oleh admin | Des 27, 2024 | medical conditions and diseases, mental health, psychology, psychology of everyday life, trauma
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READ MORE: The man’s frightening dreams were a
indicator of a fatal neurological disorder
A study indicates that individuals residing with particular mental health issues might be susceptible to experiencing nightmares.
Researchers in
Texas
examined 116 college students regarding their propensity for experiencing nightmares.
Next, the group looked into how often people experience nightmares relates to their levels of neuroticism, tendency towards having more dreams, flexible mental borders, and heightened senses.
The
study found
individuals who often experience nightmares tended to have greater emotional instability.
sensitive to stress
as well as finding it difficult to manage their emotions.
These characteristics might lead people dealing with such issues to absorb stress internally and see their experiences appear as intense and disturbing visuals in their dreams.
Moreover, individuals with fragile psychological barriers—who struggle to distinguish between their feelings and actual events—might find it difficult to screen out disturbing visuals and sentiments during their slumber.
These characteristics have been associated with mental health conditions such as anxiety.
depression
, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), this might clarify why individuals suffering from these issues
report frequent nightmares
.
Nevertheless, individuals who exhibited higher tendencies towards experiencing anxiety and guilt—those characterized as neurotic—did not show an increased likelihood of having nightmares compared to those without such traits.
William Kelly, the lead researcher and an associate professor at the University of the Incarnate Word in Texas, stated
PsyPost
‘It is not unusual to experience nightmares. It appears that certain tendencies can affect them.’
In our research, people who frequently experienced nightmares appeared more prone to having less distinct boundaries among different mental states. Additionally, they tended to be more susceptible to negative emotions and encounter these feelings in multiple ways.
‘It’s as if there is a tendency for an unpleasant mental event to spread across the mind in certain people, like a storm stirring disturbing imagery and emotions in dreams.’
The research team indicated that individuals who often have nightmares could go through a phenomenon known as ‘concretization.’ In this process, intangible mental occurrences transform into physical representations, like disturbing visuals during sleep.
These people might then have a higher tendency to absorb stress and convert it into troubling dreams.
Individuals who possess fragile mental defenses might find themselves encountering unsettling visuals during their sleep and could struggle to block these images out, resulting in bad dreams.
Moreover, the group discovered that individuals possessing sensory processing sensitivity — characterized by a heightened response to both internal and external stimuli — were not more prone to experiencing nightmares.
Kelly mentioned, “It was unexpected that sensory processing sensitivity didn’t correlate with nightmares like it had in earlier research, considering how closely it aligns with having fragile psychological borders.”
‘At present, we do not comprehend this discovery.’
The research had multiple constraints, primarily due to having a participant pool mainly consisting of college students. Consequently, the conclusions may not be applicable to individuals who are older or do not experience stress related to schooling.
The group expressed their desire to broaden the study by examining how nightmares affect various groups of people.
Kelly stated: “A significant portion of people, whether they have mental health issues or not, experience nightmares from time to time. Despite this, the reasons behind them still puzzle us.”
We’ve been trying to figure out which main psychological traits appear to affect whether someone experiences nightmares.
Read more
oleh admin | Nov 26, 2024 | brain health, health, mental health, skills, wellness
We place great emphasis on having a supple body; we practice yoga, engage in stretching routines, and more.
But do we also pay attention to a flexible mind? Yet a flexible mind would help us become mentally and emotionally stronger, more creative and resilient.
Mental flexibility can do a lot for us! The routines we have built up with aging can also limit us. So make work of a more flexible mind that absorbs new information more easily, adapts more quickly to change and finds creative solutions to everyday challenges.
What is mental flexibility?
Mental flexibility is the ability to adapt your thinking, to look at things from a different angle and to let go of patterns (that no longer work).
When we work on a more flexible brain, we give ourselves the space to look at each situation in a fresh way and find solutions that we previously thought were unattainable.
How do I get started?
There are easy methods to “expand” your mind bit by bit every day, making your brain more adaptable.
Step 1:
Small changes, big impact
Start by doing one thing different from what you are used to each day. This is how you break routine. For example, take a different route on your daily walk. Or choose a different place at the table. By making small changes, you challenge your brain to think in a different way. Also, it helps to reduce the “rigidity” in your thinking.
Step 2:
Push yourself to avoid doing something specific.
Adopt the contrary strategy by intentionally avoiding your usual actions.
For instance, you could decide against making your bed immediately after getting up or avoid heading directly for that coffee machine.
In this manner, you discover the sensation of loosening your grip slightly and realize that you can still operate just fine without rigid frameworks.
Step 3:
Change your environment
Alterations in your surroundings prompt your mind to consider new perspectives.
