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Sharing Thoughts

22/12/2017 0 Comments

Christmas - A Time to Mind Ourselves

While Christmas is known as the season of goodwill spreading cheer and happiness, it also can be one of the most stressful periods in the year. It is really important to take time to look after ourselves. Something as simple as going out into the garden, breathing deeply, even taking an extra 5 minutes in the bathroom to gather your thoughts before going back to join the hubbub can help to destress you, here are some more suggestions:
  • Look after yourself first
  • Plan ahead
  • Ask for help - delegate
  • Go with the flow - accept things may go wrong
  • Try and see the funny side of things, remember to laugh
  • Walk - did you know walking has a tranquillising effect on the brain? 
  • So what if dinner is a few minutes late to the table - enjoy the moment
  • If old customs or traditions are making you too sad, maybe it is time to create new traditions
  • Go tech free for a few hours
  • Light a citrus candle - or just inhale the aroma from an orange - did you know research suggests that citrus fragrances boosts feelings of well-being and help alleviate stress? Dab some lemon /  orange juice or oil onto a tissue and carry it in your pocket - emergency rescue!  
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Some additional suggestions can be found in this article on TheJournal.ie 

​If you still feel events, situations are getting too fraught and you need that extra bit of support, here are some emergency numbers: 
If you’re feeling low and need to speak to someone, contact: 
  • Samaritans 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org (At hand 24/7)
  • Aware 1800 80 48 48 (depression, anxiety)
  • Pieta House 1800 247247 or email mary@pieta.ie – (suicide, self-harm)
  • Teen-Line Ireland 1800 833 634 (for ages 13 to 19)
  • Childline 1800 66 66 66 (for under 18s)
Mental Health Ireland ​www.mentalhealthireland.ie have some advice on their website for handling Christmas stresses. 
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9/5/2017 0 Comments

Instagram offers Mental Health Support

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Instagram have just announced a new mental health support structure for those who use their social media platform documenting their daily life.  

​"Every day on Instagram, we see people share their mental health journeys and connect with communities of support. From dedicated accounts around an issue to unique hashtags adopted by groups, these communities are helping to make illnesses that are often invisible to friends and family visible through photos and videos.

If you see a post on Instagram from someone who may be in need of mental health support, you can report it anonymously. The next time that person logs into the app, we will connect them to organizations in their country that offer help. We have teams working 24 hours a day, seven days a week to review these reports. We also display these resources when someone visits a hashtag page for a sensitive topic."

​Read More about it on Instagram's blog on support. This is a step in the right direction and more social media platforms should follow.

​So if you see someones post and feel they need help, or you feel in need of some support yourself, Instagram gives you links to select with options that will put you in touch with someone to support you. 


https://instagram-together.com

If you feel you can help someone or you need support use the hashtag   #hereforyou 














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1/5/2017 0 Comments

What is Bipolar disorder?

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26/4/2017 0 Comments

4 Powers That May Be Hiding Behind Anxiety Disorders

Anxiety has been widely regarded as a very negative condition that tends to ruin people’s everyday simple pleasures and renders them incapable of facing new challenges. In short, anxiety is commonly associated with being a purely negative thing.
But what if this ‘curse’ comes with certain gifts that others don’t possess?

Scientists have been exploring the effects of anxiety for decades and they have found that besides the commonly shunned-upon negative effects, anxiety indeed does come with a set of powers too.
Anxiety comes with, among other things, a sense of heightened perception. It’s indeed this kind of perception that makes anxiety what it is, but in this ability of perceiving things lie 4 powers that other people don’t often possess.

  • Life-saving instinct
Anxiety has been traced back to a much older period of human evolution than you may think. It has its evolutionary roots and it served as a means to protect our ancestors from dangers that would lead to premature death (just like fear).
This survival mechanism used to help people stay alert and be able to detect dangers before they would happen. However, today anxiety has remained and is seen as a response to non-existent dangers. Yet, what if this response is still relevant and useful in certain vital cases?
French scientists have discovered that people with anxiety possess a unique life-saving sixth sense. They have found that some regions in these people’s brains possess the ability to detect threats in just 200 milliseconds! 
This rapid detection ability allows people with anxiety to react appropriately in cases of social threats in the environment and thus possesses the potential to save one’s life!

