In this episode, Wendy talks about a specific component of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) – how to challenge the rigid self-beliefs that are playing a role in your feeling stuck and unhappy. She explains the importance of recognizing and transforming these beliefs and shares two simple exercises to help with that.

Using these exercises will enable you to begin to challenge and change rigid self-beliefs. This will enable you to see yourself in a more positive light so that you can see that you are better than you thought and are capable of achieving much more.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Everyone has rigid self-beliefs.
• Self-beliefs are ingrained ideas about oneself, that are often developed from early experiences such as failing at something or being bullied.
• These self-beliefs become a part of our identity and impact our self-perception and behaviour.
• I´m not good enough is a common negative self-belief.
• Identifying and acknowledging positive qualities helps to combat negative self-beliefs. Doing this helps you to get things into perspective so that you can see yourself in a more balanced way.
• You can train yourself to reduce the impact a negative self-belief has on you and the way you behave.

BEST MOMENTS

‘Rigid self-beliefs can be so strong and developed from an early age that we just see them as part of our identity. ´

‘You need to actually challenge that belief.’

‘Stop reading off the negatives… It’s about really focusing on your qualities.".’

VALUABLE RESOURCES

www.wendycastelino.com

https://www.instagram.com/wendycastelino/

https://www.youtube.com/@wendycastelino798

https://twitter.com/WendyCastelino

ABOUT THE HOST

Wendy Castelino has been working as a psychotherapist for over thirty-five years. As an accredited CBT and EMDR practitioner, she is committed to upholding the rigorous standards required for these accreditations and helping thousands of people reach their full potential.

Wendy currently runs a private practice where her focus is on CBT. Therapy is constantly evolving into developing new techniques, so she studies hard to integrate them into her therapy, to provide a rich and effective experience.

Wendy is aware that working in one-to-one therapy limits the number of people she can see. She has, therefore, created a range of online resources. These resources are designed to be easy to follow and provide clear, step-by-step instructions. This can help the individual to master skills and gain confidence, therefore optimising the therapy sessions. They are also suitable to be used on their own.

Further details are available at: WendyCastelino.com.

Podcast Description

Welcome to "Don't Get a Therapist - Yet!" Wendy Castelino, a psychotherapist with over 35 years of experience, aims to support individuals with mental health challenges to achieve their full potential. Although Wendy is passionate about providing individual therapy, there are limitations with this approach. This platform, therefore, is dedicated to offering self-help strategies which are designed to enhance personal well-being. The objective is not to discourage people from accessing therapy but to motivate a broader audience to explore therapeutic resources that are simple and effective to use.

This podcast aims to encourage people to make positive choices about therapy and to find a therapy that suits their individual needs. Additionally, the podcast features interviews with individuals who have successfully overcome mental health struggles

In this episode, Wendy explains what self-compassion is and why it is something we all need to learn to practice. She shares over a dozen self-soothing techniques, you can use to switch on your parasympathetic nervous system to balance things out again, so you no longer feel frozen or overwhelmed.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Self-compassion is about taking care of ourselves and building resilience.
• Be kind and gentle with yourself, especially when you are suffering.
• Strong leaders like Nelson Mandela, Mother Theresa, and the Dalai Lama all practised self-compassion as a way to help them fight for what is right.
• Accessing the nurturing part of your mind and self-soothing enables you to stop being too hard on yourself.
• Smells can be used for self-soothing.
• Visualising is highly effective, especially when you use all 5 senses.
• Slowing down your breathing is powerful.
• Moving to a safe space or wearing specific clothing that you like are both soothing.
• Focusing on a sound or something visual has the potential to be very calming.

BEST MOMENTS

‘Self-compassion is not a soft or fluffy concept. ´

‘Use your phone to enhance certain images that give you joy, and pleasure.’

‘Affirmations are reminders. Think about how you can use positive affirmations to help you to feel calmer and self-soothe.’

VALUABLE RESOURCES

www.wendycastelino.com

https://www.instagram.com/wendycastelino/

https://www.youtube.com/@wendycastelino798

https://twitter.com/WendyCastelino

ABOUT THE HOST

Wendy Castelino has been working as a psychotherapist for over thirty-five years. As an accredited CBT and EMDR practitioner, she is committed to upholding the rigorous standards required for these accreditations and helping thousands of people reach their full potential.

