist Gary Zomalt can offer enlightenment on cognitive restructuring through this blog.

20 Tips to Tame Your Stress

A little stress is said to be good in keeping people motivated and focused. However, being under a lot of stress has a lot of negative effects. This article by Lynn Ponton, M.D. shares some tips to keep stress levels at bay.

Stress hits us all in life, and while a little stress is good — it keeps us focused and motivated — too much of it and it can grind our lives to a complete halt. When you’re feeling overwhelmed and stressed-out, you may become paralyzed and unable to do much of anything.

Just as bad are unhealthy coping methods to deal with stress. Turning to food, alcohol or drugs often just turns one set of problems into another that can balloon out of control. It’s better to avoid those unhealthy coping mechanisms from the start, and find good ways to keep your stress under control.

There are many ways to tame your stress and keep it at bay. Here are 20 tips to tame your stress today, and keep the stress monsters at bay.

1. Perform diaphragmatic or “deep breathing” exercises.

2. Lie face down on the floor and begin breathing deeply and slowly, with your hands resting under your face. Do this for five minutes.

3. Sit in a reclining chair. Put a hand on your abdomen and a hand on your chest. As you breathe, make sure the hand on your abdomen is moving up and down rather than one on your chest. If the hand on your abdomen is moving you are breathing deeply and slowly.

4. Try progressive muscle relaxation or “deep muscle” relaxation. Progressively tense and relax each muscle group in your body. Learn the difference between muscle tension and relaxation.

5. Meditate. Use visualization or guided imagery to help you learn to be one with your thoughts. Sit quietly with your eyes closed, imagining the sights, sounds and smells of your favorite place, such as a beach or mountain retreat.

6. Exercise regularly or take up yoga.

7. Consult a psychologist about the use of biofeedback.

8. Make time for music, art or other hobbies that help relax and distract you.

9. Learn to identify and monitor stressors. Come up with an organized plan for handling stressful situations. Be careful not to overgeneralize negative reactions to things.

10. Make a list of the important things you need to handle each day. Try to follow the list so you feel organized and on top of things. Put together a coping plan step by step so you have a sense of mastery.

11. Keep an eye on things that might suggest you’re not coping well. For example, are you smoking or drinking more, or sleeping less?

12. Keep a list of the large and little hassles in your day versus the major stressful events in your life. This helps you focus on the fact that you’re keeping track of and managing those as well as you can.

13. Set aside a time every day to work on relaxation.

14. Avoid using caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, junk food, binge eatingand other drugs as your primary means for coping with stress. While they can be helpful once in awhile, using them as your only or usual method will result in longer-term problems, such as weight problems or alcoholism.

15. Learn to just say, “No” occasionally. It won’t hurt other people’s feelings as much as you think and is simply a method to be more assertive in your own life, to better help you meet your own needs.

16. Get the right amount of sleep. For most people, this is seven to nine hours a night.

17. Cultivate a sense of humor; laugh.

18. Research has shown that having a close, confiding relationship protects you from many stresses.

19. Don’t run from your problems! This only makes them worse.

20. Talk to your family and friends. See if they can help.

If these tips don’t help, or you’ve tried a lot of them with little luck in better taming the stress in your life, it may be time to consider taking it up a notch. A mental health professional — such as a psychologist — can help teach you more effective methods for handling stress in a healthy way in your life. Such psychotherapy is short-term and time-limited, with a focus on helping you better deal with stress.

Remember — we do have control over the stress and choices we make in our lives. It sometimes takes a little practice and effort to put some of these techniques into play in your life. But once you do so, you may be pleasantly surprised at the positive benefits you’ll receive.

Source: http://psychcentral.com/lib/2006/20-tips-to-tame-your-stress/

All's not Prozac: Treating mild depression with simple lifestyle changes

“A lot of people don't realize that depression is an illness. I don't wish it on anyone, but if they would know how it feels, I swear they would think twice before they just shrug it.” - Jonathan Davis

For many people, “dealing with depression” has almost become synonymous with “popping prescribed pills.” Like any physical ailment, depression has been considered to be pharmacologically remediable, reduced to something that can be managed by a formulation of chemicals that function by working its way into the synapses.

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But as with any other drug, antidepressants may have side effects that are potentially debilitating in the long run. And because case management entails primary care providers to be holistic, psychiatrists like Dr. Gary Zomalt and Dr. Amita Talati also recommend non-pharmacologic interventions that focus more on lifestyle modification in trying to crush mild depression:

• Increasing physical activity. This is probably the single most important lifestyle change that one can implement to combat mild depression.

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• Modifying diet. It is recommended to include in one’s diet food that are rich in serotonin and omega-3 fatty acids. Conversely, one must avoid sugar, alcohol, fat, and caffeine, as these may just potentially worsen prevailing conditions.

• Connecting personally with other people. According to a 2010 Leeds University study, people who spend more time communicating virtually are more likely to experience more anxiety and depression than those who didn’t. Relying heavily on virtual communication increases feelings of isolation, ultimately resulting to depression.

• Letting the sun touch the skin. Sun exposure can initiate the synthesis of Vitamin D which is proven to alleviate depression. As a matter of fact, Vitamin D deficiency usually results to suboptimal mood and brain function, thus contributing to the occurrence of depression.

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In the conduct of his profession, Dr. Gary Zomalt has helped clients attain optimal mental health. Access more information on psychiatric health by visiting this Facebook page.

Child Maltreatment Linked To Mental And Physical Health Disorders In Later Life

Find out how child maltreatment can lead to mental and physical disorders when they get old from this Medical News Today article.

Child physical abuse, emotional abuse and neglect is linked to mental health disorders, drug use, suicide attempts, sexually transmitted infections and risky sexual behaviour in adulthood, according to a study released today by researchers at The University of Queensland (UQ).

