BITESIZE | 3 Simple Habits to Reduce Stress and Optimise Your Mental Health | Dr Julie Smith #499
Dr. Julie Smith, a clinical psychologist, shares simple practices for mental well-being. She discusses the benefits of journaling, defining personal values, and practicing mindfulness to gain clarity and navigate life with self-assuredness.
Deep Dive Analysis
9 Topic Outline
Introduction to Dr. Julie Smith and mental well-being
The power and benefits of journaling for self-clarity
Understanding personal values through Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
Mapping out life areas and aligning actions with values
How personal values evolve and change over time
Using values as a guide, not a tool for self-criticism
Dr. Julie Smith's personal values: presence and enthusiasm
Mindfulness: overcoming skepticism and practical application
Defining mindfulness and its 'spotlight' analogy
3 Key Concepts
Journaling
Journaling is a practice of writing down thoughts and emotions to gain clarity, diffuse from overwhelming thoughts, and achieve a sense of detachment from one's internal monologue. It serves as a helpful way to see thoughts for what they are and have a conversation with oneself.
Values (in ACT)
Values, as explored in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), are what is important to you and matters most in your life, defining the kind of person you want to be in various life areas. Unlike goals, which are finite achievements, values represent an ongoing, never-ending path or vision for how you want to approach life.
Mindfulness
Mindfulness is the process of staying in the present moment by observing thoughts as they arise without judgment and gently guiding your attention back to a chosen focus. It is not about stopping thoughts or achieving immediate calm, but rather practicing the mental skill of choosing which thoughts to pay attention to and which to let pass.
5 Questions Answered
Journaling is an accessible option for everyone, especially those unable to access or talk about therapy, helping to diffuse thoughts, gain clarity, and achieve detachment from one's mind by putting thoughts on paper.
Values are what matters most to you in different areas of your life and define the kind of person you want to be, whereas goals are specific achievements that, once reached, are done. Values represent an ongoing path, while goals are points along that path.
Yes, values absolutely change depending on life situations and stages, such as having children or gaining new experiences, and it's perfectly okay for them to evolve as there's no 'correct' value system.
When evaluating alignment, approach it with curiosity rather than self-criticism, using it as an opportunity to understand what might be pulling you away from your values and how you can steer back towards them.
Mindfulness is the process of staying in the present moment by observing thoughts as they come and go, and gently guiding your attention back to a chosen focus. Its purpose is to practice the mental skill of choosing which thoughts to engage with and which to let pass, rather than to achieve immediate calm or stop thoughts.
7 Actionable Insights
1. Define Your Core Values
Map out different areas of your life (e.g., health, family, career) and for each, bullet point what matters most to you, focusing on the kind of person you want to be rather than what you want to happen. This process helps you understand your personal value system, providing grounding and self-assuredness.
2. Assess Your Value Alignment
After defining values for each life area, rate both its importance (e.g., 1-10) and how much you feel you are currently living in line with those values. Use any low alignment scores as an opportunity to understand what’s pulling you away and how to steer back towards your values, rather than as a chance for self-criticism.
3. Practice Daily Journaling
Regularly write down your thoughts and emotions to gain clarity and diffuse overwhelming feelings. Journaling helps you externalize thoughts onto paper, allowing you to observe them with detachment and fostering a conversation with yourself.
4. Cultivate Mindfulness Daily
Practice staying in the present moment by choosing a focus (e.g., the sound of your feet while running) and gently guiding your attention back whenever your mind wanders. This strengthens your mental muscle to choose which thoughts to focus on and which to let pass, rather than aiming for complete calm or absence of thought.
5. Understand Values vs. Goals
Recognize that values are an ongoing path or vision of who you want to be, while goals are finite achievements. Frame goals as steps along your value-driven path to maintain motivation and resilience through failures, as your underlying values provide a clear reason for your actions.
6. Regularly Re-evaluate Values
Periodically check in with your values, as they can change over time due to life circumstances (e.g., having children, new experiences). This ongoing re-evaluation ensures your value system remains relevant to your current life stage and helps you steer back towards what truly matters if you’ve drifted.
7. Approach Self-Assessment with Curiosity
When reflecting on your values and life alignment, adopt a mindset of curiosity rather than self-criticism or self-attack. This approach transforms self-assessment into a learning experience, helping you understand where you are and how to adjust, even when life pulls you away from your desired path.
4 Key Quotes
You write for long enough and you get this kind of, oh, yeah, a bit of clarity on it. And actually, the process of just putting something down on paper is a helpful way to sort of diffuse from the thoughts.
Dr. Julie Smith
Not what do I want to happen to me, but what kind of person do I want to be in the face of anything?
Dr. Julie Smith
A value system is neither correct nor incorrect. You know, it's not finding the perfect value system. It's working out what matters to you at that point in your life.
Dr. Julie Smith
Mindfulness isn't about making you feel calm and peaceful. It's not a relaxation exercise. It's practicing that sort of mental muscle, if you like, to be able to choose which thoughts you're going to pay attention to and which ones you're going to let pass.
Dr. Julie Smith
1 Protocols
Mapping Your Value System
Dr. Julie Smith- Put different aspects of your life on paper, such as health, family, intimate relationships, friendships, lifelong learning, career, or creativity.
- For each area, bullet point what matters to you and why, focusing on the kind of person you want to be and the attitude you want to have, rather than what you want to happen to you.
- Rate how important each area of your life is to you (e.g., on a scale of 1-10).
- Rate how much you feel you are currently living in line with those values.
- If there's a discrepancy between importance and current alignment, use it as an opportunity to explore what's pulling you away and how you can steer back towards your values, rather than as a reason for self-criticism.