Self Awareness

~ claire ballardie

Self awareness

How well do you know yourself? How do feel emotion in your body?Developing self-awareness helps to identify emotional triggers which cause anxiety. Once we notice what happens to us, both mentally and physically, we can start to  learn how to keep calm and focused on what we need to, improving our ability to concentrate. This in turn improves self-confidence and feeling more able to cope with daily life. Self-awarness can improve relationships, noticing  how we respond to other people and why.

In counselling, self-awareness can be helped by the following:

 

  • Talking therapy
  • Body awareness
  • Meditation
  • Relaxation and breathing techniques..
  • Learning more about yourself as a person.

Venturing into the realms of self-awareness takes bravery. Are you brave enough to open the door into the world of self-discovery?

Contact me for more details about how psychotherapy can help you..

 

Depression

~ claire ballardie

What is Depression?

With depression, you may have been feeling lonely or withdrawn for a while, and not been able to ‘snap out of it’. Daily life becomes a chore, and simple things become a challenge. It may be difficult to socialise, and things that you enjoy doing lose their appeal.

How does it start?

Depression may start from a life event such as bereavement, or build up through lifestyle or relational difficulties. You may suffer from a loss of confidence and self-esteem, and lose interest on yourself: how you dress, and care for yourself. Feeling tearful and irritable, a lack of patience, a sense of frustration are all common signs of depression. Life is no fun, and it is difficult to lift your mood.

How can counselling help?

Counselling can unlock the door into understanding what contributes to depression. It is about being able to talk about your experiences, without being judged, or feeling embarrassed or awkward. Depression affects people on different ways- you are unique, and important, and deserve a chance to feel better.

NHS Definition of Depression

  • feeling hopeless and helpless
  • having low self-esteem
  • feeling tearful
  • feeling guilt-ridden
  • feeling irritable and intolerant of others
  • having no motivation or interest in things
  • finding it difficult to make decisions
  • not getting any enjoyment out of life

If you would like to talk,, I will listen. Please contact me. 

Pet Bereavement

~ claire ballardie

Pet Bereavement: Losing a pet.

We generally live longer than our pets, so most pet owners experience grief from a beloved animal companion in their lives.

Sammy Poodle

Pets fulfill our need to nurture, and are a valued family member, often being more important to us than people. We love them because they love us unconditionally. They are our best friends regardless of how we dress, our social standing, or if we have had a bad day at work.

The powerful feelings that arise from such loss are often overlooked, or dismissed. Common responses to pet loss are ‘Well, it’s just a dog. Surely you can just get another one.’ or ‘Cheer up, you’ll get over it.’

Our pets are by our sides through thick and thin. They listen to our woes, comfort us when we cry, and share our joy when we celebrate happiness. For this reason, losing our ‘animal buddy’, our best friend,  leaves a huge hole in our hearts.

Coping with pet loss

Grief is grief. Losing a pet is just as devastating, or more so, than losing someone we hold dear. Grief waves over us, like a Sunami. Over time, these waves lessen, come less frequently, subside more gently, as we come to understand our own individual way of coping. It is said that ‘grief is love with nowhere to go’.

Cats

Sharing your experience with a therapist, like me, who ‘gets it’ can really help. I understand the impact of pet loss: I have lost much-loved animals in my life. As a therapist, my role is to support you as you find a way of understanding your feelings. I  can guide you through the process of  bereavement, helping you to find a way forwards, to acknowledge the pain of your loss.

 

 

As an animal lover, I share your tears. We will find a way to love them still, and enjoy wonderful memories, to keep them forever in our hearts.

Please contact me if you would like help coping with pet bereavement.

Mental health emergency contact

~ claire ballardie

Here are some useful mental health emergency contacts if you are struggling with your mental health.

I do not offer a crisis service, but am available for on-going counselling support. Contact me of you would like an initial chat on the phone.

Here are some useful links:

https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/guides-to-support-and-services/crisis-services/getting-help-in-a-crisis/

https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/mental-health-services/

Mental Health Helplines Wiltshire

 

Coping with The Winter Blues-SAD

Coping with the winter blues
~ claire ballardie

Winter is tough for many people. Short days, with a lack of sunlight, are a long way from the colours and warmth of summer, often leading to seasonal depression, or S.A.D. (Seasonal Affective Disorder).

 What causes it

SAD sufferers seem to have difficulty regulating seratonin, a neurotransmitter which regulates mood, digestion, sleep, sense of wellbeing, happiness.

The Science behind it

Lack of sunlight reduces seratonin levels – associated with depression and increases melatonin, a hormone produced by the brain in response to darkeness, regulating sleep patterns. (such as with Jet Lag)

Reduced levels of vitamin D- produced by sunlight reacting with chemicals in the skin, contributes to  fatigue, quality of sleep

Sufferers have difficulty regulating circadian rhythm or body clock which adjusts to seasonal light/ dark cycle. 

How does it differ from clinical depression?

A symptom of Clinical depression- is decreased appetite, whereas seasonal depression shows increased appetite

How it affects you

The main symptoms are : feeling sad, low mood, low energy, affecting normal daily life. Tiredness and hunger are also common.

Recent studies  compare SAD with hibernation, increased appetite, and need to sleep more. winter depression may have been the norm to survive the winter months. Our ancestors may have chosen to shelter from the winter weather in caves, sleeping more, but they could have suffered from poor nutrition, and a lack of vitamin D from sunlight.  Research indicates that there are biological similarities with hibernation ,the human body is not designed to survive months living off body fat in the way that bears can, for example.

How to treat it

  • Spending as much time as possible outside, particularly on sunny days.
  • Increased vitamin D – best source is sunlight, supplements, diet, SAD lamp.
  • Healthy diet
  • Exercise outdoors
  • Counselling
  • Anti-depressants
  • Lift your mood with something you enjoy

Useful tips:

Listen to your body. If you need to rest more, cosy up indoors, that’s fine. Do what you need to do.

Counselling can help to view short, dark days with a different perspective. Relating differently to your personal experiences of SAD can help to find your own, individual way to cope. You may even find you can embrace winter!

Try bringing some holiday activities into your day, even for a short time- maybe look at a favourite photo during a coffee break. Lifting your mood by doing something you really enjoy- singing along to a song on the radio, or dancing to a favourite holiday tune.

What would you enjoy on holiday? Curling up with a good book,  cooking colourful meals such as stir fries, or a spicy curry?  Having time to chill out, or maybe to try a new form of exercise?

 

When the weather is grey, but bringing colour into your life can give you a break from the endless gloom of winter and lift your mood. Wear something colourful for fun, brighten your make-up, paint your nails, wear comedy socks! Take advantage of the wonderful memories of light and warmth to remind yourself how good you feel in summer. Take photos for some happy memories to look back on in winter.

Useful links:

More about Seasonal Affective Disorder 

https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a35033907/early-humans-hibernation/

Melrose S. (2015). Seasonal Affective Disorder: An Overview of Assessment and Treatment Approaches. Depression research and treatment, 2015, 178564. https://doi.org/10.1155/2015/178564