Mental Health Micro-gains
Using the sports psychology concept of marginal gains, this book gives you 50 five-minute, easy-to-implement strategies that build to make a big difference to your wellbeing.
Want to make a big difference to your mental health by making small, manageable changes over time?
In Mental Health Microgains, psychologists Dr Emma Cotterill and Dr Tara Quinn-Cirillo bring you 50 easy-to-implement strategies that each take a maximum of five minutes to add to your daily routine. Using the sports psychology concept of marginal gains – small improvements that lead to big results – these quick strategies build up to make microgains to your wellbeing as you slowly incorporate more and more of them into your life.
The 50 strategies span a range of psychological approaches – from Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), to trauma-based approaches and gratitude – and fall under one of ten themes:
- Mindfulness
- Breathing and grounding
- Compassion
- Sleep and rest
- Social connection
- Movement
- Purposeful action
- Emotions
- Thoughts
- Taking care of you
Each microgain is presented with clear directions and evidence-based advice from Dr Cotterill and Dr Quinn-Cirillo. Combining the authors’ clinical experience with insights from psychological theory, you’ll gain knowledge and skills that can be used to improve your wellbeing for life – one small step at a time.
Dr Emma Cotterill is a chartered clinical psychologist with over 15 years of experience working in the NHS and privately. She is dedicated to supporting individuals experiencing mental health difficulties and their families, with specialist experience in supporting parents and mothers, and exploring issues of grief, loss and trauma. She is passionate about developing thriving mental health and wellbeing for body and mind. She uses an individualized integrative therapy approach, drawing on CBT, ACT, CFT, EMDR, systemic approaches and mindfulness. Dr Emma is a therapist, writer, supervisor and trainer.
Dr Tara Quinn-Cirillo is an HCPC Registered Counselling Psychologist and Associate Fellow of The British Psychological Society. She has more than 20 years of clinical experience in mental health, neurodivergence, disability and human behaviour. She is the Founder and Director of The Conversation Starter Project CIC, which is a grassroots community project tackling emotional health. Tara is an accomplished broadcaster and media expert globally and the host of The Adversity Psychologist podcast. She has been involved in many innovative collaborations with health and wellbeing platforms, with the aim of bringing high-quality mental health knowledge to the public.