Creative Journal by Kailey Dunn

Creative Journal by Kailey Dunn https://padlet.com/kaileymdunn23/e12fbugt3j30g7mu en-us 2023-01-11 18:08:10 UTC 2024-03-31 15:39:39 UTC hello@padlet.com January 11th First Day kaileymdunn23 https://padlet.com/kaileymdunn23/e12fbugt3j30g7mu/wish/2537512781 Today in my first class of Cognitive Behavioural Approaches we discussed what this new semester will bring, learning about some new topics as well as a much-needed check-in to see how we have been doing. Having a refresher on empathy and what it could look like in the classroom was very beneficial for me as it gave me peace of mind and allowed me to relax in this new course for the winter term. Learning about what therapeutic alliance is and how it works was eye-opening for me as it allowed me to reflect back on my time with a therapist and how important it was for me to really feel like I connected with that individual. I went through numerous therapists and agencies as I felt previous individuals did not show me the empathy and connectedness I needed to feel comfortable and heard. Professor Rankin also discussed how using a personalized practice; using many different tools and styles instead of just focusing on one is a common practice which made me realize all the kinds of different strategies my therapist used on me such as CBT, dialect behaviour therapy, mindfulness-based therapy etc. to tend to my needs at that specific time. Having also briefly touched on what CBT actually is, was very insightful. When professor Rankin explained "we are not our thoughts" was really nice reassurance to me as I am someone who struggles with OCD. It is extremely hard for me to not ruminate on my thoughts and think I am a bad person, so that was a nice reminder to have in today's lesson. I look forward to learning more about CBT and how it can help individuals reframe their thought processes. I currently use CBT and am looking forward to being able to practice it on myself the more in-depth we go in our class

]]> 2023-03-30 00:54:37 UTC https://padlet.com/kaileymdunn23/e12fbugt3j30g7mu/wish/2537512781 January 12th Therapeutic Alliance kaileymdunn23 https://padlet.com/kaileymdunn23/e12fbugt3j30g7mu/wish/2537513997 Reading the article about the therapeutic alliance and learning about the importance of having a good relationship with your therapist or anyone for that matter that supports you was a very good reflecting moment for me. It made me think about my past relationships with therapists and how it took me a long time to find one that I felt understood and wanted to help me. I’ve been through many and still am struggling to find one that I really feel can tell me they understand and validate how I am feeling rather than just nodding and saying ‘yes’ to me as I am pouring my heart out. While reading, I learned the term ‘internalization’, it is when therapists have the ability to ‘hold the client's mind within their own’ and I found that really interesting. I think it is important to really have a sense of who your client is and get to know them on a deeper level. I think being able to understand the feelings, motivations and needs of the person you are trying to help is one of the number one things to attain so that your client feels comfortable and trusts you, leading to success in treatment. I think having so many mediocre therapists in the past really inspired me and helped me find my passion for helping people. I don’t want to be a person who does this just for the money or just to be a therapist, I really want to make a difference in people's lives. I want to not only be their therapist, but I want to be their friend. Someone who can laugh with them, just be a person who they can count on to not judge them and be really there for them. I want to make a difference in someone's life. Even though I myself do not have a professional therapist, the person who does that for me right now is my best friend abbey. She is basically my therapist when I need one but she is so much more than that. I can always count on her for anything and she always gives me the best advice and never judges me, sometimes I think she can read my mind.

]]> 2023-03-30 00:55:35 UTC https://padlet.com/kaileymdunn23/e12fbugt3j30g7mu/wish/2537513997 January 18th Self Care Plan kaileymdunn23 https://padlet.com/kaileymdunn23/e12fbugt3j30g7mu/wish/2537515350 As one of our first assignments for cognitive behavioural approaches, we were asked to create a self-care plan for ourselves, creating goals that reflected upon 6 main categories: physical, psychological, emotional, spiritual, relationships and school/workplace. Honestly, assignments for me are not the most fun thing to do, but I genuinely had so much fun with this assignment and it did not feel like a chore to complete it. Before being asked to complete this assignment, I realized I have never given myself the chance to reflect on what I need in my personal life that brings me joy, peace, and ultimately… self-care! I never took the time out of my day to think about what I needed and to think about ways I can practice self-care. I enjoyed digging deeper into myself and coming up with habits and activities from each category that would bring me happiness. Having the time to do this assignment made me excited for the days to come and made me feel overall less overwhelmed the moment I completed it. I am looking forward to taking the time out of my day for these goals, I really am hoping by a month from now that I am feeling more balanced within myself. I even started two out of 6 goals today which were journaling and reading 30 pages of my book! It felt nice to complete the first day, I already feel more accomplished. The picture above is the new book I am reading which is super good so far and my journal that I keep on my bedside

