Category: Success Tips

 

Success and failure are considered polar opposites, but it often takes experience with a failure or two to propel a person into successfully overcoming a challenge. — Suzanne Degges-White Ph.D.

We all have a different take on success because we have different perspectives and upbringing. Your definition of it may not be the same with someone else. For this reason, your success depends on how you see it, and it is imperative to set your mind on what it should be so that you could aim right. The first step towards success is to know what it means to you, whether you want more money, love, morals, or pride. It all depends on you.

Continue reading “The Key To Success Is To Define Success”

Are you working towards fulfilling your lifelong wishes?

When you are set to make that happen, it matters to have mental stability. Depression can keep you from ever moving for ages. Anxiety cannot encourage you to overcome your fears. Mania will not help you become real. Many other disorders that affect your brain function can cause you to do regretful things and none of which is a stepping stone to realizing your dreams.

That is why mental health experts at BetterHelp want you to make sure that your mental health is stable all the time. Check out some tips on how to guarantee that.

1. Bottle Up Nothing

Whatever thoughts or feelings you have, we suggest that you do not wait forever before expressing all of them. It is especially necessary for emotions like hate, anger, distaste, et cetera. These are poisons in your system that will never motivate you to move forward and reach for your goals.

The most natural form of expression is talking. Say, in case you do not agree with your friend’s behavior, mention it to him or her honestly. It is up to that person whether he or she will take it as an offense or constructive criticism. As long as you are not bottling up anything, you will be great. Consider talking to someone who you are comfortable with.

It’s natural to feel a pull toward greater creative expression of your personality’s capacities. But it butts up against constraints that serve people well, via the intoxicating pursuit of money, power, and material rewards. — Douglas LaBier Ph.D.

If speaking is not your forte, well, there are other techniques to express your thoughts. You can write about it – pouring ideas from your mind to the paper can de-clutter the brain. You may also use arts – the act of painting, drawing or playing music allows you to channel your energy to be creative – not destructive –  of things.

2. Have Supportive People Around

It is essential to remain surrounded by the individuals you trust and love. It ensures that no matter what slip-ups you commit in the future, they will always be there to back you up. You will never be alone even in dark moments as well, which is genuinely significant when trying to keep your mental health stable.

From your end, you should be receptive to the wonderful deeds that your loved ones are doing for you. Instead of telling them that you can handle everything, you ought to be honest if you cannot do something. Instead of pushing these people away when their only goal is to help you, welcome their assistance and thank them afterward.

We now live in a society where people feel comfortable sacrificing their mental and physical health (not to mention relationships) in order to live up to societal expectations and pressures. Many of us also value economic status above all else and let that determine our sense of self-worth. — Adi Jaffe Ph.D.

Remember that you cannot get anywhere by yourself. At some point, you have to ask for guidance from others who have walked on a similar path as yours. You can learn from their mistakes and not spend forever looking for a better road towards your dreams. Won’t this task be stress-free, though, if you surround yourself already with people who care about you?

3. Give Back

Lastly, you may feel more grounded than ever if you volunteer to help others without asking for any favor from them.

You can start with the people you love. Be available whenever your brother needs a babysitter for his baby that is learning to walk, for instance, or buy appliances you know your parents need without being told to do so. When it comes to friends, sometimes listening to their woes is more than enough. After that, you may branch out and participate in activities within your town or city. You can help build houses, feed the orphans, or offer donations to charities.

The more you embody a good Samaritan, the lighter yet fuller your heart may feel. There will no longer be room for negativities in your life. Then, you can start fulfilling your dreams without worries, fear, and anxiety.

To go the distance begins with daily preparation and attention to details of self-care, which I like to call little labors of loving ourselves. These little labors determine the big picture of success by creating what I think of as “the momentum of positive spirals.” — Mitchell Milch, LCSW

In The End

We do not imply that you only need to have the excellent mental health to realize your wishes. It is vital to be skillful, have amazing connections, and know what you truly want to achieve to make magic happen. Nevertheless, you cannot do any of those things with an unstable mind, so you should improve your mental state to prepare for everything that barrels down your path.

Good luck!

 

 

Spending too much may just be considered a disease! Have you ever bought something out of just the desire to purchase but in the end regretted it? Is that considered obsessive spending? Are you a practical spender or do you find yourself grabbing things off shelves like one of the thousands of obsessive shoppers in the world?

