Healthy Mind Psychology, 100 Drake Way, Reading (2025)

10/12/2025

Have you ever noticed how heartbreak, rejection, or social stress can actually hurt? 💔

David Hanscom in his book 'Back in Control' describes how the brain doesn’t distinguish much between emotional and physical pain. When we feel excluded, criticised, or lonely, the same neural circuits light up as when we experience physical injury. Under stress, the body releases chemicals that heighten this sensitivity, making both kinds of pain feel sharper.

Connection heals. The antidote to both kinds of pain often begins with being seen, heard, and understood. Think about it - when we feel all of these things, it makes us feel better, right?🤝

This points to the importance of trusted healthcare professionals when seeking pain treatment. The alliance with people who listen and validate your experiences, while also nudging and guiding you to try new things, can be impactful in multiple layers. So also can support from friends and family, or even new acquaintances, which is why we encourage trying to get out into society as must as you can!

08/12/2025

Did you know anxiety can make physical pain worse, or even help create it? ⚡🧠

David Hanscom describes in his book 'Back in Control' that when the brain’s alarm system is already fired up from stress or worry, it’s more likely to interpret new sensations as dangerous.

Research shows that people with anxiety, insomnia, depression, or a history of pain are more vulnerable to developing chronic pain after injury. They are also more likely to have poor results following a surgery for their injury.

Did you know that pain and anxiety share the same neural pathways - calming one helps to soothe the other. This is one reason why is why pain management suggests mindful breathing or meditation. 💛 This isn't to suggest that you are the cause of your pain, because that is not the case. But you may have more tools to cope with and alter the neurophysiology maintaining pain experience by adopting some new skills.

Is meditation part of your daily routine?

05/12/2025

Have you ever felt pain that no one else could see, and worse, not believed when you tried to explain it? 💭💔

Chronic pain isn’t just physical, it’s the exhaustion of being unseen, the frustration of being misunderstood, and the isolation that follows when even professionals can’t find an explanation. For many, it becomes a dark and lonely place to live in, and one where both body and mind feel trapped.

In our book of the month 'Back in Control' by David Hanscom, he explains how acknowledging invisible pain is the first step towards healing it ,🌿 but recognising the complexity of the whole human system- meaning a solution may not be a simple pill or surgery- can give way to new pathways forward.

03/12/2025

Have you ever noticed how pain seems to take over your whole world, even when doctors can’t find a clear cause? 🧠💭

This month’s Book of the Month is “Back in Control” by Dr David Hanscom.

As a spine surgeon, Hanscom spent years treating patients with complex pain, until he faced his own. What he discovered was transformative - that chronic pain isn’t just about damaged tissue or nerves, but about the patterns our brains learn in response to threat, fear, and stress.

He shares how unprocessed emotions, anxiety, and past trauma can keep the nervous system in a constant state of alarm, amplifying pain long after an injury has healed.

What stood out most to me is how hope-filled his message is - that through calming the nervous system through better self-care, expressing emotions especially those we suppress, and re-framing thoughts, we can actually retrain the brain to turn the volume down on pain.

Have you ever noticed how your pain flares up when you’re stressed or emotionally overwhelmed?

01/12/2025

Who is ready for a sprinkle of positivity?! 👏🏼✨

We love spotlighting uplifting news here at Healthy Mind Psychology – because while challenges exist, so do countless stories of kindness, progress, and joy.

Just a few of many success stories from November:

👏🏼 A new walk-in mental health hub, The Nook, has opened in Glasgow, offering free, stigma-free support every day 💙
Run by SAMH, it removes barriers to care with no waiting lists, no referrals, and a team ready to listen.
👏🏼 A new study from King’s College London has found that visiting art galleries doesn’t just lift your mood — it can also lower stress and inflammation 🖼️✨
Simply spending time with art appears to support both emotional and physical wellbeing, offering a powerful reminder of how restorative creativity can be.

And a little happy news story of my own...

Yes, it's my favourite time of year again, time for the big feast of Thanksgiving that I consistently expect my English friends and family to support me with! This year was no exception, but to be unexpectedly met with potential disaster as on the day, both the AGA and the oven suddenly stopped working....... it got me thinking about when things go wrong. Luckily, we were able to get the oven back up and running without too much disaster, but while we were sorting this potential tragedy, I took some moments to reflect on the situation. It was one of panic, of laughs, of problem solving and team work while we reviewed all the ways we would have to salvage a Thanksgiving meal of raw vegetables. The unexpected does happen, well, unexpectedly, but sometimes it's noticing the positives within the chaos that has the true meaning. In this moment of giving thanks, I was able to be truly thankful for my loved ones surrounding me, even thankful for this new story to share, about the joy I had solving the Thanksgiving that almost wasn't. It's a lesson for the whole year, one I'll return to, about gratitude even within the unexpected. And how somehow, despite the loss of all heat sources, this was crowned the best turkey of all the years!