]]> 2023-03-30 00:56:35 UTC https://padlet.com/kaileymdunn23/e12fbugt3j30g7mu/wish/2537515350 January 18th CBT kaileymdunn23 https://padlet.com/kaileymdunn23/e12fbugt3j30g7mu/wish/2537516371 For our second class today, we talked and learned more about cognitive behavioural therapy. We discussed common cognitive distortions that people have and the whole time I thought to myself… ‘oh my goodness I do all of these all the time!’ It honestly made me kind of emotional to realize how hard I am on myself and how so many people deal with the same feelings and thoughts. I am glad professor Rankin spoke about her own personal experiences as I look up to her and it made me feel better about things I deal with daily. I really like how she gave examples of ways we can fix cognitive distortions as I remember doing some of those worksheets before in therapy, such as ‘putting the thoughts on trial’... I always liked that one. It made me think how we do have the answers (power) to these thoughts and it actually is easier to realize that it is your distortion, sometimes you just need a little help and that is okay. I'm glad Professor Rankin included worksheets as I have not done those in a while and it was comforting to go back and realize how helpful they can be. I went and did a thought record for myself but I didn't include what it is about because it was personal to me but I can definitely say my mood improved drastically just from doing this small exercise

]]> 2023-03-30 00:57:27 UTC https://padlet.com/kaileymdunn23/e12fbugt3j30g7mu/wish/2537516371 January 19th Reading Reflection kaileymdunn23 https://padlet.com/kaileymdunn23/e12fbugt3j30g7mu/wish/2537517463 After reading the journal on ‘integrating meta into CBT: How loving kindness and compassion meditation can enhance CBT for treating anxiety and compassion, I have developed a new appreciation for mindfulness and how positivity can help you. My father although non-religious has always told me growing up that if he were to seriously practice a religion it would be Buddhism. My father has been practicing Karate for his whole life since he was 13 and is currently an 8th dan black belt. Throughout the years he has told me how he implements Buddhist practices into his everyday life and how it has helped him in his Karate. My father has always meditated and practiced mindfulness for as long as I can remember and he's told me it always helped him mentally, emotionally and spiritually. I look up to my Father as he is very wise and has always told me what you put out to the world will come back to you, what he meant by that was that the universe is filled with energy and vibration and if you think positively and have self-kindness and self-compassion for yourself, the universe will bring that good karma back to you in different ways. As a person who struggles with a very negative self-schema, a negative outlook on the world and low compassion for myself (I know it is dark) I have definitely dealt with feelings of depression and low self-esteem. My father has taught me many ways to be mindful and not ruminate on the past or what will happen in the future and to just focus on what is now. He also has shown me ways to meditate where I repeat positive affirmations to myself

]]> 2023-03-30 00:58:12 UTC https://padlet.com/kaileymdunn23/e12fbugt3j30g7mu/wish/2537517463 January 25th Emotional Regulation kaileymdunn23 https://padlet.com/kaileymdunn23/e12fbugt3j30g7mu/wish/2537519617 Today we learned the importance of emotional regulation for ourselves, along with how we can use emotion regulation within the helping skills process with others when trying to help them. Emotion regulation is very important to me as an individual as I am a very emotionally sensitive person and struggle to regulate that. I learned that aside from the more obvious benefits, such as feeling better in the immediate term, strong emotional regulation skills can also enhance long-term well-being, improve performance at work, enrich personal relationships, and even lead to better overall health. Emotional regulation is different for everyone in terms of what works for them, and for me, I am still trying to navigate the best ways to help me be in control of my sensitivity and emotions. One thing that I have done for a while that seems to help during high levels of anxiety is a grounding exercise which is very common; it is 5 things I can see, 4 things I can hear, 3 things that I can feel, 2 things that I can smell and 1 thing that I can taste. This technique has helped me come back to reality from some big emotions that I was feeling at the time. I am hoping one of my self-care goals which are journaling for my emotional aspect will help me to self-regulate more.

