Health Psychology: Blog

October 18th, 2025

Alcohol and Cancer Risk: What October's Awareness Months Teach Us

October holds special significance in the healthcare community as we raise awareness for both breast cancer and liver cancer—two conditions that affect millions of people worldwide. While we often discuss genetic factors, lifestyle choices, and screening protocols, there's one risk factor that deserves more attention in our conversations: alcohol consumption.

The Uncomfortable Truth About Alcohol

Here's something that might surprise you: since 1987, alcohol has been classified as a Group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. This places it in the same category as tobacco and asbestos. Yet unlike these other substances, alcohol remains deeply woven into our social fabric, celebrated at gatherings, and often minimised in discussions about health.

The evidence is clear and sobering. Research shows that alcohol consumption was linked to approximately 100,000 cancer diagnoses and 25,000 cancer deaths in the United States in a single year. That represents about 5% of all cancer cases and 4% of cancer deaths—numbers too significant to ignore. Similar patterns are observed in the UK and across developed nations.

It's Not Just About Heavy Drinking

One of the most important shifts in our understanding is this: you don't need to be a heavy drinker to increase your cancer risk. Even light drinking—defined as having less than one standard drink per day—raises the likelihood of developing certain cancers.

For women having just one drink daily, the risk of breast cancer increases noticeably compared to those who drink less than once weekly. When we look at the numbers from recent data, among 100 women who consume one drink per day, approximately 19 will develop an alcohol-related cancer over their lifetime, compared to 17 among those who drink less than once a week. That's an additional 2 cases per 100 women. For those having two drinks daily, that number rises to 22—an increase of 5 per 100.

These may sound like small numbers, but when we consider how common breast cancer is, even modest increases in relative risk translate to thousands of additional diagnoses.

The October Connection: Breast and Liver Cancer

This October, as we honour breast cancer and liver cancer awareness, it's worth understanding how alcohol specifically impacts these conditions.

Breast Cancer: The relationship between alcohol and breast cancer risk increases progressively. Light drinkers face a 4% higher risk, moderate drinkers a 23% increase, and heavy drinkers see their risk jump by 60%. The mechanism involves alcohol raising estrogen levels in the body, and elevated estrogen is a known driver of breast cancer development.

Liver Cancer: Heavy drinking doubles the risk of liver cancer. The liver, tasked with processing alcohol, sustains direct damage from both ethanol and its toxic byproduct, acetaldehyde. Over time, this can lead to inflammation, cirrhosis, and ultimately cancer.

Why Does Alcohol Cause Cancer?

Understanding the biological mechanisms helps us appreciate why this risk exists. When we drink, our bodies break down alcohol in several ways:

  • Acetaldehyde formation: Alcohol converts to acetaldehyde, a toxic chemical that damages DNA and proteins directly
  • Oxidative stress: The process generates harmful molecules that can injure cellular components
  • Nutrient interference: Alcohol impairs our ability to absorb protective vitamins like folate, vitamins A, C, D, and E
  • Enhanced absorption of toxins: Alcohol makes it easier for the mouth and throat to absorb other harmful chemicals, including those from tobacco

Beyond breast and liver cancer, alcohol consumption raises the risk of cancers of the mouth, throat, voice box, esophagus, and colon. The pattern is consistent: the more someone drinks, the higher their risk climbs.

A Message of Hope

If you're reading this and feeling concerned about your own drinking habits, here's an important message: reducing or stopping alcohol consumption lowers your cancer risk. Studies confirm that people who quit drinking see decreased risks of several cancers, including those of the oral cavity, esophagus, throat, breast, and colon.

It may take time for risks to return to baseline levels, but the body's capacity for healing is remarkable. Whether you're considering cutting back or stopping entirely, it's never too late to make a change that benefits your long-term health.

Rethinking Our Relationship With Alcohol

From a psychological perspective, examining our relationship with alcohol can be complex. It's intertwined with social connection, stress management, celebration, and sometimes, emotional regulation. If you're contemplating reducing your alcohol intake, consider:

  • What role does drinking play in your life?
  • Are there other ways to achieve the same social or emotional outcomes?
  • What support might you need to make changes?
  • How can you navigate social situations where drinking is expected?

