Friday, November 23, 2012

Nursing Careers - What Is Mental Health Nursing?

Mental health nursing is a field of nursing that delves into psychiatry, caring and assisting mentally challenged people. A mentally ill individual requires a lot of caring, empathy compassion and support in addition to administering treatment. Since mental patients are often stigmatized, supporting them and making them feel important restores normalcy the patient had before hisher illness. Common mental disorders include Alzheimer's, dementia, bipolar disorder and epilepsy. A complete list of mental ailments can be found in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
The stigma associated with mental health is gradually reducing thus there is an increase in the demand for mental health nurses and psychiatrists. A mental health career is satisfactory personally and financially it has its perks even though it is complex and demanding as it involves dealing with the human mind. Nurses specializing in this field have been quoted as earning over $80,000 dollars a year besides having same number of titles as a doctor.
Mental health nurses are required to have an impeccable knowledge of human behavior in order to be able to handle violent patients. They also need to have knowledge of the law as it will benefit them when dealing with police or other relevant authorities.
To become a mental health nurse one is required to possess communication and interaction skills such as listening, talking and writing in addition to knowing medicine and anatomy. One is required to also be empathetic and understanding because of the nature of patients being dealt with. Mental patients need help in doing ordinary tasks such as bathing, grooming or engaging in leisure activities. They need to express their thoughts like everyone else so a nurse should be prepared to listen to them without being judgmental. The nurse should also be prepared to support the patients through therapy in order to ensure their recovery. Thus one should carefully consider why he/she should become a mental health nurse and not do it just because of the money.
The career path to becoming a mental health nurse requires four years degree training course and to be a registered nurse. The syllabus includes biology, nursing theory, stigma, discrimination, law and policy, psychotherapy, developmental psychology, team- working and care management. After that, you need a master's degree in order to become anAdvanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) or Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP).

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Improving Your Memory and Mental Health

Memory is a large component of good mental health. Without it, we'd forget phone numbers, people's names, or freeze up on a test. Of course, many of us do this anyway - I know I do quite frequently. So how can someone improve their mental health through memory? Here are some great ideas and exercises to get you started:
Mental Health: Repetition
The easiest and probably most well known way of memorizing someone's name is to repeat it several times during a conversation. For instance, when meeting or leaving someone, use their name casually. By saying someone's name out loud several times, while having that person right in front of you, your brain will connect the name with the person, and cement the information.
Mental Health: Visualization
Creating images in your head that use the item that you are trying to remember is another mental health technique. Take someone's name that you don't want to forget, and imagine it being written in neon lights across that person's forehead. The more outrageous the idea, the better!
Mental Health: Associations
Make a mental association to remember someone's name. For instance, if your friend Lou has long hair, you could say her name over and over again in your head as "Lou with the long hair". I find that picturing people doing something that they've discussed they enjoy helps, too. So, Bob the violinist, Sarah the gardener, or chef Alex are all good ways to try and remember someone.
Mental Health: Pictures
When attending large functions with a great number of people, take pictures, and make a note of everyone's name. Then, once the pictures are developed, you can refer back to the evidence as required for your own personal mental health.
Mental Health: Mnemonic Devices
Mnemonic devices are a mental health game that allows the user to remember names, speeches, test information, or other items that need to be remembered. The most common of the mnemonic devices are acronyms. Acronyms are words that are created by using the first letter of a series of words. For instance, MADD equals Mothers Against Drunk Driving, and USA equals the United States of America. Both are acronyms. Make up your own to use to help with mental health memory.
Mental Health: Acrostics
Acrostics are quite similar to acronyms in the mental health memory game, but instead they use the first letters in a sentence, such as "Every good boy does fine", which is used to remember the letters in the treble clef in music. People with a bad memory can create their own acrostics to remember items they would normally forget.
All of these methods can be used regardless of the situation - at work, home, business or school. The mental health skill of being able to recall places, things, people or events is a strong precursor to personal strength and intelligence.