]]> 2023-03-30 00:59:53 UTC https://padlet.com/kaileymdunn23/e12fbugt3j30g7mu/wish/2537519617 January 26th Emotional Regulation Pt. 2 kaileymdunn23 https://padlet.com/kaileymdunn23/e12fbugt3j30g7mu/wish/2537521364 Emotional regulation is a very prevalent issue for me that like I said previously I have always had to deal with. As I am getting older I am finding more ways to control how I feel and not let it drown me and my well-being. I have found writing it down really helps or just having someone to blurt it all out to has been really beneficial; like a big boulder has been lifted off my chest. But I feel as if I need more ways to deal with it independently when I have no one else around because, for the most part, I am my own caretaker at the end of the day. Learning about the emotional message and using the emotion triangle has aided me in finding more ways to emotionally regulate myself independently. I have been writing down my emotions and then thinking about what body sensations and behaviour follows to try and help me understand all of the physical and mental sensations I am feeling so next time I am better and picking up clues to help me better understand why I feel the way I feel so I can kick it in the butt before I feel too much. It has helped me understand that I am a very sensitive and emotional being and I feel everything very hard throughout my body, my mind and behaviour. Even though controlling emotions is hard for me and is viewed as negative I can see some pros to being a very emotional being. I am an empath, every emotion someone else is feeling I will feel and I guess that is a blessing in disguise. I am glad I can experience a range of emotions as they all play an important and helpful role in my life and I am happy I can understand them and pinpoint them it is just very hard for me not to dwell on those emotions and let them go. I have also thought about the zone of tolerance and it made me reflect on how much of my day I spend in hyper-arousal. What I have been doing as kind of a behavioural activation activity is keeping track of where I am on the scale each day and what activities made me too hyper-aroused and ones that had me perfectly in the zone. I have adjusted my days so that I am doing activities that will not make me too emotional but have activities that give me a sense of serenity and calmness so I can be mindful about where I am in the zone and what my triggers are. On the topic of triggers, I also have been using a trigger log to monitor all important parts of my emotional reactions. It helped me understand what first made me upset, and then my autopilot reaction after I had my emotional reaction which was never really a good coping mechanism and instead a very maladaptive behaviour. It has helped me change what my subconcious reaction is and use more healthy mechanisms to try and calm myself down.

]]> 2023-03-30 01:01:18 UTC https://padlet.com/kaileymdunn23/e12fbugt3j30g7mu/wish/2537521364 February 1st Motivation kaileymdunn23 https://padlet.com/kaileymdunn23/e12fbugt3j30g7mu/wish/2537522579 Today we talked about motivation and motivational interviewing and how that is important in supporting ourselves and our clients. I think motivation is a really important aspect of change, you can not change unless you want to. I think motivation has always been really hard for me in my life. Ever since I was little my dad used to say my favourite word is ‘no’ and it still rings true to this day unfortunately. I’ve always wondered why I lacked emotional regulation and motivation and I think it was because I had a lot of psychological trauma growing up in the midst of puberty and went through it on my own and I never had the support to learn how to motivate myself and self-regulate. I enjoyed having the discussion today about the connection between motivation and self-confidence, and how our core beliefs we have can tell us about our self-motivation. I have many negative core beliefs of myself that I try and protect, and my friend chanel made a great point of saying that we stay in that negative mindset of ourselves because it is comfortable and because the unknown is scary for me. Change has always been very scary and I've had a slow-to-warm-up temperament since I was little which makes it hard for me to be motivated to change. After reflecting on what motivates me I think incentives are a really strong motivator as I have low confidence with many things so being able to do something that proves to myself I can do it makes me want to change more, as well as changing my environment in a way that helps me focus and makes me want to be my best self. Today I finished some assignments and made my environment more tidy (pictured above) which really helped me become motivated, I also think having the time to listen to discussions in class helped me be on the right track as I am not the only one experiencing these emotions

]]> 2023-03-30 01:02:18 UTC https://padlet.com/kaileymdunn23/e12fbugt3j30g7mu/wish/2537522579 Febuary 8th Problem Solving kaileymdunn23 https://padlet.com/kaileymdunn23/e12fbugt3j30g7mu/wish/2537524192 Today in class, we went over problem-solving therapy and how to guide a client through successfully solving an issue. I reflected on what I personally do when trying to help a friend or family member resolve a problem and what I already do but also what I can improve on. I can think back to a time when I was trying to solve my own problem and how I deal with it. I realized that I have a negative orientation and an avoidant problem-solving style. Having the opportunity to do the recipe card activity helped me understand what is important when using this therapy and I appreciated all the different kinds of inputs my peers put in, as there are many different tools and skills you can use. I think trying to understand the problem is the first important step to understanding how your thoughts influence your feelings and your feelings influence your behaviour. It is important to understand how these 3 interact with each other so we can make changes in how to regulate our emotions and change our behaviour. If not focused on, it can lead to maladaptive, avoidant behaviour that I am definitely guilty of.