Recent guidance from health authorities suggests reconsidering the recommended alcohol limits to better account for cancer risks. The Chief Medical Officers' (CMOs) drinking guidelines advise that to keep health risks low, both men and women should not regularly drink more than 14 units of alcohol per week. However, emerging evidence suggests that even these levels carry meaningful risk.

Moving Forward

This October, as we wear pink ribbons for breast cancer awareness and green ribbons for liver cancer awareness, let's expand our conversations to include evidence-based prevention strategies. That includes honest discussions about alcohol—not to shame or judge, but to empower informed decision-making.

Your health journey is personal, and only you can decide what changes align with your values and goals. But you deserve to have accurate information about the choices you make, including the ones that might seem benign or even beneficial.

If you're considering changing your drinking habits and would like support, speaking with a healthcare provider or mental health professional can provide guidance tailored to your individual circumstances. Change is always possible, and awareness is the first step towards healthier choices.

Ready to Make a Change?

If you're interested in reducing your alcohol consumption and would like professional support on this journey, I offer a free initial consultation to discuss how we might work together. Making changes to long-established habits can feel daunting, but you don't have to do it alone.

Whether you're looking to cut back, take a break, or stop drinking altogether, we can explore strategies that work for your unique situation and lifestyle. Please visit my Contact Me page to arrange your free consultation or book a call via my booking page (https://calendar.app.google/xG89cJ99G5ikQvuS8), and take that important first step towards a healthier future.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Please consult with your healthcare provider for personalised guidance regarding alcohol consumption and cancer screening.

Keywords: wellbeing, alcohol, alcohol consumption, cancer, awareness, psychology, mental health, health psychology

 

October 5th, 2025

Take Control: Practical Strategies to Tame Your Worries

We've all been there, lying awake at 3am, mind racing with concerns about tomorrow's presentation, replaying that awkward conversation, or catastrophising about everything that could possibly go wrong. Worrying is a natural part of being human, but when it starts taking over, it can seriously impact our wellbeing, sleep, and daily life.

The good news? You have more power over your worried thoughts than you might realise. With some practical techniques and a bit of practice, you can learn to manage anxiety more effectively and break free from those spiralling thought patterns.

Understanding the Thought-Feeling-Behaviour Loop

Before we dive into solutions, it's helpful to understand what's happening. Our thoughts, emotions, and actions are constantly influencing each other in a continuous cycle. When we develop patterns of negative thinking, they affect how we feel, which then influences how we behave, which reinforces those same thoughts, creating a vicious circle that's hard to escape.

But here's the empowering part: because you can influence your thoughts, you can actually interrupt this cycle and shift it in a more positive direction.

The Three-Step Technique: Spot It, Question It, Shift It

One of the most effective methods for tackling unhelpful thinking is this simple three-step approach:

Step 1: Recognise Unhelpful Thinking Patterns

You can't challenge a thought if you don't notice it's there. Start by familiarising yourself with common types of negative thinking:

  • Catastrophising: Always jumping to the worst possible outcome
  • Filtering: Ignoring positives and fixating only on negatives
  • All-or-nothing thinking: Seeing situations as complete successes or total failures, with no middle ground
  • Personalisation: Blaming yourself entirely for things that aren't wholly your responsibility

Simply knowing these patterns exist makes them easier to spot when they show up in your own mind. At first, tuning into your thoughts might feel strange, but with practice, it becomes second nature.

Step 2: Examine the Evidence

Once you've caught yourself in an unhelpful thought, pause and investigate it like a detective:

  • How probable is this outcome I'm dreading?
  • What actual evidence supports this thought?
  • Are there alternative explanations I'm overlooking?
  • What would I tell a friend if they were thinking this way?

For instance, if you're convinced you'll completely mess up a work presentation and everyone will think you're incompetent, take a moment to challenge that. What's the real likelihood? Have you prepared? Have you successfully done similar things before?

Step 3: Reframe With a Balanced Perspective

Try replacing the unhelpful thought with something more balanced or neutral. This doesn't mean forcing fake positivity. It means finding a more realistic middle ground.