  • Increased IQ
What if anxiety comes hand to hand with a higher IQ? Well researchers at SUNY Downstate Medical Centre in New York confirm that it does. In the study, people with a General Anxiety Disorder were tested for IQ and the researchers found that anxiety correlates positively with intelligence.


It’s no wonder really, knowing that people with anxiety constantly over-analyze their environment. This means that their brains process information constantly, and for such thing one does need a higher IQ.

  • Increased empathic ability
People with anxiety are constantly obsessed with how other people feel. What if this ‘obsession’ is not so much of an obsession, but rather a heightened empathic ability? 
Psychologists at the Department of Psychology, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel say that it’s true.
According to the research, high socially anxious people “exhibited elevated empathy tendencies.” They discovered that these people not only possess an increased sense of empathy, but that that they could tell of people’s emotions with a high level of accuracy.
Perhaps this is why people with social anxiety prefer avoiding other people. Empathy can be a curse as much as it’s a gift if left uncontrolled. 
But whatever the reason for their avoiding people, know that a socially anxious person can read your emotions like no other person.

  • Sensing other people’s energy
While this one has not been scientifically tested or measured like the previous ones, the likeliness of this ability is very high and plausible. People with social anxiety aren’t always affected by it when around people.
In fact, certain people can trigger this anxiety, while others don’t. Thus, it’s highly appropriate to assume that people with social anxiety are able to sense the vibrations from people and feel very uncomfortable by those who emit low-frequency vibes.
So, while there are many things people with anxiety need to cope with, one thing is for certain: 
anxiety comes with a set of gifts that others don’t usually possess. 
Perhaps anxiety is not so much a disorder, but rather a different state of mind that people are not used to?
What are your thoughts on this?
Please Share…

Article from Curious Mind 

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Such an interesting article which opens up some possible positives (?)  What do you think?
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13/3/2017 0 Comments

A Professional Approach to Treating Self Harm

Self Harm Awareness - New Dawn Counselling
"The phrase “self-harming behavior” may call up images of troubled teenagers with cuts on their arms. But self-injury can occur for people of any age, in children, adolescents and adults, whether male or female.  This is not at all a teenage fad!
People who self-harm or cut are people who are in pain.".....

I'm sharing this very insightful article about Self Harm. If you have any questions regarding the issue please do not hesitate to get in contact with me. Katrina....it continues...
​

"As therapists, one of the important things we notice is the emotional pain — not just the outward expression of it. A trauma-informed approach begins by building trust and safety for the person using self-harming behaviors. We do this by offering the understanding and compassion they need to begin facing the trauma within.

What is Self Harming Behaviour?

Cutting is the most often recognized form of self-injury. But self-harm comes in many forms.  It is any self-injurious behavior that is harmful, that is used as a coping skill. Some specific examples include:
  • Cutting
  • Breaking bones intentionally
  • Piercing the skin with pins or other objects
  • Burning or scalding parts of the body
  • Pulling out hair, fingernails or pieces of skin
  • Banging the head, hands, feet, knees or limbs against hard surfaces
  • Slapping or punching oneself
It is natural to feel shock or disbelief when seeing self-injurious behavior.  It seems unbelievable to those unaware of the hidden emotional pain, how cutting into an arm or burning the skin could help anyone cope with overwhelming emotions.
It is important to see self-harm as a kind of meta communication around someone’s emotional pain. The behavior has meaning or value for the person doing it. That meaning or understanding is so important to move toward healing.

Why People Use Self Harming Behaviour

On the surface, self-harming behavior may look like a form of self-punishment.  It may be, but it also serves as a mechanism for emotional self-regulation for those with unresolved trauma. Survivors of trauma may injure the parts of themselves they feel ‘bad’ about. It’s as if those parts can be ‘punished,’ in an effort to cope with complex negative experiences, such as shame, within themselves....Read More

​Tuning Into the Overwhelm Beneath the Behavior

As therapists, we recognize the importance of tuning into the emotional pain of someone who self-harms, rather than the behavior itself.  Parents may recognize the need to look deeper at the underlying turmoil.  Writer James Hunt describes coming to terms with his son Jude’s self-harming behavior after Jude was diagnosed with autism... Read More

