Self-care, we all know about it. It’s in the news, it’s in social media, it’s everywhere. But knowing what to do, as simple as it sounds, doesn’t seem to translate into every day action. Being simple, doesn’t make it easy. Human behaviour is complex, if having knowledge was enough, quite simply Psychologists would not be needed. Most of us go about life, doing the best we can, but still somehow can’t quite get to where we want to be. So much of what we do day-to-day is influenced by things in our environment and our prior learning history. Most of the time we don’t really know why we do what we do.
Often, without realising it, we are responding to emotions, thoughts, and core beliefs about ourselves and the world. Often, even though we know better we stay stuck with repeated patterns of behaviour because somewhere there is a hidden pay off or ‘reinforcer’ which give a temporary ‘reward’ but ultimately keeps us stuck in the long term.
This is where psychology can be helpful. By becoming more present, being able to notice how we respond to our own internal experience we have more power over our reactions. This can enhance the ability to make choices that will serve us in the long term. If you find it difficult to put good habits in to practice, let’s talk about it. Psychology can help us to better understand why we struggle to do the things that are good for us and gives us strategies to draw upon to make more meaningful and informed choices.