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Gain and maintain mental wellbeing personally and in a professional [research] context in 5 steps

A conversation with Kate Thorpe

Published onAug 29, 2022
Gain and maintain mental wellbeing personally and in a professional [research] context in 5 steps
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Kate and Jo talk about unhealthy stress in working and research environments and what measures each of us can take to gain and maintain a state of wellbeing.

“Mental health is too often ignored, and although it is talked about more openly now and especially since the pandemic, many of us pay lip service to that ethos, and when it comes to looking after ourselves, it’s business as usual. Appreciating others’ challenges is much easier to do than acknowledging our own, and yet the best thing we can do to help ourselves is to be real, honest, and pay attention to our feelings, habits, thoughts, and what our body is telling us.  

This can help you get on the pathway towards emotional healing and wellbeing – there are 5 steps in my experience, and each one of them is necessary for long-term lasting positive change. 

  1. Accepting – to be stressed unhealthy

  2. Understanding

  3. Recognizing – when being triggered

  4. Changing – do things differently

  5. Healing = building resilience (work in progress throughout Life)

And there are 3 pillars on which to build the foundations of a healthy mind and emotional wellbeing – it also takes attention to all 3 to achieve lasting change.”

To see all our podcast episodes go to https://access2perspectives.pubpub.org/podcast

As an international Therapist and Therapeutic-Coach, Kate’s passion is helping her clients beat stress and anxiety for life, and so enjoying longer, happier, and healthier lives. Whether working therapeutically with individuals, coaching in groups, or consulting with organizations, Kate’s warm and friendly personality is combined with professionalism and resourcefulness, creating her unique approach which caters to the needs of her client. In short, she creates practical solutions that will actually make a difference.

Specializing in anxiety, stress, and related conditions, Kate recognizes there’s no “one size fits all” approach.  That’s why she offers multiple ways of working, from bespoke therapy in a variety of modalities for individuals, issue-specific self-help programs like “Sleep Well For Life” for those who don’t want to work directly with a therapist, and her life-changing longer group and 121 programmes, like “Beat Stress For Life”, for those preferring structure with fundamental change.

Having been privileged to have worked with clients throughout the UK, USA, the Middle East, and Asia, and having practiced as a solicitor for 20 years in her former life, Kate is an experienced and lively Speaker, Educator, and Coach.

Flexible in approach, Kate’s aim is for you to achieve your wellbeing goals effectively, with the least fuss and cost as possible. Her mission with business is to remove unnecessary stress and create a culture of supporting positive mental health and wellbeing of your people, which is then reflected in the success of your business.

Whether you want to know more about stress management for yourself or your business, overcome anxiety or depression yourself, or work through anything else that life throws at you, Kate welcomes you to contact her for a free and confidential chat. Together you’ll identify what’s really going on and create a plan of action that is right for you.

Kate Thorpe

Website: katethorpe.com 

Linkedin: /in/kate-thorpe

Facebook: /Katethorpetherapy/  

Schedule a call: /letschat

Email: [email protected]


“Everyone can heal, and lasting change comes from within you. If you change just one thing, the ripple effect means that the possibilities for your life and wellbeing are limitless.”

Kate Thorpe

What is mental wellbeing, and why do so many of us run into mental health issues? – The World Health Organization defines it as:

“Mental health is not just the absence of mental disorder. It is defined as a state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community.”

who.int/news-room/feature-stories/mental-well-being-resources-for-the-public

It is not the absence of disease or difficulty.  It is the presence of harmony, resilience, energy, peace, and growth.

We run into problems because we are so busy “doing”, and saying I’ll be ok When… that milestone is achieved, I’m the perfect clothes size, I’ve finished this project, etc.  “when” never comes, even if those things are achieved.  That those things are done might relieve external pressures, but it doesn’t change anything on the inside, and so the things that cause us to react badly to triggers, etc, remain in place.  And there is a lot of self-judgement about these reactions as well – they can be perceived as “failings” or “weaknesses” when actually, they may be quite natural and reasonable responses that we haven’t quite understood.  Accepting those triggers exist without judgement, understanding why they are there, and recognizing when they affect you, allows you to then bring about change, which you can then monitor and review going forward.  But that isn’t something they teach us when we’re young, in school, college, a job, or anywhere else.  We have to figure it out by ourselves, and often this isn’t a process that we can achieve on our own.  We need others to support us, and sometimes we need a professional to help as well. 

Do you have 3 tips on how to keep a balance with energy levels in high performance working environments like research teams?

  1. Check in with yourself regularly – event, intensity, thoughts, feelings, body

  2. Notice when things are not as you would like them and take action – step back, time out, analyse the problem – course correct – be open to what this can be, eg differences or conflict with others, your reactions, a situation that is actually unacceptable, being treated unfairly, seek support.

  3. Continue this process.  It is for you to establish what you are prepared to be exposed to in your work, and create boundaries around this.  If something is not right, it’s unlikely to change on its own, so it will take some action from you.  We can’t control the actions of others, and ultimately, it may come down to a question of what you find tolerable, and what is not.  You don’t have to settle for an intolerable situation, and you can always remove yourself from it – you have that power! 

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