Thursday, November 1, 2012

The Many Community Mental Health Services Available to You

Well developed and well managed community mental health services are actually associated with low suicide rates. Hence, mental health services for the masses can be improved by focusing on the community based and specialized mental health services.
If ever you are in need of mental health services, you can contact your local affiliates of the national self help organizations or the local mental health center. Most of these agencies have the relevant information on the various services designed to meet the different needs of those who are suffering from different types of disorders such as anxiety conditions, panic disorders, schizophrenia, etc. Apart from these, they also provide information related to community mental health services designed specifically for children, refugees, HIV infected patients, the elderly, etc. Here are a list of various community health services available for your use.
Mental health act has provided a great opportunity in rendering different kinds of community care based upon individual needs. The provision of good residential accommodation for various groups of mentally disordered or patients with disorders who need constant care by the government aided agencies is a step towards enhancing the community health services.
Generally community health services treat or support people suffering with mental disorders in a domiciliary setting instead of placing them in a hospital or a psychiatric asylum. The various services offered by these community services usually differ from country to country. Most of the community services consist of psychiatric wards similar to that of a hospital. These services are mostly rendered by professionals and government organizations. According to the world health organization, community services are very easy to access by a wide range of people and are quite effective and even aid in reducing social exclusion.
When compared to private mental hospital, community services are less likely to have possibilities for the violation and neglect of human rights which are rarely encountered in few of the mental hospitals. These community services also play an important role in educating the people about the various common disorders and their corresponding symptoms. This way, people gain knowledge on various disorders and can easily recognize individuals who may be suffering from these disorders but might not really be aware of them. Aged and older people who require constant attention, can get benefited by these community services, instead of paying huge bills at private hospitals, they can get good care at the community services.
With the population in the older age group on the rise, there is need for the development of community mental health services in various localities. Also, with many specialists willing to volunteer at the community services, clients can gain a lot of benefits. Since, most of the mental health disorders occurrence do not have a clear reason behind them, the treatment usually is a long term one and for people who cannot afford highly expensive treatments and consultations, community mental health services is the best place to choose. With government pitching in to provide funds for them, it is time people think of visiting them when needed.

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Mental Health Care

Continuity of care between the inpatient and outpatient settings continues to be a challenge. Current hospital payments assume that hospitals are actively involved through discharge and the transition to outpatient settings and advocating for payments for outpatient providers to assist in this process is viewed as duplicative. This undermines mental health care providers' ability to smoothly transition clients between service settings.
Meeting the credentialing requirements for program services and mental health professionals has posed new challenges. Community behavioral health organizations employ professionals that may not meet private insurers' credentialing standards (for example, 3 years of post-licensure experience). Community providers have addressed this through contractual arrangements in which quality assurance and supervision requirements substitute for these credentialing standards. Services are billed under a supervisory protocol in which the supervising professional's national provider identifier is used.
Additionally, some programs offer services that rely on a combination of funding sources such as county, state, and private insurers. In these situations, counties sometimes want to limit private insurance clients' access to these programs because a portion of the overall program is covered by the county.
Impact of State Budget Cuts on Mental Health Care -
In a dramatic turnabout that may foreshadow dilemmas faced by other states, the governor of Minnesota vetoed funding for the state's mental healthcare program. The legislature would have extended the program for several months, as a compromise was negotiated to retain elements of coverage for the state's mental health population - a hospital uncompensated care fund, medication/pharmacy, and "coordinated care delivery systems." In the system, an accountable hospital-centered program paid a fixed amount to cover about 40% of the state's mental illness population who elected to participate. As there is no reimbursement for outpatient clinic and all non-hospital services, providers and consumers now are scrambling to seek disability determination or enroll in Medicare type coverage after the six month state mental illness coverage enrollment period ends.
While these cuts are only effective as of June 1, 2010, it is expected that they will result in increases to the uncompensated care burden on hospitals and community safety net providers.
How Do We Minimize The Impact of Budget Cuts on Mental Health Care?
Many not-for-profit membership organizations representing community mental health and other service provider agencies throughout Minnesota have been working in coalition with national mental health groups on advocacy related to the state's mental health program changes. Initially, advocacy efforts were focused on encouraging the state legislature to vote in support of expanding the state Medicaid program early to receive additional federal funding (as provided for in the national healthcare reform bill). Unfortunately, this proved to be politically untenable in the immediate future; however, a measure was passed to allow the governor to use executive authority to expand Medicaid coverage for mental illness patients.
While being actively involved in this advocacy process is vitally important to the community behavioral health system, national mental health advocacy medicaid organizations and their members are also evaluating ways in which they can optimize their business practices to meet this changing budgetary reality. Among other strategies, community behavioral health providers are working to develop partnerships with community hospitals to reduce the number of avoidable emergency department admissions and ease the transition from the inpatient to outpatient settings, supporting clients through the disability determinations process so they may become eligible for Medicaid as quickly as possible, and raising funds that will help to cover the cost sharing requirements for state sponsored mental health care and the enrolled clients that are unable to pay.
Through this two-pronged approach that includes both advocacy and pragmatic business considerations, it is hoped that the community behavioral health system will be able to develop new cost-effective ways of delivering services that will be well-positioned to withstand funding changes while taking advantage of new opportunities made available through national and state health care reform initiatives.

