Category Archives: Jacqueline

Days of the week…

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I am reading a book by Oliver Sachs at the moment and I have just read a very interesting chapter on Synaesthesia – on how some people see musical notes or days of the week in colour i.e. their senses get muddled up. I haven’t got that but I have always thought of Monday as a blue day – maybe because of the song.

For people who have depression one of the common pieces of advice is to plan something to do every day – preferably something pleasant- not in an empty pursuit of happiness, but as a way of breaking away from a “depressing life” – this is easier said than done for some of my clients who are living with pain.

However here goes with my suggestions:

Monday is Fun day

Tuesday is Tunes day

Wednesday is Friends day

Thursday is Exercise day

Friday could be Pie day or Buy day!

Saturday is Natter day

Sunday is Sun day

What would yours be?Colour days

Singing for your health…

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It is now becoming a well known fact that singing is good for your health,  both physically and mentally. It expands your lungs, it releases stress and anxiety- especially when in a group setting; and just generally increases your emotional well being. There is a great deal of research out there about it- even with claims that it is good for your heart. 

This was brought home to me recently by a fellow choir member (in Bath Community Gospel Choir). She has spent the last couple of years battling with breast cancer and has found that by continuing to attend rehearsals whenever she could, it has increased her coping skills; so much so that another member wrote an article about her in her magazine “Woman Alive” http://www.womanalive.co.uk

Singing...

Grounding…

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Grounding is a therapeutic process I have come across in the last year or so that seems to help in lots of cases, such as anxiety. For everyone, not just those with Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD); it only takes a couple of minutes each day and is a way of being in the moment – i.e. it stops you from ruminating about the past or catastrophising about the future.

It involves using 3 of our 5 senses: you find five different things to look at (one at a time) 3 different things to listen to and 3 different things you can feel, either externally or internally. (Obviously if you are living with a chronic pain condition it’s best to focus on the external, like the softness of the seat you are sitting on); and if you can accompany that with breathing in through the nose and breathing out through the mouth slowly that is even better.

Try it- what have you got to lose?

The senses

Cycling for CRPS

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Arrived at John O'GroatsA patient who has taken part in my research has recently completed a 1000 mile cycle ride from Land’s End to John O’Groats (UK) – in 21 days – an amazing feat considering the amount of pain she has in her leg. She used a specially adapted tricycle and obviously trained hard before hand. She is not on any medication, but she has a very determined character. She wanted to raise awareness of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) – please message me if you would like to know more about this condition. She also raised about £3000 for the Pain Relief Foundation and other causes. Her thinking was that if she was going to be in pain anyway – rather than sit on the sofa all day, she might as well do something she enjoys i.e. cycling. I hope you agree with me that she should be congratulated on this and I look forward to seeing what she does next year.

Writing…

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I am not sure how many people read these blogs, but it would be great to receive some comments occasionally! I have always loved writing – as a child I use to write a diary; I obviously wrote alot while studying, I write scientific articles as part of my research work, I have just started writing a novel (watch this space) and I write this blog every month. 

The psychologist Pennebaker has carried out a great deal of research on this subject and he found that writing is good for our emotional and physical wellbeing, especially as a cathartic act after a traumatic event and even when it’s just made up. So please feel free to join in – what do you like writing about? Writing

Seaside Rocks

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Beach IOWResearch presented at the BPS conference last year found that most British people preferred the seaside as a holiday destination and that it aided their emotional well being. Perhaps it’s the sound of the waves or the way that the light reflects from the water, or maybe the association with happy childhood memories? Maybe even a collective memory of our evolutionary history when we are thought to have lived in the sea. Having recently spent time away with my husband, mother and daughter I could say it’s all those things. You come back refreshed both physically and mentally, almost regardless of the weather!

Hope in our time

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Rainbow

A rainbow is supposed to be a symbol of hope, not necessarily of good weather! I am reading a book at the moment entitled  “The Better Angels of our Nature” by a well-known psychologist called Steven Pinker. This is about how violence in civilised societies has decreased over the last few centuries, especially since the 1990s. Some may find this surprising, particularly since a soldier was attacked and killed on the streets of London by fundamentalist Muslims only last week. However Pinker’s statistics are convincing and his arguments robust. Therefore we do have reasons to be hopeful about the future for our children.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome

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I heard recently that a young student in Southampton committed suicide as a result of not being able to cope with IBS. The sad thing is that a health psychologist would have probably been able to help her. IBS is a classic example of how the body and mind sometimes don’t work together in an ideal manner. A friend of mine who studied this for her PhD found that a CBT intervention worked very well with people living with IBS. Unfortunately GPs do not refer to health psychologists; and there are still very few health psychologists working within the NHS. So we either work in academia and/or privately. A student probably wouldn’t be able to afford £40 a week, but her parents may have done…

Birthday stories

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It was my birthday in March and I noticed that there were a lot of other birthdays in March too, amongst my family and friends; this got me thinking back to something said on “thought for the day” about how it can bolster our self-esteem, if we are told a good story about our birth. As I was born in the 60s and I was the eldest I was born in a maternity home, probably not too dissimilar from the one in “Call the Midwife” – except there were cockroaches on the floor and my mother had to keep her slippers on the bed! My father was not allowed to be there and if I had been a boy I would have been called Christopher, but was instead named after my father Jack. Then when my parents took me home the dog thought I was one of her puppies. I could tell similar stories about my children’s births. If your parents are still alive why not ask them about yours?Birthday cake

February Love?

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Lots of couples get married on Valentine’s day, but according to The Psychologist this month there are lots of different types of love story (Sternberg 2013): I don’t see myself as a house wife, but I think of my love story as being a mix of a cookbook (doing things a certain way results in a relationship being more likely to work out), gardening (relationships need to be continually nurtured) and sewing (love is whatever you make it); and definitely not horror, war or a game. What about your love story – is it: Addiction, Art, Business, Collection, Fantasy, History, Mystery, Police, Science or Theatre?

However some people are not with a partner…

Wedding kiss


…and some card shops are now selling cards for other members of your family – which is fine as we all need social support in whatever form it takes, especially when going through painful times; so make the most of whatever love you have in your life.