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 Things to Do During A Social Media Detox | Hayden Finch, PhD | Psychologist in Des Moines, Iowa, and Little Rock, Arkansas

6 Things to Do During A Social Media Detox

November 15, 2020
If you've been following along with my articles, you've been working really hard to de-stress your life. In the past few months, you've - Practiced using mindfulness to reduce anxiety - Purchased a weighted blanket - Started silencing your inner critic - Developed a night-time self-care routine - Created a gratitude journal habit, and -Picked up some new stress-relief activities Now, you're ready for another challenge. Time to detox from social media. In this week’s article, discover - Why you need a social media detox - Why it's so hard to do - What to do during your social media detox
6 Research-Proven Stress Relief Activities | Hayden Finch, PhD | Psychologist in Des Moines, Iowa, and Little Rock, Arkansas

6 Research-Proven Stress Relief Activities

November 8, 2020
Last week, you got your gratitude journal started with a month's worth of gratitude journal prompts. You've also been working on your night-time self-care routine. Now, it's time for even more stress relief activities. In this week's article, discover the two-part formula for relieving stress and 6 research-proven strategies for stress relief. In this week’s article, discover The two-part formula to relieving stress 6 research-proven strategies for stress relief Resources for putting them into practice
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!
1-Hour Step-By-Step Self-Care Night Routine | Hayden Finch, PhD | Psychologist in Des Moines, Iowa, and Little Rock, Arkansas

1-Hour Step-By-Step Self-Care Night Routine

October 25, 2020
A couple of months ago, I gave you some ideas for non-cliche ways to take care of yourself -- out with the face masks, in with more creative ideas. Most of you are probably already convinced that a little more self-care would be good for you. But it’s hard to know where to start. To take some of the guesswork out of self-care, I’m here today to present a night time self-care routine. Just follow step by step. In this week’s article, discover: - Step by step what to do tonight to start taking care of yourself - How much time to spend on each step - Ideas about what to do in each step - What time to start your routine - How to modify the routine to fit your life Dive in here!
5 Things to Know About Weighted Blankets for Anxiety | Hayden Finch, PhD | Psychologist in Des Moines, Iowa, and Little Rock, Arkansas

5 Things to Know About Weighted Blankets for Anxiety

September 13, 2020
Last week, you discovered three mindfulness exercises to practice as a natural strategy for managing your anxiety (or amplifying the benefits of your medication). Today, we’re diving deep into weighted blankets. You may have heard about them and wondered whether they actually work. Today, I’ll review the research for you with 5 things you need to know about weighted blankets for anxiety. In this week’s article, I’ll share with you -5 things you need to know before you try a weighted blanket -How weighted blankets work -Links to research articles reviewing the evidence -- see for yourself!

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

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