Thursday, October 4, 2012

The 25 Biggest Mistakes Dentists Make After Being Notified of a Department of Health Complaint

The investigation of a complaint which could lead to the revocation of a dentist's license to practice and the assessment of tens of thousands of dollars in fines, usually starts with a simple letter from the Department of Health (DOH). This is a very serious legal matter and it should be treated as such by the dentist who receives it. Yet, in many cases, attorneys are consulted by dentists after the entire investigation is over, and they have attempted to represent themselves throughout the case. Often, the mistakes that have been made severely compromise an attorney's ability to achieve a favorable result for the dentist.
These are the 25 biggest mistakes we see in the dentist cases we are called upon to defend after a DOH investigation has been initiated:
1. Failing to keep a current, valid address on file with the DOH (as required by law), which may seriously delay the receipt of the Uniform Complaint (notice of investigation), letters, and other important correspondence related to the investigation.
2. Contacting the DOH investigator and providing him/her an oral statement or oral interview. (Note: There is no legal requirement to do this.)
3. Making a written statement in response to the "invitation" extended by the DOH investigator to do so. (Note: There is no legal requirement to do this.)
4. Failing to carefully review the complaint to make sure it has been sent to the correct dentist. (Note: Check name and license number).
5. Failing to ascertain whether or not the investigation is on the "Fast Track" which may then result in an emergency suspension order (ESO) suspending the dentist's license until all proceedings are concluded. (Note: This will usually be the case if there are allegations regarding drug abuse, alcohol abuse, sexual contact with a patient, mental health issues, or failure to comply with PRN instructions.)
6. Providing a copy of the dentist's curriculum vitae (CV) or resume to the investigator because the investigator requested them to do so. (Note: There is no legal requirement to do this.)
7. Believing that if they "just explain it," the investigation will be closed and the case dropped.
8. Failing to submit a timely objection to a DOH subpoena when there are valid grounds to do so.
9. Failing to forward a complete copy of the patient dental record when subpoenaed by the DOH investigator as part of the investigation, when no objection is going to be filed.
10. Delegating the task of providing a complete copy of the patient dental record to office staff, resulting in an incomplete or partial copy being provided.
11. Failing to keep an exact copy of any dental records, documents, letters or statements provided to the investigator.
12. Believing that the investigator has knowledge or experience in health care matters or procedures being investigated.
13. Believing that the investigator is merely attempting to ascertain the truth of the matter and this will result in the matter being dismissed.
14. Failing to check to see if their medical malpractice insurance carrier will pay the legal fees to defend them in this investigation.
15. Talking to DOH investigators, staff or attorneys, in the mistaken belief that they are capable of doing so without providing information that can and will be used against them.
16. Believing that because they haven't heard anything for six months or more the matter has "gone away." The matter does not ever just go away.
17. Failing to submit a written request to the investigator at the beginning of the investigation for a copy of the complete investigation report and file and then following up with additional requests until it is received.
18. Failing to wisely use the time while the investigation is proceeding to interview witnesses, obtain witness statements, conduct research, obtain experts, and perform other tasks that may assist defending the case.
19. Failing to exercise the right of submitting documents, statements, and expert opinions to rebut the findings made in the investigation report before the case is submitted to the Probable Cause Panel of your licensing board for a decision.
20. Taking legal advice from their colleagues regarding what they should do (or not do) in defending themselves in the investigation.
21. Retaining "consultants" or other non-lawyer personnel to represent them.
22. Believing that the case is indefensible so there is no reason to even try to have it dismissed by the Probable Cause Panel.
23. Attempting to defend themselves.
24. Believing that because they know someone with the Department of Health or a state legislator, that influence can be exerted to have the case dismissed.
25. Failing to immediately retain the services of a health care attorney who is experienced in such matters to represent them, to communicate with the DOH investigator for them, and to prepare and submit materials to the Probable Cause Panel.
Bonus Point: 26. Communicating with the Department of Health about the pending case.
Not every case will require submission of materials to the Probable Cause Panel after the investigation is received and reviewed. There will be a few where the allegations made are not "legally sufficient" and do not constitute an offense for which the dentist may be disciplined.
In other cases, an experienced health care attorney may be successful in obtaining a commitment from the DOH attorney to recommend a dismissal to the Probable Cause Panel. In other cases (usually the most serious ones), for tactical reasons, the experienced health care attorney may recommend that you waive your right to have the case submitted to the Probable Cause Panel and that you proceed directly to an administrative hearing. The key to a successful outcome in all of these cases is to obtain the assistance of a health care lawyer who is experienced in appearing before the Board of Medicine in such cases and does so on a regular basis.
Contact Health Law Attorneys Experienced with Department of Health Investigations of Dentists.
The attorneys of The Health Law Firm provide legal representation to dentists in Department of Health (DOH) investigations, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) investigations, FBI investigations and other types of investigations of health professionals and providers.

