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I picked the therapist based on the words "mindfulness meditation" in her bio, but noticed that she mentioned CBT (cognitive behavior therapy) also, so I wasn't surprised when a page of unhelpful thinking styles showed up on Tuesday. I have done some of these for a long time, others not so much.
The Mayo Clinic page about CBT is pretty clear. Here are excerpts:
>>You work with a mental health counselor (psychotherapist or therapist) in a structured way, attending a limited number of sessions. CBT helps you become aware of inaccurate or negative thinking so you can view challenging situations more clearly and respond to them in a more effective way.<<
and
>>CBT can be an effective tool to help anyone learn how to better manage stressful life situations.<<
My recollection is that there are books with DIY versions as well, but the therapist is there to help me.
My wildly exaggerated synopsis of the underlying theory is "Life sucks. Suck it up." (by no longer using the unhelpful thinking styles). That's where the first digression begins. I try not to use sucks as a pejorative, worrying that its origin was an implication that fellatio is a bad thing. I don't agree with that. Still, "life sucks" is such a common expression that it popped to mind. Then I started wondering about the origin of suck it up. It may be apocryphal, but the web seems to think it started in WWII, when airsick bomber crews were told to "suck it up" (it being the vomit) rather than get the puke in their oxygen masks. I think the point of using CBT after an upsetting occurrence is that the bad thing has happened and sooner or later one has to accept it as part of one's life. I don't think that means not being sad anymore. I'm probably never going to stop missing my parents, for example. But it doesn't have to be the focal point of life to the extent of affecting daily functioning.
Should I have said "life stinks?" Then what kind of foul odor is the comparison? Something fecal? rotten food? (says someone who is getting ready to clear out whatever it is that spilled on the bottom of the freezer). And then I suddenly thought of Crabby Appleton, who was rotten to the core.
Theme song for the post: My life would suck without you, by Kelly Clarkson
https://youtu.be/cRM70Jw7F4M?si=7JNHBpnkoU0KpMnf
Since that time, Kelly Clarkson has also become famous for doing great covers of other people's songs on TV.
My favorite cover (totally unrelated to anything above) yesterday is the one by Yoon Mirae of "It's my life" (originally by Bon Jovi, although I'm not sure I was familiar with it until I heard it on Glee).
https://youtu.be/dG5Bod5w9FA?si=V2HBVJ4opCPc77IK
The Mayo Clinic page about CBT is pretty clear. Here are excerpts:
>>You work with a mental health counselor (psychotherapist or therapist) in a structured way, attending a limited number of sessions. CBT helps you become aware of inaccurate or negative thinking so you can view challenging situations more clearly and respond to them in a more effective way.<<
and
>>CBT can be an effective tool to help anyone learn how to better manage stressful life situations.<<
My recollection is that there are books with DIY versions as well, but the therapist is there to help me.
My wildly exaggerated synopsis of the underlying theory is "Life sucks. Suck it up." (by no longer using the unhelpful thinking styles). That's where the first digression begins. I try not to use sucks as a pejorative, worrying that its origin was an implication that fellatio is a bad thing. I don't agree with that. Still, "life sucks" is such a common expression that it popped to mind. Then I started wondering about the origin of suck it up. It may be apocryphal, but the web seems to think it started in WWII, when airsick bomber crews were told to "suck it up" (it being the vomit) rather than get the puke in their oxygen masks. I think the point of using CBT after an upsetting occurrence is that the bad thing has happened and sooner or later one has to accept it as part of one's life. I don't think that means not being sad anymore. I'm probably never going to stop missing my parents, for example. But it doesn't have to be the focal point of life to the extent of affecting daily functioning.
Should I have said "life stinks?" Then what kind of foul odor is the comparison? Something fecal? rotten food? (says someone who is getting ready to clear out whatever it is that spilled on the bottom of the freezer). And then I suddenly thought of Crabby Appleton, who was rotten to the core.
Theme song for the post: My life would suck without you, by Kelly Clarkson
https://youtu.be/cRM70Jw7F4M?si=7JNHBpnkoU0KpMnf
Since that time, Kelly Clarkson has also become famous for doing great covers of other people's songs on TV.
My favorite cover (totally unrelated to anything above) yesterday is the one by Yoon Mirae of "It's my life" (originally by Bon Jovi, although I'm not sure I was familiar with it until I heard it on Glee).
https://youtu.be/dG5Bod5w9FA?si=V2HBVJ4opCPc77IK
