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Articles by Daniel Fryer M.Sc
The Madness of the Modern World
We have not evolved to cope with modern life. We face too much input from too many directions, and we are overloaded. Key environments need to change to better meet our psychological needs. Source: Brian Merrill / Pixabay There is something I have known for a long time, something that clients are increasingly bringing into their sessions with me, and something that needs to be written about way more often than it currently is.
The Madness of the Modern World
Take our Burnout Test Find a therapist to overcome stress We have not evolved to cope with modern life. We face too much input from too many directions, and we are overloaded. Key environments need to change to better meet our psychological needs. There is something I have known for a long time, something that clients are increasingly bringing into their sessions with me, and something that needs to be written about way more often than it currently is.
Words to the Wise
Words of wisdom are great tools for therapy and coaching. Studies back up the use of inspirational quotes in a number of areas. Quotes need to be used carefully. They don't always mean what you think they mean. I love quotable quotes and witty bon mots. I use them a lot in my practice. People often get stuck in negative thought cycles. Feedback loops that affect the way they think, feel, and act.
Words to the Wise - Daniel Fryer M.sc
Words of wisdom are great tools for therapy and coaching. Studies back up the use of inspirational quotes in a number of areas. Quotes need to be used carefully. They don't always mean what you think they mean. I love quotable quotes and witty bon mots. I use them a lot in my practice. People often get stuck in negative thought cycles. Feedback loops that affect the way they think, feel, and act.
Why Climate Anxiety May Be Holding Us Back
UK's hot weather links to climate change but optimism, not despair, will help the most. A recent study shows that hope is the key to sustainability. Acceptance therapy helps manage climate distress via personal values. I think many of us can agree that it is hot. Hotter than normal for this time of year. The current heatwave across Europe is rather exceptional. And not necessarily in a good way. In many places, it’s been hotter than Heaven’s mirror. You know the place—the one full of fire and brimstone.
Why Climate Anxiety May Be Holding Us Back - Daniel Fryer M.sc
Take our Generalized Anxiety Disorder Test Find a therapist to overcome anxiety UK's hot weather links to climate change but optimism, not despair, will help the most. A recent study shows that hope is the key to sustainability. Acceptance therapy helps manage climate distress via personal values. I think many of us can agree that it is hot. Hotter than normal for this time of year. The current heatwave across Europe is rather exceptional. And not necessarily in a good way.
Sacred Spaces and Spiritual Connections
Significantly spiritual places are linked to good mental health. Nature, buildings, neighbourhoods. and homes can count. Building these connections protects your well-being. Source: bertvthul / Pixabay It’s a well-known and well-studied fact that Mother Nature isn’t just beneficial to your wellbeing, but it’s also nigh on essential. Just 20 minutes spent in a forest, for instance, can significantly reduce your stress levels.
Is It Time to Think About Your Thinking?
Source: The Rodin Museum / Pixabay Once upon a time, we thought that people with a high intelligence quotient (IQ) were the crème-de-la-crème of humanity. However, times changed, ideas shifted, and people with a high emotional intelligence or emotional quotient (EQ) were thought of as more clever still, and became the more valued.
Make the Holidays All About You
If you are lonely, be selfish this holiday season. Looking after yourself when you feel isolated is essential. Pampering yourself with gifts can help. Showing kindness to others can make you feel good. Source: susan-lu4esm / Pixabay Last week, I delivered a webinar on how to lift yourself out of loneliness. I get a lot of calls for that topic at this time of year.
Climate Change Isn’t Just Affecting the Weather
A new UK report examines the growing evidence for a connection between climate change and mental health. Extreme weather harms mental health, affecting vulnerable populations most severely. Farmers and youth are particularly vulnerable to mental health impacts of climate change. Psychological interventions can help reduce PTSD, depression, and anxiety linked to climate change.
Is Burnout More Than Just a Work Thing?
Source: Sponchia / Pixabay Burnout Syndrome is a fairly recent thing, and one that is still in the process of being fully understood. Formally recognised as a diagnosis in 2019, when it made it on to the pages of the 11th revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11), it’s classed as an occupational phenomenon rather than a medical condition.