Monday, September 24, 2012

Educational Requirements For Mental Health Jobs

Mental health care is a very broad field and offers a wide range of mental health jobs. In general most of these jobs involve counseling clients or patients. Some of the mental health practitioners include psychologists, psychiatrists, psychiatric nurses, clinical social workers, professional counselors. These professionals are mostly responsible for helping patients who are diagnosed with emotional problems and mental illness. There are various professions in mental health field and each of these has a lot of career options.
Professional Counselor - There are several jobs that fall under mental health counselor category and almost all of these involve helping and assisting individuals by providing counseling and helping them attain a healthy mind. Mental health counselors use their skills and knowledge in diagnosing and assessing psychological problems, social problems and behavioral problems. A typical diagnosis is usually based on conversation with the clients, assessment of client's education, family background, work, friends, living conditions and conducting specialized tests on them. Medical health counselors generally come from diverse educational backgrounds but a majority of them are degree holders in nursing, psychology, human services, social work, etc. They generally have to obtain graduation from a high school and then have to complete a four year program in a reputed college in any of the above mentioned disciplines such as psychology, social work, human services, etc. Then they have to complete graduation ranging from one to four years in counseling or psychotherapy or psychology. They have to obtain one of the following degrees to become a professional counselor - MEd (Master of Education), MA (Master of Arts in Psychology), MSW (Master of Social Work). If interested they can even complete a doctorate in Psychology and Education (Phd or Eed). In order to become a licensed professional counselor, an individual has to have either a doctorate or a master's degree along with two years of clinical supervision and must also clear a written examination.
Psychologist - In order to take up a mental health job as a psychiatrist an individual needs to have a doctorate in psychology or can be a psychologist with a doctorate. A doctoral degree usually requires five years of full time graduate studies. A specialist degree or any of its equivalent is mostly required in few of the states in order for an individual to work as school psychologist. Also, in order to obtain a license, they need to pass a certification exam.
Psychiatrist - After completing the MD program, the real psychiatry program begins. An individual trying to secure a job as a psychiatrist has to complete a four year psychiatric residency program and has to even undergo hospital training in psychiatry.
Social Worker - A bachelor's degree in social work (BSW) is a minimum requirement in order to qualify for most of these jobs. A master's degree (MSW) is usually required in order to secure a job in private or public agencies.
With a lot of scope of growth in medical health jobs, it is high time, students notice the career prospects and make a note of the educational requirements needed to secure a job in this sector.