Instead of "This will be a disaster," try "I've prepared thoroughly and I'll give it my best effort" or "I've handled challenging situations before, and even if it's not perfect, it won't be a catastrophe."

Try a Thought Record

If you're finding this process tricky, a structured thought record can help. Work through these prompts:

  1. What happened? (The triggering situation)
  2. How did it make me feel? (Initial emotions)
  3. What unhelpful thoughts did I have?
  4. What evidence supports these thoughts?
  5. What evidence contradicts them?
  6. What's a more balanced way to view this?
  7. How do I feel now? (After reflection)

This exercise helps you see how your perspective can shift when you examine thoughts more closely.

Practical Worry-Management Strategies

Beyond challenging individual thoughts, here are specific techniques to manage worry more broadly:

Create a Worry Schedule

Instead of letting concerns hijack your entire day, designate a specific 10-15 minute "worry window" each day, perhaps before bed. During this time, write down your worries and work through them systematically.

When worries pop up at other times, tell yourself, "I'll address that during my worry time." This helps you stay present during the day whilst ensuring you don't suppress concerns entirely.

Distinguish Between Solvable Problems and Hypothetical Worries

Not all worries are created equal. Some concerns require action; others are purely hypothetical scenarios we can't control.

Ask yourself: "Can I actually do something about this?"

If yes: Make a concrete action plan. Be specific - what will you do, how will you do it, and when? If you can take action immediately, do it. If not, schedule it. Then when the worry resurfaces, remind yourself you've already got a plan in place.

If no: Acknowledge that this is outside your control. Often, simply recognising that you've given a worry proper consideration helps diminish its power. Then consciously redirect your attention elsewhere.

Get It Out of Your Head

Sometimes the simple act of writing worries down - whether in a journal or on your phone - helps clear mental space and makes concerns feel more manageable. Once they're on paper, you can work through them one at a time rather than having them swirl around creating chaos.

Anchor Yourself in the Present

When anxiety starts creeping in, grounding techniques can help bring you back to the here and now:

  • Breathing exercises: Slow, deep breaths activate your body's relaxation response
  • Mindfulness practices: Focus on your immediate sensory experience
  • Physical activity: Exercise naturally reduces stress and clears the mind
  • Progressive muscle relaxation: Systematically tensing and releasing muscle groups

These techniques take practice, but they're genuinely effective tools for regaining a sense of control.

Remember: Progress, Not Perfection

You won't always be able to transform a negative thought into a positive one. And that's completely fine! The goal isn't to eliminate all worry or force relentless positivity. It's about developing flexibility in your thinking and preventing unhelpful patterns from spiralling out of control.

Even if you can't change a thought entirely, learning to identify it, question it, and see it from different angles already breaks the automatic cycle. You're training yourself to think more critically about your thoughts rather than accepting every worry as absolute truth.

With regular practice, these techniques really do work. You'll likely find yourself catching unhelpful thoughts more quickly, challenging them more effectively, and feeling more equipped to handle whatever life throws at you.

Whilst we can't eliminate worry entirely - it's part of being human - we can absolutely change our relationship with it. Start small, be patient with yourself, and remember that each time you challenge an unhelpful thought, you're strengthening a valuable skill that will serve you for life.

Remember, if anxiety is significantly impacting your daily life, it's always worth speaking with your GP or a mental health professional who can provide additional support tailored to your needs.

Keywords: wellbeing, thought-challenging, thought record, managing worries, compassion, empathy, reflection, balance, holistic, psychology, mental health, health psychology

 

July 20th, 2025

How to Rewire Your Brain to Stop Negative Thinking (Using the Master's Method)

What if I told you that your brain treats negative thoughts the same way elite performers' brains treat their craft? And that understanding this similarity could be the key to finally breaking free from those spiralling thought patterns that keep you up at night?

The Neuroscience Behind Your Thoughts

Your brain operates on a simple principle: neurons that fire together, wire together. This means that every time you have a thought, you're literally strengthening the neural pathways that make that thought more likely to happen again.

Think about it this way - when one neuron consistently activates another within a specific timeframe, their connection becomes stronger. It's like creating a superhighway in your brain for certain thought patterns.

