Managing the emotional challenges: Week 5
Peer support and planning your own practice.
Presentation outline
These are the requirements of participation. An important requirement is maintaining confidentiality, this allows everyone to feel safe to share and chat if they wish to.
Aim
Please aim to log in 5 to 10 minutes prior to the workshop starting. This can help address any I.T problems.
Try
Please try to ensure your settings are on mute until the end.
Maintain
Please maintain confidentiality, who you see and what is shared here should not be discussed elsewhere.
Please
If you didn’t sign in with your full name, please put your first name and last initial in the chat this ensures you are recorded on the register, and the material is sent to you afterwards.
Week 1
- Vicious cycles
- Circle of control
- Creating routine
- Rumination and refocusing
Week 2
- Anxiety and worry
- Two types of worry
- Uncertainty
- Present day focus
Week 3
- Thinking traps
- Self-compassion
- Supportive statements
Week 4
- Adapting activities
- Doing more Of what you value
- Benefits of goal setting
Transcript
This is a summary of the information we have covered over the last 4 weeks
- Week 1: Vicious cycles. Circle of control. Creating routine. Rumination and refocusing
- Week 2: Anxiety and worry. Two types of worry. Real event and hypothetical. Uncertainty. Present day focus
- Week 3: Thinking traps. Self-compassion. Supportive statements
- Week 4: Adapting activities. Doing more of what you value. Benefits of goal setting
Practising the therapy techniques in your real-life situations is one of the keyways to make progress
Paced regular practise will help you become more confident and capable with using the techniques
Think about the end of this group as your actual starting point
The group has provided some information that you can now start to use over the course of the next few months
Think about the technique or information that is your priority
Only practise one technique at a time
When you feel more comfortable with this technique only then move on and practise another
There are additional slides underneath today’s presentation, they will help you make your own personal plan of practice
Transcript
Practising the therapy techniques in your real-life situations is one of the keyways to make progress
Paced regular practise will help you become more confident and capable you become with using the techniques
Think about the end of this group as your actual starting point
The group has provided some information that you can now start to use over the course of the next few months
Think about the technique or information that is your priority
Only practise one technique at a time
When you feel more comfortable with this technique only then move on and practise another
There are additional slides that will be sent with these, this information will help you to make your own personal plan of practice
Reflecting on the last four weeks what is the main technique or information that you have found most beneficial and interesting for you?
Which technique would you most like to practice?
Can you foresee any challenges with practicing or learning the technique?
Thinking ahead can you identify any possible solutions?
What you learned from managing your health condition?
What challenges has your health condition caused you?
What coping strategies have you tried?
What’s a small simple pleasure you look forward to every day?
Transcript
We now are at peer support, which is the main part of the session, please do share a challenge, coping strategy or listen.
We do have some questions we would like to hear from you
Reflecting on the last four weeks, what is the main technique or information that you have found most beneficial and interesting for you?
What technique would you most like to practice?
Can you foresee any challenges with practicing or learning the technique?
Thinking ahead, can you identify any possible solutions?
What have you learnt from managing your health?
What challenges has your health condition caused you?
What coping strategies have you tried?
What’s a small simple pleasure you look forward to every day?
We hope the group has been helpful?
Thank you for taking part.
If you have any feedback, please place it in the group chat.
The next slides are for your own personal use.
Goal setting and planning your practice.
Transcript
Thank you for taking part in the group, we hope you have found it helpful.
When you are sent the slides you will find further information below that will help you make your own practice plan.
If you would like any help with making your own practice plan you can ask your clinician as they would be happy to help.
These are some of the resources and references used for the material in this group:
- Get Self-help
- MindWell
- Psycological Tools
- Coping with the Psychological Effects of Illness: Strategies to manage anxiety and depression. Dr Fran Smith, Dr Carina Eriksen and Professor Robert Bor. 2015. Sheldon Press
Signposting
- Linking Leeds: Social prescribing for practical or emotional problems
- Leeds Mind: Peer support
- Leeds Mental Wellbeing Service
Transcript
Thank you for taking part in the group, we hope you have found it helpful.