Sunday, September 2, 2012

Mental Health Services

It is an established fact that almost two-thirds of all people afflicted with some kind of mental dysfunction do not seek treatment. This is confirmed by the WHO's Global Burden of Disease study.
The reasons for that people do not seek treatment vary, but some of the most common ones are a fear of the social stigma attached to mental disease; a fear of compromised security (loss of job, spouse, benefits entitlement, etc.); an inability to pay for treatment; or lack of awareness of the problem.
Thankfully, many forms of mental disease are no longer looked down upon; nor are those who suffer from them necessarily ostracized in society or at the workplace. Many progressive companies now offer more time to their employees for recovery from mental illness, and there is a decided increase in general social awareness prevalent today.
Considering its increased prevalence today, it is understandable that mental health has become a lucrative money-spinner. Psychiatrists and psychologists are amongst the highest-paid professionals in the modern world. This being so, there is a lot to be said for self-help groups like Schizophrenics Anonymous, Alcoholics Anonymous, and Narcotics Anonymous. These offer an amazingly effective therapeutic support systems for sufferers, free of cost.
There are various organizations that monitor and streamline mental health efforts on a national scale today. Among them are the Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS), the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), and the Federal Action Agenda for Mental Health. These organizations exist to ensure fair and helpful practices among mental health professionals and to upgrade the standards of mental health services as and when necessary.
Basically, professional mental health services offer treatment for either the whole gamut of mental disorders, or they specialize in them individually. The onus of treatment in present times is on the most prevalent: anxiety disorders such as obsessive-compulsive and post-traumatic-stress disorders; bipolar and manic-depressive disorders; schizophrenia; behavioral disorders, such a eating disorders; and ADHD/ADD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders).

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Mental Health Counseling

When you think about it, our experience of the universe should be nothing short of amazing. The universe offers us a place to have great times to meet strangers and eventually become friends, develop bonds between them which may enable us to live and have a superb life every day. But life isn't always about happiness, like winning millions and spending it to the fullest. In order to succeed, we need to go through ups and downs, thus life can also be tough. Even the strongest, bravest and fittest person can flounder sometimes. Times like when you are feeling sad, when nobody seems to understand, even your own self. However, there is no need to feel that way because pressure like this can usually be handled in time. Yet some people find themselves too far down the road to recover on their own. These are the ones who need mental health counseling.
Actually, the concept of 'counseling' has existed over centuries and describes the need for one person to ask for help and advice from another. Counseling in its broader sense is all about helping people to resolve mental problems or issues, often related to work or social matters. The main role of the counselor is as problem solver. Through direct advice or non-direct guidance, his aim is to help the person to make balanced decisions. There are various different kinds of mental health counselors: counseling psychologists, psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, as well as social workers, and pastoral counselors.
The role of clinical psychologists is to deal with severe disorders like depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and learning disabilities. Clinical psychologists frequently work in teams, offering mental health assistance. Counseling psychologists specialize on daily-life problems, as oppose to extreme psychological disorders. These kinds of counselors spend a lot of time working in the community, in schools, hospitals, clinics, as well as private locations. They help with issues related to personal matters, such as relationships, grief, work and other stresses of every day.
Psychiatrists are medical doctors. They usually possess both medical degrees and psychology degrees, and are qualified to treat mental disorders using a combination of counseling therapy and prescription medication. Psychiatry frequently involves the prescription of drugs like antidepressants, but psychology is more about trying to bring about changes in behavior with no medication. Clinical social workers can often be found in hospitals or out-patient facilities. These counselors are mainly interested in the way that the person's problems relate to their life situation and social life. Pastoral counselors are experts in psychology and theology. They try to provide spiritual and religious insights that can help to solve psychological problems and give guidance.
Mental health counselors come to understand the information of clients through observations, interviews and tests so they can decide the best course of action to help their client. They often help their clients think and make positive choices. Mental health counselors are an extremely valuable part of the healthcare system. Common work activities in mental health counseling includes scheduling client appointments, completing risk assessments on clients as required, talking and counseling with clients (to help them make informed decisions about themselves, their lives and even relationships and future goals), providing consistent care and treatment programs for clients, keeping accurate client records, files and documentation and planning the most effective treatments.
Mental health counseling is probably the best aid for people experiencing psychological dilemma. It is not a contagious disease that can spread from person to person, and it is good to seek the guidance of a counselor. People having psychological issues should not be afraid or feel embarrassed when they need to undergo mental health counseling because it is for the benefit of their own health and future.

