A summary of ALL Headspace Guildford’s blogs!

Today’s blog was written by Rachel Howard and Lily Stamp, Assistant Psychologists at Headspace Guildford.

 

Our blogs are written by the Assistant Psychologist and Clinical Psychologist at Headspace Guildford. These blogs are aimed at children, young people and parents. We cover topics such as school anxiety, self-guided therapy techniques, ways to be kinder to others and yourself, and factual information about our service as well as myths within the Clinical Psychology World. 

Today’s blog will summarise all the blogs Headspace Guildford has ever posted. Let us know if there is anything you would like us to blog about, we would love to hear what you think!!

Our blogs: 

Too much information can be overwhelming for people, especially when the internet is full of ‘facts’ and ‘science’ (some of which are not facts and not based in any science). It is therefore a good thing to become more aware of the information we consume. Some of it can be misleading or just plain wrong and this can result in us making choices that might not be good for us. Our blog aims to deliver high quality information on mental health and wellbeing for children, young people, and adults, by providing information from Clinical Psychologists. 

Here’s a summary so you don’t have to go searching:

What we do at Headspace Guildford – This section is specific to what we do here, in terms of therapy, ASD assessment, and inclusivity.

• • Dealing with feelings is a whole lot of fun – Some things we do here at Headspace Guildford

• • ASD assessments: The Headspace Guildford way – How we set up and conduct ASD assessments 

• • Black lives matter at Headspace Guildford – The work we are doing as a practice to be more thoughtful and inclusive.

• • Nervous about coming to Headspace Guildford? – Advice from another child who has been to Headspace Guildford

• • What happens in a virtual psychology session? – What our virtual psychology sessions include and what to expect
  • Myth busting #1 – my feelings are wrong – There are others with similar feelings to you, you aren’t alone and your feelings are valid
  • Myth busting: Psychologists know what you’re thinking – Clinical Psychology is about people and what they bring and what they’re going through or managing.
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Stress and anxiety – This section includes tips on how to deal with your stress and anxiety

• • Just breathe… – How to focus on your breathing to ease your anxiety

• • You are good enough – Thinking about that critical voice inside your head

• • What’s happened to you? – Focusing on understanding your life events to make you who you are today

• • Real life – Reminder to ground yourself, to become more present

• • Trains, traffic and emotional regulation – Explaining emotional regulation

• • Mental health is like running… – Taking small steps to achieve your goals

• • What life was like growing up – Thinking about how our childhood impacts who we are as an adult

• • How worries spiral – Explaining how one worrying thought can spiral into many more and how to focus on being present

• • When anxiety is bothering you… – Tips on how to support yourself when you’re becoming overwhelmed with anxiety

• • Managing your ‘Stress bucket’ – Managing how to cope with stress especially after a break

• • Look for rainbows – Gratitude, Mindfulness to help with stressful and worrying times

 

Kindness – This section includes blogs on why it is important to be kind to others as well as yourself and how you can practise kindness. 

• • The power of kindness – How kindness can make us feel more alone, and how being kind can be easy

• • Practice Compassion – The importance of compassion and how to be compassionate

• • Kindness as a way of living – How being kind can make us happier too

• • Being kind because we’re part of something bigger – Why being kind is good for other people and it can help us grow as a challenge

• • Random acts of kindness – Ideas for how to show kindness

• • Action for Happiness – A calendar for different acts of kindness

• • Supporting people in loss – It can be difficult to understand how to support others in loss, and some ideas on how to cope with this

• • When you feel helpless, help others – Advice on how to support other people who are feeling powerless or afraid 

 

Self-Compassion – This section includes blogs which talk about having self-compassion and compassion for others.

• • Deathbed hindsight – Being mindful when thinking about life events 

• • Beyond busy – Trying to stay mindful when busy 

• • Are you really listening to me? – Examples of how to know if you are actively listening to people or engaging in conversation

• • Beyond busy and making time for headspace – Making sure to find space from your busy life to look after your mental health

• • Bad feelings and riding the waves – Sometimes we need to sit with the bad feelings and emotions in order to overcome them

• • Hope beyond the headlines – Something to consider when all hope seems lost when caught in the headlines

• • Practise what you preach – 50 ways to take care of your mental health

• • Looking after ourselves – Ideas on how to support our own mental health

• • Magic wands and hard work – Therapy means working hard at supporting your mental health

• • The best and the worst of us – Understanding that people can have good and bad days 

• • It isn’t your fault – Understanding the way we think and feel and not blaming ourselves

 

Self-Guided Therapy – This section includes blogs which are aimed at supporting individuals with self-guided therapy. 

School – This section includes blogs mainly focusing on school anxiety

• • How to make it through exam season… – Reminder to focus on the present to reduce worry

• • Back to school worries: NRTIHRN – Steps to help bring your focus onto the present

• • School anxiety – Helping your children to talk about their anxiety monsters and helping them feel heard

• • Feelings about transition – Personal blog about school transition

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Journey towards and into Clinical Psychology – Tips and tricks into becoming a CP

• • Journeys towards and into Clinical Psychology – What it takes to get onto the doctorate/ new blog series

• • Journeys towards and into Clinical Psychology (2) – Sharing a journey – SEN work and placement

• • Journeys towards and into Clinical Psychology (3) – Sharing a journey – School charities and CAMHS
  • Policies, Press Releases, Parliamentary Bills: 2023 so far! – A bullet point summary so far

 

Big Events/ Holidays – Not everyone enjoys the holiday seasons and this section includes blogs about why that’s ok. It also includes how to support your mental health during big event periods. 

• • Is it the season to feel jolly? – Understanding it is ok to not feel in the season to be jolly
  • Savouring the little holiday things – Using ACT therapy to help the good and bad

• • New year reflections – Understanding the type of person you are and seeking support in the ways the best suite you, whether that be exercise or talking. 

• • A self-care advert calendar – 25 ideas for self-care 

• • Looking after your mental health in the Holiday Season – 5 ideas to help your mental health during the holiday season

• • The end of one chapter and the start of another – Using reflection to help you look forward to change

• • Having fun and looking after your mental health this summer – A list of ideas to do in the summer

Covid-19 – This section includes blogs on how to manage your mental health during difficult life events and can therefore be helpful even beyond Covid. 

• • Corono-anxiety – The news can make everything seem scary – time to focus on the good

• • Coronanxiety #2: understanding anxiety – Understanding how our brain works in terms of anxiety

• • Managing C-19 stress/anxiety – A webinar to managing stress and anxiety

• • Wellbeing quick tips for NHS staff – A series of 5 mini-webinars to get through the tough times

• • 3 weeks into lockdown… – Tips to keep yourself into a good headspace during difficult times

• • Getting though lockdown: managing yourself – Tips to support yourself through difficult times, and quick reminders

• • Not there yet: finding our way to a new normal – Understanding changes causes finding a new pattern and routine

• • Lockdown exhaustion – Explaining lockdown exhaustion with links to the fatigue model

• • Lockdown Patience – 8 tips to support your patience during lockdown

• • Managing anxiety post-lockdown – Ideas to help your children open up about their difficult emotions

• • Managing low mood through lockdown easing – Understanding the new normal and how to support your mental health