What Elite Performers Can Teach Us About Our Minds

Think about any master of their craft: footballers who can place a ball exactly where they want from 30 yards out, guitarists whose fingers dance across strings without conscious thought, chess grandmasters who see patterns twenty moves ahead, Formula 1 drivers who make split-second decisions at 200mph, dancers who move with perfect rhythm and grace, or basketball players who make three-pointers under pressure.

What do they all have in common? Obsessive practice and repetition.

A professional footballer might practice free kicks for hours daily, taking hundreds of shots from different angles. A guitarist repeats chord progressions until muscle memory takes over. Chess players study thousands of game patterns until they recognise winning combinations instantly. These masters don't have to consciously think about every micro-movement or decision; their brains have created such strong neural pathways that excellence becomes automatic.

Their formula is simple: Repetition + Attention + Intention = Lasting Change

Now here's where automatic thoughts come in. Research suggests that we have thousands of thoughts each day. If elite performers become masters through thousands of daily repetitions, imagine how expertly trained your brain has become at negative thinking if that's what you've been practicing.

Your brain doesn't judge whether thoughts are good or bad - it simply strengthens whatever patterns you repeat. If you've been spiraling into negative thinking for years, you've become a world-class expert at it.

But here's the empowering part: the same neuroplasticity that created these negative patterns can be used to create positive or more balanced ones.

The Four Triggers That Send Us Spiraling

Understanding your triggers is crucial because your brain loves to stay in its comfort zone. When we prepare for these triggers, we're better equipped to respond rather than react.

1. Environmental Cues

Your surroundings powerfully influence your mental state. Maybe you feel anxious every time you walk into your cluttered bedroom, or perhaps certain locations remind you of past failures or disappointments.

Ask yourself: What places or environments consistently trigger negative thoughts?

2. Social Situations and Settings

The people we surround ourselves with act as powerful cues for our behavior and thinking patterns. You might have friends who lift you up and others who drain your energy or trigger self-doubt.

Ask yourself: Which relationships or social situations tend to send you into negative thinking spirals?

3. Sensory Triggers

In our social media-saturated world, visual cues are everywhere. Scrolling through Instagram and comparing your behind-the-scenes to everyone else's highlight reel is a common trigger for negative self-talk and rumination.

Ask yourself: What do you see, hear, or feel that consistently triggers negative thoughts?

4. Time-Dependent Cues

Many people report that their worst thinking happens at specific times - often late at night when they're trying to fall asleep, or first thing in the morning. Your brain has learned to associate certain times with rumination.

Ask yourself: Are there specific times of day when negative thinking tends to take over?

The Space Between Stimulus and Response

There's a powerful quote often attributed to Viktor Frankl: "Between stimulus and response lies a space. In that space lie our freedom and power to choose a response. In our response lie our growth and our happiness."

This space - however brief - is where change happens. It's where you can catch yourself before automatically sliding into negative thinking patterns and choose a different response.

Next time, we'll think more about how to update these firing patterns. In the meantime, try the following as a first step:

Step 1: Become a Detective Spend one week identifying your triggers. Keep a simple note on your phone. When you notice negative thinking starting, jot down:

  • What was happening around you?
  • Who were you with?
  • What time was it?
  • What had you just seen, heard, or felt?

Remember, if performers become legendary with daily practice, you can rewire your brain with daily attention to your thought patterns. Your brain is incredibly adaptable. The same neuroplasticity that may have created negative thinking patterns can absolutely create positive ones. You're not broken - you're just really well-practiced at something that isn't serving you.

The goal isn't to eliminate all negative thoughts (that's impossible and wouldn't be healthy), but to break the automatic spiral into rumination and self-criticism. You have more power over your thoughts than you realise. It's time to start training your brain with the same dedication that masters bring to their craft.

What negative thought pattern are you ready to start rewiring? The first step is simply becoming aware of it.

Keywords: health, wellbeing, psychobiology, holistic, self-care, motivation, rewiring, automatic thoughts

July 2nd, 2025

Breaking Free from Symptom Cycles: Understanding Your Body-Mind Connection

Have you ever noticed how some symptoms seem to stick around long after the original illness has passed? Maybe you had a virus months ago, but you're still dealing with crushing fatigue. Or perhaps a stomach bug left you with ongoing digestive issues that just won't quit. If this sounds familiar, you're not alone and, more importantly, there's a scientific explanation for what's happening.