The researchers, led by Dr Rosana Norman from UQ's School of Population Health and Queensland Children's Medical Research Institute, also found evidence that child maltreatment increased the risk of chronic diseases and life-style risk factors such as smoking in later life.

The authors, who also included researchers from the World Health Organization, reviewed all published studies that included health outcomes for individuals who had been physically or emotionally abused or neglected in childhood.

Most of the 124 studies included in their analysis were from high income countries (Western Europe, North America, Australia, and New Zealand) but only 16 studies used a prospective design in which researchers followed abused or neglected children over time to identify later health outcomes.

They found that individuals who had been emotionally abused as children were about three times more likely to develop depression, while individuals who had been physically abused or neglected were one-and-a-half to two times more likely to develop depression than people who had not been abused or neglected.

Researchers also established a link between anxiety disorders, drug abuse, and suicidal behaviour and childhood abuse.

They also found that children who had been maltreated had a higher risk of sexually transmitted infections and/or risky sexual behaviour as adults than people who had not experienced abuse.

Dr Norman said the evidence suggests a causal relationship between non-sexual child maltreatment and a range of mental disorders.

She said the study confirms that all forms of child maltreatment should be considered important risks to health with a sizeable impact on major contributors to the burden of disease in all parts of the world.

"The awareness of the serious long-term consequences of child maltreatment should encourage better identification of those at risk and the development of effective interventions to protect children from violence," she said.

Source: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/253386.php

Dr. Gary Zomalt: Of mind over matter

The mind is everything. What you think, you become. – Buddha

This latest Dr. Gary Zomalt article will discuss the power of the mind, which is the reason why people must maintain mental hygiene.
 

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The mind is considered as the most powerful tool that people possess, helping them achieve their aspirations in life. Thus, keeping the mind healthy is very important. In fact, studies show that people who have healthy minds live a more fulfilling life.

Basic brain and body exercises are simple ways to attain balance – physically, mentally, and emotionally. However, sometimes it takes more than these basic steps to go across the border of a person’s mind power. To unleash the mind’s supremacy, some of the steps that people may take, as shared in this article, are:

Dr. Gary Zomalt is a psychotherapist who helps various clients in attaining mental health. He is the owner and founder of 3R Counseling and Consulting.

Positive thinking

Studies show that optimism may reduce stress hormones like cortisol. Having a positive disposition in life also helps people recover faster not only from stress, but also from ailments and medical procedures.

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Social support

Trusting people and being surrounded by people they trust is said to be an important factor in maintaining a healthy mind as it reduces the risk of depression. Research also shows that those who have healthy social life have lower risk of acquiring diseases like dementia.

Inner peace

Meditation is important in achieving peace of mind, and peace of mind is vital in living life to the fullest. Aside from its effects mentally, meditation is also good for the body as it boosts the immune system’s response to vaccines and even slowdown the ageing process.

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Dr. Gary Zomalt: Unraveling the difference between psychotherapy and counseling

A lot of people think that psychotherapy and counseling are just the same. Experts in the field, like Dr. Gary Zomalt, beg to disagree. Although the practices have certain similarities, the two are different by nature.

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Counseling focuses more on the behavior of a person. It is regarded as a brief treatment because, according to experts, the mental health or sense of well-being already exists. It simply needs support and improvement; hence, people seek help from counselors, advisors, and even life coaches. Because it also deals with alleviating stress and dealing with problems, especially in terms of grave life crises, counseling is taken in a similar light as psychotherapy. However, people must know that counseling only touches the shallower aspects of problems like stress. It only answers to the need of people for enlightenment and direction.

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When it comes to more severe cases, psychotherapy is in order. Psychotherapists, like Dr. Gary Zomalt of 3R Counseling and Consulting, look not only into the present condition of a person. As psychotherapy entails psychoanalysis, specialists also look into the origin of the problem, uprooting its possible causes – from a person’s childhood or past life events that may have affected the condition – before dealing with the ‘now.’ Psychotherapy deals with psychological problems that have built up over the years. It focuses on chronic psychosomatic problems that need to be explored before the endorsement of coping techniques, among other treatments.

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For more about Dr. Gary Zomalt of Fresno, California, visit this blog.

More than just brain bleach: Dr. Gary Zomalt and ways to improve your mental hygiene

Dr. Gary Zomalt is a psychotherapist from Fresno, California. He helps people who are suffering from psychological problems achieve a restored mental health.


This latest blog will discuss what mental hygiene is and the importance of mental health to live a happier and healthier life.

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Mental health is vital in life. It refers to how people think, feel, and act according to various life circumstances. It is the exact opposite of mental disorder. In order to achieve mental health, people should live with proper mental hygiene.



Encyclopædia Britannica described mental hygiene as “the science of maintaining mental health and preventing the development of psychosis, neurosis, or other mental disorders.”



Consulting specialists like Dr. Gary Zomalt offer various ways to achieve proper mental hygiene and manage psychological problems. But before running to professionals for help, people can start maintaining their mental hygiene in their own ways.

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One simple way to do so is by not holding grudges. According to experts, a way to keep the mind fresh and healthy is by substituting positive thoughts over bad images caused by unfortunate events or unpleasant things.



People are also advised to not sweat the small stuff. By doing so, they prevent themselves from being stressed out by things that should not be taken too seriously in the first place.

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Keeping an optimistic perspective, especially about the bad things that happen to people, is also a good way to maintain mental hygiene. Taking responsibility for mistakes, having a ‘can do’ attitude, acting calmly in times of trouble, and shrugging negative vibes are other ways to uphold mental health.

For more about Dr. Gary Zomalt, visit this blog.