What we’re about
This group is for anyone who:
• is curious about mindfulness and the links between thought, emotion, and behaviour
• would like to be happier
• would like better to establish goals and reach them
The mainstream concept of mental health is that it is a continuum. We all are somewhere along the scale from "completely" well to "completely" unwell and our position on that scale changes over time, even from moment to moment. Our state of mental health affects (and is affected by) how we feel about ourselves, about others at home and work, and about the rest of the world. It affects our relationships with lovers, friends, work colleagues, and customers. It affects the decisions we make at home and at work and what we make of those decisions.
This group will examine the phenomena of mindfulness and the cognitive-behavioural approach and their effects on mental health and resultant relationships, decision-making, and productivity. Mindfulness and the cognitive-behavioural approach are not inconsistent with each other and are complementary; they offer different routes to similar destinations. Both approaches are evidence-based and aim to maximise good mental health.
Anxiety and depression tend to occur together. Both have increased dramatically in modern times and are now the "common colds" of mental health. Research shows that both mindfulness and the cognitive-behavioural approaches are effective in dealing with anxiety and depression. Mindfulness focuses on these conditions but is beneficial with most mental health problems. The cognitive-behavioural approach is prescribed by the NHS for anxiety and depression but is effective with other disturbing emotions such as anger, hurt, guilt, shame, jealousy, and envy.
The purposes of both mindfulness and the cognitive-behavioural approach is to reduce immediate feelings of distress and to protect against them in future. Both are highly relevant to those in the corporate workplace with its "always-on" culture and to those who are self-employed where feelings of isolation and anxiety and depression about how well one is progressing are common.
The organisers of this group are, variously, qualified hypnotherapists, mindfulness practitioners, and qualified performance consultants whose work is underpinned by rational emotive cognitive behavioural therapy and the principles of positive psychology.