Different Is Normal

About Different Is Normal

10-minute reflections to help build your reflective practice 🪷 my reflective space is a project created by Neiha (a current BSc Psychology student), centered around reflective practice. in exploring topics related to mental health, psychology, culture, and more, I hope to guide you through self-reflection and create a space to help you reflect to learn more about yourself 🌟 insta: @myreflectivespace

Publisher

neiha

Category

education

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

25 Aug 2024

Latest episode

28 Sept 2025

Latest episodes

13 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   28 Sept 2025

   change is our only constant

   change can be scary. when dealing with change, whether that be a lifestyle change, or a personal change we are actively working towards, the discomfort may still remain. when we learn to see and accept change as a constant presence in our lives, we can learn to work through the difficult feelings that may arise with change & let them pass. in this episode, I reflect on my encounters with change, how we can reframe our perspective on change, and on learning to accept the constant nature of change. socials! ⭐️ youtube/spotify: my reflective space insta/tiktok: myreflectivespace substack: myreflective space (coming soon) resources i’ve used to make this episode:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.3109/10826084.2015.1042338 (https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.3109/10826084.2015.1042338)https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/understanding-addiction/202110/understanding-the-process-change (https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/understanding-addiction/202110/understanding-the-process-change)https://www.nhs.uk/every-mind-matters/mental-wellbeing-tips/how-to-deal-with-change (https://www.nhs.uk/every-mind-matters/mental-wellbeing-tips/how-to-deal-with-change/)https://talkingtherapies.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/therapy-in-focus-blogs/tips-for-dealing-with-change/ (https://talkingtherapies.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/therapy-in-focus-blogs/tips-for-dealing-with-change/)

2. 

   17 Sept 2025

   overcoming the fear of failure

   we’re often told to strive for success, and with so much pressure on constant achievement, we can come to fear failure of any kind. while this fear may exist to protect us from the disappointment and shame that comes with failure, it ultimately prevents us from engaging with life to the fullest. in this episode, I reflect on my relationship to failure, how this fear of failure can arise, and steps to take to challenge your fear. resources: https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2013-14500-00 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00050060310001706997 https://www.bps.org.uk/psychologist/overcoming-fear-failure-university https://www.bps.org.uk/psychologist/thinking-more-positively-about-failure https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35kY-dpafXs&ab_channel=MichelleGia socials! ⭐️youtube/spotify: my reflective spaceinsta: myreflectivespacetiktok: myreflectivespacesubstack: myreflective space (coming soon)

3. 

   10 Sept 2025

   the art of rest

   rest is something we typically associated with sleeping or inactivity, but a lot of the time this form of rest doesn't help us to recharge and recover in the way that we need. in this episode, I reflect on the 7 types of rest everyone needs (introduced by Dr Saundra Dalton-Smith), the purpose of each form of rest, and how to work towards understanding the kind of rest you need. resources used to make this episode: https://ideas.ted.com/the-7-types-of-rest-that-every-person-needs/ https://www.calm.com/blog/7-types-of-rest socials! ⭐️ youtube & spotify: my reflective spaceinsta & tiktok: myreflectivespacesubstack: myreflective space (coming soon)

4. 

   3 Sept 2025

   what are you grateful for?

   how often do you take time to think about what you’re grateful for? gratitude is often an aspect of wellbeing that can get overlooked, yet an effective way to reconnect with ourselves and our lives. in this episode, I reflect on my challenging relationship with gratitude, how i’ve been making progress towards developing a gratitude practice, and the power of gratitude for our mental health. resources used to make this episode: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0272735810000450 https://www.academia.edu/127075958/The_Association_between_Gratitude_and_Depression_A_Meta_Analysis https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4873114/#sec12 socials! ⭐️ youtube: my reflective spaceinsta: myreflectivespace tiktok: myreflectivespace substack: myreflective space (coming soon)

5. 

