I’m sure like me, you find life is bit of a juggle sometimes. From work, relationships or money, it can be difficult to find the time to fit it all in and have some space leftover for yourself. Even trying to change your routines or habits for the better can be a real challenge. It’s no wonder many of us can feel stressed and overwhelmed, meaning our mental health takes a hit and we get into a negative thought pattern. But are there simple techniques out there that we could incorporate into our day, to help ditch the thoughts that can be harmful to our mental health? Well, this week on Real Health, I’m delighted to be joined by psychotherapist and former NHS Clinical Lead for Mental Health, Owen O’Kane. His new book, How to be Your Own Therapist gives just these kinds of solutions to help us form a healthier perspective on things. Owen says thoughts that are mostly negative can be a burden in people’s lives, so changing the feeling around them can be liberating: “Neuroscientists tell us we have about 60,000 to 80,000 thousand thoughts a day, which is a lot of thoughts. They know that about 60pc of those thoughts can be either negative or critical in nature...if you have fallen into those [negative] thought patterns, there’s a way out of that. You can see them for what they are, which is just unhelpful patterns.” We also discuss how to view failure, the importance of self-compassion and how there is still some stigma around therapy today. For more episodes, tips and advice from the show just go to: www.independent.ie/podcasts/the-re…health-podcast/ And you can get in touch - I’m @KarlHenryPT on Instagram and [email protected]. Don’t forget to rate, review and follow on Apple and Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts from. The Real Health podcast is in association with Laya Healthcare.

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