Beating the Blues

Information

Beating the Blues is a Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) program which is delivered online. It teaches techniques to manage symptoms of stress, anxiety & depression.

How it works

  • simple exercises
  • easy to use
  • self- guided
  • proven
  • interactive
  • video clips

It helps to manage how you feel by showing you the link between what you do, think and say. It enables you to manage your thoughts and develop lifelong skills in oder to feel better. There are 8 sessions including between 3 – 5 modules and takes approximately 8 – 10 weeks to complete. It has a flexible schedule with 10 minute modules and autosaves your progress as you complete various project sheets and practice different techniques. It is done completely online, using audio & works on any internet device.

The key to being successful is COMMITMENT to embrace the concepts, carry out the projects and put the techniques into practice … alongside a WILLINGNESS to open up to change, accept what you can’t control and think realistically. It requires your cooperation and the more effort you put in the more you will get out whilst encouraging you to be patient and to keep going = don’t be disheartened if you don’t feel better immediately.

Personal targets will become clear within 3 sessions and reflection on your own beliefs in session 5 helps to put your thoughts into perspective. It requires patience and practice in order to bring revelation, relief and recovery and is also future ready. You work through the program at your own pace and your data is protected by unique user names and passwords which are encrypted and secure & confidential. Progress reports on your improvement are reviewed by Wirral Mind.

Sessions & Modules

Each session starts with a weekly risk assessment regarding have you had any suicidal thoughts and each session ends with a weekly Progress check-in, PHQ9 Questionnaire and GAD7 Questionnaire :

Weekly Progress Check-in In the last 7 days how much has stress,tension, anxiety and low mood impacted your daily activities = on a scale of 0-10 (0 not at all / 10 all the time )

Weekly Progress Check-in In the last 7 days how much have you been able to manages your negative feelings by using the Beating the Blues skills = on a scale of 0-10 (0 not at all / 10 all the time )

PHQ9 Questionnaire 9 questions re levels of sadness and depression re :

  1. Little interest or pleasure
  2. Feeling down/ depressed / hopeless
  3. Sleeping too much
  4. Tired / little energy
  5. Poor appetite / overeating
  6. Feeling bad about yourself
  7. Trouble concentrating
  8. Moving or speaking slowly
  9. feeling better off dead / hurting yourself

GAD7 Questionnaire 7 questions re levels of anxiety or tension re :

  1. Feeling nervous / anxious / on edge
  2. Not being able to stop or control worrying
  3. Worrying too much about different things
  4. Trouble relaxing
  5. Feeling so restless
  6. Become easily annoyed / irritable
  7. Feeling afraid that something awful will happen

GOALS i.e What being better would look like = My Road to Recovery Statement is I will know that I have beaten the blues when my Bipolar moods are more in balance.

STRESS, TENSION, ANXIETY & DEPRESSION

  • Feelings
  • mood
  • behaviour
  • body
  • Causes = life changes, loss, isolation, being criticised

THE ABC MODEL

A is the event B are the negative thoughts about the event C are the feelings & consequences

PLEASURABLE ACTIVITIES

What we think ( the way we interpret events ) and What we do ( our activities ) plays a big part in how we feel. When suffering stress, anxiety or depression we often stop doing things we enjoy. Doing pleasurable activities once a day or once a week is key to lifting our mood. Try to do as often as you can & increase the number over a few weeks. Mine include

  • playing my iPad World Golf Tour golf game
  • family & friends at mine in my den
  • cooking a healthy meal
  • treating myself to fresh flowers
  • tending to my houseplants
  • watching live golf & football
  • texting family & friends
  • tidying my kitchen
  • going to Port Sunlight garden centre
  • pottering round my garden
  • reading my Secret Gardens National Trust beautiful book
  • watching a good film

ABC MODEL & AUTOMATIC NEGATIVE EVENTS

We can’t change the event but we can change how we think, feel and act. The way we think affects our , feelings, behaviours and body reactions. Unhelpful feelings can be caused by the way we think , not just the events in our lives. When we are stressed our thoughts can become more negative and make our mood worse. Automatic thoughts are normal but if they are unrealistic and negative they can cause a problem. If you think negatively often then you will feel bad more often. Negative automatic thoughts can pop into your head and may become twisted and difficult to turn off. Recognise when your mood is changing & write down what you were thinking = thought recording. Try to challenge thoughts that are questions rather than statements.

