Depression – Master Your Mental Health

3-Part Technique to Stop Negative Self-Talk

By Hayden Finch, PhD April 18, 2021

I don't have to tell you that the negative thoughts floating through your head are problematic. Your own experience tells you that. Those negative thoughts keep you up at night, put you in a bad mood, and make it hard for you to enjoy your life. In this article, I'll teach you an evidence-based strategy for stopping negative self-talk called the SOS strategy. Use it to overcome the negative way you talk to yourself. In this week’s article, discover examples of negative self-talk, where negative self-talk comes from, a simple 3-step technique to stop negative self-talk, + all the resources you need to put this basic (but not easy!) technique into practice.

Your Mental Health Self-Care Checklist

By Hayden Finch, PhD April 11, 2021

“Self-care” is a buzz word these days, and we all know we need it. But what does it actually mean? And how do you know if you’re doing it right? There are 6 components your self-care needs to have. In this week’s article, discover: Why self-care is important for mental health, the 6 components you need to check off your self-care checklist, how to make a self-care routine, and tons of resources for checking off each part of your self-care checklist. Dive in here!

30-Day Mental Health Challenge | Hayden Finch, PhD | Psychologist in Des Moines, Iowa, and Little Rock, Arkansas

30-Day Mental Health Challenge: Part IV

By Hayden Finch, PhD February 28, 2021

It's the last part of your 30-day mental health challenge!! This mental health challenge is designed to help you - Move from thinking about changing to actually changing - Practice the skills you've picked up from all your research - Discover new strategies for managing your mental health - Establish a habit of focusing on your mental health on a regular basis This week includes challenges related to soothing your mind, managing stress, overcoming procrastination, and more! Dive in here!

30-Day Mental Health Challenge: Part III

By Hayden Finch, PhD February 21, 2021

It's week 3 of your 30-day mental health challenge! This challenge is designed to help you - Move from thinking about changing to actually changing - Practice the skills you've picked up from all your research - Discover new strategies for managing your mental health - Establish a habit of focusing on your mental health on a regular basis This week, dive into challenges to target worrying, self-talk, stress, burnout, and more! Dive in!

30-Day Mental Health Challenge: Part II

By Hayden Finch, PhD February 14, 2021

Last week, you launched into a 30-day mental health challenge. This mental health challenge is designed to help you - Put all the strategies you've been researching into practice - Make actual changes in your mental health - Discover new strategies for managing your mental health - Establish a habit of focusing on your mental health on a regular basis If you're ready for Part II of the 30-day challenge, dive in here!

30-Day Mental Health Challenge

By Hayden Finch, PhD February 7, 2021

For the next 30 days, join me in trying one new technique or coping skill each day. By the end of the month, you’ll have experimented with a variety of new strategies to master your mental health, and you’ll have an idea of what works for you, where you need more practice, and what just isn’t a good fit for you. In this week’s article, discover: What to keep in mind as you start this 30-day challenge - How to make the challenge a success for you - What to do for each of the next 7 days - All the resources and worksheets you need to really dive deep into each day's strategy Dive in here!

7 Signs You’re Done With Therapy & It’s Time to Graduate

By Hayden Finch, PhD January 31, 2021

If you're in therapy (yay!), you can use the strategies on this website to make even more progress. At some point, though, it'll be time to graduate from therapy and move on. But how do you know when it's time? There isn't an actual "graduation," and your progress can be so gradual that it's hard to know when to stop (just like it's hard to know when to put down the Doritos...). In this week’s article, discover: - 7 signs you're done with therapy and it's time to graduate - Things to keep in mind as you decide when to end therapy - Tips on how to maximize the effectiveness of your therapy sessions Dive in here!

10 Things Your Therapist Is Really Thinking During Session

By Hayden Finch, PhD January 24, 2021

Part of what made my first therapy experience less successful than it could have been was my concern about what my therapist was thinking. Now that I'm a therapist, I have a pretty good idea of what's going through the mind of a therapist. So, if fear of judgment or rejection is making you nervous about going to therapy or being honest with your therapist, here are 10 things I'm thinking during session as a therapist. In this week’s article, discover: - Whether your therapist is judging you or thinks your decisions are dumb - 10 things your therapist IS thinking about during session - A bunch of things your therapist NEVER thinks - Resources to get started with therapy - Free worksheets to maximize your therapy sessions Dive in here!

5 Reasons Therapy Didn’t Work For Me – A Psychologist’s Perspective

By Hayden Finch, PhD January 17, 2021

In my early twenties, before I ever became a therapist, I went to therapy for the first time. And lemme tell you, it was a failure. My "failed" experience with therapy and becoming a psychologist have taught me a lot about what makes therapy work and what makes it not work. In this week’s article, discover: - 5 reasons therapy didn't work for me (at least at that point in my life) - Mistakes I made as a client in therapy - What you can do differently to make therapy work for you - Resources to maximize your therapy sessions Dive in here!

How to Practice Positive Self-Talk to Boost Self-Esteem and Build Confidence | Hayden Finch, PhD | Psychologist in Des Moines, Iowa, and Little Rock, Arkansas

17 Strategies for Practicing Positive Self-Talk to Boost Self-Esteem and Build Confidence

By Hayden Finch, PhD January 3, 2021

Last week, we discussed why it's so hard to relax and discovered that difficulty relaxing can be related to problems with self-esteem and confidence. As soon as you slow down, you're bombarded with self-critical thoughts. One of the greatest weapons against those thoughts is positive self-talk, so today let's develop some strategies to practice positive self-talk. In this week’s article, discover: - Why positive self-talk is so hard - 16 evidence-based strategies to practice positive self-talk - Examples & resources for practice - What to keep in mind as you start practicing positive self-talk Dive in here!