Living Well When Your Body Doesn't Cooperate

Chronic Pain

Stretching Distress Tolerance

Jennifer Caspari Ph.D. on May 4, 2024

Struggling with or avoiding unpleasant emotions or physical sensations increases their intensity. Aim to stretch your distress tolerance to respond to discomfort in helpful ways.

Struggling with or avoiding unpleasant emotions or physical sensations increases their intensity. Aim to stretch your distress tolerance to respond to discomfort in helpful ways.

Motivation

Promoting Perseverance

Jennifer Caspari Ph.D. on April 4, 2024

Perseverance helps you reach meaningful goals and builds confidence and a sense of capability. Here's how to strengthen it.

Perseverance helps you reach meaningful goals and builds confidence and a sense of capability. Here's how to strengthen it.

Self-Esteem

Cultivating Unconditional Self-Acceptance

Jennifer Caspari Ph.D. on March 2, 2024

Cultivating unconditional self-acceptance not based on accomplishments, achievements, or appearance can improve mood and well-being.

Cultivating unconditional self-acceptance not based on accomplishments, achievements, or appearance can improve mood and well-being.

Authenticity

Stop Trying to Keep Up With the Joneses

Jennifer Caspari Ph.D. on January 27, 2024

The comparison game is unwinnable (and exhausting).

The comparison game is unwinnable (and exhausting).

Motivation

Are New Year’s Resolutions Helpful?

Jennifer Caspari Ph.D. on January 2, 2024

Are New Year's resolutions helpful? It depends. If setting a resolution, start small, be realistic, and connect it with your larger personal values.

Are New Year's resolutions helpful? It depends. If setting a resolution, start small, be realistic, and connect it with your larger personal values.

Emotion Regulation

Decrease Reactivity: Pause and Tune Into Internal Experience

Jennifer Caspari Ph.D. on December 16, 2023

You can decrease emotional reactivity and have more control over your behavior by building self-awareness, pausing, tuning into your internal experience, and breathing.

You can decrease emotional reactivity and have more control over your behavior by building self-awareness, pausing, tuning into your internal experience, and breathing.

Cognition

Thoughts Are Just Thoughts

Jennifer Caspari Ph.D. on November 18, 2023

Thinking of thoughts as "the truth" increases their power and can lead to unhelpful behavior. Cognitive defusion allows thoughts to arise without acting on them.

Thinking of thoughts as "the truth" increases their power and can lead to unhelpful behavior. Cognitive defusion allows thoughts to arise without acting on them.

Chronic Pain

Are You Preoccupied With Pain?

Jennifer Caspari Ph.D. on October 21, 2023

Shifting attention away from pain reminds you that your life is bigger than your pain and offers more opportunities for happiness.

Shifting attention away from pain reminds you that your life is bigger than your pain and offers more opportunities for happiness.

Mindfulness

Increasing Psychological Flexibility Through Mindfulness

Jennifer Caspari Ph.D. on September 23, 2023

Mindfulness skills help you connect with the present moment, notice and observe your thoughts and feelings, and create a greater sense of psychological flexibility.

Mindfulness skills help you connect with the present moment, notice and observe your thoughts and feelings, and create a greater sense of psychological flexibility.

Body Image

How to Build Body Acceptance

Jennifer Caspari Ph.D. on August 26, 2023

Inaccurate and inflexible body-thoughts create dissatisfaction and distress. Creating flexible, and helpful thoughts enables greater body acceptance.

Inaccurate and inflexible body-thoughts create dissatisfaction and distress. Creating flexible, and helpful thoughts enables greater body acceptance.

Chronic Illness

Task Management: Tendencies and Traps

Jennifer Caspari Ph.D. on August 5, 2023

We often approach daily tasks of life in set ways. These patterns are familiar and comfortable—but not necessarily helpful.

We often approach daily tasks of life in set ways. These patterns are familiar and comfortable—but not necessarily helpful.

Authenticity

How Saying 'No' Enhances Authenticity and Well-Being

Jennifer Caspari Ph.D. on July 16, 2023

Saying “no” is beneficial. It is a way to prioritize your needs and health, be authentic, and remind yourself that you are inherently worthy and don’t have to prove your worth.

Saying “no” is beneficial. It is a way to prioritize your needs and health, be authentic, and remind yourself that you are inherently worthy and don’t have to prove your worth.

Positive Psychology

Why You Should Say "And," Not "But"

Jennifer Caspari Ph.D. on June 24, 2023

The word “but” limits functioning by dismissing parts of experience. Using the word “and” allows for complexity and dichotomy, acceptance of full experience, and helpful change.

The word “but” limits functioning by dismissing parts of experience. Using the word “and” allows for complexity and dichotomy, acceptance of full experience, and helpful change.

Empathy

Cultivating Empathy Through Pain

Jennifer Caspari Ph.D. on June 3, 2023

Chronic pain can be isolating but can also enhance empathy and foster connections with others.

Chronic pain can be isolating but can also enhance empathy and foster connections with others.

Anxiety

Embracing Vulnerability

Jennifer Caspari Ph.D. on May 7, 2023

Emotional vulnerability is the feeling of exposure to possible emotional attack or harm. Taking emotional risks and facing the chance of being hurt is hard, and may spur growth.

Emotional vulnerability is the feeling of exposure to possible emotional attack or harm. Taking emotional risks and facing the chance of being hurt is hard, and may spur growth.

Motivation

Doing What Is Meaningful for You Increases Quality of Life

Jennifer Caspari Ph.D. on April 22, 2023

Quality of life may weaken when living with a chronic health condition due to no longer doing meaningful things. A chasm emerges between behaviors and values that is hard to cross.

Quality of life may weaken when living with a chronic health condition due to no longer doing meaningful things. A chasm emerges between behaviors and values that is hard to cross.

Stress

The Power of the Breath to Ease Pain

Jennifer Caspari Ph.D. on April 11, 2023

Just breathe. Sound familiar? These two words are ubiquitous and for good reason. Breathing exercises decrease stress and chronic pain by relaxing our muscles and nervous system.

Just breathe. Sound familiar? These two words are ubiquitous and for good reason. Breathing exercises decrease stress and chronic pain by relaxing our muscles and nervous system.

Health

Cultivating Self-Agency Through Physical Movement

Jennifer Caspari Ph.D. on March 24, 2023

We tend to think of physical movement as exercise, as a way to create a certain body shape or be fit. It is much bigger than that. It's an avenue to personal agency and power.

We tend to think of physical movement as exercise, as a way to create a certain body shape or be fit. It is much bigger than that. It's an avenue to personal agency and power.

Anxiety

Living Well When Your Tank Is Empty

Jennifer Caspari Ph.D. on March 11, 2023

Are you running on fumes, and exhaustion decreases your quality of life? Tips for reframing rest and refueling your tank.

Are you running on fumes, and exhaustion decreases your quality of life? Tips for reframing rest and refueling your tank.

Chronic Pain

Radically Accepting Chronic Pain

Jennifer Caspari Ph.D. on February 26, 2023

The more we fight against chronic pain, the stronger it gets and the more depleted and exhausted we feel. Tips for “dropping the rope” in the tug-of-war with pain.

The more we fight against chronic pain, the stronger it gets and the more depleted and exhausted we feel. Tips for “dropping the rope” in the tug-of-war with pain.