The diagnostic and statistical manual of the American Psychiatric Association reports that excessive spending and shopping are considered behavioral addictions that require help from a mental health professional. It apparently manifests in people who have negative emotions or low self-esteem. Some of them cope by engaging in compulsive buying to cover their personal distress and other impulse control disorders. They may also have more serious mental health conditions such as mood disorders, eating disorders, bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, and substance use disorders, which require immediate psychiatric treatment.

How serious is compulsive buying when it comes to your mental health, and is there treatment for it?

I can recount countless seasons when my mother was beside herself scrambling to get the perfect gifts for each of us in the family. She was one of the thousands of compulsive shoppers in the world. The stress to fulfill the ever-growing list of gifts oftentimes overcame the joy that is supposed to be at the root of the holidays. — Azadeh Aalai Ph.D.

We engage in shopping sprees at some point, but some Americans are suffering from what we call compulsive buying and buy unnecessary items that they don’t need – they just have the urge to compulsively shop. These people lack impulse control and start compulsively shopping from their hard-earned money and spend on irrelevant items like the ninth pair of shoes, new gadgets, and such. Some of them max out their credit cards! They do excessive shopping to satisfy their emotional needs (the negative feelings) which can only last a moment. Most compulsive buyers regret purchasing something out of impulse, resulting in the desire to do it again hoping they can buy something more fulfilling; hence, this often becomes a vicious cycle of compulsive buying that can generate a lot of financial anxiety!

Addictive disorders, such as compulsive buying disorder, are characterized by repetitive and compulsive behavior that can be difficult to control. It is a subtype of addictive disorder that refers to excessive shopping behavior that results in significant distress or impairment. Diagnosing this disorder requires a careful assessment of a person’s shopping habits and the presence of psychiatric comorbidity, as excessive shopping often co-occurs with other psychiatric conditions. For instance, someone with control disorders might also experience bipolar disorder or have other kinds of anxiety disorders. Treating compulsive buying typically involves cognitive-behavioral therapy, along with pharmacological interventions such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) for individuals with significant psychiatric comorbidity.

A person with no control in shopping may experience anxiety which can cause him to feel negative emotions, like worry or fear for uncertain reasons.

According to clinical comparison research done by APA to determine the clinical characteristics of other behavioral addictions using diagnostic criteria (DSM IV), people who have alcohol dependence, sex addiction, substance abuse, and gambling disorder show significant comorbidity.

On the other hand, multiple studies express that there are no significant differences in terms of other addictive behaviors between people with low and high educational levels among the general population.

As one of many health conditions, compulsive buying can be treated with a combination of cognitive behavioral therapy and group therapy, particularly for those with personality disorders and Axis II disorders. While many obsessive shoppers may engage in frequent shopping or experience manic episodes, treatment of compulsive buying can help make it a normal buying behavior and reduce its negative impact on one’s life. It’s important to seek professional treatment to effectively manage the compulsive buying disorder.

Their anxiety may result in shopping addiction in the hopes of appeasing the feeling of nervousness.

Depression And Excessive Shopping

A person may feel down and sad that he may find happiness in obsessive shopping for unnecessary items. This may give them satisfaction and temporary relief from their depression and other negative emotions.

Obsessive purchasing may improve a person’s low self-esteem and overall mental health when he engages in spending sprees. However, it’s a short-term mental health boost. Impulse control disorder is a behavioral addiction that is considered a mental health condition, as it may result in other addictions and mental disorders like mood disorders, alcohol abuse, and even gambling addiction.

He thinks that spending money makes him feel good despite his financial problems

People who have found compulsive shopping to be an avenue of distraction use compulsive buying as an emotional regulation system. It is the thread or the glue that holds the emotional regulation system together when a person would typically “fall apart” or fragment. — Angela R. Wurtzel, MA, MFT

There is an obsession with having a new item. A person may see or hear about a must-have and doesn’t stop until he gets it resulting in obsessive buying behavior.

It is a reaction to the uncontrollable urge to purchase something. A person may not think about his action twice because he believes that purchasing a particular item will satisfy or fulfill his emotional need

Too much spending can affect us financially and also damage our health — physical and mental. It may be the reason why some of us do not have savings or cannot afford to buy the necessary things in life such as a house, car, or medical insurance. Compulsive buyers often spend the money they get thinking they’ll have another at the next payday. It will cause them to not save for more essential things.

Just like other mental health problems like eating disorders and substance addictions, excessive shopping and compulsive buying provides a certain temporary “happiness” to a person with this problem.

