On October 4th, the CommunityCare of Lyme Mental Health team warmly welcomed Eliza Polli, PsyD to the CCL living room. This was the second in a new series of community events to share and learn together about topics affecting our individual and collective mental health.

Dr. Polli presented our group with education on the physiological response to stress, strategies to challenge and be more mindful of our thoughts and emotions. She ended the session with an experiential mindfulness practice session.

Throughout this discussion, Dr. Polli explained common types of cognitive distortions. Whether it’s catastrophizing, minimizing, comparing ourselves to others or judging the way we feel, cognitive distortions can led to more negative mental/emotional states. Dr. Polli explained that in having awareness of our thoughts and emotions we can then begin to ask “is this thought / is this emotion helping me live my values?” If the answer is no, Dr. Polli introduced “4 Cs”  to challenge these negative thoughts and feelings and come up with something more realistic. According to the Beck Institute the first Three Cs are: “Catch” the thought, “Check”  on how accurate/useful the thought is, “Change” the thought to something more realistic or useful. Dr. Polli also included a fourth C in her discussion which was self “Compassion”.

In the course of this discussion, Dr. Polli emphasized the importance of not judging our emotions. Judgement of emotions comes in many forms. Some common examples are things like, “This is so stupid, why am I sad about this?” or “I should not be angry.” She reminded us to practice self-compassion. It can be helpful to ask ourselves, “What would you tell your best friend if he/she/they were in this situation?”

On behalf of CCL and the larger community, Thank you, Dr. Polli!

Resources Shared:

FREE Guided Mindfulness with Dr. Kristin Neff : Self-Compassion.org

The Happiness Trap by Russ Harris

For more information on these topics, visit Converse Free Library. Explore their collection links here:

Stress Reduction

Managing Anxiety

If you or someone you know is struggling, please reach out for help. These are two available resources:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Crisis text line:  741741

* CCL’s Mental Health Team is forming now and will continue to evolve with input from individuals and organizations looking to support mental health in the community. All are welcome to be a part. Mental health needs are broad and varied. This team’s programming and services will be responsive to input received from community members. Please contact us if you would like to help identify resources or share programming, or if you have questions or suggestions about topics to address. Email mentalhealth@cclyme.org or call our main number at 603-795-0603.

Upcoming event: Connor’s Climb presents a family and community presentation on preventing youth suicide.  All are welcome. For more information or to register, email mentalhealth@cclyme.org or call 603-795-0603.

If you have a wellness themed topic you would like to share or learn more about, and/or blog/vlog about as an expert in a health/wellness related field, please reach out to shelby@cclyme.org. 

Shelby Wood
Manager of Program Development
CommunityCare of Lyme
Shelby@cclyme.org
802-468-7776