#YNF EP18 - Reframing June Gloom

Brittany talks about her experience reframing during the month of June & the benefits of cognitive reframing.

Check out Psych2Go's video on overcoming negative thoughts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iB_1jluDbpU

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:13

Hey, everyone. Welcome back to your now finished podcast. My name is Brittany Franklin and I'm the host of this podcast. And it's been a minute since the last episode, but that is because so many events have happened within such a short period of time. And I've honestly just been seeking wisdom on how to respond as well as giving space for people to grieve and honoring people who would have much better responses to the recent, multiple mass shootings, the overturning of Roe versus Wade, and just all the other things that have gone on than I than I would have. But I have been writing blogs on year, not finished.com during this time. So if you would like to check those out, make sure you visit the website, but yeah, with everything that has been going on, I realize that not only will I not always have the answer, I don't need to always offer my voice to an issue. The only thing I need to do is just show my love and support to the people involved. That being said, I will be writing in the next week or so regarding Roe versus Wade. Um, so please subscribe to your non finished.com in order to stay up to date. So you don't miss it really quickly. Before I jump into things, I wanna shout out Aaron who won the first year, not finished giveaway. As you know, last episode was our giveaway episode. I gave away a lot of things last month. So Erin, I hope you are enjoying your gifts and to those who entered or missed the opportunity to do so, there will be future giveaways. I will be doing this quarterly. So make sure you stay tuned. The next one is in August. So if you've been listening since the first episode, or you heard the last June episode, at least you would remember that the month of June is usually a pretty tough time. For me, it brings up some pretty heavy memories because my grandmother and aunt both passed away on June 6th, my grandmother in 2000 and my aunt in 2018, June 10th is what would've been my grandmother's birthday. And that month reminds the end of being part of a very toxic environment that had a negative impact on my mental health. It is said, and it has been proven that the body keeps score when it comes to trauma. So although there were instances over the years where I experienced healing through therapy and a change of environment, the month of June was still physically and emotionally triggering for me this year though. I remember what my therapist told me about the month of June, how I could repurpose it, reframe my mindset around it and allow myself to feel those losses and remember the lessons surrounding those experiences as well as make new memories for the month of June, June 16th also marks my biological birthday and my sober birthday. So instead of focusing on the score, my body may have kept from painful events. I can celebrate that. I'm still here, I'm overcoming and I'm enduring. What is now nine years of complete sobriety? So this month I did just that a friend called me to talk on June 6th and I let her know that I just wanted to take the day to feel my feelings. And I actually did that, which is huge for me considering how good I had become at denying how I felt or using unhealthy coping mechanisms to avoid that. Then on the 10th, my mom and I actually celebrated my grandmother's birthday on the 16th. I celebrated my birthdays and then this past weekend, I continued the birthday month celebration by treating myself to a pottery class, something I've been wanting to try for a very long time. That experience was actually one of the most therapeutic experiences I had ever had, even though it was pretty challenging. But in spite of that, I'm excited to continue learning a new art form and using that as self-care going forward. I can honestly say that June, 2022 has been the best June I've had in a very long time. And this is the most at peace that I've felt in a while as corny as it sounds. If I look at the scoreboard, I can see that celebration has come from behind to take over trauma. So I'm excited to see how that plays out and how I view and treat myself and others. And honestly, I'm proud of myself for even being able to enter July with a reframed mindset when it comes to my past experiences. So I wanna talk about the benefits of reframing by sharing a quote from very well mind.com, which says cognitive reframing, whether it is practice independently or with the help of a therapist, can be a helpful way to turn problems or negative thoughts and opportunities for change growth. While this technique is often used in therapy, it is something you could use at home as well with practice. You can learn to remind yourself that your initial conclusion is only one possible explanation. The goal should be to help develop healthy self talk. Eventually you learn to recognize that there are many ways to view the same situation. And I found this to be all the way helpful and all the way true for me, because if I'm honest, I have a tendency to lean towards black and white thinking when it comes to my experiences. But the more that I expand my perspective and try to understand how complicated and nuanced most circumstances are. I can approach things with grace and wisdom without invalidating my own feelings. Additionally, I can become a safer person for others as they share their thoughts about their experiences, whether they involve me or not, or whether I agree with them or not continuing from very well mind. The benefits of cognitive reframing include helping to minimize anxiety and depression and enhance the quality of life. Especially during the COVID 19 pandemic, which are still going through decreasing experiences of burnout and having greater treatment results, reducing caregiver, anxiety, depression, and stress, and enhancing communication and overall quality of life in caregivers of individuals with dementia, reduce symptoms of PTSD and improved functioning, reducing post-event processing, or P E P or the reflective thoughts you have after a social situation for individuals with social anxiety disorder, I'm gonna include a link in the description to a video from psych to go one of my favorite psychology YouTube channels that talks about six ways to overcome negative thoughts that can be helpful for you. And I would encourage you to seek professional counsel to get the practical tools that are tailored to your own experiences, or walk this out with a safe friend or loved one in order to grow together. If you're not able to get counsel at the moment, finally, for those who subscribe to the Christian faith or who may not, but are open to it. I wanna share a scripture that supports cognitive reframing from Colosians three, which says set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth for you died, and your life is hidden with Christ and God. When Christ, who is our life appears, then you'll also appear with him in glory versus one through 17 as a whole. And within context actually displays cognitive reframing that leads to behavioral change with the help of the holy spirit. So go ahead and check that out. If that interests you. So to keep the format of the show, I'm gonna end it here, but if you guys need additional resources for mental health addiction and suicide prevention, head over to www dot you're not finished.com and click the GI help section. If you wanna share your story as someone with a diagnosed mental health or mood disorder, or your story of going through an overcoming an instance of mental distress, and you're okay with that being shared publicly on the you not finished website, shoot me an email to Brittany your not finished.com or stories@yournotfinished.com or just contact me through the website. Anonymous submissions are always welcome. Make sure to follow me on Twitter at Y N finished and on Instagram at Y N F cast stay up to date on latest episodes and for more encouraging content. And don't forget to read the cast on apple or Google podcast, if you love it. Thanks so much. I appreciate you for listening again, make sure to head over to your non finish.com for more blogs, have a great day and finish. Well, bye.