The Hidden Cycle That Keeps You Stuck

Here's something that might surprise you: what started your symptoms is not necessarily what's keeping them going. Once you begin experiencing unwanted symptoms like fatigue, pain, gut problems, brain fog, or anxiety, your body undergoes a significant shift that can create cycles that trap you in ongoing discomfort.

But here's the empowering truth: you can learn to understand and interrupt these cycles.

What Are Psychobiological Loops?

Think of your body and mind as partners in an intricate dance. When you're unwell, this partnership can sometimes get stuck in unhelpful patterns called "psychobiological loops."

Here's how it works. Let's say you had a viral infection that depleted your immune system. As your body works overtime to recover, other systems become stressed trying to compensate. Your brain receives chemical messages about this internal struggle and responds by triggering what scientists call "sickness behavior."

This evolutionary response was designed to protect you, making you want to rest, withdraw, and conserve energy when you were vulnerable. In our ancestors' world, this prevented them from being attacked when they couldn't defend themselves. But in today's world, this same response can lead to isolation and increased stress.

And here's where the loop begins: feelings of isolation and pressure activate your brain's threat centres, including the hypothalamus. This kicks your nervous system into high gear, potentially causing more anxiety and agitation, which further depletes the very systems trying to help you heal.

The Good News: You Have More Control Than You Think

The exciting reality is that once you understand these psychobiological loops, you can start to interrupt them. You can make informed choices about how to respond to your symptoms in ways that support healing rather than perpetuate the cycle.

Your Path Forward

  • Learn About Your Loops Start by understanding how psychobiological loops specifically apply to your symptoms. Every person's experience is unique, and recognising your particular patterns is the foundation for change.
  • Discover Tailored Strategies Learn evidence-based techniques designed specifically to interrupt these cycles. Generic advice rarely works, you need strategies that address the specific way your body and mind interact.
  • Practice and Track Progress Like any skill, breaking these cycles takes consistent practice. Celebrate small wins and track your progress over time.

Ready to begin? Here's a simple but powerful exercise you can try right now:

Choose one uncomfortable symptom you experience regularly. For the next few days, pay attention to how you automatically react when it appears. Notice if you have an urge to:

  • Distract yourself (scrolling social media, binge-watching shows)
  • Analyse endlessly (researching symptoms online, catastrophizing)
  • Find an immediate fix (taking supplements, trying every remedy)
  • Seek reassurance (calling friends, posting in health forums)
  • Completely withdraw (canceling plans, avoiding activities)
  • Push through defiantly (ignoring your body's signals, overexerting)

Once you identify your go-to reaction, take a few minutes to write about this question: How might this automatic response actually feed into the very cycle that's keeping your symptoms active?

This simple awareness exercise is often the first step toward breaking free from patterns that no longer serve you.

You're Not Powerless

Remember, experiencing these cycles doesn't mean you're weak or doing something wrong. Your body and mind are simply following patterns that once served a protective purpose. The beautiful thing about being human is that we can learn, adapt, and create new patterns that better serve our current needs.

Your symptoms may have started with a physical trigger, but your healing journey can be empowered by understanding the intricate dance between your biology and psychology. You have more influence over your experience than you might realise; and that's where your power to transform lies.

Keywords: health, wellbeing, psychobiology, holistic

June 14th, 2025

The Surprising Difference Between Compassion and Empathy (And Why It Matters for Your Wellbeing)

Ever felt completely drained after trying to help someone? You might think you're experiencing "compassion fatigue," but here's the twist: true compassion might actually be the cure, not the cause.

What We Get Wrong About Compassion

Most of us use "compassion" and "empathy" interchangeably, but they're actually quite different—and understanding this difference could transform how you care for others (and yourself).