Wendy currently runs a private practice where her focus is on CBT. Therapy is constantly evolving into developing new techniques, so she studies hard to integrate them into her therapy, to provide a rich and effective experience.

Wendy is aware that working in one-to-one therapy limits the number of people she can see. She has, therefore, created a range of online resources. These resources are designed to be easy to follow and provide clear, step-by-step instructions. This can help the individual to master skills and gain confidence, therefore optimising the therapy sessions. They are also suitable to be used on their own.

Further details are available at: WendyCastelino.com.

Podcast Description

Welcome to "Don't Get a Therapist - Yet!" Wendy Castelino, a psychotherapist with over 35 years of experience, aims to support individuals with mental health challenges to achieve their full potential. Although Wendy is passionate about providing individual therapy, there are limitations with this approach. This platform, therefore, is dedicated to offering self-help strategies which are designed to enhance personal well-being. The objective is not to discourage people from accessing therapy but to motivate a broader audience to explore therapeutic resources that are simple and effective to use.

This podcast aims to encourage people to make positive choices about therapy and to find a therapy that suits their individual needs. Additionally, the podcast features interviews with individuals who have successfully overcome mental health struggles

Today, Wendy is joined by Jim Lucas a very experienced CBT psychotherapist, supervisor, and ACT trainer, who founded Open Forwards. His practice offers evidence-based therapies to help adults, children, adolescents, and couples in person and online. He also trains other therapists to use ACT.

Jim explains how ACT works and improves our psychological flexibility to get unstuck mentally.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• ACT Acceptance and Commitment Therapy improves psychological flexibility, which enhances your life.
• People get stuck regretting things in the past or living according to the labels society gives them.
• We all try to get rid of bad feelings like anger, which does not work. Be open to it and find workable solutions to feel them less often.
• Learning to make room for your emotions gives you much more power over your life. You find ways to carry what you feel in a way that does not control you the entire time.
• ACT taps into your values.
• Focusing on what makes you feel good helps you to uncover what is truly important to you.
• You don´t have to change anything inside you to be able to put one foot in front of another and make progress, you just need to act.

BEST MOMENTS

‘It's built on pragmatism.’

‘I'm here to help you be better at feeling.’

‘Values are like verbs, it’s the way you do something.’

‘It’s the difference between living from the head down and living from the feet up.’

GUEST RESOURCES

https://openforwards.com/

VALUABLE RESOURCES

www.wendycastelino.com

https://www.instagram.com/wendycastelino/

https://www.youtube.com/@wendycastelino798

https://twitter.com/WendyCastelino

ABOUT THE HOST

Wendy Castelino has been working as a psychotherapist for over thirty-five years. As an accredited CBT and EMDR practitioner, she is committed to upholding the rigorous standards required for these accreditations and helping thousands of people reach their full potential.

Wendy currently runs a private practice where her focus is on CBT. Therapy is constantly evolving into developing new techniques, so she studies hard to integrate them into her therapy, to provide a rich and effective experience.

Wendy is aware that working in one-to-one therapy limits the number of people she can see. She has, therefore, created a range of online resources. These resources are designed to be easy to follow and provide clear, step-by-step instructions. This can help the individual to master skills and gain confidence, therefore optimising the therapy sessions. They are also suitable to be used on their own.

Further details are available at: WendyCastelino.com.

Podcast Description

Welcome to "Don't Get a Therapist - Yet!" Wendy Castelino, a psychotherapist with over 35 years of experience, aims to support individuals with mental health challenges to achieve their full potential. Although Wendy is passionate about providing individual therapy, there are limitations with this approach. This platform, therefore, is dedicated to offering self-help strategies which are designed to enhance personal well-being. The objective is not to discourage people from accessing therapy but to motivate a broader audience to explore therapeutic resources that are simple and effective to use.

This podcast aims to encourage people to make positive choices about therapy and to find a therapy that suits their individual needs. Additionally, the podcast features interviews with individuals who have successfully overcome mental health struggles

In this episode, Wendy is joined by Nicky Edwards an amazing woman, entrepreneur and physiotherapist who focuses on helping women achieve more than they believe is possible through movement, exercise and running. She is an incredibly active person who uses running to help her to cope and remain well mentally. An outlet that was taken away from her overnight when complications after an operation led to her not even being able to make a cup of tea.