   27 Aug 2025

   what to do when you're feeling low

   many of us have probably experienced some feeling of low mood throughout our lives – whether that be because of school, work, friendships, or just challenging periods of life. it is difficult to know what to do when you’re feeling low, and so many of us may feel stuck and not know how to feel better. in this episode, I reflect on my experience with low mood, how we may unintentionally be maintaining our low mood, and how to work towards feeling better. mental health resources:https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/feelings-symptoms-behaviours/feelings-and-symptoms/low-mood-sadness-depression/ (https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/feelings-symptoms-behaviours/feelings-and-symptoms/low-mood-sadness-depression/)https://www.nhs.uk/every-mind-matters/mental-health-issues/low-mood/#top-tips (https://www.nhs.uk/every-mind-matters/mental-health-issues/low-mood/#top-tips) helplines: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/guides-to-support-and-services/seeking-help-for-a-mental-health-problem/mental-health-helplines/ (https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/guides-to-support-and-services/seeking-help-for-a-mental-health-problem/mental-health-helplines/)

6. 

   20 Aug 2025

   1. how to start again

   I wanted to take some time to reflect on what it is I want to create and what my purpose is in making these episodes, and giving myself this fresh start has made me feel a lot clearer about my vision for this space! I hope to share my reflections and encourage reflection in every episode, whilst touching on topics related to mental health, psychology, culture, and more. in this episode, I discuss some of my reflections around having a fresh start, and how to go about creating fresh starts for yourself.insta: myreflectivespace

7. 

   28 Apr 2025

   7. acceptance is the key to life

   it’s likely we’ve all found ourselves in a situation where we are struggling to deal with certain emotions, thoughts, and experiences, and our natural response is often to resist and avoid. the reality is that this is counterintuitive – it only increases our struggle. the better, albeit more challenging, solution is to accept our present circumstances for what they are. but how do we actually learn to reach acceptance? in this episode, I explore the idea of acceptance, and how we can go about working towards it more practically, extracting ideas from Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) in doing so. I hope to illustrate that in spite of the challenges in pursuit, acceptance is the key tool that we need to develop in order to continue moving forward in our lives and working towards allowing ourselves to be, exactly as we are. ⭐️insta: @differentisnormal

8. 

   13 Apr 2025

   6. the two faces of perfectionism

   I’m sure we’ve all experienced some sense of perfectionism in our lives, whether that be academics, work, or personal lives. perfectionism can often be seen as a negative trait, but what if perfectionism isn’t completely maladaptive? in this episode, I explore the different dimensions of perfectionism, and reflect on how we can learn to exist in tandem with our perfectionism. ⭐️insta: @differentisnormal; @neihasagar

9. 

   30 Mar 2025

   5. mindful screen time

   it’s well known that spending too much time on screens appears to have harmful impacts for our health. it may seem like to obvious solution is to completely switch off from all devices, yet for many of us this is not realistic or easy to implement fully. perhaps there’s a way for us to shift our attitude towards screens and take a more intentional approach to screen time. in this episode, I dissect the relationship between screen time and mental health based on research, and discuss an alternative perspective towards screen time that is centred around mindfulness. ⭐️insta: @differentisnormal; @neihasagar

10. 

    16 Mar 2025

    4. finding self-compassion

    what does it mean to be compassionate? the theme of compassion has come up in many areas of my life, so I wanted to explore this idea further and reflect on how we can seek compassion in our own lives, both towards others and ourselves. finding compassion can be difficult, especially when we may not have a clear understanding of what compassion actually is. in this episode, I discuss my relationship with compassion, how compassion can manifest in our lives, and how we can go about cultivating a better sense of self-compassion.

11. 

    30 Dec 2024

    3. living with intentions

    with 2025 coming up and in the spirit of celebrating difference, I wanted to share one of the ways in which am approaching new year's resolutions a bit differently: through setting intentions. intentions are something I have incorporated more and more over the years and I've found them to be immensely helpful in actually being aligned with my goals and getting what I want out of them. in this episode, I discuss what intentions are & the research behind them, as well as how you can go about setting intentions for yourself. ⭐️ insta: @differentisnormal; @neihasagar resources i’ve used to make this episode: https://www.calm.com/blog/setting-intentions https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii B9780121098902500378

12. 