The Four Elements of True Compassion

Real compassion isn't just feeling bad for someone. It's made up of four key parts:

  1. Awareness - Noticing when someone (including yourself) is suffering
  2. Kindness - Approaching that suffering with warmth and gentleness
  3. Shared connection - Recognizing that suffering is part of being human, not a personal failing
  4. Motivation to help - Actually wanting to do something about it, within your capacity

Notice what's missing? The overwhelming distress that often comes with empathy.

The Parent and the Sick Child: A Tale of Two Responses

Let me paint you two pictures to show the difference:

The Empathy Response

Your child has a terrible migraine. They're crying, writhing in pain, begging for it to stop.

In the empathy response, you feel their pain as if it's your own. You start crying too. When the doorbell rings, you get angry and stomp to the door because the noise might hurt their head more. You pace around frantically, hug them tightly (even though they feel overwhelmed), and your own distress fills the room.

Your child, already in pain, now has to deal with your distress too. They can't tell where their crying ends and yours begins. Instead of feeling comforted, they feel more anxious and overwhelmed.

The Compassion Response

Same situation, but this time you respond with compassion.

You see your child's pain and feel a deep wish to help them feel better. Yes, you feel sad, but that sadness isn't the main event. Instead, you focus on what they need. You speak calmly, dim the lights, bring water to their bedside, and sit with them as a steady, reliable presence. When their sobs increase, you offer to breathe together, helping them find moments of calm.

Your own feelings are there, but they're not taking up all the space. Your child feels held and safe, even in their pain.

Why This Matters for Your Body and Mind

Here's where it gets really interesting: compassion actually regulates your nervous system, while empathy can dysregulate it.

Research shows that when we feel empathy, our brains light up in areas associated with distress and pain. We literally feel stressed. But when we practice compassion, something beautiful happens:

  • Areas of the brain associated with positive feelings become active
  • Our parasympathetic nervous system (the "rest and digest" mode) kicks in
  • Heart rate variability improves and heart rate lowers
  • We feel calmer and more regulated

In simple terms: compassion helps your body feel safe, while overwhelming empathy can trigger your stress response.

The Self-Compassion Connection

This applies to how you treat yourself too. There's a huge difference between:

  • Empathetic self-focus: "I'm so sad and everything is terrible and I can't handle this" (ruminating on your suffering)
  • Self-compassion: "I'm in pain right now, and that's okay. I can meet this pain with kindness and care" (acknowledging pain while staying warm toward yourself)

One keeps you stuck in distress; the other helps you regulate and move forward.

But What About Caring?

You might be thinking, "If I don't feel their pain deeply, doesn't that make me cold or uncaring?"

Not at all. Compassion can be fierce - it's the difference between drowning alongside someone and throwing them a life preserver from solid ground. When you're regulated and calm, you're actually more capable of providing meaningful help.

The Practical Difference

When you're overwhelmed by empathy:

  • You absorb others' emotions as your own
  • You feel powerless and drained
  • Your own stress response activates
  • You might avoid helping because it feels too overwhelming

When you respond with compassion:

  • You stay grounded while caring deeply
  • You can think clearly about how to help
  • Your nervous system stays regulated
  • You have more capacity to actually be useful

A Simple Practice to Try

Instead of diving headfirst into someone's pain, try this approach:

  1. Notice the suffering (theirs or yours)
  2. Breathe and stay grounded in your own body
  3. Remind yourself that suffering is part of the human experience
  4. Ask what would truly be helpful right now
  5. Act from a place of calm caring rather than anxious distress

The Bottom Line

True compassion isn't about feeling everything as intensely as possible. It's about caring deeply while staying grounded enough to actually help. It's the difference between being swept away by the current and being the steady rock someone can hold onto.

Your nervous system - and the people you care about - will thank you for learning this distinction. Remember: This isn't about becoming cold or distant. It's about becoming more skillfully caring, in a way that actually serves both you and others better.

Keywords: wellbeing, compassion, empathy, reflection, balance, holistic, psychology, mental health, health psychology

 

June 10th, 2025

Why "Doing Nothing" Might Be Stressing You Out: The Hidden Activities That Drain Your Energy

How has your week been? What's the first word that comes to mind? Keep that thought - we'll come back to it.

