Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: A Path to Mental Wellness #33

The discourse presented in this episode revolves around the intricate interplay between mental health and chronic illness, with a particular focus on diabetes. Deborah draws from her personal experiences to elucidate the profound effects that chronic conditions can have on an individual's mental state. She emphasizes the necessity of acknowledging mental health as a critical component of overall wellness, particularly in the context of managing chronic diseases. The conversation navigates through the complexities of how diabetes can exacerbate emotional strains, leading to challenges in both daily functioning and things like personal relationships, as well.

Your behaviors can help you feel better about yourself. Feeling better about yourself can help your thoughts and the thoughts can affect your behaviors.  -Deborah [05:46]

A significant portion of the episode is devoted to the principles of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), a therapeutic framework designed to help individuals reframe negative thought patterns and behaviors. Deborah explains the foundational aspects of CBT, illustrating the interconnectedness of thoughts, feelings, and actions through the metaphor of a triangle. She posits that by addressing any disruptions within this triangle, individuals can foster improved mental health outcomes. With her academic background in psychology, Deborah provides a credible perspective on the efficacy of CBT, encouraging listeners to implement these strategies as a means of enhancing their mental resilience.

• Mental health is a critical aspect of overall well-being, particularly for those managing chronic conditions.
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a valuable approach for reframing negative thoughts and behaviors.
• Intentional self-care practices, such as spending time with loved ones or pets, are essential for nurturing one's mental health.

The episode concludes with a heartfelt appeal for listeners to prioritize self-care and cultivate a mindset conducive to mental well-being. Deborah shares practical suggestions for integrating self-pampering and positive affirmations into daily routines, reinforcing the notion that mental health maintenance is an ongoing process. This episode not only serves as an insightful exploration of the mental health challenges faced by those with chronic illnesses but also offers actionable guidance for fostering emotional stability and promoting a positive outlook on life.

Chapters

• 02:00 Introduction to Mental Health
• 03:37 Understanding Mental Health and Diabetes
• 07:53 Learning to Pamper and Love Ourselves
• 11:02 The Importance of Managing Stress on Diabetes
• 11:56 The Power of Small Changes
• 13:33 Embracing Positivity

Episode Resources

• Clean Your House and Everything in It [Amazon #affiliate]
• What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy? [American Psychological Association]

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Episode Transcript

(04:24):
Okay, everyone. Hello, andthis is Deborah. And today we're
going to talk about mentalhealth. I almost said your mental
health, but that sounds veryaccusatory and I wouldn't want to
do that. So I guess I'm goingto use my own mental health as the

(04:49):
example. Anybody's mentalhealth. The point is, mental health
is very important. There areenough things in diabetes that can
cause problems, issues maybeis a better word, wreak havoc, and

(05:10):
then add to that any otherissues you may have. Like in my case,
I also have epilepsy. Add tothat normal life relationships with
other people, the havoc thatdiabetes can place and the strain
on the relationships withother people, the challenge of your

(05:35):
day to day activities, and theday to day activities that maybe
you were unable to do that youcould do before. So those changes
in your life. Now, for me, Iwas diagnosed so young that I've
been living with diabetes fora very long time. For people who

(05:58):
were diagnosed later in life,that can be quite a drastic change.
Now, I know we've mentionedmental health before, and it's something
that's very dear to my heartbecause it's also something I've
studied. My master's is inpsychology, and as I've mentioned

(06:21):
before on this podcast, myalmost completed doctorate is in
psychology. So I truly desirefor people to find that mental balance
in their life. And I havefound that if we are not paying attention
and as life takes its potshotsat us, it is easy for that to chip

(06:46):
away. And sometimes we don'teven notice until we turn around
and say, whoa, what happened?Why am I feeling like this? I'm not
the type of person to getdepressed, so why do I feel like
maybe I'm getting depressed?Whether you are in that position

(07:10):
or you've been in thatposition, or you simply don't want
to be in that position, it's agood time to take inventory and find
some ways to deal with yourmental health even before it becomes
an emergency. Now, there'sseveral different things that can

(07:33):
help, but the one that we'regoing to talk about today is called
cognitive behavioral therapy.Cognitive behavioral therapy, also
known as CBT, was developed byAaron Beck back in the 1960s. If

(07:57):
you picture a triangle, itmakes sense because it's actually
working with your thoughts,your behaviors, and your feelings
and how those influence eachother. Your behaviors can help you
feel better about yourself.Feeling better about yourself can

(08:18):
help your thoughts and thethoughts can affect your behaviors.
...but also the otherdirection feelinggoodaffects yourbehaviorsandthataffectsyour
Thoughts.And thethoughtsaffectyourfeelings.Butmany timeswehavesomethingthat'sjustalittlebitawry.Andifthat
triangle getsadinginit,andit'snotquite atriangle,we'regoingto

(08:44):
goabithaywire.Andthat'swhenwecanstruggle with otherissues,
anxietyandsoforth.Soifwecantrainourselves toreframehowwe'rethinking,wecanhelpourselves,forinstance,to
feelgoodaboutourselves.Andmaybebasicbehaviorslikespending timepamperingyourself.