]]> 2023-03-30 01:03:38 UTC https://padlet.com/kaileymdunn23/e12fbugt3j30g7mu/wish/2537524192 February 15th Role Play kaileymdunn23 https://padlet.com/kaileymdunn23/e12fbugt3j30g7mu/wish/2537525389 We had our first role-play of the semester today about helping a client achieve a SMART goal, as well as implementing motivational interviewing and problem-solving strategies. I have always found role-plays a really good way for me to learn because a lot of the time I learn by actually doing it, and I also think it is very informative as I learn a lot from the style I approach it with and how others do it as well. I learned a lot from just those 5 minutes of conversation such as not telling and/or suggesting to the client what to do, instead giving them prompts for them to tell you their ideas and strategies for change and work from there. The client should be able to have an idea already of their goal, we are just the ‘processing experts’ helping give them that little boost to success. Someone made a great point in class pointing out that clients should not be in the pre-contemplation stage of change or the contemplation stage but rather the preparation and action stage for them to be successful. If someone is in the pre-contemplation or even contemplation stage you are not going to get as much out of their therapy as you want, the client needs to be aware, have intention, and take the actual act of changing behaviour. Additionally, having a relationship with the client is super important for creating that trust between the two of you that allows a very communicative and effective session. You want the client to know you understand them by asking questions and getting to know them, giving them affirmations, reflecting and validating statements, as well as summarizing what you both have discussed so they feel understood and confident. This falls under the OARS technique in motivational interviewing which I think is super effective and something that I will use in my everyday life. Another big takeaway I got from this role play is emphasizing the fact that ‘change is not linear’, I think that is important for anyone to hear because it is true, it’s not! Everyone is healing and growing at a different pace than everyone else, and there are always going to be setbacks but that is normal. You need those setbacks and negative things because those are what actually make a difference and make you stronger and work harder in the end. If change was perfect, we would never know how to deal with setbacks and emotionally regulate ourselves, or how to problem solve, all of those skills that are essential to life. I think is super important to tell your clients that so they don’t feel so much pressure to be perfect, and always do well and push through because life is hard sometimes and we are all human and it is hard for everyone, so explaining that to your client during the change processes can really help them generate a new perspective and not be so hard on themselves

]]> 2023-03-30 01:04:43 UTC https://padlet.com/kaileymdunn23/e12fbugt3j30g7mu/wish/2537525389 February 22nd Behavioural Activation kaileymdunn23 https://padlet.com/kaileymdunn23/e12fbugt3j30g7mu/wish/2537526478 After learning about behavioural activation in class today, I can understand the importance and how much it can help an individual break that negative feedback loop. Behavioural activation is an approach to mental health, specifically depression that involves someone using behaviours to influence their emotional state. The video on how to reduce depression with behavioural activation emphasizes the fact increased levels of activity can help with an increase in positive mood with a focus on 3 types of activation; pleasure or enjoyment, accomplishment or achievement, and social interaction. Sahar in today’s lesson made a good point about how previously people just focused on ‘feeling better’ but now it is important to note that in order to feel better we actually need to do the work and try new activities to get out of ruminating thoughts. I appreciated what Kayleigh mentioned about how a lot of activation can come from simple things such as your morning routine; showering, having coffee, brushing your teeth are all activations of accomplishment that aid in how your day will go. She explained that disruptions and negative ways to cope can not allow you to do well

]]> 2023-03-30 01:05:30 UTC https://padlet.com/kaileymdunn23/e12fbugt3j30g7mu/wish/2537526478 March 1st Exposure Therapy kaileymdunn23 https://padlet.com/kaileymdunn23/e12fbugt3j30g7mu/wish/2537527101 I really loved learning about exposure therapy as it is something I learned in ABA 1 last semester but I never really thought of it when dealing with mental health, I always thought that it was strictly for people with phobias of objects but I now have learned you can use it for panic disorders, social anxiety disorders, OCD, PTSD as well as generalized anxiety. Now that I knew that it was effective for all of these mental illnesses it made me reflect on my journey dealing with mental illness and how being ‘exposed’ to something helped me battle and conquer OCD. I dealth with many compulsions over the years as I thought if I did not do it, something bad would happen and I was a bad person. I think my mom used exposure therapy without her or even me realizing now that I looked back on it which actually tremendously helped me realize that there was never a threat. My ‘compulsion’ was getting that validation and confirmation from someone else that I wasnt bad and that everything that I am thinking is okay and normal. We would refrain from the routine to where I was not getting that validation from others and I had to sit in the discomfort of my thoughts until I fully believed that nothing bad was going to happen if I did not get that confirmation from others. In a way I guess it was exposure and response prevention where we practiced confronting my intrusive thoughts that provoked my obsessions and then made a choice not to act on the compulsion once anxiety was triggered. I remember sitting in that uncomfortablness which felt like a lifetime, but slowly and surely without even noticing my obsessions and compulsions were just not bugging me anymore. I still deal with intrusive thoughts every once and a while but I used exposure and response prevention on myself subconciously without even knowing thats what I was doing. Learning about exposure therapy was eye-opening for me and gave me a new appreciation for how much it can help OCD along with other disorders.

