Tag: best counsellors in Delhi

The Importance Of Sleep When You Have A Mental Health Issue

Sleeping on time and getting a quality sleep is extremely important to your health and well-being. Sleep is also closely connected to your mental health, and a lack of sleep adversely impacts your psychological state. While it initially begins with irritation and perpetual insomnia, it could in no time turn to a severe case of insomnia, as people with mental health issues are more likely to suffer from insomnia. Keep reading to learn more about the relationship between sleep and mental health. 

How Does Sleep Affect Mental Health? 

Sleep conditions are a cause of certain psychiatric conditions, and a lack of sleep can also exacerbate the symptoms of several mental disorders. This is a complex relationship, where one thing impacts the other. While it is always advisable to seek the opinion of your doctor if you regularly face problems while falling or staying asleep, we will help you understand how sleep affects some mental health conditions. 

relationship between sleep and mental health

1. Stress And Anxiety:

Almost everyone nowadays is dealing with stress and anxiety as it has been taking a toll on every mind. A night of disruptive sleep or a lack of it can cause an enormous amount of chemical imbalance in your brain, due to which it gets difficult to even cope up with minor stress. Sleep deprivation causes tiredness, which results in an increased level of production of cortisol – the hormone that creates feelings of anxiety. This leads to more difficulty in dealing with day-to-day tasks, therefore making them all the more frustrating and leaving you more short-tempered. Getting enough sleep is important, but the stress of not being able to get enough sleep makes sleep deprivation even worse. It is thus necessary to consult your doctor if you face a recurring problem of sleep deprivation. 

2. Depression:

Depression

While insomnia and other sleeping disorders can be a result of depressions, recent research has implicated sleep deprivation in leading to depression. Those with sleeping disorders are twice at risk of developing depression than the general population. Research also suggests that treating insomnia at an early stage could prevent the onset of chronic depression. Therefore, it is important that you consult your doctor when you start noticing signs of insomnia.

3. ADHD:

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD, is extremely common, and affects around 6% of children between the ages of 6-17 years. Studies show how 25-55% of children with ADHD experience sleep disturbances, and disruption to sleep or a lack of it is a major contributor or symptom of this condition, and can also increase the severity of ADHD. The treatment of ADHD also assesses current sleeping patterns and habits in order to address the underlying sleep problems, as children with ADHD tend to suffer from other sleeping problems, such as difficulty falling or staying asleep, difficulty waking, sleep breathing issues, night waking, and daytime sleepiness. 

4. Bipolar Disorder:

Bipolar disorder is characterized by alterations in mood, going from depressed to elevated in no time. Sleep problems, such as insomnia, irregular sleep-wake cycles, and nightmares are extremely common in those with bipolar disorder. Sleep changes can be a symptom of the condition, but sleep problems can also play a role in the course of the condition, treatment outcomes, and the individual’s overall quality of life.

This relationship between sleep and mental health is a complex and circular one, where the cause and the effect cannot be rigidly determined. Therefore, seeking expert opinion and taking professional help is the only way to tackle it.

Where To Seek Help? 

HOPE CARE is a leading psychiatric centre and mental wellness organization that recognizes and provides for the mental health concerns in modern day living. Dr. Deepak Raheja and his team of professionals are the best counsellors in Delhi, who aim to solve all concerns of mental health with the right approach and accurate diagnosis. He seeks to help the society in areas of mental health and its treatment. They aim to completely annihilate from the minds of people the stigma attached to mental health by raising awareness around the issue. 

For a detailed consultation, book an appointment today! 

How To Stop Obsessive Thoughts?

Sometimes a thought just gets stuck in our heads. We keep turning and twisting it over and over again till it starts generating sub thoughts, and we have turned the situation over in our minds so much that we can no longer even remember what the original thought was. This can turn even innocuous situations into dark thoughts. This process of continuously thinking over the same things is called obsessive thinking or rumination.