Nikki explains what that was like and how she coped and eventually regained her mental and physical fitness.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Movement is medicine, it encourages the release of happy hormones.
• Do a little each day.
• Set small goals and reward yourself.
• Self-care isn’t selfish it is essential.
• Surround yourself with the right people.
• Remember that people care about you even if they are not messaging every day. You have to bear in mind that people have busy lives.
• Having a connection with others helps to pull you through.
• A strong why pushes you to do amazing things.
• The best exercise you can do is the one that you enjoy.
• As a woman´s hormones change, how they exercise needs to evolve.

BEST MOMENTS

‘Movement is medicine. ´

‘Just being surrounded by good people is so so important.’

‘Our brain works well on that kind of reward mentality.’

GUEST AND EPISODE RESOURCES

https://www.nickyedwards.com/

https://www.instagram.com/nickyedwardsphysio/

https://www.facebook.com/NickyEdwardsPhysio/

VALUABLE RESOURCES

www.wendycastelino.com

https://www.instagram.com/wendycastelino/

https://www.youtube.com/@wendycastelino798

https://twitter.com/WendyCastelino

ABOUT THE HOST

Wendy Castelino has been working as a psychotherapist for over thirty-five years. As an accredited CBT and EMDR practitioner, she is committed to upholding the rigorous standards required for these accreditations and helping thousands of people reach their full potential.

Wendy currently runs a private practice where her focus is on CBT. Therapy is constantly evolving into developing new techniques, so she studies hard to integrate them into her therapy, to provide a rich and effective experience.

Wendy is aware that working in one-to-one therapy limits the number of people she can see. She has, therefore, created a range of online resources. These resources are designed to be easy to follow and provide clear, step-by-step instructions. This can help the individual to master skills and gain confidence, therefore optimising the therapy sessions. They are also suitable to be used on their own.

Further details are available at: WendyCastelino.com.

Podcast Description

Welcome to "Don't Get a Therapist - Yet!" Wendy Castelino, a psychotherapist with over 35 years of experience, aims to support individuals with mental health challenges to achieve their full potential. Although Wendy is passionate about providing individual therapy, there are limitations with this approach. This platform, therefore, is dedicated to offering self-help strategies which are designed to enhance personal well-being. The objective is not to discourage people from accessing therapy but to motivate a broader audience to explore therapeutic resources that are simple and effective to use.

This podcast aims to encourage people to make positive choices about therapy and to find a therapy that suits their individual needs. Additionally, the podcast features interviews with individuals who have successfully overcome mental health struggles

In this episode, Wendy talks about why willingness is such an important component of ACT therapy. She explains how developing the ability to be willing to do something will help you to do things that you don´t enjoy to get to where you want to be.

Wendy walks you through how to use thought records and other techniques to help you develop willingness so that you can overcome resistance and meet challenges. To do this, she uses real-world examples that everyone can relate to.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Willingness does not mean that you like, want, desire, or approve of something to engage in the process.
• Even when you don´t particularly want to say yes, you can still be willing to give it a go.
• When you are willing you make room for negative side effects in order to create a meaningful life.
• Climbing the mountain of personal development is rarely easy, so you have to be willing to do some things that you are not that keen to do.
• Identify what you are going to need to meet various challenges and work to put those things in place.

BEST MOMENTS

‘Willingness means you allow it to happen, you make room for it. ´

‘Willingness is essential, as it's really the only way we can deal with life's problems.’

‘Accept there will be challenges and think of a way around them.’

EPISODE RESOURCES

https://thehappinesstrap.com/

VALUABLE RESOURCES

www.wendycastelino.com

https://www.instagram.com/wendycastelino/

https://www.youtube.com/@wendycastelino798

https://twitter.com/WendyCastelino

ABOUT THE HOST

Wendy Castelino has been working as a psychotherapist for over thirty-five years. As an accredited CBT and EMDR practitioner, she is committed to upholding the rigorous standards required for these accreditations and helping thousands of people reach their full potential.

Wendy currently runs a private practice where her focus is on CBT. Therapy is constantly evolving into developing new techniques, so she studies hard to integrate them into her therapy, to provide a rich and effective experience.

Wendy is aware that working in one-to-one therapy limits the number of people she can see. She has, therefore, created a range of online resources. These resources are designed to be easy to follow and provide clear, step-by-step instructions. This can help the individual to master skills and gain confidence, therefore optimising the therapy sessions. They are also suitable to be used on their own.