    10 Oct 2024

    2. take care of yourself

    I wanted to do an episode in honour of world mental health day (oct 10th), so I thought it would be nice to discuss some of the ways in which we can practice self-care and take care of ourselves. in this episode, I delve into 10 small ways in which we can take care of ourselves, and discuss some of the research that I found supporting these things. ⭐️ insta: @differentisnormal; @neihasagar resources i’ve used to make this episode: gratitude → https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17439760.2014.927905#d1e344 (https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17439760.2014.927905#d1e344) cold showers → https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12144-022-03739-y?trk=public_post_comment-text#Sec24 (https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12144-022-03739-y?trk=public_post_comment-text#Sec24) mindfulness meditation → https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/behaviour-change/article/abs/benefits-of-mindfulness-meditation-changes-in-emotional-states-of-depression-anxiety-and-stress/16CEFE3661C9173067A32827CE8F6010 (https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/behaviour-change/article/abs/benefits-of-mindfulness-meditation-changes-in-emotional-states-of-depression-anxiety-and-stress/16CEFE3661C9173067A32827CE8F6010) hobbies → https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/07053436.1995.10715491 (https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/07053436.1995.10715491) being in nature → https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959652621013196#sec1 (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959652621013196#sec1) boundaries → https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563216304113#sec4 (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563216304113#sec4) prioritising sleep routine → https://link.springer.com/article/10.1111/j.1479-8425.2009.00389.x (https://link.springer.com/article/10.1111/j.1479-8425.2009.00389.x) social connection → https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2020-20116-001 (https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2020-20116-001) exercise → https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00509/full (https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00509/full) CBT techniques → https://www.nhs.uk/every-mind-matters/mental-wellbeing-tips/self-help-cbt-techniques/#articles (https://www.nhs.uk/every-mind-matters/mental-wellbeing-tips/self-help-cbt-techniques/#articles) extra resources: https://www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org/2022/03/how-and-why-to-practice-self-care/ (https://www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org/2022/03/how-and-why-to-practice-self-care/) https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/explore-mental-health/publications/our-best-mental-health-tips (https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/explore-mental-health/publications/our-best-mental-health-tips) https://www.annafreud.org/resources/children-and-young-peoples-wellbeing/self-care/ (https://www.annafreud.org/resources/children-and-young-peoples-wellbeing/self-care/) https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/self-help/guides-tools-and-activities/five-steps-to-mental-wellbeing/ (https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/self-help/guides-tools-and-activities/five-steps-to-mental-wellbeing/)

13. 

    25 Aug 2024

    1. being understanding and being understood

    first episode!!!!! i wanted to start this podcast with an episode that i can hopefully refer back to and reflect on in the future and as i continue with this podcast. being understanding is something that is challenging, but so beneficial to both ourselves and others. it’s something i am continuing working on myself and not something i’ve mastered by any means. but i think the most important thing we can do is try. in this episode, i’ve outlined some of the benefits to being more understanding to those that are different to us, how these different groups form in the first place that may pose difficulties to us being understanding, and how we can actually go about starting to be more understanding in our day-to-day lives. ⭐️ insta: @differentisnormal; @neihasagar resources i’ve used to make this episode: “The Benefits Of Understanding Another Point of View” https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/lasting-love/202106/the-benefits-understanding-another-point-view-0 (https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/lasting-love/202106/the-benefits-understanding-another-point-view-0) “Social comparison and group interest in ingroup favouritism” https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ejsp.2420090207 (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ejsp.2420090207) “From Social to Political Identity: A Critical Examination of Social Identity Theory” https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/0162-895X.00230 (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/0162-895X.00230) “The power of being heard: The benefits of ‘perspective-giving’ in the context of intergroup conflict” https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022103112000297 (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022103112000297) “The Importance of Taking the Perspective of Others” https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/constructive-controversy/201906/the-importance-taking-the-perspective-others (https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/constructive-controversy/201906/the-importance-taking-the-perspective-others)

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