How to organize stressful thoughts in 7 steps | Hayden Finch, PhD | Psychologist in Des Moines, Iowa, and Little Rock, Arkansas

How to Organize Stressful Thoughts in 7 Steps

December 13, 2020
You know how it feels stressful to walk into your kitchen and see dishes piled up? It's similarly stressful to be living inside a head that's cluttered with anxious or stressful thoughts. Our thoughts can become just as disorganized as our physical space, and just like tidying up our house can help us feel relived, learning how to organize our thoughts can provide a similar respite. Here's a quick 7-step process to tidy up your mind. In this week’s article, discover: - An easy 7-step process to declutter your mind - Strategies for uncovering what your stressful thoughts are - Resources for sorting through and addressing your stressful thoughts Dive in here!
How to Manage Stress in Two Steps | Hayden Finch, PhD | Psychologist in Des Moines, Iowa, and Little Rock, Arkansass | Hayden Finch, PhD | Psychologist in Des Moines, Iowa, and Little Rock, Arkansas

How to Manage Stress in 2 Steps

December 6, 2020
No matter what type of mental health symptoms you have, more stress = more symptoms. This is true for anxiety (more stress = more anxiety), depression (more stress = more depression), and just about every other mental health condition. So, a big component of managing your mental health in general is to manage stress. "Stress management" can seem like a vague concept, so this week I'm breaking it down into a two-step process to simplify the process. In this week’s article, discover: - How to know if you're stressed - The two-step process to manage stress - How to put each step into practice - A TON of free resources for putting the two-step process into action Dive in here!
6 WAYS TO FIGHT SEASONAL DEPRESSION | Hayden Finch, PhD | Psychologist in Des Moines, Iowa, and Little Rock, Arkansas

6 Ways to Fight Seasonal Depression

November 22, 2020
How are y'all doing with adjusting to the time change?  Usually it takes most people a couple of weeks to adjust.  But lemme tell ya...this time change is rough for people who are at risk for seasonal depression.  In fact, I consider the end of DST to be the official start of Seasonal Depression season.   If you struggle with your mood in the winter, the best time to start addressing it is before you notice your mood tanking.  This week, I've got proven strategies to help you protect yourself from seasonal depression this year.  You've got enough to contend with -- you don't need seasonal depression on top of it! In this week’s article, discover: What causes seasonal depression 6 proven strategies for fighting seasonal depression Resources for putting those strategies into practice Dive in here!
Gratitude Journal Prompts | Hayden Finch, PhD | Psychologist in Des Moines, Iowa, and Little Rock, Arkansas

A Month of Gratitude Journal Prompts

November 1, 2020
Last week, you learned a step-by-step night-time self-care routine, which included a reference to keeping a gratitude journal. Ever have that sensation that your life is actually pretty great, but you still feel unfulfilled? Besides doing a complete overhaul of your life activities, there are some other ways you can find more meaning in your life. One simple way is to keep a gratitude journal. In this week’s article, discover - Why you should keep a gratitude journal - How gratitude improves your physical and mental health - How to start a gratitude journal - 31 prompts to complete a full month of gratitude journaling with no repeats! Dive in!
Mindfulness: Explained | Hayden Finch, PhD | Therapist in Des Moines, Iowa, and Little Rock, Arkansas

Mindfulness: Explained

August 30, 2020
If you’ve spent any time Googling about your mental health, you’ve probably run across the concept of mindfulness. It’s got great research support as an intervention for a variety of mental health conditions, ranging from depression to anxiety to insomnia to stress and many more. But what is it really, how is it useful, and how does it impact your health? In this week’s article, I’ll share with you 8 things you need to know about mindfulness How mindfulness impacts your physical health, mental health, and relationships Resources for getting started with your mindfulness practice Dive in here!

8 Non-Cliche Ways to Practice Self-Care (for teachers, nurses, stay-at-home moms, students, and others who are drowning in stress)

August 16, 2020

Many of my clients are convinced that some “me time” is important for their mental health, and sometimes they’re even able to carve out a few minutes for that purpose.  But then, I hear some of them say they’re not really sure what to do with their “me time.”  What’s the best way to practice self-care?  If time is limited, what gives you the biggest bang for your buck?  In this week’s article, I’m bringing you 8 proven self-care strategies that don’t include cliche things like getting a facial or a manicure.  If you’re ready to actually start taking care of yourself, this article is for you.

 

In this week’s article, I’ll share with you 

  • Why self-care is important
  • How to fit self-care into your life
  • 8 evidence-based techniques to actually take care of yourself, without cliche things like bubble baths
  • Links to resources to put those strategies into practice

5 Strategies to Build Self-Confidence

August 9, 2020

What does it feel like to be confident?  A lot of people have no idea...they’ve never experienced self-confidence, and the idea of being confident is nearly unimaginable.  When you struggle to trust your abilities or your judgment, it’s easy for anxiety and depression to creep in.  But having a healthy dose of self-confidence can help you develop skills for handling stress, setbacks, and even failure.  So in this week’s article, I’m bringing you 5 strategies to begin building self-confidence.  

 

In this week’s article, I’ll share with you 

  • 5 proven strategies to build self-confidence
  • Evidence-based techniques to make real changes in how you feel about yourself
  • *Free* worksheets to put those strategies into practice

10 Ways to Fall Asleep Fast

August 2, 2020

When you don’t sleep well, it makes it so much harder to get anything done...including manage your feelings.  When we’re tired, we’re more irritable, more anxious, and more depressed.  Last week, I shared with you 12 things that make it harder to sleep.  This week, it’s time to replace those 12 sleep disruptions with 10 strategies to help you fall asleep faster.  

 

In this week’s article, I’ll share with you 

  • 10 strategies to help you fall asleep faster
  • Resources for implementing those strategies in your life
  • The reasons these 10 strategies work

12 Things Making It Hard for You to Sleep

July 26, 2020

Disrupted sleep is one of the most common symptoms of just about every mental health condition.  The more anxious you are, for example, the worse you sleep.  But the frustrating thing is that it just perpetuates itself: the worse you sleep, the more anxious you get.  You can really get stuck.  But it’s possible to reverse this spiral.  This week, let’s take a look at 12 things that are making it harder for you to fall asleep.  Are you making any of these mistakes??  

 

In this week’s article, I’ll share with you 

  • 12 things you might be doing that are actually making it harder for you to sleep
  • The reasons these 12 simple things interfere with your sleep