​Working With the Person Who Self-Harms and With Their Loved Ones

Treating self-harm means bringing a compassionate, self-caring attitude to the behavior.
The person is using the behavior to cope with anxiety or emotional pain that is outside their window of tolerance of emotions.  Physical pain has become their way to calm emotional pain; either overwhelming hyper-arousal or numbing hypo-arousal, which feels unsafe and unstable...... Read More

​The Importance of Self-Care in Recovery from Self-Harming Behavior

In therapy, I teach both clients and loved ones about taking care of wounds that happen because of self-injuring behavior. We guide children and adolescents to show injuries to a parent or primary caregiver. We help parents or loved ones support their loved one in treating the injury so it heals well, and to evaluate whether any cuts or wounds needs stitches or other medical care.... Read More

​Compassion for Parents and Partners of Those who Self-Harm

Therapy for self-harming behavior means having a lot of compassion for the parents or partners as well.  The parents and loved ones are trying their hardest to help but they don’t always know what to do..... Read More

​Healing Conversations

It’s difficult to be compassionate if you don’t yet understand the person’s struggle to manage their emotions. Yet it is possible — and healing — to circle back to an initial reaction that may have temporarily made things worse (e.g., “Are you crazy? What did you DO?”)...... Read More

Read the Full Article on A Professional Approach to Treating Self-Harming Behavior: Healing with Self-Care and Compassion By Robyn Brickel, MA, LMFT  

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17/1/2017 0 Comments

Grief

 Losing someone is one of the hardest experiences we will ever have to go through. The grief we suffer is different for everyone but for one thing; our grief is a sign that we love. I have been asked many questions about grief; how long does it last? Should I feel like this? Am I going mad? Does it ever end? One person has described his grief and I feel many of you will relate to it. 
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13/1/2017 0 Comments

Anxiety

Sometimes I come across an article that so eloquently describes feelings that I've just got to share them.  Because,  we can't always find those words that can explain how we are feeling. So if you can relate to any of the following, or what is in the article. You are not alone. Anxiety is treatable. You don't have to feel like this for ever. 
  • Anxiety is learning how to function with sleep deprivation because it took you until 2 am to shut your eyes...
  • Anxiety is the time you spend waiting for an answer as a scenario plays out in your mind of what could, or could not happen..
  • Anxiety is self-doubt and a lack of confidence both in you, yourself and those around you...
  • Anxiety is being hyper aware of everyone and everything. So much so, you can tell if there’s a shift in someone merely by their tone or word choice...
  • Anxiety is the fear of failure and striving for perfection. Then beating yourself up when you fall short...
  • Anxiety is the art of deception for people who don’t know you. And for the people who do, it’s a constant stream of phrases like, ‘don’t worry’ or ‘you’re overthinking this’ or ‘relax.’
Anxiety can take a number of forms, here are just  a few: PTSD, Social Phobia, Panic Attacks, OCD, Fear, Over Thinking 
If you want to talk over anything you have read here or feel you might have, don't hesitate to contact someone. Help is only a phone call or message away. 
Article - What Anxiety Actually Is, Because It's More Than 'Just Worrying'
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12/11/2016 0 Comments

Little Things We Can Do to Help Ourselves

Know how you feel when you sing along to that catchy tune on the radio, or stepping outside the door and letting the sun or wind caress our faces, or the smell of cut grass, how enjoying any of these can just lift our spirits. During Winter we need more of these spirit lifting moments. Here are some more suggestions courtesy of thejournal.ie

YOUR MENTAL HEALTH, just like your physical health, is something you need to look after, and something you can do a lot to take care of.

Doing little things that make you feel better regularly, particularly when things are tough, is one of the best ways to boost your mood and reduce stress and anxiety.
Last week we asked our readers what they do to make themselves feel better when they’re down, and there are some great tips in there. Here are some of the best we got. What are yours?

1. Exercise – especially outdoors 

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Image Source: Fit Approach via Flickr/CC
Reader Justin Healy wrote:
Cycle/run/walk/hike… any exercise… you’ll feel better after it!Exercise is great for your all-round health and doing it outdoors brings added benefits. It gets you out of the house, and being in nature can help lift depression, improve energy and boost your overall mood.

2. Sing a song

Reader Whistlestop told us:
Sing in the car, kitchen, shower…Singing has been found to lessen the feelings of depression and loneliness and choral singing in particular can sustain psychological well-being. Of course, you don’t need to join a choir or group to reap the benefits – you can sing anywhere, and you don’t even have to be any good for it to make you feel better.