For instance, try sipping your coffee in a new location or take a stroll in an unfamiliar setting. Physical movement continues to be a strong asset and offers a cognitive uplift as well. This shift allows you to discover fresh concepts and enables you to view matters from a broader viewpoint.
Step 4:
Learn something new
Begin thinking “outside the box” by initiating a fresh pastime, such as learning a new skill. Broaden your horizons and embrace novel opportunities. Consider acquiring proficiency in another tongue, engaging with a different musical instrument, or enrolling in a dance class. These activities demand focus, perseverance, and they also encourage the formation of new neural pathways in your brain.
Step 5:
Be bold enough to reflect on your ideas
Regularly challenge your beliefs and allow room for considering different viewpoints. It’s essential to have the courage to doubt our notions of how things “should” or “ought” to be. Must all our actions adhere strictly to these norms? Is achieving perfection truly necessary for every task? Could there possibly be another approach to managing this circumstance? …
Begin your day by flexing your mind!
When you “stretch” your mind, you enhance creativity, resilience, confidence, and develop skills for managing change effectively. This process liberates you from the anxiety of rigid expectations. Through daily minor alterations, you gradually cultivate flexibility in thinking. Over time, this allows you to approach life with openness, welcome novel experiences, and broaden your perspectives. It’s truly a wonderful present to bestow upon yourself!
(SR for SANGKRITALOKA/Source: SeniorenNet/Illustration image: Unsplash)
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oleh admin | Mei 3, 2024 | health and exercise, mental health, resilience building, self improvement, wellness
Each person encounters unforeseen challenges. With the crucial soft skill of resilience, you have the ability to recover and gain insights from these difficulties.
The
more mentally resilient you are
, the more quickly you can recover from challenges or persist in the face of them, according to Wharton psychologist Adam Grant. The trait helps you
take smarter risks
, beat burnout at work and
live a happier life
. Without it, you can more easily get
stuck on your problems
and fall into a negative mental state.
Developing resilience requires time, however, discovering methods to promote well-being, positive thinking, and relationships with others can aid in enhancing your adaptability and mental flexibility, as stated by the source.
American Psychological Association
.
According to experts, here are three practices that can aid in developing strong resilience:
Tend and befriend
When you usually deal with stress by avoiding it or withdrawing,
you’re not alone
However, resilience involves navigating life’s challenges and gaining insights from them, and building social relationships can be beneficial.
“As we all are aware of the fight-or-flight response — the stress reaction that kicks in when we face a perceived danger,” notes executive coach and author Jason Shen
wrote for SANGGRALOKAMake It
In March. However, social scientists have discovered another significant stress reaction known as ‘tend-and-befriend.’ This mechanism entails reaching out to others when confronted with challenging circumstances.
Shen suggests engaging in these activities to foster this behavior:
-
Set up chat sessions with buddies or relatives to talk about the challenging circumstances, or just to lift your spirits.
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Participate in a support group where you can delve into your issues with others who may be going through comparable situations.
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Hug someone. This act increases “feel-good” substances such as oxytocin and endorphins, helping to soothe you when facing stress.
Take a digital break
Material shared on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook can serve as an enjoyable diversion. However, it might also lead to
mental health-related challenges
such as anxiety, depression, poor self-worth, and heightened feelings of solitude or loneliness.
To develop resilience, periodically take a break from technology, advises University of Pennsylvania humanities professor Justin McDaniel — also recognized as the educator who specializes in this area.
Penn’s “monk class.”
McDaniel lived as a monk for nearly a year and discovered that reducing digital consumption allows you to clear your mind and be more present for significant face-to-face interactions—both of which can boost your ability to bounce back from challenges.
I consistently share with my students that many aspects of life hinge on enduring thirty seconds of unease.
McDaniel told Make It
Last year. “Imagine being in an elevator or boarding the subway with another person without instantly taking out your phone?”
Help other people
Performing acts of service for others, such as volunteering, may aid in building your mental toughness and discovering a sense of community, according to the Mayo Clinic.
a blog post
last year.
Looking back at the experience later can reveal the influence of your efforts and assist in keeping up your motivation, as per Grant. He suggests a straightforward approach: Maintain a record of the assistance you’ve provided to others.
After carrying out a study involving two employee groups, Grant discovered that the journaling method was quite effective. In this study, one group focused on writing down things they were thankful for daily, whereas the other concentrated on documenting three instances where they assisted someone else each day.
Cultivating gratitude enhanced people’s happiness levels. It also increased their job satisfaction significantly. However, it did not influence their ability to bounce back from challenges,
Grant told Make It
In 2017, “The real driver of resilience came from concentrating on what we gave to others instead of what we received from them.”
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