Further details are available at: WendyCastelino.com.

Podcast Description

Welcome to "Don't Get a Therapist - Yet!" Wendy Castelino, a psychotherapist with over 35 years of experience, aims to support individuals with mental health challenges to achieve their full potential. Although Wendy is passionate about providing individual therapy, there are limitations with this approach. This platform, therefore, is dedicated to offering self-help strategies which are designed to enhance personal well-being. The objective is not to discourage people from accessing therapy but to motivate a broader audience to explore therapeutic resources that are simple and effective to use.

This podcast aims to encourage people to make positive choices about therapy and to find a therapy that suits their individual needs. Additionally, the podcast features interviews with individuals who have successfully overcome mental health struggles

In this episode, Wendy explains the role self-reflection plays in identifying our personal values. By exploring our thoughts, emotions, and sensations we can uncover our true desires and fully understand what is important to us. Providing us with the clarity we need to live by our values and prioritise what really matters to us so that we can live truly fulfilling lives.

Wendy shares some simple exercises you can use to identify your values.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• If you had reached the age of 85, what is it that you will have wanted to achieve? – this powerful question can help you to identify what matters to you the most.
• Think about what you would do if you were totally free to make your own choices.
• Look at what is working for you already to help you to identify what you need more of.
• Actively work to develop more meaningful relationships.
• Look at your leisure and play values as well.

BEST MOMENTS

‘If you took away the barriers, what it is you like to do?’

‘Take some time to think about your health benefits.’

‘Take your time.’

VALUABLE RESOURCES

www.wendycastelino.com

https://www.instagram.com/wendycastelino/

https://www.youtube.com/@wendycastelino798

https://twitter.com/WendyCastelino

ABOUT THE HOST

Wendy Castelino has been working as a psychotherapist for over thirty-five years. As an accredited CBT and EMDR practitioner, she is committed to upholding the rigorous standards required for these accreditations and helping thousands of people reach their full potential.

Wendy currently runs a private practice where her focus is on CBT. Therapy is constantly evolving into developing new techniques, so she studies hard to integrate them into her therapy, to provide a rich and effective experience.

Wendy is aware that working in one-to-one therapy limits the number of people she can see. She has, therefore, created a range of online resources. These resources are designed to be easy to follow and provide clear, step-by-step instructions. This can help the individual to master skills and gain confidence, therefore optimising the therapy sessions. They are also suitable to be used on their own.

Further details are available at: WendyCastelino.com.

Podcast Description

Welcome to "Don't Get a Therapist - Yet!" Wendy Castelino, a psychotherapist with over 35 years of experience, aims to support individuals with mental health challenges to achieve their full potential. Although Wendy is passionate about providing individual therapy, there are limitations with this approach. This platform, therefore, is dedicated to offering self-help strategies which are designed to enhance personal well-being. The objective is not to discourage people from accessing therapy but to motivate a broader audience to explore therapeutic resources that are simple and effective to use.

This podcast aims to encourage people to make positive choices about therapy and to find a therapy that suits their individual needs. Additionally, the podcast features interviews with individuals who have successfully overcome mental health struggles.

In this episode, Wendy talks about a wonderful therapy called ACT, which stands for Acceptance Commitment Therapy. This therapy enables people to move towards their values and goals without being pushed off track or slowed down by the unhelpful thoughts, emotions, and experiences that we all have.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• ACT is a therapy that helps people to move towards their values and goals despite difficult thoughts and emotions.
• We carry bad experiences and negative beliefs with us through life, a bit like rocks in a rucksack. A rucksack which gets heavier as we age. ACT helps you to get rid of those rocks.
• It is far easier to climb the mountain of personal growth with an empty rucksack.
• Mindfulness ensures you are engaged in the present.
• Accept the things you cannot change and be willing to work on the things that you can.
• Develop mindfulness and commitment to enable yourself to climb the mountain of personal growth.

BEST MOMENTS

‘This is for us to work out what is important to us, and to live our life, focusing on these values. ´

‘Become fully aware of how we label ourselves with fixed ideas….this restricts us from being more.’

‘Bad experiences shape the way we see ourselves, such as, for example, bullying.’