PROBLEM SOLVING

Problem solving helps to get control over situations that are troubling us in addition to how we think about problems so that solving them becomes simpler. The important thing is to make a start because it doesn’t have to be perfect and other solutions will come later. Take it one step at a time, not all at once. Break large tasks down into a few smaller ones. Do one task a day to make progress ( even when you don’t have a lot of energy ) . If you are having an issue starting work on a different smaller problem.

7 STEPS to Problem solving

  1. State your problem specifically
  2. Set clear & achievable goals
  3. Come up with as many solutions as possible
  4. Find the information you need
  5. Decide on one of the solutions
  6. Work out the steps to get to the solution
  7. Check your progress

DISTRACTION TECHNIQUES

Distraction techniques are quick strategies to use if you get really upset. It involves focusing on other things to take your mind off negative thoughts . Think how I feel before doing the technique & after 3-4 minutes compare how I feel after. Mine include :

  • Physical activity / go into the garden
  • focus on surroundings / sounds smells sights
  • Mental activity / iPad World Golf Tour game / iPad crossword
  • Focus on breathing / attention on my breath / focus on chest, mouth & nose
  • Text a friend or family
  • Controlled breathing / place hand on stomach = in for 1234 out for 12345 feel muscles relax
  • Set aside a time to worry or think / write it down

THINKING ERRORS

The key is to recognise distorted thoughts. Thinking errors include :

  • Black & white thinking / all or nothing / perfection
  • Jumping to negative conclusions / with no evidence
  • Magnifying problems & catastrophising / minimise my strengths
  • Over Generalising / negative will always happen /
  • Should statements

THE 4 CHALLENGING QUESTIONS

  1. Am I making any thinking errors ?
  2. What is the evidence for and against my automatic thoughts ? Remember thoughts are not facts.
  3. What are some alternative ways of looking at the situation ? How would others view the situation .
  4. What action can I take ?

It is so important to keep challenging negative thoughts and is the core skill of Beating the Blues. Keep doing it regularly until you can do it in your head automatically.

GRADED EXPOSURE

Graded exposure involves very gently and gradually facing the thing you find troubling. Do it one step at a time and at your own pace. If the thought of it makes you anxious then slow down & go back a step. Take small safe steps, start with the easiest and stay with it until the anxiety goes away. Treat it like an experiment and practice till there is no more fear. Each time rate the current step level of distress from 0-10 ( 0 = lowest level 10 = extreme distress. If any step rates above a 4 you’ve chosen a step too far so replan to make it less stressful. It’s about building confidence and knowing your limits so don’t rush yourself through the process. Picture the scene & RELAX and see yourself coping with it … imagine feel calm & breathe.

GRADED EXPOSURE UNDERSTANDING YOUR FEAR

  • What is your fear ?
  • When does it happen ?
  • What makes it worse ?
  • What makes it better ?
  • Describe physical reactions

INNER BELIEFS

Inner beliefs shape our thoughts & feelings. Understanding them can help us take control of stress, tension and worry. Look for themes or patterns in order to spot an inner belief especially with a high emotional charge plus any reactions that are stronger than the situation warrants. Uncovering inner beliefs can be difficult. Everybody has them but it’s the unhelpful ones that need challenging. Unhelpful inner beliefs can be the root of negative automatic thoughts and the Downward Arrow technique can help because maybe they are not true.

