What influence do 'trendy' adverts have on our young people? They stop them smiling... that's what!

Two different adverts aimed at two different generations. Both advertising clothing and shoes. These both appeared in my house this week. 

The top advert shows a brightly coloured image, the model looking seemingly happy and confident. The emotions attached to it are light and easy going for me. 

Switch down to the lower advert for the younger generation. Both models are not only serious, but look shifty and angry. It's set in a gloomy subway, with dark drab colours. The magazine was full of this type of advert, what message is this sending to our youngsters? 

It's cool to be miserable? 

The pair of them look like they've been caught out, or up to something in the advert... does this also project that it's trendy to be hanging around dodgy tunnels getting up to mischief?

Look at me saying 'mischief', 'shifty' and 'dodgy'... I sound like my parents! But things like this do genuinely worry me. I showed the two adverts to my 17 year old son this morning, and it was even an eye opener for him to see the difference in what they project to us.

I asked him, "is it cool NOT to smile around your friends?" his answer was a thoughtful "Yes sometimes".

Science Bit:

Smiling releases endorphins and serotonin. Endorphins are natural painkillers. The more endorphins your brain releases, the more your body can fight off symptoms of illness. Similarly, serotonin is a brain chemical that acts as a natural anti-depressant

Is the media choosing to mimic a teenager's hormonal low points in advertising to get their attention? that would be a shame if they are, when probably all the poor kids want and need is something to lift them out of their low mood. Looking at a magazine full of ads like this will certainly not help any depression or down days.

"I couldn't imagine walking around all day without smiling, yet I see some kids like it constantly."

It's amazing what smiling can do for your health and moods... go on kids, give it a try!

Wear a smile for a day and see how you feel at the end...

If you are struggling to cope with life, don't hesitate to contact Sam or Jackie at Therapy for Life

Networking Evening in Southend-on-Sea... you are invited

Just the smell of alcohol can make it difficult to maintain self-control, new research has shown.

The smell of alcohol may make it harder for people to control their behaviour.

Just the smell of alcohol may trigger the cognitive response in the brain to want and need to consume it.

An experiment was carried out by a research team at Edge Hill University.

participants were asked to wear a face mask that was either laced with alcohol, or a non-alcoholic citrus solution. Participants were then instructed to press a button when either the letter K or a picture of a beer bottle appeared on their screen.

The researchers measured the number of times the participants incorrectly pressed the button causing a 'false alarm'. These false alarms indicate a reduction in the participant's power to inhibit their behaviour when they were expected to.

Dr Rebecca Monk, Senior Lecturer in Psychology at Edge Hill University said that she and her fellow researchers found that the number of these 'false alarms' were higher in participants who were wearing the alcohol treated mask.

In other words, their behaviour was altered from the smell of alcohol alone.

Things that trigger alcohol consumption might be our state of mind and emotions, the environment we are in or the people in our company. This is the first investigation into other kinds of triggers - such as our sense of smell.

Although this was only an early lab based experiment into further triggers regarding alcohol, during the experiment it seemed that just the smell of alcohol was making it harder for participants to control their behaviour to stop pressing a button.

Imagine someone faced with the daily torment of wanting to drink but had faced health problems from alcohol consumption and depression resulting in drinking, they had been sober for weeks, months or even years, when one day their cognitive trigger is set off by just walking past a busy pub.

People who have suffered from alcoholism and addiction problems (if this test is proven further), would need to avoid pubs and bars and many other social occasions not only to resist temptation from environment and peer pressure, but now also for protection from just the sheer smell of alcohol alone!

If you or someone you know is suffering from substance abuse, please contact Sam or Jackie at Therapy for Life for immediate help and support.

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Therapy for Life's new addition to Play Therapy for children... Why is Play Therapy good?

'Therapy for Life' have a gorgeous toy playhouse for the therapy room. In addition to our new Kinetic Sand Tray, toys, books, colouring pens and pencils.

Why is a model playhouse or a sand tray good for therapy?

Children don’t have the same cognitive ability as an adult to say what’s bothering them. The problem could be a behavioural issue, psychological issue, or maybe even medical. No matter what the problem is, they need a way to discuss it. The uses of play are very important, children can work on issues that are distressing to them, can play out issues of what they think the future will be, and can talk about trauma. If it’s too hard to put into words, they can work on it with play.

For example, many children under 12 years old can’t express what they’re feeling or really even be able to ask questions about what they’re feeling. They just know something is different and upsetting. Play therapy might be a way for them to express what they find troubling without using any verbal language. You can’t stick the child on a couch and ask them to start telling you what’s on their mind. Instead play therapy builds upon their normal communication level using play.

The range spans from a very non-directive child-centered play to a mixed approach and even a very direct approach such as cognitive behavioural play therapy. As children get older and become more verbal and able to think abstractly, they may be more able to use techniques common in cognitive behavioural therapy.

"Of course the most important aspect is enabling the child to feel safe, once they feel safe and relaxed, the playtime flows and the child can begin to tell their perspective on life through drawings and toy figures, recreating what they have experienced and what they predict might happen." Samantha Crook

The idea of being in control of the play can help give a child confidence. Since the child may feel out of control with the events playing out in the rest of his or her life, that sense of control during playtime is important.

It's even good for teaching parents how to use skills in play to help their children to open up.

Because of the way our society is today, a lot of parents are in the habit of turning play into an educational or learning experience, I see parents correcting their kids as they play, such as making them say ‘please’ or making them count items.

There’s this pressure on parents to use every opportunity to be a learning experience instead of just sitting and enjoying that playtime with the child. It can be hard to break that habit, but parents see how much kids value uninterrupted playtime at play therapy and we hope they’ll bring that experience home. For children to come to a place where they get to sit down and not only play but get 50 minutes of an adult’s complete attention is a rare thing.

If you think you're child is feeling lost and alone, or their behaviour is difficult or very quiet, please give us a call. We understand that all you want is your child to be happy, sometimes the help has to come from outside to bring the family together.

Sam & Jackie at Therapy for Life