World Mental Health Day
On October 10th, we acknowledge World Mental Health Day! It is a reminder of the importance of caring for your mental health and well-being. More than 1 in 2 people are facing mental health challenges without having necessary support (CMHA, n.d.). While the awareness is growing every year, people are still struggling to recognize the signs they made need support. An additional fact that stalls people from seeking support is stigma. Having a national day that advocates for mental health, helps reduce the stigma someone may feel when struggling mentally (CMHA, n.d.). It can also be daunting to know where and how to get support. Whether you are feeling overwhelmed by life, burnt out from work, or continuously anxious – you’re not alone in navigating this journey!
Signs You Need Mental Health Support
When someone is struggling with their mental health, the symptoms are not always drastic. Often, it creeps in slowly, making it difficult to notice the changes. Although, each person is unique in what symptoms they experience. Thus, it can be difficult recognizing the signs that you may need support. If you experience one or more of these commonly reported signs, you may benefit from mental health support:
- Chronic fatigue
- Difficulty sleeping or sleeping too much
- Emotional exhaustion, feeling numb
- Irritability, mood swings
- Unexplained sadness
- Feeling detached from work and/or relationships
- Racing thoughts or constant worry
- Avoiding social activities
- Loss of interest in things you once enjoyed
If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal ideation, thoughts, or engaging in suicidal behaviour. Please seek help immediately by going to the nearest emergency room or by calling the Canada Suicide Prevention Services at 1-833-456-4566, available 24/7.
Therapy for Burnout and Anxiety: What are your options?
The two most common reported struggles people face today are burnout and anxiety. The term burnout has many definitions but it appears exhaustion is inclusive. It can be described as a chronic depletion of energy including physically, emotionally, and mentally (Almén, 2021). When an individual is struggling with burnout, they are more likely to experience depression, anxiety, insomnia, and memory issues (Almén, 2021). Clinical burnout often lasts a while, with residual symptoms lasting upwards of a year. It is commonly reported, burnout leads to people taking stress leave from work or full-time sick leave in efforts to recover. However, therapy offers practical and evidence-based support for both. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) are two commonly used evidence-based approaches that are helpful in managing your mental health in the moment and in building resilience long-term.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
CBT incorporates cognitive and behavioural interventions to recognize and challenge unhelpful thought patterns. Thus, building healthier responses to stressful situations (Curtiss et al., 2021). Cognitive interventions are used to facilitate adaptive thinking, with cognitive restructuring and eliminating cognitive distortions. Anxiety relies on cognitive distortions to drive the worry. However, cognitive restructuring promotes realistic interpretations of events without having cognitive traps. Cognitive traps can look like patterned biased thinking with overall biased views. For example “black-or-white thinking” and “overgeneralization” (Curtiss et al., 2021). When you are able to identify the cognitive traps and replace them with restructuring, it can lead to more balanced thinking. For example, “I am 100% going to lose my job” is overestimating the likelihood it would ACTUALLY happen (Curtiss et al., 2021).
CBT for burnout is similar but unique in its own way. Incorporating CBT for burnout treatment, it can aid in monitoring the symptoms of burnout (Whalley & Pugh, 2022). The key to understanding burnout is to know what drives the symptoms. A key factor in reducing burnout, is understanding what keeps it going (Whalley & Pugh, 2022). To achieve this, the client and therapist will explore different aspects of their lives to understand the impact they may or may not have (Whalley & Pugh, 2022). For example the clients job, personal life, ability to manage stress, and the beliefs that the client holds (Whalley & Pugh, 2022).
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
ACT focuses on helping you accept difficult thoughts and feelings instead of fighting them. It also guides you towards taking values-based actions, even in the face of emotional discomfort. More specifically, ACT targets patterns of chronic stress, emotional exhaustion, and disconnection from personal values, which are vital in experiencing burnout. ACT incorporates values clarification, by reconnecting with what is important to you. Values could look like creativity, family, growth. Being connected with your values, supports you in making more purposeful decisions (ACT Skills, n.d.). This could look like changing jobs or your work schedule to avoid long days, because it allows more time with family. ACT encourages psychological flexibility because it aids in avoidance and overworking (Prudenzi et al., 2022). Finally, ACT focuses on self-compassion when addressing burnout. Burnout is often linked with self-criticism and unrealistic expectations. However, ACT shifts towards self-acceptance towards limitations without shame and to allow rest without guilt (Prudenzi et al., 2022).