Thursday, August 9, 2012

Nine Recommendations to Increase Continuity of Mental Health Care For Schizophrenia Patients

Continuity of therapy is a vital component of quality care for people with serious mental illnesses and must be given more attention by consumers themselves, family members, advocates, providers, administrators, and researchers alike. At the moment, there is an important opportunity to develop a national consensus statement on the principles and practice standards that should form the basis of a continuum of therapy designed to provide realistic assurance that consumers can access vital medications when and where they are needed. Important strides have been made in identifying the specific factors which promote continuity of therapy - it is time to seize this important opportunity as yet another stepping stone to achieving the transformation of America's mental health care system for the benefit of consumers and their families, our communities, and our Nation. A roundtable of mental health experts has developed a set of nine recommendations for enhancing continuity of medication therapy for persons with schizophrenia or serious mental illness, including schizophrenia. They are as follows:
Mental Healthcare Recommendation #1 -
Encourage collaborations between hospitals and community-based organizations. Use fiscal incentives to foster collaborations including the standardization of information and shared electronic health records.
Mental Healthcare Recommendation #2 -
Use a quality improvement approach to enhance continuity of therapy by benchmarking at the organizational level performance and outcomes standards regarding continuity of care.
Mental Healthcare Recommendation #3 -
Ensure all consumers have a level of care management for the transition from inpatient to community. Care management services should be reimbursable by all payers and the disincentives to providing it should be removed.
Mental Healthcare Recommendation #4 -
Hospitals and community providers should focus on the "Pull Model" of transition from inpatient to outpatient care. The Pull Model focuses on involving community-based providers in the transition planning process from the beginning. Provider organizations should focus on staff competency in engagement and strategies and motivational interviewing.
Mental Healthcare Recommendation #5 -
Accreditation standards should be aligned to address and improve continuity of therapy in treating serious mental illness. This may include developing standards to ensure evidence of an active process of care management and transition between levels of care, a quality review of the success of transition plans, and measuring engagement.
Mental Healthcare Recommendation #6 -
Consumers and their families should be educated about the benefits of maintaining their personal health care history. Ensuring that consumers have detailed information about their illnesses and treatment history will help ensure that providers have access to the information they need to provide appropriate care in a timely manner. The options here range from simple paper and pencil logs and medication histories to electronic records on memory sticks.
Mental Healthcare Recommendation #7 -
Consumer-driven recovery planning should include and the appropriate and necessary use of hospitalization. More thoughtful use of inpatient services could lead to a reduction in emergency room use and ultimately to a decrease in the number of hospitalizations.
Mental Healthcare Recommendation #8 -
Parties who collect data about mental health services and performance should share it with appropriate stakeholders in usable and timely ways. Many payers and public entities collect both population and individual specific information about mental health consumers and services. Population-based data should be shared with all stakeholders, including families and consumers to aid in enhancing the system of care.
Mental Healthcare Recommendation #9 -
There should be meaningful involvement of consumers and their advocates in all levels of system delivery and evaluation. Global involvement of consumers and their advocates in the care delivery process is essential. Examples include using peer specialists as part of a treatment team, active involvement in policy and planning, as well as involvement in developing and implementing performance measurement and evaluation.
Applying these Mental Healthcare Recommendations -
While we have learned that maintaining continuity of therapy has a positive impact on consumer outcomes, the barriers and other impediments to ensuring this continuum of care have been long entrenched in mental health and related care systems. An unacceptably high number of people with serious psychiatric issues - including schizophrenia, depression and bipolar disorder - are "falling between the cracks" in the transition between acute inpatient settings and the community causing harm and disruption in their own lives and those of their families and often bringing their recovery process to a halt.
A continuity of therapy initiative is likely to decrease inappropriate use of emergency room services by consumers with schizophrenia or other serious mental illnesses by assuring consistency in the disease management approach used by all community provider organizations. Both of these likely outcomes of continuity of therapy provide cost reductions for the hospital and cost offset for the investments in continuity of therapy initiative and related therapies.
In addition, the continuity of therapy initiative provides the community hospital with another very tangible benefit. The continuity of therapy initiative provides the relationships, process, and infrastructure for an overall discharge planning functionality for all consumers with mental illnesses. This discharge planning functionality is a new, and critical, element in modern behavioral health standards that began in 2007.

