Email: dragonflycounselling2024@gmail.com Phone/Message: 07564693803
Counselling to Support Your Mental Health
My Mission
I became a counsellor because I am passionate about helping people live their best lives. I have experience working with a diverse range of clients, including those with chronic mental health conditions. For example: Anxiety; Stress; Depression; Grief; PTSD; CPTSD.
Acknowledging Anxiety
What is Anxiety?
Anxiety is natural, it is normal. We all suffer from anxiety at points in our life. It is our body's way of responding to stress, threat, fear, dread. Feeling nervous before a test or an exam, or worrying about starting a new job, are all typical situations that create anxiety.
However, when we suffer with anxiety that persists or overwhelms us, then it can impact negatively on our mental wellbeing and becomes a challenge that we need to address.
Overwhelming anxiety can impact on our mind, body and behaviour. For example our mind may overthink situations and cause us to worry. We may feel physical symptoms such as a racing heart or panic attack. We may change our behaviour and begin to avoid situations that cause our anxiety.
The good news is that there are strategies that we can use to help manage our anxiety. We can learn, through therapy, to combat our worries and put them into perspective. We can learn techniques to help us relax our minds and bodies.
More information and resources to support with anxiety can be found below.
Dealing With Depression
What is Depression?
Depression is a recognised mental health condition that is diagnosable by your GP or other medical professionals.
Depression is a mood disorder and is characterised by having low mood for an extended period of time, generally longer than a period of 2 weeks.
Depression can affect people differently and symptoms can range from mild to severe depression.
It is generally caused by a mixture of different factors including: genetics; environment; biological and psychological.
Current statistics show that depression affects 1 in 6 people. You are not alone. Depression can also be treated through ways such as medication and/or talking therapy.
Despite the dark depth that depression can take you to, there is a way out of it. Help is available.
You can read my blog about depression by clicking on the button below.
Guidance With Grief
The Challenge of Grief
Experiencing death, loss and grief is inevitable throughout our lives. However, when that loss happens, grief can be overwhelming.
Grief has no pattern or timetable. Therefore, it affects us all so differently. For some the crush of emotions is instant. For others, it comes much later. Grief also hits in waves and can last a significant period of time.
It is important to remember that grief does not just happen as the result of the death of a friend or loved one. Grief can also be felt at the loss of a pet. Alternatively you may feel grief at the loss of a job or a career; retirement can bring a sense of grief. Grief can also be felt if you are going through a healing journey and realising losses or experiences that meant you were denied key things in life, that you should have had, such as love and care.
Our response to grief is just that, ours. It is deeply personal and it is ok if your response is very different to someone else.
Grief can leave us with a whole mix of emotional and physical symptoms. The key is to allow yourself what you need. Take the time and space. As with everything, support is available.
It is key to remember that once a loss is suffered, our lives will inevitably change. We are having to learn how to navigate those changes and come to terms with our new normal.
You dont have to do that alone.
Cultivating Confidence
Introduction
Take a minute and think about you. What thoughts immediately spring to mind? Are they positive or negative? How does your inner voice/inner critic talk to you?
How we feel and think about ourselves impacts on so many aspects of our lives.
If we feel confident and self assured, our self esteem will be high. This can lead to increased positive wellbeing, social connections and success.
However if we feel negatively about ourselves, our confidence and self esteem will be much lower. This can lead to us not believing in ourselves; not taking opportunities; not experiencing new things or thriving. It can also increase anxiety and contribute to other mental ill health.
We may have challenges with our self esteem and self worth because we were never supported to develop it as a child or because we suffered trauma and/or abuse as a youngster.
We may have suffered setbacks in life that have significantly knocked our confidence and continue to do so.
We may 'sit outside' of society's expectations of what the 'majority' of us should be.
We may have difficulties with our mental or physical health which is impacting negatively on our self worth.
Building our confidence is a process that we can start at any point in our lives. It is an ongoing practice that takes time, consistency and repetition.
Our priority in life is our own wellbeing first. Learning self compassion and self care is vital to helping build your self worth.
You are unique, there is no other you and learning to embrace who you are and be proud of that is important.
You are the only version of you and you can continually improve that version and your self compassion. You have it in you.
Some tips on how to build your self confidence can be found below.
Understanding Self-Harm
Why do we self harm?
Self harm can be a very difficult subject to talk about. Those who self harm can feel judged and misunderstood; whilst finding out that a friend or loved one is self harming can be scary and shocking.
Self harm comes in many forms but ultimately it is intentional damage or injury to our bodies. It is often used as a way to cope or express emotional pain and distress.
It can also be:
- Taking some control in an overwhelming life;
- A form of self punishment;
- A cry for help;
- In response to intrusive and critical thoughts;
- A way to change emotional pain into physical pain.
There is no 'type of person who self harms. It can affect anyone at different points in their lives.
There is a link between self harm and suicide, however, because someone self harms, it does not automatically mean they are suicidal.
For more information on understanding self harm; support and resources for those who are self harming as well as support for families, see the links below.
Supporting With Suicidal Ideation and Intention
Talking about the taboo that is Suicide
Suicide and suicidal ideation (where you think about ending your life through suicide, but do not have the intention of doing so), are probably amongst some of the hardest topic to talk about when it comes to mental health.
Feeling at the point in your life where death is the only way out that you can see is such a challenging, hopeless and dark space to be in.
Likewise, finding out that a loved one is thinking about suicide, has attempted to complete suicide or is planning their suicide is very upsetting and difficult.
As with so many things when it comes to mental health, talking and being honest about how you are feeling is the first step to making positive changes. Reaching out for support, despite how difficult this can be the best thing that you will do.
The more we understand and talk openly about suicide, the more likely it is that those who are feeling this way will reach out. Knowing that they can be met with understanding, compassion and not with judgement or punishment.
There is the fear that by talking about suicide we may actually push someone towards that action. However, the reality is that the more we talk about it, the more deaths from suicide can be prevented.
If you are currently feeling suicidal, you may feel at the moment that you have no other option and that your life or you are not worth it. But you are. Even the most challenging and darkest experiences can be improved. You are worth it.
If you are currently feeling suicidal, please reach out for help. Contacting the Samaritans on 116 123 or texting SHOUT on 85258, will immediately connect you with someone who can help.
You are not alone.