ACT is helpful in addressing anxiety in three ways: Acceptance instead of avoidance, mindfulness with present moment, and cognitive defusion. Clients commonly report the need to “fix” anxiety. However, ACT encourages you to accept it as a natural feeling. This is important because it helps reduce the “struggle” that is commonly described when clients cannot fix their anxiety. Mindfulness in the present moment is commonly used because it is used as a way to anchor when the mind begins the ‘what if’ thinking process (Ma et al., 2022). Finally, ACT incorporates cognitive defusion (Cognitive defusion, n.d.). With anxiety comes anxious thoughts that are often “ I am not good enough”. However, ACT encourages clients to step back from that anxious thought and acknowledge they are mental events, not truth.
Emotional Support Options
If you’re not ready for therapy, there are other forms of support to consider:
- Talk to a trusted friend or family member
- Peer support groups (in-person, virtual)
- Employee Assistance Programs (EAP’s) can offer free short-term counselling
- Mental health services – community clinics, practicum students offering reduced/free counselling, or sliding-scale therapy.
- Crisis telephone services are a quick option for support. If you are looking for a more specific telephone service, please call Health Link at 811.
- Access 24/7 780-424-2424
- Distress Line 780-482-HELP (4357)
What to Do Next?
We believe the journey towards improved mental health is not linear. Sometimes we need time, space, and support to get back on the right track. It is important to acknowledge what you are feeling without judgement. It’s okay to not be okay! It may be helpful to contact a mental health professional because they can provide support through this process. Finally, take small, compassionate steps for your well-being. This could look like rest, movement, connection, and establishing boundaries.
At Journey Psychology, we are here to support you as you navigate through life’s positives and challenges. We have a dedicated team of trained Psychologists to support you with mental health support. Please visit our website at https://journeypsychology.ca/meet-the-team/ to meet our team and learn more about each therapist. If you are interested in finding support with us, please give us a call at 780-423-5316 or email us at he***@***************gy.ca .
References
ACT skills: Clarifying values. (n.d.). Cerebral. https://cerebral.com/care-resources/act-skills-clarifying-values
Almén, N. (2021). A cognitive behavioral model proposing that clinical burnout may maintain itself. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(7). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18073446
Cognitive defusion techniques and exercises. (n.d.). Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Los Angeles. https://cogbtherapy.com/cbt-blog/cognitive-defusion-techniques-and-exercises
Curtiss, J. E., Levine, D. S., Ander, I., & Baker, A. W. (2021). Cognitive-behavioral treatments for anxiety and stress-related disorders. The Journal of Lifelong Learning in Psychiatry, 19(2), 184-189. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.focus.20200045
Ma, L., Wang, Y., Pan, L., Cui, Z., & Schluter, P. J. (2022). Mindfulness-informed (ACT) and Mindfulness-based programs (MBSR/MBCT) applied for college students to reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety. Journal of Behavioural and Cognitive Therapy, 32(4), 271-289. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbct.2022.05.002
Mental health warning signs and when to ask for help. (n.d.). The Jed Foundation. https://jedfoundation.org/resource/mental-health-warning-signs-and-when-to-ask-for-help/
Prudenzi, A., Graham, C. D., Flaxman, P. E., Wilding, S., Day, F., O’Connor, D. B. (2022). A workplace acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) intervention for improving healthcare staff psychological distress: A randomised controlled trial. National Library of Medicine, 17(4), e0266357. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0266357
Whalley, M., & Pugh, M. (2022). Learn about burnout. Psychology Tools. https://www.psychologytools.com/articles/learn-about-burnout
World mental health day. (n.d.). Canadian Mental Health Association [CMHA]. https://cmhavf.ca/world-mental-health-day-october-10-2024/