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Practicing will help you control your mental outlook

Running and racing long distances can be as much a mental challenge as a physical one. At critical junctures of a tough workout or race, many runners experience negative self-defeating thoughts. They begin to doubt themselves, telling themselves that the endeavour is too difficult. They compare themselves to other runners who look fitter or are running faster. They begin to question if they will achieve their goal.
Effectively managing these counterproductive thoughts is as critical to your success in running as is proper physical preparation.
While Resting
Practice visualizing completing your goal. Involve as many senses as possible: see and hear the cheering crowd at the finish line, see the time on the overhead clock, see and feel the finish line volunteer putting the medal around your neck and feel the exhilaration of achieving your objective.
Rehearse your visualization several times each week, so that you'll be able to recall it easily during your race.
During Difficult Workouts
Many runners become anxious or flustered during a demanding run when they begin to fatigue and experience discomfort. This is fertile ground for the weeds of self-doubt to grow.
If you usually train in a group, you may not be used to running long stretches solo as often happens in longer races. With no training partners for company and conversation, you will be left with only your own thoughts during the race. Recently a runner who is training for her first marathon as part of a group told me that she was caught off guard by the negative self-talk that she experienced during a solo 30K run.
Doing at least solo one long run will simulate race day, giving you the opportunity to practice handling these mental potholes.
Practicing the following strategies during long runs or difficult workouts will help you control your mental outlook:
  1. Focus on breathing for several minutes, progressively relaxing your muscles from head to toe. You'll feel better if you relax and give yourself positive messages, rather than thinking of defeatist outcomes.
  2. Listen to your inner voice. It is connected to your core energy. It wants what is best for you. While recognizing negative thoughts, your commanding inner voice does not let them monopolize your inner conversation. Your inner voice runs the meeting. It says to negative thoughts: "Thank you. Would anyone else like to talk?" Once given controlled expression, your doubts are banished to the sidelines. Let positive images and messages rule your inner air waves.
  3. Maintain perspective. Remember that there will be rough stretches in any challenging run or race, where you don't know if you will be able to continue or keep running at your desired pace. After all, if it was easy, everyone would do it, right?
  4. Form a mental picture of yourself as a graceful athlete or animal, envisioning your running form as smooth and relaxed. Towards the end of your run, recall your visual image of completing your goal, involving as many senses as possible (see above).
A surprisingly effective physical strategy is instead of slowing down, try shortening your stride and running a bit faster. This recruits muscle fibres and motor nerves that aren't as fatigued as the ones you have been using and will allow you to run easier.
Days Leading Up to the Race
If you find yourself becoming overly apprehensive, take time out. Focus on deep breathing and relaxing your muscles. Meditation and yoga are both effective in reducing anxiety and promoting relaxation.
During the Race
Implement the same mental strategies that you've rehearsed during difficult workouts.
It's not possible to discuss every aspect of mental preparation in a brief article. But I guarantee you that by practicing at least a few of these tactics, you won't let mental speed bumps ruin your race. It's your day to shine!