We are challenged every day with stress and we deal with it in different ways as we are all unique.

Sometimes stress can incorporate anxiety – they work alongside one another depending on how we deal with a situation.  For example, the higher the stress level the more anxiety we are likely to experience.

We all have times when we worry – how will we be able to afford the next bill? What happens if we don’t get our work done on time? What will people think of us?  It is completely normal to feel anxious when faced with potentially stressful situations.  Anxiety can start to intrude and cause difficulties in our everyday life. 

Anxiety is often caused by things that have upset us in our past or feeling like we can’t control certain situations.  It can also be related to confidence and how we see and feel about ourselves.

Counselling can be extremely useful in helping you deal with your anxiety.  It can help you to trace the underlying meanings behind your anxiety – the fears, triggers, thoughts, memories and behaviours that could be contributing to your anxious feelings.  It also helps by enabling you to consider your anxiety from different perspectives and to find ways of coping better.

Depression

Depression can make you feel like you are stuck in a hole and there is no way out.  This often starts with low mood and progresses.

Sadness is a natural feeling, we have our ups and downs, but what if the sadness doesn’t go away? What if it starts to affect our sense of meaning? What if feelings of hopelessness seem to hang around for days, weeks or even months?  This is when depression tends to set in.

If you suffer with depression you may experience a multitude of things.  You lose interest and your enthusiasm to do anything.  You may start to find that you cannot sleep as well as you used to.  You wake up with anxious thoughts or find you have no energy or the will to get up in the morning.

Depression also affects confidence and self-worth.  Individuals can start to feel guilty and a burden to those around them.  It can also affect concentration and focus.

Counselling can help you to start to identify some of the underlying issues that might be contributing to your depression, such as earlier life events and experiences.  Depression can be a lonely experience and having someone to share this with can help you feel less alone. No-one needs to suffer alone.

When we go through low mood or depression we are not always fully aware. I will help you like a human ladder to go from the bottom of the hole to the top (moving gradually) using a step by step approach towards the light at the end of the tunnel.  Once at this stage you will have the tools to manage future challenges in your life.

I offer many ways to help with this including breathing techniques which lots of clients find useful.