First Psychology blog

As we journey through life, one thing remains constant: the inevitability of ageing. Yet, in a society that glorifies youth and perpetuates the idea of eternal youthfulness, it can be challenging to embrace the ageing process. Growing older comes with both mental and physical issues and our health can be affected by many factors. In a study published on Frontiers it states that “multiple social, psychological and biological factors are determinant of mental health, as well as life stressors. Among these, the lack of independence, limited mobility, chronic diseases, pain, frailty or other mental and physical problems, require long-term care.” However, with the right mindset, a shift in perspective and a healthy lifestyle we can slow down the ageing process and maintain optimal wellbeing. Ways to embrace the ageing process 1. Acceptance The first step towards embracing the ageing process is acceptance. Ageing is a natural part of life, and it offers us a multitude of experiences and ...

It’s inevitable that throughout life we will experience both good and bad moments that will create happy memories as well as emotional pain. If you could travel back in time, are there things that you would do differently? How could the more difficult times be made better? Looking back, what advice would you give to yourself with all the life experience you have now? Why write a letter to your younger self? There are many reasons why writing a letter to your younger self could benefit you. Perhaps there are old wounds that have never healed properly or past relationships that have affected your mental wellbeing.  Heal pain Forgiveness Gain a better understanding of yourself To become a better version of yourself As humans, it’s natural for us to feel a wealth of emotions such as anger, sadness, happiness and resentment, but if we don’t deal with our feelings at the time of the event, they can progress into more serious problems. Intense negative emotions can, over time, create anx...

In our last blog we talked about anger and how the practice of mindfulness can be used to aid relaxation and bring about an increased feeling of calm and wellbeing, but what is mindfulness? Mindfulness is currently very popular and sometimes it seems you can't go far without reading about its benefits somewhere. However, mindfulness has actually been around a long time – indeed it has its roots in ancient eastern meditation practices. Mindfulness was introduced to modern healthcare by Dr Jon Kabat-Zinn. So what can mindfulness do for you? It is a natural process of the human mind to wander and make up stories or 'chatter'. However, what we often don't recognise is that these thoughts strongly affect our emotions. Despite being processes of our mind, we can get caught up with them and find ourselves feeling angry, upset, sad or jealous. Mindfulness practices work to inhibit negative thinking patterns and the over active limbic system that can occur when people are...

2013 is fast approaching and we probably all have some goals that we wish to achieve in the next year. However statistics show that only 12% of us actually stick to our New Year’s resolutions. This is largely due to our tendency to set unachievable goals that undoubtedly lead to failure. This year follow our five top hints and tips to setting your goals and you can achieve success. Don’t go too big. Realistically, are you going to be able to go to the gym five times a week? Instead aim smaller, such as trying to cycle to work or going for a jog at the weekends. Setting achievable goals will keep you positive.  Don’t restrict yourself, having broad goals allows for more personal evolution and growth.  Break your resolution into manageable steps. Rather than trying to lose a stone over the whole year, set yourself a target for the next three months. This will keep you more focused and make it seem less daunting.  Don’t only choose resolutions that are chores, such as gi...

Have you ever been so immersed in what you’re doing you lose track of time? Focusing so intently on the task at hand you’re not conscious of what you’re thinking or feeling? Every action you take is automatic, you’re using your skills to the best of your ability and you feel energised in doing so? We might use phrases such as being ‘in the moment’, on the ball’, or ‘in the zone’ to describe these feelings and according to positive psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi, these experiences also describe a mental state known as ‘flow’. Flow can be experienced in many ways. Some people experience it while engaging in sport and others during creative pursuits. It can last for minutes, hours, days or longer periods of time. Flow is an inner state of being that brings us happiness because we become absorbed in activities which have meaning and purpose and as a result, feel connected to our inner self and others. So, how do we experience flow and achieve happiness? Factors for achieving flow Th...

Many of us like to treat ourselves when we feel down in a bid to make ourselves happy. As discussed in the previous blog however, people in Costa Rica are shown to be happy on far fewer resources than most of us consume. In the current climate with unemployment rising and anti-depressants at an all-time high, it is no wonder we struggle to be happy. But are our expectations of happiness too high? According to Greek mythology, ancient Egypt and cultures throughout the Mediterranean before and after Christ, happiness is, in fact, a miracle. Indeed, this is reflected in Indo-European languages in which the words ‘luck’ and ‘fate’ are equivalent to that of ‘happiness’. In English, the root of happiness derives from the Middle English and Old Norse ‘happ’, which means chance and fortune and appears in words such as ‘perhaps’ and ‘happens.’ In Spanish and Portuguese the words ‘felicidad’ and ’felicidade’ stem from the latin word ‘felix’, which means luck, and fate. Furthermore, the word ...

For some, Christmas is not about religion, but more about the presents they receive. It's true, Christmas is a time of giving and even the Christian story mentioned the three wise men presenting gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. But should it be more about the ‘the art of giving’ rather than giving in the material sense of the word? A study conducted by Carter & Gilovich (2010) found that purchases made with the intention of acquiring a life experience rather than material goods made people happier. This might be because experiences improve with time, take on new meanings and live longer in our minds. Experiences can also resist unfavourable comparisons and can be mentally revisited unlike material posessions. Giving in other ways also has its benefits. When we talk about social support and how it is good for our health we assume the benefits come from receiving support from others. However, scientists, using sophisticated brain imaging techniques at the UCLA, have fou...

We have been on the look out recently for inspirational and empowering quotes. We have come across many beautiful words spoken by many wise men and women over the years. It is lovely to be able to read them and share in their wisdom. We'd like to share one of the beautiful quotes we have found with you. It is not long, in fact it is positively short, but who needs 20 words when 11 will do. "Better to light one small candle than to curse the darkness." (Chinese proverb)