Obsessive thinking is very bad for mental health. In addition to damaging your mental psyche, it can also prolong and intensify depression and impair a person’s ability to think and process their emotions. It can also lead people to feel isolated from their surroundings when in reality, they are the ones who are pushing people away.

Obsessive thinking can be caused due to a lot of reasons. Sometimes you may believe that it’ll help you gain a better understanding of your life and your problems by thinking deeply about it, or if you have a history of physical or psychological trauma, or if you have ongoing uncontrolled stressors in your life. It is also very prevalent in people who strive for perfection or are very neurotic in their daily lives.

It can be tough to stop obsessive thoughts once you’re stuck in the cycle. Instead, it is better to quickly head it off if you feel it is about to start. If you do enter the cycle, then it is best to head it off and stop the cycle as soon as possible to prevent them from becoming too intense. If you are prone to obsessive thinking, here are some tips to help you:

  • Distract yourself: Sort out your hobbies and always have a distraction ready; if your source of distraction is something that you deeply like, then it’ll help you break the cycle much faster. You can consider calling your friends or relatives, completing your household chores, watching a movie, drawing a picture, or even exercising.
  • Make a plan of action: If you are having repeated bouts of obsessive thinking about the same thing, then you can start making a plan of action to address it. Outline the stressors attached to it, the pros and cons of completing the task and then write your plan so that you have a physical reminder of the plan. Make sure that your expectations are realistic and achievable.

  • Take action: Once you’ve made a plan and have a physical copy of it, start taking steps to actually achieve it. If you ever begin obsessing, refer to your plan. Take small steps but always make sure that you are moving towards your goal instead of away from it.
  • Question your thoughts and beliefs: Obsessive thinking is often a result of a mistake that you may have committed or if something traumatic occurred in your life that you believe you may be responsible for, even tangentially. Instead of focusing on your mistake, start making plans about how you could correct it or avoid doing it again in the future.
  • Readjust your goals: If you are neurotic and strive for perfection in all areas of your life, then it is about time that you reassess and readjust your life’s goals. If your goals are too unrealistic, then you will never achieve them, which will just propel you into another bout of obsessive thinking.

  • Work on your self-esteem: Low self-esteem is another big reason behind obsessive thinking; in fact, in addition to adding to it, it can also worsen it and lead to depression. Enhance your self-esteem by focusing on your strengths instead of your weaknesses. You can even try psychotherapy or counselling. As you get better, you will notice your productivity increasing simultaneously.
  • Try meditation: Meditation calms down the mind and helps escape the cycle of obsessive thinking by helping you focus on the more positive aspects of your life. If you find yourself obsessing, just sit in a quiet space, breathe deeply and try to focus on just your breathing alone and nothing else.

  • Understand your triggers: Every time you start a bout of obsessive thinking, make a mental note of what caused it, recognize the pattern and name them. This can help you make a list of your potential triggers and help either avoid or conquer them in the future.

Obsessive thinking can also be a result of isolation. Talking to your friends, relatives, or even a therapist or counsellor can be a big help. It can also provide you with an outside point of view to help you break your cycle. If nothing else helps, though, then therapy is your best bet. They can be your support system and help you achieve all the lifestyle changes you want. To avoid it, though, you first have to understand what obsessive thinking is, recognize your intrusive and obsessive thoughts. If you do need help, though, you can contact Hopecare India for treatment from the best counsellors in Delhi.

 

Why is changing your habits so difficult?

A habit is any behaviour or action that we have repeated often enough that now we have started doing it subconsciously. These can be compulsory and often go unnoticed by the person who is doing these, and they only become aware of it when it is pointed out by another person. If they go unnoticed for a long time, habits can form specific neural pathways so that we do not even have to be thinking about them to do them. This is why old habits are hard to break, and new habits are so hard to form.

Habits can be both desirable and undesirable. For instance, exercising is a good habit. It helps us remain fit and healthy. On the other hand, many people also have bad habits such as smoking, drinking. These are undesirable habits that you may want to get rid of but are unable to.

Why is changing habits so hard?

