About Counselling

Things to look out for in yourself

when you’re finding everyday life hard.

Signs to look out for

Lacking energy or feeling tired
Feeling exhausted all the time
Experiencing ‘brain fog’, find it hard to think clearly
Finding it hard to concentrate
Feeling restless and agitated
Feeling tearful, wanting to cry all the time
Not wanting to talk to or be with people
Not wanting to do things you usually enjoy
Using alcohol or drugs to cope with feelings
Finding it hard to cope with everyday things and tasks
Experiencing ‘burn out’

If you don’t see what you’re feeling on this list, please still get in touch. You might also find my suggestions useful and help you to cope.

You’re not alone in feeling like this. Many people struggle to cope at one point or another and going through a range of emotions during this time is common.

You can contact me via email, telephone or text message and I will aim to get back to you as soon as I can. You might also want to speak to someone else you trust like a family member, your GP or a close friend you trust.

You are never alone

When people are going through a tough time they often experience negative thoughts about themselves and feel they have no-one to turn to.

Even if you don’t have family or friends close by, you are never alone. Please contact me.

These feelings may not last forever

Everyone feels low at some point in their lives and if you’re struggling to cope it may be difficult to see beyond your current situation. Talking about how you’re feeling can help put things into perspective and help you to feel more positive about the future.

Identify trigger situations

There are all sorts of reasons why you may be finding it hard to cope. Often it’s due to a combination of things.

Perhaps you’re going through:

relationship and family problems
loss, including loss of a friend or a family member through bereavement
financial worries
job-related stress
college or study-related stress
worry about current events, such as the Coronavirus outbreak
loneliness and isolation, or struggling with self-isolation
depression
painful and/or disabling physical illness
heavy use of or dependency on alcohol or other drugs
thoughts of suicide.

There are lots of things you can do to help yourself

Make time for yourself, relax and do things you enjoy
Eat healthily; get plenty of sleep and exercise
Spend time with people you love
Talk about your problems with people you trust
Be proud of what you’re good at, as well as aware of what you struggle with
Pay attention to what you’re feeling.

If you’ve stopped doing things you usually love, you’re tearful, not eating or sleeping properly, drifting from people close to you, taking alcohol or drugs to cope or self-harming, then get help from a Counsellor or someone you trust.

Relaxation exercise

Controlled breathing

It might sound simple, but controlled breathing can be a useful tool for feeling calmer quickly and reducing feelings of stress and anxiety. This technique is easy to memorise and can be practised almost anywhere. Practise this for as long as you need to feel the benefits.

To practise this technique, all you need to do is this:

Breathe in for four seconds
Hold your breath for four seconds
Breathe out for four seconds
Wait four seconds before repeating