]]> 2023-03-30 01:06:04 UTC https://padlet.com/kaileymdunn23/e12fbugt3j30g7mu/wish/2537527101 March 15th Mindfulness kaileymdunn23 https://padlet.com/kaileymdunn23/e12fbugt3j30g7mu/wish/2537530128 Being mindful has always been really hard for me, or at least understanding and knowing when to be intentionally mindful. Learning about it made me take a step back and think how many hours do I spend during day not being present and I actually thought to myself I have no clue because I do not think I actually understand how to be mindful and what mindfulness entails. I know it is defined as being aware and present in the moment but how ‘aware’ and how ‘present’ do you actually need to be to be mindful, because in that case arent I always mindful? I found the lesson to be very informative but I still had some unanswered questions and it made me really want to try it myself and really commit to understanding what it looks like and feels to be completely in the moment. I think because I am thinking and have thoughts racing all the time every hour of the day mindfulness can really benefit me but because I do struggle with thoughts never leaving my mind, I knew it was going to be much harder to get into the groove. Doing the mindfulness mediation in class was a great example of this, as it was super hard for me. I felt myself doing good for the first 5 minutes but as I kept sitting there, I started getting very restless as I kept wondering ‘how much longer is this’ and then I was too hot and uncomfortable, and then my back hurt and the people outside were distracting me and I thought to myself ‘how can someone do this for 15 minutes’ I also think being aware of my breathing made me even more anxious. I definitely think it could help me with my racing thoughts as the lesson placed a great emphasis on how thoughts are just thoughts and to be aware of them but just let them be and it made me determined to figure this mindfulness stuff out. I think being in a classroom environment and knowing people were around me also made it unsuccessful so last night I set up a spot on my bed with a candle and essential oils with music playing and did a short 10 minute mindfulness meditation and although it was still hard it managed to be much easier than the first one.

]]> 2023-03-30 01:08:28 UTC https://padlet.com/kaileymdunn23/e12fbugt3j30g7mu/wish/2537530128 March 15th Mindfulness Pt. 2 kaileymdunn23 https://padlet.com/kaileymdunn23/e12fbugt3j30g7mu/wish/2537530819 Today we learned about mindfulness facilitation and what is characterized as mindfulness; it is the act of being self aware which arises from paying attention, on purpose, non-judgmentally. I learned that there are both formal and informal practices of mindfulness as I did not know informal practice were a thing; it made me realize all of the informal practice I do on a day to day basis such as driving and when in the shower. These are informal practices for me because I do not actively decide before doing these activities but after learning about informal practices I have realized how mindful I am after the fact. When I am driving I listen to music and pay attention to what I am hearing and I usually do most of my thinking when driving. In the shower I focus on how the water feels on my body my fingers on my scalp and I realize how calm and mindful I am being without forcing anything on me as I find formal mindfulness to be quite challenging for me. On the basis of formal mindfulness we did two practices; one that involved breath work meditation and one that was a mantra mediation. The first one was really challenging for me as I just could not get into it, I think the mans voice was also just super off putting for me as well. My issues seemed to contradict those of my classmates as I found it easier within the first 5 minutes but as time went on I felt more and more agitated and uncomfortable as I was getting hot, my back hurt and my mind was racing a mile a minute.

]]> 2023-03-30 01:09:01 UTC https://padlet.com/kaileymdunn23/e12fbugt3j30g7mu/wish/2537530819 March 12th Reflecting Back on Self Care Plan kaileymdunn23 https://padlet.com/kaileymdunn23/e12fbugt3j30g7mu/wish/2537533810 I have been reflecting back on my self care plan and have been wanting to see how much my well-being has improved since completing it in week 2 of the course. I loved completing the activity as it was a great way for me to have a creative outlet and come up with self-care goals that are personal and individualized for myself and lifestyle but in all honesty it has been really hard keeping up with 6 self-care goals with how busy my life is at the moment. 3/6 self care goals I have been keeping up with and it has made me extremely proud of myself and increased my happiness, call it a behavioural activation if you will! I have been adamant on my physical self care goal of walking outside 5 days out of the week, it has really been a mindful practice for me and has allowed me to appreciate nature a whole lot more and I think just having been working out and releasing all those feel good hormones has been a big help for me especially with seasonal depression. Secondly, my relationship self care goal has also been going well and I have been prioritizing my relationships much more than I used to and it's been making me feel really good, even if it is just a quick check up on them. This has always been a goal in my life that is in the back of my mind as I have had situations in the past with friends that I have not been so proud of so making sure I maintain my relationships has been amazing, as I have gotten closer to a lot more people in my life and gives me a source of socialization which is something I value a lot! Lastly, my school self care goal has been going really well as I have been trying my best to get things done early and not wait till the last minute. It has significantly reduced my stressed and has actually allowed me to have more self care time for other things which is always a bonus. I am proud that I have been successful in carrying through at least ¾ self care goals and will try and complete the rest during the summer as they might be much more achievable will the extra time I have

