Anxiety

Anxiety can describe a feeling of ‘dis-ease’, worry or fear – this can cause us to obsess or over think things.  We can all get caught in negative ruminating – feeling paranoid about what others may think of us or doubting our capabilities…

Anxiety can escalate to the extent some may experience acute Social Anxiety, resulting in the avoidance of certain situations or leading to feelings of overwhelm or panic.

We all can feel Anxious at times in our lives when our resilience is down or perhaps we are in a new beginning and it can affect us on an emotional and physical level.  Sometimes Anxiety can actually be different feelings disguised as Anxious affect.

Anxiety is the scourge of our time with 1 in 3 people feeling affected by Stress and Anxiety.  Understanding what works for you when you feel sensitised in this way is how you can begin to feel empowered again and more able to be out there in the world with confidence.

Usually, there will be a reason why you are feeling this way….  Counselling can help you understand the roots of your worries and fears and we can look together at developing some coping strategies to help you feel more able to cope.

Depression and Low Mood

Low Mood can be characterised by feelings of sadness, flatness and perhaps not wanting to engage with your normal or desired life activities.  Depression can often be a longer-term experience, beyond the experience of low spirits.  Severe Depression can lead to suicidal feelings and an utter hopelessness about your life.

Having the ‘blues’ can occur for all sorts of reasons – sometimes it can be a result of something painful or traumatic in our lives, a loss or a significant change… It may also be part of what we are going through in terms of life-phase; it may be hormonal, situational, genetic or a bio-chemical response.

Even though it can feel counter-intuitive, it is always a good to reach out for connection and support when you feel low.  Life can sometimes feel unbearable when you are going through painful experiences and in this place, it’s hard to imagine that anything can and will change, but it can….

With Counselling support, it may be possible to get the help you need;  to understand what is going on for you and ultimately to begin move towards a new chapter and a more positive, hopeful path ahead.

Low Self Confidence

We can all have bad days when we feel low in confidence or insecure, but when poor self-esteem holds you back from pursuing things you’d like to do, or where your lack of confidence affects you socially or in your relationships, then seeking help is a positive step.  Counselling provides you with an opportunity to identify and understand any negative core self-beliefs you may hold and how your past experiences have impacted on your self-esteem.

Often people talk feel ashamed about ‘not being good enough’ in some way – This is such a common experience. There can often be a discrepancy between how we see ourselves and how others view us.  The determining factor to our happiness will be our own lens on ourselves and life – we can’t change others but we can focus on ourselves.

If you are not living the life you want or could be, then it takes courage to tend to that… As Marianne Williamson quotes, “the world is not served by you playing small”.  Counselling can support you in developing a more realistic, balanced and positive self-perspective and to enable you to move beyond any self-imposed limitations.

“No one is you and that is your power”
Dave Grohl

Feeling Stuck

You may feel there is a decision you’ve been unable to make, a career move, a relationship change or that you’re not living quite the life you’d like….

Counselling can help you to identify what is missing for you, what keep you stuck where you’ve been and allows you the space to review your choices in relation to your wants, needs and your dreams…

There may be things that you know are holding you back – concerns about what others might think; fears around the consequences for yourself or others; or fears of failure or low self confidence…

The bottom line is if you are feeling stuck and aware of that frustration, this may well not dissapate – This is an issue worthy of addressing because it is possible to gain more clarity, courage the the strength of purpose to make changes….

Relationships

Relationships go though ups and downs – when we feel connected, it can feel great! The world feels good and with that sense of partnership you can flourish…

When we are feeling out of connection; with our disappointment, hurt or frustration then life can feel so sad and desperate.  You might find you keep on having the same fights or be contemplating withdrawing, a trial separation or calling an end to the relationship.

There are always going to be very good reasons why you feel the way you do… reasons that make sense to you and not necessarily to your partner…

Counselling – both individual and couples – can help you explore those difficult dynamics in your relationships and give you some new tools to help you understand each other and to learn to communicate in a more compassionate and constructive way.

Historical Issues

Everyone is affected by their past experiences – we survived our childhoods having received ‘not enough’ or ‘too much’ of certain things – and these experiences can shape us in such a way as to hold us back, or infect our relationships in a deeply painful way…

It may be that we’ve taken on some of the implicit or explicit messages we received as a child – being labelled as something that has to date defined us…; or it may be you are carrying a sense of feeling an ‘outsider’ or being different in some way…

Counselling can provide that safe space to unpack whatever ‘baggage’ you feel you are carrying around with you and to identify the re-occuring themes in your life and relationships.  You have the opportunity  to explore what you may need to make sense of, to grieve for and perhaps find some ways to towards acceptance and healing.