In this article, I discuss threats to mental health posed by social media use and how to address them. On a recent episode of The Bridge with Peter Mansbridge podcast, the host read listener responses to the provocative question: Is social media a cancer? Many responses pointed to threats to mental health posed by social media. In the following sections, I will discuss these threats and how to address them...[more]
In this article, I will discuss strategies to help you stay on track with your good habits and not return to your bad habits. In my last article, I discussed why some people return to bad habits after having replaced them with good habits. Reasons included having to deal with difficult emotions, encountering challenging situations, having permission-giving thoughts, lacking support to stay on track, and not having a relapse prevention plan. In the following sections, I will indicate ways you can stay on track with your good habits by addressing these factors. In short, I will show you how not to fix it when it ain’t broke...[more]
In this article, I will discuss why some people return to bad habits after having replaced them with good habits. Much of my therapy practice involves helping clients break bad habits and replace them with good habits. Many of the bad habits entail engaging in behaviours which negatively affect the client and people in their lives. Procrastination, cheating on one’s partner, getting involved in unhealthy relationships, binge-eating, gambling, and substance use are a few of the behaviours which fall into this category. It is challenging work to break bad habits and replace them with good habits. However, clients who have the motivation, patience and perseverance to invest in this process can achieve their goals of eliminating their bad habits in favour of good habits. Unfortunately, some clients who have done the hard work of establishing good habits and dispensing with bad habits decide to return to their bad habits. This can happen even when the client has been on track using their good habits for long periods of time. In the following sections, I will discuss several reasons for clients deciding to ‘fix what ain’t broke’ at these times...[more]
In this article, I discuss how attending a support group can sometimes be helpful in addressing a therapy issue. Clients often seek therapy to address maladaptive behaviours which are negatively affecting their lives and the lives of those around them. Among these behaviours are substance use, gambling, procrastination, binge eating and cheating on one’s relationship partner. For some of these issues, support groups are available to further help clients with their challenges and struggles. These groups typically involve meetings among several people who are dealing with a particular issue. Among the most notable of these support groups are Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, Gamblers Anonymous and Sex Addicts Anonymous. My experience in having worked in therapy with many clients who have attended such groups is that they can be helpful but are necessarily so. In the following sections, I will discuss these pros and cons of support groups as a complement to therapy...[more]
In this article, I discuss how to address problematic behaviours such as substance use by addressing three distinct kinds of beliefs which drive them. In my last article, I discussed three kinds of beliefs which lead people to engage in maladaptive behaviours such as substance use, gambling, procrastination, binge eating and cheating on one’s relationship partner. These include negative core beliefs about the self, permission-giving beliefs and beliefs which occur following engagement in the maladaptive behaviour. As I discussed in my last article, the cycle of these three beliefs driving maladaptive behaviours can continue indefinitely. Fortunately, however, the cycle can be broken with strategies to address the three types of beliefs which drive the maladaptive behaviours. I will discuss these strategies in the following sections...[more]
In this article, I discuss how problematic behaviours such as substance use are typically driven by three distinct kinds of beliefs. Clients often seek therapy to address maladaptive behaviours which are negatively affecting their lives and the lives of those around them. Among these behaviours are substance use, gambling, procrastination, binge eating and cheating on one’s relationship partner. A first step in addressing such maladaptive behviours is identifying beliefs the person has which lead them to engage in the behaviours. The beliefs which lead to the behaviours are of three kinds. I will discuss these beliefs in the following sections...[more]
In this article, I discuss ways you can be OK with giving up benefits of a current habit when you are trying to change to a new habit. I recently made several changes to my diet in order to be healthier, lose weight and enhance my performance in a 12-k swim event in which I will be competing this August. Among the changes was what I put in my two cups of coffee each day. For years, my habit would entail adding milk and two teaspoons of sugar to each cup of coffee. Then a few years ago my sweet morning indulgence became even sweeter when I began adding four tablespoons of vanilla syrup to the sugar I was already stirring into each cup. This sugary Xanadu became a thing of the past for me when I recently stopped putting sugar and vanilla syrup in my coffee...[more]
In this article, I discuss how achieving small successes by forming particular habits can lead you to make significant progress toward your goals. In my last article, I discussed how to form good habits and eliminate bad habits. I defined habits as behaviours or sequences of behaviours which a person performs regularly by focusing on the three components of a habit--cue, routine and reward. In this article, I focus on the value of forming keystone habits. These are habits which have the additional value of spurring you to form additional habits which can lead you to make significant progress toward your goals in different areas of life...[more]
In this article, I discuss how you can focus on three components to help you initiate positive habits and eliminate negative habits. Although psychologists help clients address a multitude of issues and achieve a myriad of goals, success in most instances entails a focus on habits. These are behaviours or sequences of behaviours which a person performs regularly. The good habits we engage in have positive effects while the bad habits have negative effects. Therefore, a goal most people share is to add to their positive habits and eliminate their negative habits...[more]
In this article, I discuss whether and under what circumstances you should approach or avoid high-risk situations when addressing an addictive behaviour.In my work as a Calgary psychologist and a Cochrane psychologist, I often work with clients whose goal is to reduce or eliminate behaviours which are having negative effects on their lives. Among the behaviours are drug and alcohol use, gambling, eating issues (binge eating or bingeing and purging), viewing pornography and cheating on one’s partner in a relationship.When these behaviours become habitual, they often take on the characteristics of an addiction. These characteristics include...[more]