28/11/2025

Feeling tense, wired, or just a little out of sync lately? 🧘‍♂️

Sometimes the simplest things – like how we breathe – hold the greatest power to restore balance. 💫

Inspired by Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor, I’ve created a free 7-Day Breathing Challenge to help you reconnect with calm, one breath at a time. 🫁

Each day explores a different breathing technique designed to support:
→ Nervous system regulation
→ Focus and emotional clarity
→ Restorative relaxation

🫁 It’s gentle, grounding, and surprisingly transformative - a small daily ritual to bring you back to centre.

✨ Click the link to download your free guide: The Calm Reset – 7 Days to Breathe Better, Feel Better: https://www.healthymindpsychology.co.uk/healthy-mind-psychology-freebies/

Have you ever noticed how your breath changes when your mind does?

26/11/2025

Have you ever thought about what the perfect breath actually looks like? 🌬️

According to James Nestor in Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art, it’s surprisingly simple - and profoundly effective.

👉 Inhale for 5.5 seconds, exhale for 5.5 seconds.
That’s around 5.5 breaths per minute, moving about 5.5 litres of air.

This gentle rhythm helps synchronise your body and mind - lowering stress, balancing the nervous system, and improving focus and oxygen efficiency.

It’s not about forcing your breath, but about finding ease in it. A few minutes of this each day can help you feel calmer, clearer, and more connected to your body. 💛

Have you tried slowing your breath before? How did it make you feel?

24/11/2025

Do you breathe through your nose or your mouth - and does it really matter? 👃😮

In our latest blog, “Mouth vs Nose: What Your Breathing Habits Reveal About Your Mental Health,” inspired by our Book of the Month 'Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art' by James Nestor, we explore how something as simple as how you breathe can shape the way you think, feel, and function.

🧠 Research shows that mouth breathing doesn’t just affect oxygen levels - it can heighten stress, disrupt sleep, and even influence mood and focus.

🌬️ Nasal breathing, on the other hand, activates the parasympathetic nervous system - the body’s natural “rest and restore” mode - helping to calm the mind and regulate emotions.

This blog dives into the fascinating science behind your breath and offers simple, practical ways to retrain your body (and brain) to breathe better.

✨ Read the full post here 👉 https://lnkd.in/edKuv4r6

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21/11/2025

Have you ever noticed yourself holding your breath when you’re anxious? 😮‍💨💭

Many people with anxiety unknowingly do this throughout the day. When carbon dioxide levels drop too low, the body panics, triggering sudden breathlessness, racing thoughts, or even a sense of danger. ⚡

Over time, the body adapts by over-breathing, staying in a state of constant alert.

It’s a cycle that begins in the body but feels like it’s all in the mind - proof of how tightly woven the two really are.

Anxiety isn’t just mental; it’s physiological too. Learning to breathe consciously can help bring the nervous system - and the mind - back into balance.💫

19/11/2025

Did you know your breath can influence how much you sweat when you’re stressed? 🌿🫁

Sweating is one of the body’s earliest stress responses - a signal that the sympathetic nervous system (our built-in “fight or flight” system) has switched on. While we can’t consciously decide to stop sweating, we can calm the systems that control it.

Slow, steady breathing activates the vagus nerve, stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system - the body’s natural “rest and restore” mode. This helps lower heart rate, reduce the release of stress hormones, and ease physical symptoms like clammy palms or tension. 😌

It’s not about controlling every reaction, but about regulating them - teaching the body that it’s safe. Over time, this awareness can make stress responses shorter, gentler, and less consuming.

💛 Our breath is the most accessible tool we have to bridge the body and mind - every slow inhale and exhale reminds the nervous system that calm is possible.

17/11/2025

Could the way we eat be shaping more than just our health - but our faces too? 🍞🍭

When processed foods became common, meals grew softer, sweeter, and less nutrient-dense. This not only changed our digestion and overall well-being but also our physical structure. With less need to chew, our jaws weakened, our mouths shrank, and dental problems soared. 🦷

In the space of a century, human faces literally changed shape - a striking example of how quickly environment and behaviour can sculpt biology. 🧬

🍽️ Our bodies are always adapting to what we feed them - not just in the gut, but in the bones, muscles, and even our breath.🌍

14/11/2025

Did you know that which nostril you breathe through can influence your state of mind? 🌿🧘‍♂️

James Nestor references both ancient pranayama practices and modern scientific studies in his book 'Breath - The New Science of a Lost Art'. Breathing through the left nostril connects us to the parasympathetic nervous system - the “rest and relax” response. It lowers blood pressure, cools the body, and calms the mind🩵 It even shifts blood flow to areas of the brain linked with creativity and emotional processing.🎨🧠

In contrast, right nostril breathing activates the “accelerator” - energising, stimulating, and warming the body.🔥

Our breath, it seems, is one of the few tools that lets us consciously communicate with the nervous system - a built-in way to balance both body and mind.

💭 Which side of your breath feels most natural to you today - calm or energised? 🌗

Healthy Mind Psychology

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