AI Could Make Fools of Us All
Studies suggest that AI negatively affects critical thinking. AI may also affect confidence and skill development. AI therapy is on the rise with younger people.
The Curious Case of Misattributed Wisdom - Daniel Fryer M.sc
People often find inspirational quotes made by famous people quite profound and very therapeutic. Typing ‘words of wisdom’ or ‘quotable quotes’ and ‘therapy quotes,’ into any search engine reveals a bountiful and familiar treasure trove of bons mots. There has been plenty of research on quotes and words of wisdom in therapy and coaching over the years, and the results are all positive.
Hypnotherapy Can Help With What Now?
Source: Lena Glukhova/Pexels Only last year, yet another study highlighted the efficacy of hypnotherapy for stopping smoking. There have been so many studies into its effects on smoking cessation that you could be forgiven for thinking that that is all it is good for. Well, that and weight control.
A Break Isn’t Just For Christmas
UK political leader declares 'lunch is for wimps.' Studies show lunch breaks are beneficial. Presenteeism increases staff absence. Non-stop work is bad for productivity. Source: Anastasila Senderova / Pexels You may or may not have heard of Kemi Badenoch. She’s the latest leader of the Conservative Party here in the UK (I know, there’s been a fair few of them recently, so it’s a little hard to keep up).
Going Green is Good for You
Source: pixabay / fietzfotos / 4922 images No, I’m not talking about becoming vegan or improving your recycling methods (although neither of those things is bad). Instead, I am talking about good old Mother Nature herself. The natural world, you see, isn’t just beneficial for your mental health and well-being; it is essential.
Going Green is Good for You - Daniel Fryer M.sc
No, I’m not talking about becoming vegan or improving your recycling methods (although neither of those things is bad). Instead, I am talking about good old Mother Nature herself. The natural world, you see, isn’t just beneficial for your mental health and well-being; it is essential. We generally need more of it, not less; that’s why I recommend getting out in it as much as you can, and it’s why you’re probably better off going for a walk in a wooded forest or nearby park than around the block.
Movement Is Medicine: Exercise for Well-Being
Source: Ray_Shrewsberry/1978 Images/Pixabay I’m giving a talk next week on men and mental health for International Men’s Health Week (10-16 June) and I have been told, in no uncertain terms, to devote a section of my presentation to the physical and psychological benefits of exercise. Not just because the well-being coordinators behind the talk think that it’s what men want to hear, but also because science is very clear on the matter.
Movement Is Medicine: Exercise for Well-Being - Daniel Fryer M.sc
Columnists Actual . Favourites . Archive Aa Aa Aa - A + ..... © Psychology Today visit website
U.K. Ranks Second-Worst for Mental Health in Global Survey - Daniel Fryer M.sc
Columnists Actual . Favourites . Archive Aa Aa Aa - A + ..... © Psychology Today visit website
Wait a Minute. Anger Can Be Good for You? - Daniel Fryer M.sc
In this week’s episode of "Who’d Have Thunk It?" we have recent research showing that your anger can be beneficial, but only in certain circumstances. We’re not talking about the big shouty, sweary, get-in-your-face kind of anger, however, but a different kind of beast altogether, one that is milder in both outlook and action, although not necessarily any less intense in feeling. Our emotions are valid; they really are. Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT) says so. They’re useful, even.
You Gotta Have Faith
Do you consider yourself religious or spiritual? Do you believe in a higher power, or in something "larger" than yourself? If you answered yes to either of these questions, chances are you have better mental health and well-being than people who don’t, according to science.
Is Online Therapy as Good as Face-to-Face?
Source: Ivan Samkov/Pexels A massive study, involving more than 27,500 people here in the U.K., has found that talking to your therapist online is just as helpful as seeing someone face-to-face. Not only that, but it also cuts costs and reduces waiting lists. The study, which was mainly an economic evaluation of service provision, also looked at waiting times and the clinical effectiveness of therapy for patients presenting mainly with anxiety and depression.