]]> 2023-03-30 01:10:31 UTC https://padlet.com/kaileymdunn23/e12fbugt3j30g7mu/wish/2537533810 March 10th Behavioural Activation Reflection kaileymdunn23 https://padlet.com/kaileymdunn23/e12fbugt3j30g7mu/wish/2537541366 I LOVED learning about behavioural activation as well as completing the assignment! I think it can be very helpful for anyone struggling with mental health or even just getting through daily tasks with all the stressors and challenges us humans face in everyday life. I actually have challenged my family to do it as well as I told them how much it helped me when I was alone at home for a week! My parents and I have actually made our own little family activity monitoring worksheet just for fun and have tracked down our day to day activities and moods and then have decided which ones make us feel the best and then we come together and discuss what we can do together as a family or with 2 of us depending on our interests! For example me and my mom realized we both feel our best when pampering ourselves so we decided once a month we will get our nails done together. Me and my dad both feel very happy when we eat so we now once a week will go out to eat together! And for all of us as a family we enjoy watching movies so every Friday night we have decided we are going to watch a movie! This has been a super fun experiencing getting my family into behavioural activation even though we have not done the process step by step we have incorporated little bits and pieces of the process so that when we are feeling down or upset we can remember that we all have these little activities in common and do them together so we feel better as a family. This has been a very therapeutic practice for all of us and has allowed me to become closer with my parents as a result. Above is a picture I took of my food when me and my dad went out to eat together as Korean food uplifts us both and makes us happy

]]> 2023-03-30 01:15:41 UTC https://padlet.com/kaileymdunn23/e12fbugt3j30g7mu/wish/2537541366 March 22nd Acceptance & Commitment kaileymdunn23 https://padlet.com/kaileymdunn23/e12fbugt3j30g7mu/wish/2537543715 The choice point video when learning about acceptance and commitment therapy was really resonated with. Away moves and toward moves are behaviours that either give our life meaning and make us into better, happier individuals (towards moves) or behaviours that we do that are ineffective behaving unlike the person we want to be (away moves). As it said in the video, I too find myself participating in away moves when life gets difficult and I am sad or confused, lost or whatever it may be because that is what is easiest for me. I think I just tend to dwell in my sadness rather than trying to uplift myself because once I am in that mindset it is way easier for me to just stay in it than try and come out of it which does not help change in any way. Tami made a good point in our class discussion today saying that some patients just want to talk and they are not willing to actually do the homework and be productive for change and I thought to myself… ‘omg thats me, probably why I have been through so many therapists’. Yes of course it is so nice to talk things out and get it off my chest and sometimes that is all you need but those thoughts and feelings will not change or go away UNTIL you break that cycle and start committing to change. Sahar also made a good point in saying that we avoid issues because it is easier and feels good in the moment but in the long run you are actually making the issues worse for yourself. “Running away from any problem only increases the distance from the solution. The easiest way to escape from the problem is to solve it”. This was a huge lightbulb moment for me. I learned it is okay to have problems in life and deal with hardships but the more we run away from it the more we are never going to learn to cope with and accept what is happening. I need to be able to allow my thoughts and feelings to be there but accept them from what they are and instead of dwelling on them and putting myself in a box and moving away I need to accept in and try my best to not let these problems ruin my life, and live life to the fullest extent, going towards the things that make life meaningful for me. I decided I would create a vision board of my values and what I enjoy and what makes me fulfilled so next time I am in that headspace and moving away I can look at my vision board and remember all of the things that will help me move toward.

