Welcome to our all-new WorryTree app!
If you’ve installed or updated WorryTree recently then you’ll know we’ve made some really big changes - not just to the look and feel of our app but also to how it works, with some wonderful new features that we’re really proud of!
So today we’re going to break down the changes that we’ve made here, and introduce you to our new look WorryTree!
It’s that time of year again in the northern hemisphere when it’s dark when you wake up, sunny while you're at work, and dark again by the time you get home. For the lucky few, this is something they don’t even think about, but if you're anything like me it can have a massive toll on your mental health. This is because of something called Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), also known as winter depression.
Life can be really uncertain sometimes. Things come up that are scary and hard, whether that’s unexpected pandemics, health scares, job losses, divorce or some other major life challenge.
When the shit hits the fan it’s hard to think straight. In uncertain times thoughts can spiral endlessly for days and you can find yourself sucked into the Google void and obsessively catastrophising every possible worst-case scenario. If you’re someone who lives with habitual negative thinking or generalised anxiety in the best of times, the worst of times can seem completely overwhelming. Insurmountable.
There’s a superpower we have though that we can use in our favour. Planning…
Going back to school after a long break can feel daunting, especially if you are moving to a new and unfamiliar environment such as going from primary school to high school, high school to college and college to university. It’s okay to feel worried about this, whether it’s you that’s in school, or your child taking a new step in their life…
‘Distraction’ is really referring to the practice of mindfully refocusing your attention. This is where we break the chain of worried thinking and rumination by doing something else, preferably physical. I’m sure you’ve been there. A worried thought has popped into your mind and before you know it that thought has snowballed into a hundred other negative thoughts.
I am so delighted to be able share another guest post blog as our first post of the New Year! Lesley Salem launched Over The Bloody Moon to provide help and support to women who, like Lesley, are struggling with perimenopausal symptoms like anxiety and depression. Read on to find out more about her journey and how she might be able to help you too. You can follow Lesley on Instagram at @overthebloodymoon!
I’ve recently been trying a new daily practice to help me manage my worries called a thought download. The basic idea of this is spending fifteen minutes, every day if possible, literally downloading all of my thoughts onto a piece of paper until my mind is empty. It’s early days, but I do find this process empties my mind of all the clutter, and then depending on how much time I have I will pick one or two of the thoughts and work them through in WorryTree.
One thing I’ve noticed since I began practicing this technique is that a large number of my downloaded thoughts tend to begin with ‘what if’.
Have you come across ‘worry time’ before? It’s a technique that many people use to help them manage their worries and anxiety.
The principle is this - rather than worrying and feeling anxious throughout the day, you make a note somewhere of your worries and then you schedule a specific time each day when you work through your worried thoughts.
I don’t know about you but my Instagram and Pinterest feeds have been full lately of the importance of practicing gratitude for our mental health. And there really does seem to be some great science behind it.
It’s thought that people who practice gratitude regularly by taking a moment each day to think about the things they are thankful for, large or small, are generally more satisfied with their lives and more resilient in difficult times. In fact Brene Brown, in her 12 years of research, has found that it’s not that joyful people are more likely to be grateful for what they have, it’s that people who are practice feeling grateful are more joyful as a result.