(09:13):
OneofthethingsthatI'mlearningis Ialwaysfeltguiltytaking
anytimeofforrelaxing.It'slikeIcould hearmy mother's voiceinmyhead
saying,don'ttakeabreak.Iregretsayingthat. SoIneeded
tolearnhowtopampermyself.Say,it's goodtotakea break.Infact,I'mgoingto

(09:37):
takeabreakwithTrudy,mylittleItalianGreyhuahua,andweare goingtorelaxtogether.I'mgoingtopampermyself.I'mgoingtopamperher,andI'mgoingto
belovingtowardsmyself.Ievenputataskinmyjournalforbehaviors, atask

(09:58):
to spend fiveminutesrelaxingwithmypet andalso reminding myselftorespectmyselfandlove
myself.Now,comparedtothewayIgrewup,thatalmost soundssilly.Butit'snotsilly.

(10:20):
Practicingthatintentionalbehaviorhenceforth,thecognitiveaspectreally doesmakea
difference.Andifwe'reworkingat that,toreframehowwelookatlifeso
thatwe'repracticingmentalsanity,thatalsohelpsourdiabetes.Becauseif we'reanxious,ifweare

(10:49):
just,youknow,likeafishoutofwaterallovertheplace, whatdoesthatdotoourdiabetes?Itdoesn't
doanythinggood,I'lltellyouthat much.Andthebloodsugarsgoallovertheplace.Wehaveagentlemanthat'scomingintothe
studioforaninterviewcomingupin afewweeks.IknowIpromised thatafewweeks

(11:10):
ago,butheis.It'scomingup.Wehaveaninterview,andhewillbesharingabouttheeffectsofstress.Sowedon'twant thatstress.Thatlittlestressmonsterisnotafriend.
And instead,we wanttolearnhowtobegood toourselves,say
goodthings,dopositivethings,andmove forward,even

(11:34):
ifit's babysteps, movingforward.NowI'vegot alinktotheAmerican
Psychologicalassociationarticleoncbt. Ialsohavea
link. Now,I'mnotsayingyouhaveto go clean your house,butthiswasjustsomethingthatalsohelps.Littlethingslikethis,justto

(11:55):
giveyou an idea.There'sthisbookthatIjustlove.It'scalled"Clean younHouseandEverythingInIt."
Butasanideawhereyou'retalkingaboutbehaviorandsmallmovesin acertaindirection
canhelpyoufeelgoodaboutyourself,thisparticularbook literallydoes
meancleanyourhouseandeverythinginit.It'snotaboutthemassive, hey,cleanyourentirehouse.It'sabout.It

(12:21):
doesn'tseemlikethere'sevenastainthat.Thatyou can'tgetcleanbylookinginthisbookand
findingit.Imean,this.Thiswomanthatwrotethisbookisbrilliant.SoIalso put
alinktothatbook,andit'snotaboutthehousecleaning.It'saboutthefeel good,thebehavior,thefindinga

(12:44):
littlesolution.It'slikethefiveminutesoftimespentwiththepet. Well,here'sa.Cleanoffalittlespotonthecounter
and usethatspotforanicenotetoyourselftosayhowmuchyouloveyourself, howmuchyouloveyourpartner,howmuchyoulove

(13:04):
yourkids,howmuchyouloveyourpet.Begoodtoyourselfif thereareanynegativethoughtscomingin.
Practicenotlisteningtothosenegativethoughtsasakid. Ihad alot
ofthosecoming inasadiabetic,andtheyhavenot helpedmeinthemental

(13:31):
sanityasadiabetic.Soyouknowwhat?It'stimetoopenthedoor andpurgethatnegativity.And
let'sgoforthepositive.Let'sgoforthe positive,andlet'sgoformentalbalance,sanity,andpositivity,shallwe?All
right,guys,thisisDeborahE.Signingoff.And remember,I'mthereforyouhereatDiabeticReal.