There is an emotional need that gets fulfilled by giving into the compulsive buying disorder.

A person might get anxious and distressed.

The calming focus of gratitude can help–at least with impulsive spending. A few seconds of thankfulness is not only a mood elevator, it’s a fast and simple mindfulness exercise that improves focus. — Kit Yarrow Ph.D.

Benefits Of Undergoing Therapy For Compulsion and Urge Buying

Therapy can provide self-awareness making you realize the root of the problem. You will then have the opportunity to confront or address the primary cause of your overspending behavior. It can be your childhood or some traumatic events in life.

Emotional Assistance Support

Compulsive buyers are emotionally distressed by their buying disorder. There is satisfaction in purchasing things without thinking twice. When you undergo therapy, you will have constant emotional support and a reminder of what you need to do to fight the impulse.

Provides Reality Check

Therapy can make you realize the effects of compulsive buying. Are you drowning in debt? Are you not able to save because of overspending? Do you have an emergency fund for unexpected expenses? These are among the questions that you might be able to answer.

Some may realize that the answer to all these is NO!

Final Thoughts

If you can’t hold back the urge to buy things you don’t actually need, consider seeking professional help because this is one of many impulse control disorders. Overspending is a serious matter that needs attention. It hinders us from financial stability.

Finding relief, especially for youngsters who are now in their late adolescence and are having a hard time better understanding their state,  can be tough.

The world of psychiatry has taken an interest in the impact of consumer culture on compulsive buying, particularly among late teens and young adults. While many people enjoy shopping as a pastime, clinical trials and reviews of excessive shopping suggest that it can lead to significant financial difficulties and even marital conflict. Treatment options such as Debtors Anonymous and promoting financial independence may help those struggling with excessive shopping.

In addition, we have to admit that money often measures success, and without it, there is a limit to the things we can do, and we may have no access to the best things in life such as excellent health care and longevity.

But we have to stop novelty seeking. Disposable income is not the answer to problems. What we need is professional help that stems from a place of compassion, patience, and healing.

FAQs

• Is Compulsive Shopping A Disorder Or A Mental Health Condition?

• What Is Compulsive Spending?

• What Do You Call An Obsessive Shopper?

• Is Obsessive Spending Considered OCD?

• Why Am I Obsessed With Purchasing Things?

• How Do I Stop My Addiction To Shopping?

• Is compulsive shopping a symptom of bipolar?
• Why do I spend money impulsively?
• What are the signs of a Shopaholic?
• Can you be addicted to purchasing things?
• What is an example of compulsive buying behavior?
• Is compulsive shopping a symptom of depression?
• What is compulsive vs. impulsive shopping?
• Is compulsive shopping a symptom of ADHD?
• Which disorder is similar to compulsive shopping?

Advice-seeking is a powerful way to have influence without authority. — Adam Grant Ph.D.

It will be rare to hear someone have a passion for psychiatry. The ratio of a child saying he wants to be a psychiatrist when he grows up is 0 out of 10. But how come doctors are specializing in Psychiatry? Do they make a lot of money from it? Have they grown interested in it? Have they developed a passion for treating people who are psychologically troubled? How much does a psychiatrist make?

 

Continue reading “How Much Money Does A Psychiatrist Make?”

 

Probably upwards of 99% of people are experts at making excuses for not doing what they know they should – if not to others, then to themselves. Perhaps the best example of this is people not exercising because they “don’t have the opportunity.” As it happens, the busiest people regularly make time in their schedule for exercise and don’t skip a workout if there is any way to avoid it, and here’s why:

Combining exercise and talk therapy is certainly a good idea, as it may amplify the benefits of both. Presumably both therapist and client are better off engaging in physical activity; we all sit more than we should. — Judith J. Wurtman Ph.D.

Carefree Productivity

It’s a well-known fact that excessive stress is the enemy of productivity. This may lead to falling behind at work and having to work more hours, further increasing a person’s stress levels. Someone who feels overwhelmed instead of challenged will tend to have difficulty concentrating and multitasking, fail to distinguish between the important and the trivial and be less able to interact effectively with colleagues.

Continue reading “How Spending 30 Minutes at the Gym Can Save You Time”

Admit it, many days, it’s hard to stay productive. Ever since we got smartphones and the Internet, it’s just so easy to be distracted by everything nowadays. Social media and those addictive games are always just a tap away.

But, your smartphone doesn’t have to be the reason for your lack of productivity. There are now some apps to help keep you focused, on-schedule and fruitful with work. Let’s review some of them.