3. Do some reading

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Source: ZapTheDingbat via Flickr/CC
Reader Feargal De Cantuin suggested:
Read a good book or poem.Getting away from screens, including phones, tablets and televisions, is good for your stress levels and immersing yourself in a book has multiple benefits. From improving your concentration rate to just being a cosy way to relax, grabbing a book is a nice way to take some time for yourself.

4. Think of a small act of kindness for someone else

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Image Source: The Free Hugs Day | by greglobinski Flickr
Reader Whistlestop also said:
Do something good for another person no matter how small. Let someone out in traffic, compliment someone on their service, make someone a cup of tea/coffee…Whether you do an act of kindness for a stranger or someone you know, it’s a great way to help yourself feel better. Helping someone out, having a chat and a cup of tea, or even just giving someone a compliment are all easy ways to show a little kindness.

5. Watch something funny or uplifting

Reader Davy Boy gave his suggestion:
Watching a five-minute film about Ireland’s oldest ice cream man. He’s referring to an article on TheJournal.ie about John Taylor, who’s been an ice-cream man for 49 years. The article included a short film about him. You can watch it here. Laughter is known to release stress, so you could go to a comedy show or watch a funny film, too.

6. Be creative

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Image Source: pexels.com
Finally, a couple of readers suggested indulging your creative or artistic side – whether it’s painting, drawing, or simply listening to music rather than switching on the news.
Research backs up the benefits of creativity as part of helping with negative feelings. It doesn’t matter what form your creativity takes – dancing, knitting, gardening – they’ll all bring positive impact to your life.

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8/11/2016 0 Comments

Self Forgiveness

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Not many of us can say we've no regrets, or that past baggage is not holding us back. We nearly all have something that can haunt us. Moving on, forgiving, letting go,  can be hard. Paige Bartholomew, Licensed Psychotherapist, Hypnotherapist, Author, has some suggestions. 
Forgiving yourself can be a tough one because the person who feels angry, and the person you're angry with is the same person — YOU! We get stuck in self-judgment. We can't let ourselves off the hook. Maybe we betrayed our own integrity. Maybe we betrayed someone we love. We think we are bad and we don't know how to get over it.
Steps for self-forgiveness:
1. See your own innocence. Close your eyes and imagine you are two: one of you is your higher self and the other of you is your childhood self. See how innocent that child is? If she did do something wrong - she didn't do it on purpose! Her intentions were pure. She is beautiful. Sweet. Lovable. In your higher self, go to her and hug her. Give her some of the love she never had. Drink it in for a while.
2. Understand and accept. Close your eyes and imagine you are two: one of you is your higher self, and the other of you is the one who did something you're not proud of. From your higher self, look upon that unforgivable person. Ask yourself, "What motivated the unsavory behavior? Did it come out of a deep wound? Did it come out of loneliness? Depression? Despair? What would have made me behave in this way?" Find a reason. If you can't find one, make up the most plausible reason for the moment (this will help you get closer). There is ALWAYS a reason we do what we do.
When we behave badly, it is ALWAYS originating from a place of inner confusion, hurt, or despair.
3. Love yourself. Free yourself. From your higher-self perspective, open your heart. Go to the "bad" part of you and hug her. Imagine love pouring out of your heart and showering her with it. You may imagine that she resists it. That's ok — stay with it anyway. Shower love. Say, "You made a mistake, but I know that you are good in your core. The mistake can be repaired. Love will show you how to make repairs with those whom you have wronged. I give you the gift now of release. You may start anew here." Let the love seep into the places that you cannot forgive in yourself. Let it wash you. If you stay with it, it will change these places... you'll feel and visualize shifts happening right before your inner eyes. Let the sighs come. Let the ease come. Feel the pressure lift.
4. Do this every day until you can see yourself differently.
5. Clean things up with others. If it's possible, repair the damage with people you have hurt. Make amends. That's all that's required. If you are sincere, they will know, and you will know. Constant and repeated penance is not necessary.
You've heard it before — you're human. You make mistakes like everyone else. The TRUTH is — there is no mistake you could make in all the world that would make you un-lovable. There is no action, word or thought that is un-forgivable. Spiritual growth means we must do the deep work of self-forgiveness. Until this work is complete, we'll have trouble moving on into healthy relationships with others. The Universe doesn't make mistakes. Every moment is a brilliant opportunity for spiritual evolution. Self-love is the beginning.
​http://simplereminders.com/20150914204736.html

