Blog   @awakenjoy.life

By Barbara Heffernan August 6, 2026
"Just stop thinking about it" doesn't work. However, the Attention Training Technique from Metacognitive Therapy has been shown to help lower anxiety and rumination.
By Barbara Heffernan July 23, 2026
Does your brain drive you nuts going over and over the same thing—the mistake you made, the difficult conversation you had....anything you are worried about? This is rumination and it is driven by the Default Mode Network of the brain. Understanding this can help you change.
By Barbara Heffernan July 16, 2026
Social anxiety often has a trauma root — understanding the connection can help you heal.
By Barbara Heffernan July 9, 2026
Overloaded and Overwhelmed? You are in the right place. Here's help.
By Barbara Heffernan June 26, 2026
overwhelm has a cruel side effect. It shuts us down. Right when we feel like we need to get more done, not less, overwhelm makes our mind go blank or puts us into a freeze stateUnderstanding how overwhelm manifests for you can really help you calm it down.
By Barbara Heffernan June 12, 2026
Terrified to make eye contact? Constantly worried about what others think of you? You're not alone. These experiences are fairly common and often point to social anxiety disorder, which IS treatable. This blog explains this connection, provides treatment options and 3 self-help tools.
By Barbara Heffernan June 4, 2026
Interoceptive exposure can be transformative for people with somatic anxiety, specifically panic attacks, PTSD, OCD and health anxiety. Interoceptive exposure is a technique used within CBT, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.
By Barbara Heffernan May 29, 2026
If you view your emotions as something to be avoided, squashed or feared — you are activating your your amygdala, and setting off internal alarm bells. This makes everything worse. Research has shown there are six beliefs that drive emotional dysregulation. Which one is yours?
By Barbara Heffernan May 18, 2026
Emotional distress : its intensity and duration is driven by certain beliefs. Learn 3 tools to help regulate your emotions. This has substantial research behind it – and an expert explains.
By Barbara Heffernan April 23, 2026
The main thing that drives rumination is actually the BELIEFS we have about the FEELINGS that come up from a difficult situation. Rumination is driven by the habitual patterns of thinking combined with our judgments about whether we can handle the emotions, both of which can be changed to experience relief.