Category: Reasons People Come to Counselling

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Reasons people come to counselling – Difficult Emotions

Hello…

…and welcome back to my blog.

Continuing with reasons why people come to counselling today I will be exploring difficult emotions.

Emotions are normal and part of daily life, whether they be good or bad, they motivate us to take action, survive or simply make changes. Emotions therefore can be very informative and help us to work out what we are feeling.

Obviously, most people wish to experience positive emotions, such as happiness and excitement, rather than negative emotions as they are unpleasant and painful. Examples of difficult emotions include:

  • Low self-esteem
  • Loneliness
  • Guilt
  • Shame
  • Sadness
  • Worry
  • Jealously
  • Powerlessness
  • Fear
  • Rejection

There may be various reasons why we may be experiencing such difficult or distressing emotions, below are simply a select few:

  • Bereavement
  • Trauma
  • Unemployment
  • Relationship breakdown
  • Discrimination
  • Monetary difficulties
  • Domestic Abuse

Despite experiencing distressing events, such as the ones noted above, society tells us negative emotions are bad and undesirable while positive ones are preferred and desired. However, the belief that we must feel positive and happy all the time is simply impractical, it’s not real life, and can end up pushing our feelings down making us repress our emotions.

Sometimes individuals struggle to even name their emotions because they are either unaware, lack a lexicon of feeling words, find it difficult to talk about them, bottle them up, don’t want to be seen as weak or vulnerable and/or use distraction to either control or fight them – all of which are unhealthy.

Instead we should aim to achieve and maintain balanced emotions, where they aren’t seen as either positive or negative, but which are all validated and understood. To understand, it is equally okay to feel happy as it is to feel sad. Counselling is therefore a place where an individual can start to learn to do this. It can help individuals learn about themselves by recognising and acknowledging their emotions in a safe and non-judgemental space, as well as exploring root causes and patterns of behaviour.

Please like, comment, share and follow, and until next time:

be kind | embrace growth | nurture relationships

Kassandra

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Reasons people come to counselling – Anxiety

Hello…

…and welcome back to my blog.

Today’s post on reasons why people come to counselling is focusing on Anxiety.

Anxiety, refers to feelings of worry, concern and fear. It is normal to experience anxiety as it alerts us to dangers, makes us more productive, or perhaps demonstrates our passions, so whether that be climbing a ladder, completing coursework or preparing for the opening night of a play.

I know I work better, for example, when up against a deadline.

Anxiety therefore plays a part in our everyday lives.

When anxiety becomes constant, overwhelming and out of proportion making sufferers believe that elements in their lives are significantly worse than they really are and affecting their daily lives, this is when it becomes distressing and potentially debilitating.

It presents differently for different people, but symptoms will include both behavioural and physical.

Behavioural symptoms that may present include:

  • Feeling uneasy
  • Feeling worried
  • Feeling fearful
  • Feeling on edge
  • Feelings of a lack of control
  • A sense of dread
  • Difficulties concentrating
  • Irritability
  • Avoidance

Physical symptoms may also include:

  • Feeling sick
  • Hot flushes
  • Increased perspiration
  • Dry mouth
  • Palpitations
  • Hyperventilating
  • Tiredness
  • Headache
  • Dizziness

There are different forms of anxiety, which include:

  • Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
  • Phobias
  • Social Anxiety
  • Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

I will cover these later in another series of blogs dedicated to anxiety. Each of these will not only present differently, but all experiences of anxiety, may have a variety of different triggers, from traumatic incidents, to childhood fears and/or difficult life events, or perhaps there is no known cause.

As stated, living with anxiety can be debilitating, where doing everyday tasks such as looking after yourself, forming and maintaining relationships, holding down a job or enjoying leisure time are not only difficult but cause distress. For those suffering with anxiety counselling can help to understand their condition better, identify triggers, provide support including strategies to cope as well as considering the possible cause.

Please like, comment, share and follow, and until next time:

be kind | embrace growth | nurture relationships

Kassandra

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Reasons people come to counselling – Depression

Hello…

…and welcome back to my blog.

Next in the series of reasons why people come to counselling is considering depression.

Depression is a very real and genuine health condition. It is a common illness which can happen to anyone at any age but that effects everyone differently. It is more than just feeling unhappy, sad, feeling down or being fed up for a few days.

Depression is about feeling persistently sad and in a low mood for an extended period, such as weeks if not months or years, which effects your functioning in daily life including work, relationships and interests.

Behavioural symptoms that may present include:

  • Being unable to get out of bed
  • Loss of interest
  • No pleasure
  • Feelings of sadness
  • Tearful
  • Difficulties in concentrating
  • Loss of confidence
  • Feelings of helplessness/hopelessness
  • Avoidance of others
  • Self-harm
  • Suicidal thoughts

Physical symptoms may also include:

  • Tired/fatigue
  • Poor sleep/sleeping too much
  • No appetite
  • Aches and pains
  • Loss of sex drive

What causes depression?

There are many reasons why people may experience depression. Possible reasons include:

  • Childhood experiences
  • Physical illness
  • Bereavement
  • Life-changing events – expected or unexpected
  • Having a baby
  • Relationship breakdown
  • Family predisposition
  • Redundancy
  • Money concerns
  • Doubts, fears and worries

Some people may be aware of what has triggered their depression, however others may not.

Living with depression is hard, not only for the individual but for those living around them. They may not understand and tell them to ‘snap out of it’ and ‘pull yourself together’, or perhaps, whilst with all good intentions, tell them that ‘everything will be okay’ – however, none of these statements are helpful. Counselling however allows an individual the space to talk through everyday issues honestly and without judgement, to perhaps help develop strategies to resolve their issues and help in making changes to improve their daily lives as well as consider and understand the reasons for the onset of their depression.

Please like, comment, share and follow, and until next time:

be kind | embrace growth | nurture relationships

Kassandra

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