Viewing entries tagged
focused attention

Eco-anxiety, eco-distress: finding joy in life again......

Eco-anxiety, eco-distress: finding joy in life again......

by Bill Sheate

Blog 2/2 A practical approach to treatment

In the first of these two extended blogs (Eco-anxiety: what’s in a name?), I noted the way we define emotional responses to environmental change makes a difference to how we might view ourselves and our approach to treatment.  Perhaps in contrast to some other therapists, I approach eco-distress as a manifestation of anxiety, anger, sadness etc in a particular context, rather than as something that is exceptional, unusual etc. Some might even say treatment is not appropriate given anxiety and anger are quite rational responses to the climate emergency. While that may be true, it is problematic, and therefore worthy of ‘treatment,’ when the emotional responses lead to such distress that life loses its meaning, that there is no joy in life any more, and that everything that once seemed important has faded from perception…… [Read more]

The lost art of taking notes!

The lost art of taking notes!

by Bill Sheate

A lifelong skill

As an academic and as a therapist I’ve observed over the last couple of decades a steady decline in students’ general ability to take notes. Why might that be and so what? Well, note taking is a skill that previous generations took for granted because we had no choice – in a lecture we were never given handouts let alone copies of slides or the option to watch it again (or for the first time) on video! You had to filter what was important and what was not. And so, the skill was learned through years of practice; learning by doing …... [Read more]

Self-awareness or awareness of 'self'?

Self-awareness or awareness of 'self'?

by Bill Sheate

What do we mean by self-awareness?

Increasingly educational psychology recognises the importance of students developing self-awareness competency - the ability to reflect on one’s own role in society, to be able to evaluate one’s actions and to deal with one’s emotions and desires.

Typically, this involves five key aspects: ……..