Changing our behaviour often needs self-engineered life plans and goals. Unless you have developed a diagnosable disorder such as addiction, you will not be able to find an exact layout for developing new habits and ridding the old ones that are exactly perfect for you. Some of the reasons behaviour or habit change is challenging is because:

  • We are often motivated by our negative emotions instead of positive ones. Whether it is about getting in shape or quitting an undesirable habit like smoking or drinking, most people are motivated by their shame, fear, and guilt. Many people believe that these emotions are perfect for eliciting behavioral change; however, we need to learn that real change comes from positive emotions and positive thinking.

  • Instead of moving towards our goal incrementally, we try to go the all-or-nothing route. This can often make the person feel overwhelmed and make them feel as if their goal is unreachable. We need to learn to progress step by step instead of going to it all at once.
  • Many people try changing too much all at once instead of taking it one by one. Once they become aware of their negative behaviors or habits, many people try to change all at once and get rid of all these habits together. This can also overwhelm a person and lead to feel discouraged and abandon their goal.
  • Many people, while trying to change their habits, forget that it is a process and that it takes time. Failure is a given, and you always fail more in life than you succeed. Your failure will provide you with more insights into how you might succeed in the future. So remember to not be afraid of failing; learn from your failures and try again.

The six stages you may go through during your behavior change process are:

  • Precontemplation: Precontemplation is the stage of the process where you haven’t even begun actively thinking about making a change. Most people in precontemplation stage are in denial and do not even necessarily understand that their behavior can be damaging to them. They claim that they can quit at any time, and their behavior is not a problem. It is very necessary for you to question yourself in this stage to understand if you have any damaging behavior or not, and how you can try to rid yourself of them.
  • Contemplation: This is the stage where people begin to think about making a change actively. During this stage, you should make a list of pros and cons detailing how your life may be affected by keeping or changing your behavior. You must also make a list of all the triggers or stressors in your life that are making you keep your habit so that you can try to start removing them from your life.

  • Preparation: If you are actually serious about changing your behavior, then you need to prepare yourself well. Begin with making small but solid changes in your life that can highlight your next steps in your journey. If you want the change to be long lasting, then try to find out as much information as you can about your behavior and how it can be changed.
  • Action: This is the main step that outlines your journey to habit change. You need to actually take action to change your behavior instead of making empty statements of promise. If you do not act, then you will start your journey. Make small goals and try to list out all the positive strides you made in the day towards achieving your goal at the end of the day.

  • Maintenance: Once you have made even a tiny change in your life, you need to remind yourself to keep following it till your new behavior also becomes a habit for you. As said earlier, not all habits are bad. You can just try to replace your bad habits with good ones.
  • Relapse: Relapse is very common, especially for deep-seated habits. Do not be discouraged. Identify the reason that you relapsed and start your journey anew. It is vital that you learn from your mistakes and do not repeat them again.

If you are struggling with a bad habit and want to change but are unable to, we can help you. Hopecare India is home to the best counsellors in Delhi, who can help you in getting rid of your addictions.

This is how family therapy can solve your family issues

Family is where you can heal your wounds. It is a system of motivation, support, and love. 

But what if you have a deranged family? How will you survive the complications of life then?

Studies have revealed that when therapists were interviewed, a few very intriguing facts surfaced.

One of them being, that when a child or adolescent is taken to therapy, be it a cause of addiction or mental imbalance. Most of the time, the real issue resides within the family and not the child!

Solution? Of course, total family therapy!

But if a therapist said that the problem is coming from the entire family and not the child, then none of them were ever going to go back for the treatment.

Yes, that is how rigid our system is.

What is the solution then to get the family to a family therapy session?

Story of a traumatized family

Mr. Dad and Mrs. Mom took their young son to therapy.

“The child has become out of control, obnoxious, and keeps throwing things at people,” complained Mrs. Mom.

“He needs therapy, make him okay,” added Mr. Dad.

After a bit of chit-chat with both the parents, it was revealed that Mr. Dad had been sacked from his job. The financial issue of the family was draining. Continuous fights killed the peace of home. 