VALUABLE RESOURCES

www.wendycastelino.com

https://www.instagram.com/wendycastelino/

https://www.youtube.com/@wendycastelino798

https://twitter.com/WendyCastelino

ABOUT THE HOST

Wendy Castelino has been working as a psychotherapist for over thirty-five years. As an accredited CBT and EMDR practitioner, she is committed to upholding the rigorous standards required for these accreditations and helping thousands of people reach their full potential.

Wendy currently runs a private practice where her focus is on CBT. Therapy is constantly evolving into developing new techniques, so she studies hard to integrate them into her therapy, to provide a rich and effective experience.

Wendy is aware that working in one-to-one therapy limits the number of people she can see. She has, therefore, created a range of online resources. These resources are designed to be easy to follow and provide clear, step-by-step instructions. This can help the individual to master skills and gain confidence, therefore optimising the therapy sessions. They are also suitable to be used on their own.

Further details are available at: WendyCastelino.com.

Podcast Description

Welcome to "Don't Get a Therapist - Yet!" Wendy Castelino, a psychotherapist with over 35 years of experience, aims to support individuals with mental health challenges to achieve their full potential. Although Wendy is passionate about providing individual therapy, there are limitations with this approach. This platform, therefore, is dedicated to offering self-help strategies which are designed to enhance personal well-being. The objective is not to discourage people from accessing therapy but to motivate a broader audience to explore therapeutic resources that are simple and effective to use.

This podcast aims to encourage people to make positive choices about therapy and to find a therapy that suits their individual needs. Additionally, the podcast features interviews with individuals who have successfully overcome mental health struggles.

In this episode, Wendy introduces you to the range of therapies that exist, to help you to choose one that you think will suit your needs.

Wendy provides you with an understanding of the most popular and widely available forms of therapy. Including counselling, person-centred, psychodynamic, ACT, EMDR, CFT, IFS, human givens, gestalt therapies and analytical psychology. Before explaining how to identify which is most likely effective for you.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Counselling provides a supportive and confidential environment so clients can discuss and explore personal issues.
• Humanistic therapy looks at the whole person focusing on their nature.
• CBT is a structured short-term, goal-orientated therapy that focuses on identifying and changing negative and dysfunctional thought patterns, beliefs, and behaviours.
• EMDR helps to reduce the emotional impact of past traumas.
• Compassion-focused therapy is beneficial for those who experience high levels of shame and self-criticism.
• IFS restore balance and harmony to the person´s internal system.
• Gestalt therapy helps with self-regulation.
• Using therapists who work remotely will help you to access more types of therapy.

BEST MOMENTS

‘Counselling can be short term for specific issues or long term for more complex emotional difficulties.’

‘Gestalt therapy emphasizes personal responsibility.’

‘Try to find someone you feel a connection with someone you feel can understand you and your problems.’

VALUABLE RESOURCES

www.wendycastelino.com

https://www.instagram.com/wendycastelino/

https://www.youtube.com/@wendycastelino798

https://twitter.com/WendyCastelino

ABOUT THE HOST

Wendy Castelino has been working as a psychotherapist for over thirty-five years. As an accredited CBT and EMDR practitioner, she is committed to upholding the rigorous standards required for these accreditations and helping thousands of people reach their full potential.

Wendy currently runs a private practice where her focus is on CBT. Therapy is constantly evolving into developing new techniques, so she studies hard to integrate them into her therapy, to provide a rich and effective experience.

Wendy is aware that working in one-to-one therapy limits the number of people she can see. She has, therefore, created a range of online resources. These resources are designed to be easy to follow and provide clear, step-by-step instructions. This can help the individual to master skills and gain confidence, therefore optimising the therapy sessions. They are also suitable to be used on their own.

Further details are available at: WendyCastelino.com.

Podcast Description

Welcome to "Don't Get a Therapist - Yet!" Wendy Castelino, a psychotherapist with over 35 years of experience, aims to support individuals with mental health challenges to achieve their full potential. Although Wendy is passionate about providing individual therapy, there are limitations with this approach. This platform, therefore, is dedicated to offering self-help strategies which are designed to enhance personal well-being. The objective is not to discourage people from accessing therapy but to motivate a broader audience to explore therapeutic resources that are simple and effective to use.

This podcast aims to encourage people to make positive choices about therapy and to find a therapy that suits their individual needs. Additionally, the podcast features interviews with individuals who have successfully overcome mental health struggles.