Once you notice you are having unhelpful thoughts – what can you do to stop them feeling so powerful?

Cognitive diffusion techniques (from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) allow you to step back from your thoughts and see them for what they are – thoughts not reality.

Hear how mindfulness has been shown helpful in reducing anxiety and overwhelm - and increase energy and commitment to our careers.

Hear some practical tips on applying mindfulness techniques throughout your life.

Here's some helpful mindful resources:

Be Mindful course - NHS (www.nhs.uk)

Mindfulness exercises and tips | Mind

Meditation and Sleep Made Simple - Headspace

Mindfulness in the Time of Coronavirus: New Meditation Tracks to Help You Cope - Mindfulness: Finding Peace in a Frantic World | Mindfulness: Finding Peace in a Frantic World

We have had many ideas of what 'ego' means since the days of Freud in the early eighteenth century.

Let's deconstruct what it means for you and consider how it may help you manage your thoughts, feelings and behaviours.

As super caring people, we can often have a highly critical judge inside that criticises us if we put ourselves first –and when we do put ourselves first we can often feel guilty, which the critical judge loves to remind us about!

How can we stop this cycle and be aware we are human and need the 'ego' to balance out the critical judge and our primitive needs?

Making decisions can be hard when we care so much about the outcome, who it affects and what consequences there are.

This is part of the journey for a Super Caring soul.

Hear how I have found that caring too much can make us take too much responsibility and become overwhelmed – leading us into the reactive part of the mind.

Hear how by stepping back and becoming calm, we can allow the decision to be made with more peace – saving us from overwhelm and stress and eventual burnout.

Listen out for Miley (my yorkshire terrier) joining in!

Okay so we all know what emotional boundaries are - but how do they apply to caring professionals and highly sensitive souls?

Hear how our boundaries can be pushed and pulled and why we need to be aware of them.

Listen to my own experience of being a super caring person and how breathable boundaries have been vital to my emotional health.

Learn how to apply 4 basic steps to your boundaries to ensure they keep you safe.

In this podcast, learn one way to understand yourself better through an Acceptance and Commitment therapy (ACT) metaphor.

Learn :

- to be aware of the choices you make in life whilst being the driver of your own bus!

-  what 'passengers' we may pick up along the way and how they may impact our thoughts and belief system.

- how to recognise which 'passengers' may impact your self-care practices.

Book reference: 'Saturated self' by Kenneth Gergen

There are many aspects to why we care. In this episode you will learn how Carl Jung's Wounded Healer archetype resonates strongly with me and my own story of caring.

Caring starts with empathy – when we feel empathy towards someone or something, it prompts us to care. You will hear about neuroscience's research into empathy and how we all have different sensitivities of the brain that react when we see other people or animals in pain.

This podcast is for those drawn to caring professions – for those who carry 'emotional buckets' for other people whilst delivering expertise. From doctors, nurses and paramedics who use their expertise to heal people medically to hairdressers who use their expertise to satisfy an everyday need - whilst being empathic and seeing/hearing people's stories. This empathic ability – aka Super Caring Power – is essential in society today. I see it as an innate ability which comes to sensitive people who want to help others. But this power is strong and our 'emotional bucket' may become full – leaving no room for us.

As a psychotherapist I understand this dichotomy and see the human being underneath the professional label.  I have learnt the importance of 'emptying my bucket' regularly in order to continue doing what I do for as long as possible – in order to create balance between the care I provide other people and the care I provide for myself. I share my story to illuminate how important it is to be aware of the impact our Super Caring Power has on our relationships and our professional capacity. This podcast just touches the tip of the iceberg – with many more podcasts to come exploring the human underneath the Super Caring Power.

Come join a supportive network of other Super Caring Souls...

thepsychologicalmentor.com

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