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3/11/2016 0 Comments

The Four Biggest Fears People have About Coming Into Therapy

Below is a very interesting article from Michaela McCarthy - would any of these points be relative to you and stop you from seeking the support you need? If after reading this article you would like to talk, please ring me on 087 285 9985, or connect with me using the Contact form on my website. Thank you. Katrina 

If life is getting on top of you, and daily struggles are becoming too much, then you may come to a point when you’re ready to reach out for psychological help. The decision to come into therapy can take courage. Yet the very act of asking for support can be daunting in itself.
While weekly counselling and psychotherapy sessions can support you as you explore your issues and gain a greater understanding of yourself, for some people there are fears holding them back from allowing themselves this experience.
Here we share the four biggest fears that people have about coming into therapy – and how to overcome them.
  1. Fear of falling apart
Over the years you will have put robust defences in place – often established from childhood – that you use to keep you going. Defences – like keeping a stiff upper lip, or refusing to cry – can be like scaffolding holding you up. You fear that if you let those defences down then your whole structure will fall apart. If you give in to your feelings of anxiety, sadness, loss or loneliness, then you fear you will be overwhelmed and unable to recover.
This is a very real fear, especially if you have valiantly ‘coped’ for many years. Yet the process of therapy, and the relationship with your therapist, will make it gradually safer for you to soften those defences and allow access to the raw feelings beneath. You won’t experience anything you won’t be able to deal with – and, in fact, the feelings often wait until you are ready. Therapy is about trusting that process.
  1. Fear of being judged or shamed
Yes, it may seem initially rather odd to open up to a complete stranger about the issues that are troubling you. If you generally keep your problems to yourself, then it can feel exposing to hear yourself talk about stuff out loud. You may fear that the person listening to you may judge you and what you’re saying. Do they like you? Will they embarrass or shame you when you spill out your fears and feelings?
In reality, counsellors and psychotherapists go through years of training and personal development to process their own issues so they can be fully present for their clients. Therapists don’t judge, shame, or impose their own opinions on you. They offer a safe, confidential and empathic space for you to explore the darkest corners of your psyche. Therapy can help bring unconscious issues into consciousness where you’re able to explore and discuss them. When you become more aware of what is going on, and your issues are out in the open, they can have less of a hold on you, and you can feel lighter and freer as a result. Let the relationship with your therapist build to a point where you feel safe and supported to let everything come out in its own time.
  1. Fear of seeming mad/weird/abnormal
A common fear is that people will think you’re mad if you’re seeking therapy. Surely it’s only for people with serious issues, right?
Wrong. Any problem that is getting in the way of you living your life is worth exploring and working through. It doesn’t matter if other people in your life don’t agree with, understand or support your decision to come to therapy. It’s irrelevant whether other people need support than you. Coming into therapy can be a way of creating the life you want, rather than enduring the life you’ve got.
  1. Fear of becoming dependent
If you’ve managed for years on your own then you may fear becoming dependent on your therapist – or wonder whether you will always be in therapy.
When therapy is going well, you can build a positive attachment to your therapist. He or she is the one who ‘gets’ you. They support you week on week as you grapple with the issues, behaviours, emotions and thoughts that are disrupting your life, and as you seek to understand why you are the way you are. You look forward to your sessions, you use your time to the full, and you are starting to see positive changes in your life.
The relationship with your therapist is not a dependent one. It is a relationship that nurtures growth. Your therapist can work on an open-ended basis with you, but you are the one who will know the point in your journey when you’re ready to walk alone. This can take weeks, months or years, depending on the issues you are bringing to therapy. You decide when you’re ready and your therapist will manage the ending so that you’re not left with any loose ends. The process will enable you to develop a stronger sense of self so that you feel more robust to face life without the old scaffolding.


This post first appeared on The Awareness Centre's Talking Therapy blog. 
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/four-biggest-fears-people-have-coming-therapy-michaela-mccarthy




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    My name is Katrina Jones, the person behind New Dawn Counselling Service which is situated in Tullamore, Co Offaly. 
     I am a qualified Counsellor, Psychotherapist, and Hypnotherapist.

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