The "I Don't Do Much" Myth

"I don't really do much," clients tell me all the time when I ask about their daily activities. But here's the thing: when we dig deeper, I discover they're actually doing far more than they realise.

When I ask people to track their "doing nothing" time, guess what? It's rarely actually nothing.

The Invisible Energy Drains

Here are some common "doing nothing" activities that actually impact how safe and calm your body feels:

  • Thinking (yes, just thinking!)
  • Parenting conversations and decisions
  • Talking with partners, family, or friends
  • Admin tasks like emails and bills
  • Household chores
  • Cooking
  • Commuting

Notice something about this list? Every single one of these activities can either feel neutral and manageable, or completely draining - depending on your mindset, energy levels, and what else is going on in your life.

The good news? Since these activities make up so much of our daily lives, we have plenty of opportunities to shift them from energy-draining to energy-neutral (or even energy-giving).

The Two Ends of the Spectrum

Type 1: The Cautious Approach

Maybe you've scaled back your activities because you're worried about making symptoms worse or feeling overwhelmed. This makes perfect sense - it's protective and sometimes necessary.

But here's the catch: when "doing less" becomes your default mode, your body starts to interpret most activities as potentially threatening. You become more sensitive to stress, and even small tasks can feel overwhelming. It's like your body's alarm system becomes overly sensitive.

Type 2: The "I Just Get On With It" Approach

On the flip side, maybe you're someone who prides themselves on just pushing through. You might say, "I'm not particularly stressed - I just get on with things."

But consider whether any of these sound familiar:

  • You don't pause to acknowledge the emotional side of challenging situations
  • You often feel frustrated with yourself or your abilities
  • You find it hard to stop, relax, or wind down
  • You frequently push through brain fog or mental fatigue
  • You only recognise stress when physical symptoms force you to pay attention

If you're nodding along, your body might be experiencing more stress than your mind realizes.

Why Your Brain is More Tiring Than You Think

Here's a surprising fact: thinking uses about 20% of your body's total energy. Your brain runs primarily on glucose, and during intense mental work, it burns through this fuel quickly, leading to fatigue.

This means that even "just" thinking, planning, or problem-solving all day can leave you as drained as physical exercise. Ever notice how after a mentally demanding day, you don't want to leave the house, talk to anyone, or cook dinner? That's your body trying to balance things out by forcing rest in other areas of your life.

The Boom-and-Bust Cycle

Many of us live in a pattern of pushing hard, then crashing. We go full speed until our body forces us to stop through:

  • Brain fog
  • Exhaustion
  • Getting run down and sick
  • Digestive issues
  • Feeling emotionally flat and just wanting to watch TV

Sound familiar? This isn't a character flaw - it's your body trying to restore balance.

A Simple Experiment: The Activity Color Code

Want to understand your own patterns better? Try this two-week experiment:

Track your activities using this color system:

🔴 Red Activities: High demand on your body or mind

  • Examples: Intense exercise, difficult conversations, complex problem-solving, deadlines
  • Not necessarily "bad," but they ask a lot of you

🟡 Amber Activities: Moderate demands

  • Examples: Regular exercise, routine work tasks, social gatherings
  • Manageable but still require energy

🟢 Green Activities: Neutral or replenishing

  • Examples: Gentle walks, enjoyable hobbies, relaxing with loved ones, meditation
  • These restore rather than drain you

Important note: The same activity can be different colors depending on how you're feeling. A work meeting might be amber when you're rested, but red when you're already stressed.

The Key Insight

You don't need to dramatically change your life. Sometimes just becoming aware of these patterns is enough to naturally start balancing things better.

Pay attention to:

  • What you automatically expect your week should look like versus what it actually looks like
  • How different activities feel in your body, not just your mind
  • Whether you have enough green activities to balance the red ones

Coming Full Circle

Now, think back to that first question: How has your week been? Has your answer changed after reading this?

The goal isn't to eliminate all challenging activities - that's neither possible nor healthy. Instead, it's about becoming more aware of the hidden ways we spend our energy, and consciously creating more balance between activities that drain us and those that restore us.

Your nervous system will thank you for it.

Keywords: energy, wellbeing, pacing, reflection, balance, holistic, psychology, mental health, health psychology

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