When you are sent the slides you will find further information below that will help you make your own practice plan.
If you would like any help with making your own practice plan you can ask your clinician as they would be happy to help.
Leeds Peer to Peer Support Group run by LCC: Offer support to people with health conditions, such as chronic pain, fatigue, ME, Long Covid. This group is face-to-face or online. It provides support, helps reduce isolation and opportunities to share useful self-management tips. Contact Bushra details on this slide, for days, dates and times.
The information covered in the group are a toolbox of techniques that we recommend you practise for the next 3 months
Whilst 3 months may seem like a long time it has been shown to be an effective time for consolidating and applying learning
Think about the analogy of learning to swim, playing the guitar or learning to drive, it takes time and practise
The following information will help you set realistic goals and make your own practise plan
Setting small, realistic goals gives you:
- A sense of control, structure, and purpose
- A boost in confidence and motivation
Small paced goals feel less overwhelming meaning you’re more likely to feel able to do them.
Small paced goals provide a sense of mastery or achievement.
They provide you with opportunities to feel successful and positive.
Achieving small paced goals helps build up your momentum.
Small paced goals help both your physical and emotional wellbeing.
Goals can be set for the next hour, afternoon, day, week, or month.
Break goals down into the smallest possible steps.
Example: Instead of saying I’m going for a half hour walk. Plan your goal like this:
- Put my shoes on
- Open door
- Step outside
- Walk for 5 mins
Jigsaw example:
- Put my jigsaw on the table
- Put the timer on my phone for 10 minutes
- Do my jigsaw for 10 minutes then stop
- After an hour do another 10 minutes
Take some time each week to review a different week of the slides and think how you can use them to help you plan your practise
Ask yourself:
- When will I review the group materials?
- What day and what time?
Try to do this at the same time each week.
Protect the time: Make it your own ‘checking in with yourself’ appointment.
Which techniques and information are the most important for you to read more about and practise right now?
After this technique, what will be the next technique you would like to practice?
Example:
“Today, I will read the slides on thinking traps and make a list of the ones I do most often.”
“I will write out one or two questions that I can use to challenge my thinking traps”
“I will read these questions once per day to identify if I have been falling into using these thinking traps…
I will keep these questions somewhere handy; seeing them will help my muscle memory”
What problems might get in the way of my practise?
Example: Forgetting to practise, thinking there’s no point and they won’t work
What solutions might there be?
Example:
- I’ll set a reminder on my phone
- I’ll ask my friend or partner to support me
- I’ll remind myself small steps build up over time do make a difference
- Problem:
- Solution:
What did I do that went well?
Example: It wasn’t easy, but I tried and feel good for trying. I did message an old friend. I did pin the thinking traps up.
What didn’t go as well as I would have liked?
Example: I got muddled thinking about the exact thinking trap.
What could I have done differently?
I could have just recognised they overlap with each other, and it was just important to recognise it was a thinking trap and refocus.
What information could I have used more of?
Reading the attention refocusing slides would have helped.
Who could support me next time?
I can ask my partner, friend or worker to review them with me.
- What went well?
- What didn’t go as well as I would have liked?
- What could I have done differently?
- What information could I have used more of?
- Who could support me next time?
Living with a health condition may mean you experience an occasional set back.
Setbacks do not mean you are back at square one.
If you experience a set back, then do your active rest and self care activities and start your practise again when you have recovered.
Using a plan to cope with setbacks:
-
What will you say to yourself if you have a set back? (supportive, compassionate and encouraging)
- What will you do?
Think about using the support numbers to reach out and offload when experiencing emotional distress.
That’s what the support numbers are there for.
Keep the information somewhere handy where you can access it more easily see it.
Applying the information will get easier when you use a step by step paced approach.
Remember to focus on the small wins and apply supportive, encouraging self talk.
Your clinician will be pleased to discuss your plan with you.
They can help you plan your practice, review your progress and provide support and encouragement.