Several software programs help professionals maintain more efficient and secure notes and billing. Even some apps offer benefit to those working on improving their mental health. — Camille Larsen, MA, NCC, Registered Psychotherapist

Evernote

 

Evernote has found itself in many top apps lists — and for a good reason. The app is designed some functions including note-taking, list creation, archiving and organizing. Users create “notes” on the app. These notes can be formatted as a text,  a handwritten note, a photograph, a voice memo, or a webpage. Each of these notes can have files attached to them. These memos can then be organized into notebooks.

Additionally, Evernote runs on several platforms — desktop and mobile. That way, you can access your notes and notebooks from across all your devices. This saves you so much time that you could have spent transferring files. Evernote is available for free but more features are available with a premium account.

 You can also create easily manageable categories for notes.  You can send a note to messaging or Twitter, and you can copy a note and paste it into an email. — Stephanie A. Sarkis Ph.D.

RescueTime

 

 

RescueTime is a time-tracker and analyst application for desktop and mobile. It aims to give you reports on your daily habits so that you can weed out activities that keep you from being productive. It also allows you to block specific websites and apps to help keep you focused. In addition to that, you can set a time limit on particular activities. For example, you only allow yourself a cumulative 1 hour on social media during work time. RescueTime will send you an alert when you’ve capped this limit.

 

The app has gathered many positive reviews from users, business magazines, and tech critics. The app is available for free with premium upgrades that give you a free 14-day trial. RescueTime is also available for organizations who work with teams.

 

Slack

Don’t let its name fool you. Slack is productivity app especially for those working in teams. It integrates everything you’d need to stay connected to your organization. It comes with a chat box and message boards for communication. Likewise, you can have audio or video calls right on Slack. The app also integrates with other productivity apps such as Dropbox so your whole team can access relevant files all in one app.

Slack has been lauded by several businesses such as BuzzFeed, Airbnb, and Samsung. The app is available entirely for free.

 

Dropbox

 

 

Here’s an app that you’ve likely heard of before. Dropbox is an app that offers cloud storage and file synchronization. Since it’s available for both desktop and mobile, this is great for quickly accessing files across all your devices. Likewise, you can organize files into folders effortlessly. Dropbox also allows you to share specific data with colleagues easily. You can choose which files and folders to share with others.

Dropbox is available for free with 2GB of storage. This can be upgraded to a monthly or yearly fee.

Great mobile products replicate and amplify human behavior and interaction. They don’t replace human relationships; they enhance them. — Sydney Finkelstein Ph.D.

After reading this list, you can try using some of the apps above. Test if any of them helped you to be more productive during the day. You never know, one app may be the only missing piece to be the most productive and successful self you can be.

 

 

 

 

 

Success is a subjective concept which is often desired by many to achieve. Since the definition of success is varying from people to people; it is counterproductive to measure the achievements of others based on your description.

Society often praises and adore the successful businessmen, moguls, celebrities, entrepreneurs, and business savvy techs CEOs while there is nothing wrong with this dream. It somewhat undermines the simple success that might be harbored by a good number of individuals. It creates an environment that based success regarding the amount of money in your bank account, the lavish lifestyles you lead, the cars you have, etc. Whatever your goals in life may be, fight for it and reach for it hopefully through these few tips given by fellow dreams and go-getters.

Self-awareness is the ability to formulate a summary of our behavior based on past and current thoughts and emotions. It allows us to understand what’s going on in our heads and why. — Todd Deutsch, MFT

Self-awareness Is The Key

The first step to success is to know yourself and what are you capable of doing. One needs to understand what are his motivations, emotions, Waterloos, passions, core values, and ultimate end goal. It is through self-awareness where the definition of success is formulated depending on the person’s yardstick of success. This vital step also helps a person stay focus on what he wants rather than reaching for the carrot at the end of the stick. It is heartbreaking to spend your life reaching for goals that means nothing to you.

 

Focus On Commitment

When it comes to long-term goals, it is essential to focus on responsibility. It is wise to ask yourself these questions:

• How essential is this to you?
• What are you willing to sacrifice to achieve this?
• Are you in it for the short term or long term?

Seek Knowledge, No Results

 

 

The focus should always be on the excitement of discovery, exploration, improvement, experimenting, and development; the motivation will not wean off, but if you focus on the results, your motivation will die the minute you encounter challenges. In short, dwell and savor the journey. The destination is just a bonus.