]]> 2023-03-30 01:17:15 UTC https://padlet.com/kaileymdunn23/e12fbugt3j30g7mu/wish/2537543715 March 29th Mindfulness Facilitation Exercises kaileymdunn23 https://padlet.com/kaileymdunn23/e12fbugt3j30g7mu/wish/2537544340 March 29th

The mindfulness facilitation exercises we have done for the past two weeks have been extremely beneficial in terms of the season we are in with school and has just allowed me to develop an appreciation for them so I can incorporate more informal practices within my everyday life instead of feeling like I have to do it as a ‘chore’. I really enjoyed learning about how to be mindful when waking up and doing a mindfulness stretch as it is the time in the day when I feel you are the most vulnerable and can really be the most in tune with your body and how you feel and start your day off with a clear mind. I also enjoyed learning about how to be mindful when walking as it is something we do everyday but do not really notice how mindful we can be when doing it. Most of the time I am alone when I am walking and my mind is going a mile per minute so taking the time to pause and appreciate the scenery, notice my breathing and the sounds around me, along with what I can feel in my body and outside is a super great informal practice that I can incorporate within my life.

]]> 2023-03-30 01:17:44 UTC https://padlet.com/kaileymdunn23/e12fbugt3j30g7mu/wish/2537544340 March 30th Dialectical Behavioural Therapy kaileymdunn23 https://padlet.com/kaileymdunn23/e12fbugt3j30g7mu/wish/2537545331 I think dialectical behavioural therapy showcases perfectly what the human thought process is all about and explains that not everything is black or white but there are gray areas to every situation. I can see how this can help many people who feel stuck in a situation and cannot seem to get out of the funk they are in and look at all the other different situations and perspectives. I think for me as someone who struggles with dealing with their emotions it can be a very effective practice for me to think outside the box and think of other situations to help tolerate my stress as well as improve my awareness allowing me to realize the choice and control I have over my life and emotions. “You can’t stop the waves but you can learn to surf” really resonates with me as to me it means that unfortunately bad things are going to happen to you but you can take that problem and shift your perspective to see the good in it, this also kind of reminded me of the yin yang meaning that there is good in the bad and bad in the good and if you recognize that you can understand life's interconnectedness and how everything balances each other out to create harmony in ones life

]]> 2023-03-30 01:18:22 UTC https://padlet.com/kaileymdunn23/e12fbugt3j30g7mu/wish/2537545331 April 3rd Ending Off With A Bang kaileymdunn23 https://padlet.com/kaileymdunn23/e12fbugt3j30g7mu/wish/2537550583 To end this creative assignment journal I wanted to reflect on my journey and growth throughout this course and how much I have learned in such a short amount of time. This experience of journaling has been very healing for me and has gotten me out of my comfort zone, being vulnerable, and expressing myself more. Journaling has always been hard for me to do, as I never felt like I had the time for this but this has given me an outlet to truly let out everything and learn more about myself and gain knowledge on how I can help others in the future. I think through this process it has allowed me to have more grace for myself with things and not be so hard on myself but it has also been eye-opening for me in other ways and has made me realize what I can change and what I can do better to improve my quality of life. Everything that I have learned so far I have related to in some way or another has been really beneficial for me in understanding why we do these strategies and why so many professionals use them. It has made me passionate and excited for the future thinking about how I can incorporate all the things we learned not only in future practice but with myself and my friends. I think doing this assignment has encouraged me to keep journaling in my life whether it be every day or once a week, it is a great way to understand yourself better and realize a lot of things that you would have just pushed under the rug also. This assignment in itself I feel has incorporated little aspects of everything we have learned so far such as emotional regulation, motivation, problem-solving, behavioural activation and definitely mindfulness and facilitation. Because I cannot draw, the picture above is a Padlet creation about how I feel after completing this! :)