It's Time to Clear Up Some Hypnotherapy Cliches
Key points A recent paper aims to dispel popular myths about hypnotherapy. Hypnotherapy is an evidence-based practice. Stereotypes about hypnotism persist in the media. When it comes to hypnotherapy, myths, misconceptions, and fallacies abound. I’ve been dealing with them in my clinic for all my practicing life. Notions of control and who has it, whether I will make you bark like a dog or cluck like a chicken, and ideas about mad, staring eyes and swinging pocket watches are perennial concerns.
It's Time to Clear Up Some Hypnotherapy Cliches - Daniel Fryer M.sc
When it comes to hypnotherapy, myths, misconceptions, and fallacies abound. I’ve been dealing with them in my clinic for all my practicing life. Notions of control and who has it, whether I will make you bark like a dog or cluck like a chicken, and ideas about mad, staring eyes and swinging pocket watches are perennial concerns. However, a recent paper published in BJPsych Advances aims to dispel some of the more enduring misconceptions about both hypnosis and hypnotherapy.
Swearing Can Be Bloody Good for You
Key points A recent poll found that swearing can be beneficial for pain relief. Swearing can release adrenaline, which helps relieve pain. A meta-analysis found that swearing serves many purposes, including lowering pain, dealing with road rage, and making people laugh. Here in the UK, a recent survey commissioned by insights agency Prospectus Global found that swearing can be a great tool for pain relief.
Hey, How Would You Like To Be More Resilient?
Key points Study shows Stoic philosophy can help build resilience and empathy Rational emotive behaviour therapy is based on the teachings of Stoic philosophy. Central to REBT is the idea of disputing your beliefs to change your reactions. Positive psychology also uses disputing as a resilience building exercise. Earlier this month, a study was published that showed a training programme based on Stoic philosophy increased resilience in medical students suffering from empathic erosion and burnout.
This Too Shall Pass
Source: Aleksandar Pasaric/Pexels I used to really hate the rain. Which is unfortunate, as I live in England, where it rains a lot. A whole lot. Until a few years back, I used to rally and rail against the rain. I used to rage against it. I would shout and swear and implore, sometimes shaking my fist at the very sky and whatever rain gods it contained that day. In my more paranoid moments, I would become convinced that I was a rain god myself, albeit an unwitting and reluctant one.
Using Hypnotherapy to Cope With COVID Is Trendy
Source: Cottonbro/Pexels Certain sections of the well-being media are calling hypnotherapy the new wellness trend for the latter half of 2021 and beyond. Hypnotherapists around the world have certainly noticed an increase in referrals. Like most things over the past 16 months or so, this interest has been fueled by COVID-19 and the various stresses and strains it has engendered, including anxiety, burnout, and fatigue.
Happiness Is A Carrot
Source: @thiszun/Pexels When it comes to mental health and wellbeing, I’m a big fan of positive psychology and I use many of its interventions and exercises in my clinical and coaching work to very good effect. One of the biggest criticisms of it as a practice in any setting, however, is that you can’t force happiness on people and that doing so only creates an atmosphere of toxic positivity.
Are You Feeling Fatigued and Guilty?
Source: Andrea Piacquadió/Pexels If you are feeling exhausted and unable to cope and are also beating yourself up for feeling exhausted and unable to cope, you are really, really not alone. I gave an online interview about this subject for a global wellness platform a couple of weeks ago. So many subscribers tuned in live that it almost crashed the system. The world over, people feel that their coping strategies have been stretched to the limit, which they have.
How "Fake It 'Till You Make It" Really Is a Thing
Source: Ava Motive/Pexels The other night, I came home from work and sat there crying. Well, not crying exactly, but tears were falling from my mad, staring eyes and rolling down my face. The next night, the same thing happened. And the night after that, and the night after that, and so on. Tears even seeped out from behind my closed eyelids as I lay in bed at night. As well as the tears, I also felt very, very down. “Am I sad?” I wondered, all alone in the dark. I concluded that I must be.
2021, Are You Kidding Me?