Instead of identifying with the incessant chatter in our heads, we can bear witness to it. In doing so, we create awareness and separate ourselves from it, rather than get caught up in it. — Laurie Leinwand, MA, LPC

Enjoy The Journey

Make the process enjoyable. Don’t take it too seriously. Be prepared to fail and accept defeat graciously. You can always recuperate, develop another newly improved goal and go at it again.

 

Filter Your Thoughts

Always be mindful of your thoughts. Thoughts can affect your feelings and feelings determine how you see your tasks ahead. You as a person have the ability to decide on which thoughts to linger on. Will it be doubts and fear or excitement for the new things ahead?

 

Use Your Imagination

 

 

Imagine good things even though you are experiencing troubles or having a rough patch. At times, people foresee the worst possible scenarios while doing so also, try to imagine if good fortunes come your way. Practice the powerful law of attraction.

…what became clearer to me overtime was that my purpose and passion lay in the know-how of creating oneself. I have learned much about this process. — Deborah Khoshaba Psy.D.

Don’t Baby Yourself

Motivation should lead to action and action will yield results. At times, efforts can fall short of the consequences one foresees. During these instances, don’t be too kind to yourself and allow excuses and accept stagnation. Force yourself out of your comfort zone.

 

Stand On Your Own

Be willing to do all the necessary steps to achieve your goals. Don’t expect others to help you out. They will also be busy reaching for their dreams.

 

 

What is Emotional Freedom Techniques or EFT?

 

We all have that voice in our heads—the one that tells us what to do, what not to do, how we could have done something better. The one that shames us, criticizes us, reminds us. — Laurie Leinwand, MA, LPC

Emotional Freedom Techniques or EFT is a healing tool that can provide surprising results for physical, emotional and psychological problems. This technique includes the premise that if you can clear your emotional issues, then, there will be peace and happiness in your life. Read more from https://www.willowhouse.org/. It is also somehow related to acupuncture, but the difference is that they don’t use needles upon performing the procedure.

Instead, with Emotional Freedom Techniques, the practitioners use the mind and stimulate some points of the body by tapping them using the fingertips. If done correctly, it will lead to impressive results which will clear the old traumas and welcome new challenges with a healthy and productive attitude. In addition to that, this is also a non-invasive therapy procedure that uses certain body parts specifically the hands, so there’s nothing to worry about it. It’s 100% safe and effective, as well.

The process of creating yourself uses both your imagination and reason. The more emotional intelligence you have, the better able you are to do this. — Deborah Khoshaba Psy.D.

What can EFT do to me?

 

 

This technique is very beneficial to those who have problems related to mental health issues and those who have addictive behaviors. This method helps them by relaxing their minds and provides them the kind of emotional support that they need. Since this technique is straightforward, it can be efficiently used as a self-help tool, which enables people to bestow to their healing and development process. It also facilitates a faster relief process compared to other techniques, which was thought impossible by other healthcare professionals. (They have advocated for lengthy and painful healing processes.)

Anyway, the most common medical procedure requires too much time yet the results are limited. This technique does not discredit the medical process; instead, it contributes to a holistic healing approach.

According to research, EFT has given reassurance to people that suffer from their problems and conditions, after long periods for searching for a cure. They have a long list of physical treatments that resulted very well and efficiently. EFT helps people to return to their previous selves because the natural therapy sessions that allow the core of our minds gets back into the regular cycle.

Dr. Feinstein concluded that EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) and other similar protocols for tapping with fingers on acupuncture points successfully released the emotional pain associated with traumatic memories. — Susan Heitler Ph.D.

Along with the emotional healing, comes the physical healing.  EFT works as your aid to overcome your specific condition and eventually make you feel better. This kind of technique has a lot to offer and is very advantageous to everyone.

 

Why do you need EFT?

 

 

EFT helps people recover from different conditions even without the use of medication and equipment. All you need to have is your full focus and dedication when the treatment is going on. The longer you do EFT, the higher the chances that you are getting better.

It doesn’t end there, of course. By the time you’ve learned things from EFT, you can use it in your everyday life. It doesn’t necessarily require you to have a practitioner if you already know the procedure and routines. You can do it on your own at your convenience as well.

Do not also just limit on curing yourself, if applicable to a family member who suffers from mental health issues, then why not try it? There’s nothing wrong with EFT. There are no permanent side effects and no prolonged adverse reactions that might take place. Try it, and it may do you good.