]]> 2023-03-30 01:22:00 UTC https://padlet.com/kaileymdunn23/e12fbugt3j30g7mu/wish/2537550583 Thought of the Day kaileymdunn23 https://padlet.com/kaileymdunn23/e12fbugt3j30g7mu/wish/2538775091 2023-03-30 17:55:31 UTC https://padlet.com/kaileymdunn23/e12fbugt3j30g7mu/wish/2538775091 Thought of the Day kaileymdunn23 https://padlet.com/kaileymdunn23/e12fbugt3j30g7mu/wish/2538780300 2023-03-30 17:59:30 UTC https://padlet.com/kaileymdunn23/e12fbugt3j30g7mu/wish/2538780300 Thought of the Day kaileymdunn23 https://padlet.com/kaileymdunn23/e12fbugt3j30g7mu/wish/2538788203 2023-03-30 18:05:51 UTC https://padlet.com/kaileymdunn23/e12fbugt3j30g7mu/wish/2538788203 Thought of the day kaileymdunn23 https://padlet.com/kaileymdunn23/e12fbugt3j30g7mu/wish/2538825122 2023-03-30 18:37:00 UTC https://padlet.com/kaileymdunn23/e12fbugt3j30g7mu/wish/2538825122 Thought of the Day kaileymdunn23 https://padlet.com/kaileymdunn23/e12fbugt3j30g7mu/wish/2538855383 2023-03-30 19:04:02 UTC https://padlet.com/kaileymdunn23/e12fbugt3j30g7mu/wish/2538855383 Mindfulness w/ Kailey: Singing Bowl Edition kaileymdunn23 https://padlet.com/kaileymdunn23/e12fbugt3j30g7mu/wish/2538914161 2023-03-30 20:08:10 UTC https://padlet.com/kaileymdunn23/e12fbugt3j30g7mu/wish/2538914161 Songs That Make Me Happy kaileymdunn23 https://padlet.com/kaileymdunn23/e12fbugt3j30g7mu/wish/2538919816 2023-03-30 20:15:14 UTC https://padlet.com/kaileymdunn23/e12fbugt3j30g7mu/wish/2538919816 Songs That Make Me Happy kaileymdunn23 https://padlet.com/kaileymdunn23/e12fbugt3j30g7mu/wish/2538920664 2023-03-30 20:16:21 UTC https://padlet.com/kaileymdunn23/e12fbugt3j30g7mu/wish/2538920664 Songs That Make Me Happy kaileymdunn23 https://padlet.com/kaileymdunn23/e12fbugt3j30g7mu/wish/2538922576 2023-03-30 20:18:57 UTC https://padlet.com/kaileymdunn23/e12fbugt3j30g7mu/wish/2538922576 Songs That Make Me Happy kaileymdunn23 https://padlet.com/kaileymdunn23/e12fbugt3j30g7mu/wish/2538923416 2023-03-30 20:20:07 UTC https://padlet.com/kaileymdunn23/e12fbugt3j30g7mu/wish/2538923416 Thought of The Day kaileymdunn23 https://padlet.com/kaileymdunn23/e12fbugt3j30g7mu/wish/2538927169 2023-03-30 20:24:53 UTC https://padlet.com/kaileymdunn23/e12fbugt3j30g7mu/wish/2538927169 Gratitude w/ Kailey kaileymdunn23 https://padlet.com/kaileymdunn23/e12fbugt3j30g7mu/wish/2538935018 I am grateful for my friends! They are so funny and awesome]]> 2023-03-30 20:35:25 UTC https://padlet.com/kaileymdunn23/e12fbugt3j30g7mu/wish/2538935018 Gratitude w/ Kailey kaileymdunn23 https://padlet.com/kaileymdunn23/e12fbugt3j30g7mu/wish/2538936350 I am grateful for nature and being a part of it ]]> 2023-03-30 20:37:16 UTC https://padlet.com/kaileymdunn23/e12fbugt3j30g7mu/wish/2538936350 Gratitude w/ Kailey kaileymdunn23 https://padlet.com/kaileymdunn23/e12fbugt3j30g7mu/wish/2538937368 I am grateful for yummy food]]> 2023-03-30 20:38:23 UTC https://padlet.com/kaileymdunn23/e12fbugt3j30g7mu/wish/2538937368 Gratitude w/ Kailey kaileymdunn23 https://padlet.com/kaileymdunn23/e12fbugt3j30g7mu/wish/2538938582 I am grateful that I am able to travel and see beautiful places like these]]> 2023-03-30 20:39:43 UTC https://padlet.com/kaileymdunn23/e12fbugt3j30g7mu/wish/2538938582 Gratitude w/ Kailey kaileymdunn23 https://padlet.com/kaileymdunn23/e12fbugt3j30g7mu/wish/2538939897 I am grateful for my kitty, Louie... even though he sometimes can be very mean]]> 2023-03-30 20:41:38 UTC https://padlet.com/kaileymdunn23/e12fbugt3j30g7mu/wish/2538939897 Gratitude w/ Kailey kaileymdunn23 https://padlet.com/kaileymdunn23/e12fbugt3j30g7mu/wish/2538942792 I am grateful for my family and the close relationship I have with them]]> 2023-03-30 20:43:34 UTC https://padlet.com/kaileymdunn23/e12fbugt3j30g7mu/wish/2538942792 Gratitude w/ Kailey kaileymdunn23 https://padlet.com/kaileymdunn23/e12fbugt3j30g7mu/wish/2538944601 I am grateful for my boyfriend]]> 2023-03-30 20:45:00 UTC https://padlet.com/kaileymdunn23/e12fbugt3j30g7mu/wish/2538944601