What should I speak about?

We all have feelings of anxiety, worry and fear sometimes. These can be normal responses to certain situations. For example, you might worry about a job interview, or about paying a bill on time. These feelings can give you an awareness of risks and what you need to do in a difficult or dangerous situation. This reaction is known as ‘fight or flight’.

.  Some people express racing thoughts, uncontrollable over-thinking, difficulties concentrating, feelings of dread, panic or ‘impending doom, feeling irritable, heightened alertness, problems with sleep, changes in appetite and wanting to escape from the situation you are in. I have spoken to many clients who feel anxious- they have tried coping techniques, distractions and breathing techniques- that work in the moment. Exploring where the root of the anxiety came from can be life changing . 

Depression is when you feel persistently sad for weeks or months, rather than just a few days. It affects your ability to do everyday things, feel pleasure or take interest in activities.

Everyone has ups and downs. Sometimes you might feel a bit low, for lots of different reasons. People may say that they are feeling depressed when they are feeling down, but this does not always mean that they have depression.

Depression is a mental illness, it is common and affects about 1 in 6 of us, it something that anyone can get, and is treatable.

Depression is not something you can 'snap out of, a sign of weakness, something that everyone experiences, or something that lasts forever.

(Rethink)

Lets work together to find out when this started and explore how to take control of your thoughts and feelings.

Traumatic events can leave us struggling to move forward and keep us stuck in a place that is frightening. This could of been childhood abuse, an ongoing issue or something that happened suddenly. We can experience flashbacks, dreams, intrusive thoughts and are usually are stuck in a place of fear or shock. People often describe feelings of guilt, blame and shame for things that where out of their control. Trauma can be different for everyone- 

Relationships are all around us. From romantic relationships, relationships with our parents, our children, friends and working relationships there is no avoiding them. Being able to talk through problems in any relationship can be difficult and scary. It is maybe beneficial for you to speak with a counsellor outside of this to work out what you need, what you are not getting or to be able to set boundaries.

The most important aspect of counseling lies within the relationship, how we connect, how we respond and most importantly how we listen. 

Self-esteem is how we see and value ourselves. Low self-esteem is when we view ourselves badly. stressful and difficult situations can have an impact on this. some of the common feelings of low self-esteem are feeling hopeless or worthless,

blaming yourself unfairly, hating yourself and worrying about being unable to do things. 

These feelings can come from past experiences, what you have been told, either verbally or non verbally can really impact how we view ourselves. 

We can work together to untagle some of these beliefs and where they came from, and start to instil new belifs and start to like and appreciate the person you are.