SUCCESSES

Recognising Successes is important to reduce stress & tension and acknowledging your role in successes is key. Keeping a Success Diary will reinforce positive actions. During the time that I was doing the Beating the Blues program I had various successes both big & small including :

  • applying for online & receiving my £ State Pension
  • defrosted my car
  • weekly houseplant care
  • keeping my kitchen tidy
  • speaking to my family about Xmas
  • preparing for Xmas
  • speaking to Geoff my tech guy about my website
  • having a haircut
  • having lunch in my den
  • doing a big weekly shop
  • fixed my kitchen tap
  • going to the tip in my car
  • completing the Beating the Blues program in 8 weeks
  • organising & receiving my bipolar medication ahead of Xmas
  • arranging for my helper Helen to clean my house
  • family Christmas visit at mine
  • speaking to my brother Chris on the phone on both Xmas Day & Boxing Day
  • coping with Christmas despite feeling overwhelmed at times
  • cooked myself a nice Xmas Day lunch
  • set up tv Amazon Prime to watch festive footie live matches
  • ordered a kitchen soup maker online
  • bringing camellia into den view
  • pedicure
  • Beating the Blues webpage work
  • eating more fruit & veg
  • topped up balls for WGT iPad golf game
  • watched Liverpool city fireworks on New Year’s Eve from my bedroom window
  • proud of my website = 56,000 visitors over 140,000 visits from 44 countries
  • Claremont Farm fresh food shop
  • manicure
  • sent brother Chris a New Year card
  • garden tidy after the storms
  • mended kitchen freezer box
  • Beating the Blues webpage published
  • Beating the Blues family & friends feedback very positive
  • defrosted car & went to Claremont Farm food shop

ATTRIBUTIONAL STYLE

Attributional Style is our way of explaining good or bad events. It can create confidences & wellbeing or low self esteem & lack of confidence. There are 3 parts :

  1. Internal = related to you, your skills & abilities or External = related to other people or circumstances . Look for internal reasons for good events to break the cycle of stress and depression
  2. Permanent = is true & lasts for a very long time or always or Temporary = occasionally or just now & then
  3. General = applies to many people or things or Specific

SET reasons = Specific External Temporary and don’t help us improve our mood & stress levels whilst PIG reasons = Permanent Internal General will build confidence & self esteem plus break the cycle of worry & depression. Look for PIG reasons for your successes. PIG Beliefs boost confidence and help to beat the blues but they need to be realistic. These are my positive self–belief statements :

  • I can communicate well
  • I am creative
  • I have an excellent personal website
  • I can talk openly about mental health
  • I am a loving friend, sister & Auntie
  • I am good at my iPad World Golf Tour game
  • I am confident with technology
  • I understand golf, tennis & football
  • I am a good gardener
  • I can make people laugh
  • I am loved & supported
  • I understand houseplant care

RECORDING = Use your events record to log your successes for positive outcomes & setbacks and use the 4 Challenging Questions to help to see other alternatives.

DOING TECHNIQUE = TASK BREAKDOWN

Task breakdown involves taking steps to improve how you feel. Break large tasks down into smaller steps. Don’t tackle the whole job … just take one step at a time

Thinking Strategies

  • ABC Model
  • Automatic Thoughts
  • 5 Column Thought Record
  • 4 Challenging Questions
  • Examples of Thought Challenging
  • Common Challenging Mistakes
  • Inner Beliefs
  • Attributional Style

Doing Techniques

  • Pleasurable Activities
  • Problem Solving
  • Distraction Techniques
  • Activity Scheduling
  • Task Breakdown
  • Sleep Management
  • Graded Exposure

Beating the Blues Conclusion

  • What you think affects how you feel
  • What you do affects how you feel
  • What you think affects what you do
  • Keep practising the skills you have learned
  • Try different skills if something is not working for you
  • Look at the good as well as the bad events

At the end of the program they congratulate you but don’t wish you good luck because with the techniques you have learned it’s not a question of luck = it’s about good thinking and lots of practice to keep using the skills that you have learned.

PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE

Keep your progress on track by continuing to develop the skills to build your resilience to stress and mental pressures. The work you have done in Beating the Blues are skills for life in the months & years ahead . Your positive wellbeing is a skill to practice for life and to incorporate the Beating the Blues skills into your daily life. There are 5 Helpful hints to keep the work going :

  1. Continue to use the projects & review past modules
  2. Learn to spot the signs of increased stress and make a plan that you can put into action & find support
  3. Do positive, pleasurable activities every day for your mental and physical health
  4. Be kind to yourself and acknowledge the things that make you special
  5. Your moods will go up and down but you now have the skills to help you at the times when you feel down … remember it is temporary and it will pass.

Set future goals and create an action plan to deal with obstacles. In terms of coping with setbacks = don’t panic but instead go through your notes, record your thoughts and activities and get help from your support group. At the very end of the program you are encouraged to provide feedback regarding how Beating the Blues overall has given you the skills to help cope in the future, how simple was it to use and which one area you found most helpful.

MY PERSONAL PROJECTS

  • Thought Recording = stress related IBS flare up
  • Problem solving = House declutter
  • Graded Exposure = Social Reconnect
  • Challenge Negative Thoughts / 5 Column Thought Record = Clare birthday visit
  • My Inner Belief = uncertainty makes me anxious
  • Task Breakdown = coping with Christmas
  • Distraction technique = controlled breathing
  • Pleasurable Activities = daily iPad golf game & weekly Port Sunlight garden centre / garden potter

FAMILY and FRIENDS FEEDBACK

Jackie I’ve read your webpage which must have taken many hours to complete. Quite an intensive programme which reqires huge commitment & determination to complete. The ‘willingness to open up to change’ must have taken some effort and introspection on your part … but you did it & it will always be there to fall back on when things get tough. Others reading this who suffer … like me of late … will see a kindred spirit in some of your statements. The ‘thinking errors could have been written by me ! Very well done not only for completing the programme but writing it all down so beautifully so others across the world can read & relate to.

Marj I just love this programme and can absolutely believe that it has helped you. The way you have summarised the different aspects of it and your respomses will be of real value to anyone wanting its usefulness to them. The fact that it is self guided so that you have control of your activities and learning is a really good feature. I love the way it helps you set your goals – and sets clear targets, with activities to help you achieve them – and the weekly review of your state of mind and what you did to improve things. It must have been very satisfying to be aware of the progress you were making week by week. I also liked the wayit explained what happens in your head and how changing one aspect of behaviour has an impact on other aspects. It’s good to know why things work as well as what to do to make change happen. In fact, I think it is a brilliant programme and thank you for sharing it with me. It will be so valuable in many situations.

Claire I really enjoyed reading the section. The parts where you’ve written personally are really insightful, and it’s not easy to articulate these things !!!

Martin I had a look at your Beating the Blues webpage. Extremely detailed & thorough. It looks as if it was of use to you … hope so.

Mark The Beating the Blues page is very thorough & informative. It’s impressive how much effort you’ve put into it !

Closure of Beating the Blues

I received an email from Tracey Bee in mid January stating that 365 Health Solutions Ltd, the trading company who distributed Beating the Blues has ceased trading. This meant that access to Beating the Blues online would no longer be available to customers and their clients. Fortunately I had finished the program and had built up a hard copy step by step but I feel for those who were part way through or had only done it online, however Tracey’s team were looking at alternative ways to support them.

With thanks to and support from

  1. Tracey Bee Beating the Blues Coordinator
  2. My Psychiatrist Dr Gagandeep Singh
  3. My niece Dr Claire Ingram

About Wirral Mind

  • a local independent mental health charity
  • excellent track record with over 50 years experience
  • offer a range of services
  • aim to normalise the conversation around mental health
  • tackle stigma & discrimination
  • promote understanding
  • support the local community to live mentally healthier lives

Weblinks

https://wirralmind.org.uk/

Proudly powered by WordPress