Source: Pexels/Olya Kobruseva Of all the years people couldn’t wait to see the back of, 2020 probably takes the prize, especially in the category of ‘thank god that’s all over.” However, 2021 seems to be carrying on in a very similar vein. And why wouldn’t it? The calendar is an arbitrary construct after all. But we human beings set a lot of stock in dates. As one year came to a close and another one began, many of us were looking for a fresh start but, sadly, that just didn’t happen.
Let’s Hear It For The Boy
Source: Pexels/Matthew Thomas The American rapper, songwriter and record producer Kendrick Lamar once said, “I always thought it was me against the world and then one day I realised it’s just me against me.” And while we can all be our own worst enemies at the best of times, things do tend to affect men a little differently and a little more disproportionally than when compared to women. International Men’s Day (IMD) then, is an event that highlights those difference and disproportions.
Hypnotherapy For Hope And Holidays
Source: Pexels/Te lensFix As well as being a rational emotive behaviour therapist, I’m also a clinical hypnotherapist. In fact, I was practising the latter before I studied and practised the former. Hypnotherapy has a vast and sometimes surprising array of applications. There’s the obvious stuff, such as weight control and stopping smoking, but it’s also great for pain control, anxiety reduction and more.
Is There A Psychotherapist In The House?
Source: Pexels/cottonbro When I was in my early twenties, I took a part time job typing up adverts for an American-owned free ads newspaper to supplement my student loan as I put myself thought university. Think of Craigslist but in print form and you will have some idea of what this newspaper was all about. I touch typed the ‘for sale’ and ‘personal’ adverts that people called in and left on recorded messages and I worked a five-hour session three times a week. That was a lot of typing.
Coronavirus: Normal Service Will Be Resumed (Sort Of)
Some people are able to adjust to life’s ups and downs with relative ease, and some with a little more difficulty, whilst others have such a hard time dealing with change that it becomes a diagnosable disorder. An adjustment disorder is a group of emotional and physical symptoms (such as stress, anger, feeling sad or hopeless, skipped heartbeat, trembling or twitching and more) that occur as you go through a stressful life event.
With Coronavirus, Uncertainty is A Dead Cert
Source: Mark Neal/Pexels I like quotes, words of wisdom and witty bon mots. I often use them in the therapy room to make a therapeutic point or highlight an important aspect of the process of change. You can find a saying for pretty much any and all circumstances. And I’m as equally fond of a new-age quote as I am of a pearl of wisdom that comes to us from out of antiquity.
Four Thoughts That Make You Freak Out About Coronavirus
Source: Jeswin Thomas/Pexels COVID-19 seems pretty inescapable at the moment, not just as a virus, but also as a newspaper headline and all-around media bogeyman. Some news stories could be accused of hyperbole at best and scaremongering at worst, whilst the population at large appears to have abandoned caution (which is both sensible and appropriate) for anxiety (which is not). Why is that and what can be done about it?
The Four Thoughts that Freak You Out about Coronavirus
Source: Jeswin Thomas/Pexels COVID-19 seems pretty inescapable at the moment, not just as a virus, but also as a newspaper headline and all-round media bogeyman. The news could be accused of hyperbole at best and scaremongering at worst, whilst the population at large appears to have abandoned caution (which is both sensible and appropriate) for anxiety (which is not). But, why is that and what can be done about it?
The New Bond Ballad is Boring
Source: Wendy Wei/Pexels Life, as they say, begins at the end of your comfort zone. Taking risks and doing new things is how we grow and develop. It’s also how we build emotional and mental resilience. But there’s something rather safe and comfortable about the recently released title track to the next Bond movie, No Time to Die. Take Daniel Craig’s tenure as James Bond. The first theme tune was You Know My Name, sung by the sadly no longer with us Chris Cornell.
Love Songs are Nuts
Source: Kristina Paukshtite/Pexels I’m serious. Love songs are bonkers; they are cray-cray, they are cuckoo. As you listen to them, don’t take them too seriously. In fact, don’t take them seriously at all. You’ll only get in trouble. You could end up with a broken heart. Or a restraining order.
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