Veterinary Mental Health

The World Health Organization estimates that roughly 22% of individuals will be bereaved by suicide in their lifetime. In our veterinary community, with its elevated rate of suicide compared to the general population, I expect that number is much higher. In today's episode I walk you through the aspects of grieving a loss by suicide that make it uniquely difficult.  After a suicide: A guide for Veterinary WorkplacesThoughtful Life Counseling's Bookclub!Sign up for the TLC Newsletter

The imposter phenomenon (sometimes called the imposter syndrome) describes how an objectively successful individual can fail to internalize their accomplishments. This leaves them feeling as though their position or achievements are the result of luck or oversight and they dread being discovered as an imposter. This episode describes the possible origins of the phenomenon and how one might begin to address it.

We would like to think we view the world objectively, but under stress we are actually more likely to interpret the neutral expressions of others as negative. This episode discusses how this occurs, its implications for your mental health as well as for clinical practice, and what we can do about it.

Managing one's mental health can be challenging in the best of times, and whatever your individual views, I think we can agree that we are a ways off from ideal. Conversation is key to our ability to feel connected to and supported by those who we consider friends and family. Connection and support are key to mental health. But what happens when navigating conversations becomes its own source of stress. This is an impromptu podcast that delves into these thoughts, and examines what we can do to reduce conversational conflict.

Protecting yourself from stress and burnout is critical for quality of life. This podcast explores the different categories of stress we experience on a day-to-day basis, how stress can contribute to burnout, and how to approach stress management.

Even if you have reached the conclusion that counseling may be beneficial in your life, the prospect of finding a counselor may be daunting. This podcast breaks down the steps of finding the best mental health professional for you as well as what to expect if you have never been in counseling before.

Procrastination is the voluntary avoidance of a task DESPITE the anticipation of negative consequences. Maybe your task is completed by the deadline, but if you are staying up all night to make that happen, you are still suffering from the consequences of procrastination. Today's podcast takes a look at why we procrastinate and also the clever ways in which we sometimes hide it from ourselves.

Time management may feel like an abstract or an overly formal concept that shouldn't require explanation. However, as our most precious and finite resource, we should think carefully about how our time is being spent. Restructuring our time often means we can find moments to devote to self care and wellness as well as make progress on projects long thought unreachable.

Anxiety is part of the normal human experience. It is even an essential mechanism by which we are able to keep ourselves out of the way of danger and anticipate challenges. Unfortunately, anxiety doesn't always confine itself to helpful levels and can instead become a mental health concern ranging from distressing to debilitating. Today's podcast describes how anxiety arises in the brain and how to approach anxiety management. Access Handout: Engaging with AnxietySign up for the TLC Newsletter

Maladaptive perfectionism can contribute to a number of wellbeing challenges, including depression, anxiety, and stress. It is not necessarily the act of setting high standards, but more the attitude with which you approach the standards you are aiming for. Today's podcast explores the three primary dimension of perfectionism, behavioral characteristics of perfectionism, and strategies for overcoming perfectionistic tendencies. Access Handout: Access Perfectionism Self-AssessmentSign up for the TLC Newsletter

Time and resources are finite and precious. To ensure maximal return on the investment of each, it is important to craft realistic goals that specifically impact your wellbeing. This episode will guide you through the process of creating thoughtful goals that align with your value system and have the best chance of success given your current circumstances and access to resources. Access Handout: Set your Wellness GoalsSign up for the TLC Newsletter

Our personal and professional values guide our decision making and greatly influence the degree to which value based situations affect us. As we improve our understanding of our own guiding principles, we gain valuable insight as well as an opportunity to check in with our decisions and goals to ensure they align with our core values. Read Blog Post: PendingAccess Handout: PendingAccess the Live Values Inventory referenced in the episode HERESign up for the TLC Newsletter

Wanting to change is often not enough. For change to occur we need to be authentically convinced of its importance, we must believe that change is possible, and we must prioritize that change. Read Blog Post: PendingAccess Handout: PendingSign up for the TLC Newsletter

This podcast serves as an outline for the wellness topics to follow. It reviews the components of wellbeing that we must address if we are to live our best possible life. Read Blog Post: PendingAccess Handout: PendingSign up for the TLC Newsletter

The second of a two part series that explores the power and necessity of willpower in our lives, particularly as it pertains to reaching the goals that make life meaningful. The information presented is primarily drawn from the fantastic book The Willpower Instinct by Kelly McGonigal PhD.

The first of a two part series that explores the power and necessity of willpower in our lives, particularly as it pertains to reaching the goals that make life meaningful. The information presented is primarily drawn from the fantastic book: The Willpower Instinct by Kelly McGonigal Ph.D. Access Handout: The handout for this topic will be included next week. Sign up for the TLC Newsletter

Mindfulness is awareness of the present experience with acceptance. Just as an exercise routine is designed to improve your body, a mindfulness practice improves your mind. As it develops, a habit of mindfulness yields a myriad of downstream benefits that extend well beyond the period of focused practice. Read Blog Post: An Introduction to MindfulnessAccess Handout: Tools for TensionAccess my guided Mountain MeditationSign up for the TLC Newsletter

Understanding how habits are formed, sustained, and changed within the brain offers us a powerful tool for examining the daily habits that impact our wellbeing. "You'll never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine." ~ John C. MaxwelRead Book Review: The Power of Habit by Charles DuhiggAccess Handout: Manage your HabitsSign up for the TLC Newsletter

When will it be OK again? What will OK feel like? What am I putting off while I wait for OK?Planning for the future is always complicated by the unknown, but COVID-19 has made planning feel virtually impossible. As a result, we are suspended in a kind of limbo. The longer this limbo persists, the more our mental health suffers. Read Blog Post: When will it be ok?Access Handout: Plan for UncertaintySign up for the TLC Newsletter

Negative emotions are just as common if not more common than positive emotions. Despite this fact, they are often deemed socially unacceptable. This means we spend a considerable amount of energy internalizing negative emotions or masking them. Before we can express our negative emotions authentically, we often need to relearn how to recognize and differentiate between separate emotional states. Read Blog Post: Navigating Negative Emotions Access Handout: Decoding Negative EmotionsSign up for the TLC Newsletter

We discuss self-care as if it had a straight-forward definition. Yet we each have a very different idea of what constitutes self-care and how much of it we are allowed. Without considering the internal rules our self-care strategies conform to, we limit our ability to optimize our response in the face of novel stressors (i.e. COVID-19). Read Blog Post: Salvaging Self-CareAccess Handout: Evaluate your Self-CareSign up for the TLC Newsletter

Routines, habits, and rituals offer us mental space, security, and have a significant impact on our mood and energy. Current events mean most, if not all of our routines have been altered or lost entirely. As a result we are spending tremendous energy simply accomplishing our daily tasks of living and working. Read Blog Post: Revising your RoutinesAccess Handout: Map your Routines Sign up for the TLC Newsletter

Overwhelm is a state of discrepancy between our brain's processing power and the sheer volume of novel information it is being asked to evaluate. When our brain is unable to keep up with novel information, we often feel a sense of vague threat or danger. While our rational mind may understand this threat is not tangible or imminent, our more primitive fight, flight, or freeze responses may still be activated. Read Blog Post: Overcoming OverwhelmAccess Handout: Create a Mind MapListen to: Guided Body Scan Sign up for the TLC Newsletter

A brief introduction to the podcast. Full length episodes coming soon!Sign up for the TLC Newsletter