Did you know you can change the way you think? Your thoughts can affect your emotions and behaviors, which in turn affects your overall mental health. It starts with identifying thoughts that are negative or unhelpful to you. Then, you can challenge and change them to be more realistic and neutral (or even positive). Over time, your thoughts become less negative and harmful.

This is the approach that Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) takes. CBT is a form of therapy that works to understand the relationship between your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. In CBT, you learn to change your thoughts and behaviors in a way that is more helpful to you. This leads to improvements in how you feel emotionally.

CBT can be used as a pain management tool for people with chronic pain. However, true CBT with a licensed therapist can be time consuming and expensive, involving talk therapy over multiple sessions. There are ways to learn the concepts and techniques on your own; however, it will not be true CBT.

If you’re interested in CBT for chronic pain, we offer a course that covers concepts from CBT: Managing Chronic Pain With Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.

That course covers some of the theory and techniques used in CBT for managing pain. After taking that course, you’ll better understand the relationship between your pain, emotions, behaviors, and thoughts. You’ll learn several techniques for managing your pain and prioritizing your life. You will be able to identify your unhelpful pain cycles and work on breaking out of them.

In that course, you will learn what CBT is, how it works with chronic pain, and several techniques that can help you manage your pain. It explores the following lessons:

Throughout the lessons, there are elements included for you to practice these concepts to change the way you think. There are guiding questions in the Reflection sections, designed to help you apply the learning to your life. Additionally, there are worksheets that you can download to help you practice the CBT techniques. The following worksheets are dispersed throughout the course:

Course Conclusion

In conclusion, there are many small steps you can take each day to prioritize your mental health. Caring for yourself is critical to establishing and maintaining good mental health. Taking an approach that considers your mental, physical, and social health will enhance your wellbeing.

To summarize, you learned about the importance of self-care in many forms. For instance, exercising, eating healthy meals, getting good sleep, and seeking help when you need it. Additionally, creating a stable support system that you can talk to about your feelings, and care for one another in a reciprocal way can help you feel held. Further, there are many other things you can do, like lean into your spirituality, find purpose, set goals, and establish clear boundaries. Finally, one of the most important skills that can improve your mental health is self-love.

We hope this course was helpful to you! Even if you can make one small positive change in your life, it will be worth it.

Course Feedback

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Course References

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Mental Health America (n.d.). 31 Tips to Boost Your Mental Health. https://www.mhanational.org/31-tips-boost-your-mental-health

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Mikkelsen, K., Stanjanovska, L., Polenakovic, M., et al. (2017). Exercise and Mental Health. Maturitas, 106: 48-56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.maturitas.2017.09.003

Naidoo, U. (2019, August 28). Nutritional strategies to ease anxiety. Harvard Health Publishing. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/nutritional-strategies-to-ease-anxiety-201604139441 

National Mental Health Association (n.d.) Ten Things You Can Do for Your Mental Health. University of Michigan University Health Service. https://uhs.umich.edu/tenthings

Owen, L. & Corfe B. (2017). The role of diet and nutrition on mental health and wellbeing. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, 76 (4): 425-426. doi:10.1017/S0029665117001057

PeopleFirst. (n.d.). 10 top tips for good mental health. https://www.peoplefirstinfo.org.uk/health-and-well-being/mental-health/10-top-tips-for-good-mental-health/

Proyer, R. T. (2013). The well-being of playful adults: Adult playfulness, subjective well-being, physical well-being, and the pursuit of enjoyable activities. The European Journal of Humour Research, 1(1), 84–98. https://doi.org/10.7592/EJHR2013.1.1.proyer

Smith, M., Segal, R., Robinson, L., et al. (2021, August). Building Better Mental Health. HelpGuide. https://www.helpguide.org/articles/mental-health/building-better-mental-health.htm#