What more? The little boy was left stranded. He had overheard his parents considering a divorce.

All of this together came like an emotional blow to the young boy. He was left confused, scared, and in a state where he could not even express himself.

These suppressed emotions gradually started to have their physical manifestations. The boy became violent, showed emotional outbursts, and this was only the start to it.

The family was referred to a few sessions.

 The young boy got his individual counseling to process his underlying emotions.

 His parents were given couple counseling to manage their conflicts. 

The entire family together were counselled to restore peace, communication, and trust amongst themselves.

So if you still wonder, ‘ Why it’s done?’, the answer is here..

Family therapy is done to avoid the objectification of any issue or blame a particular member of the family. Its sole motive is to upgrade all the members in it. As a family is a unit, they should also come out of any problem together. It focuses on rebuilding the lost ties, communication, and trust.

What is the goal of family therapy?

Family therapy goals reflect on working upon all the members of a family together to heal any mental, emotional, or psychological problem.

The goals, however, also depend upon the problems faced by the family;

  • When a family member is suffering from any psychotic issues-

The goal in this scenario is oriented toward helping the other members of the family to understand the disorder and adjust to it.

  • Children being raised by grandparents or people living in a joint family-

The goal is to set healthy boundaries with each individual.

  • Single parent-child-

To cope up with internal issues as well as to blend in with society’s attitudes.

  • When one family member is not given equivalent treatment-

Increased empathy and support to the individual. Change of attitude is a must from the side of the family members.

  • Family members coming down from mixed cultural backgrounds-

Help the family members to respect each other and their cultural differences and maintain a healthy bond.

What are the benefits of family therapy?

The effectiveness of family therapy has advanced at a tremendous rate. A few of its benefits are;

  • Increase in communication.
  • Deeper empathy.
  • Anger management skills.
  • Less amount of conflicts.
  • Maintaining healthy boundaries.
  • Better problem-solving attitude.

The following ways are adopted to help build better family relations;

  • Developing a supportive environment.
  • Reducing stress within the family.
  • Resolving conflicts.
  • Help in building trust.
  • Forgiving each other.
  • To bring the family together after any problem.
  • To create honesty.

Help through books?

If you are still unaware of the miraculous effects that reading can have on you, it is time to pick one book and see for yourself.

As beautifully said by Garrison Keillor, 

“A book is a gift you can open again and again.”

  • Family therapy: Concepts and Methods by Michael Nicholas and Sean Davis.

This book gives deep insight into the practice of family therapy. 

  • The Family Therapy Treatment Planner by Frank M. Datillio, Arthur E. Jongsma Jr, and Sean D. Davis. 

The book will help in giving a piece of knowledge about the treatments and therapies that are induced during family therapy.

Family therapy techniques

The best way to resolve your family issues is to talk to a professional, as therapists are guided to give the best treatment possible. Thus, recovering from any problem takes place at a faster pace. If you too want to get aid from highly qualified professionals, then visit the best counsellors in Delhi.

Family therapy techniques have been found to be very effective for an array of issues. The methods involved during any family sessions are;

  • Structural therapy.
  • Strategic therapy.
  • Narrative therapy.
  • Transgenerational therapy.
  • Communication therapy.
  • Psychoeducation.
  • Relationship counseling.

Family issues have a triggering effect on all members of the family. Science and medicine widely accept this fact. Reading books, undergoing therapy are a few of the ways that the problems in the family can be dealt with. But, the first step to resolving such critical matters is to consult a professional.

Seek the help of a therapist!

Since 1940, when family therapy was given heed to this date, experts know the consequences of a disrupted family. Only a trained professional can sight your actual issues and resolve them. Your part of the job is to seek help whenever you suspect a problem. We at Hopecare guide our patients to lay the path towards positivity. Family is a strength, and it should remain so. We understand this truth and help you overcome your problems.

Get the best treatment for Family Therapy. Call at 91-9311112377!