If you are currently struggling with anxiety, depression or stress than read on.
So many areas of your life are likely to have been affected in the past few months but only you will truly know what's hitting you the hardest.
It may be the loss of support from friends and family due to government enforced isolation.
Perhaps it's financial pressure through uncertainty about your job.
It could be the pressure of having children at home for 6 months and being responsible for their home schooling.
You may have lost somebody and were unable to grieve or say goodbye properly.
It could be any or all of these things plus many more besides. But the simple fact is that these times are taking a massive toll on people, both physically and mentally. This generation are already experiencing record levels of anxiety, depression and stress and the past few months have been horrendous.
Some people are going to be dealing with the effects of all this for months or even years after it has all died down and many will be doing this alone, purposely hiding it from those they are close to.
So, how do you deal with it?
How do you cope?
How can you be sure you will get through all this and be ok afterwards?
Suffering in silence is never the answer. Suppressing strong emotions never helps. Denying there is a problem and crossing your fingers, hoping things improve soon, is rarely a good strategy.
So, what's the answer? How do you deal with your terrible anxiety, depression or stress?
First thing is to acknowledge you have a problem. "You can't fix anything if you don't think it's broken."
A great first step is to share your situation with somebody. Just talking about how you feel. You may be fortunate to have someone to confide in and, if so, try not to be scared to use them. If they think a lot of you they would hate to find out that you feel the way you do and said nothing.
But so many people don't have that person they can turn to. Some people feel embarrassed and don't want to admit they are struggling, especially if they feel people around them have it worse. It doesn't matter what is going on for other people - If you are struggling then you are struggling and that is all there is to it.
As an experienced counsellor (read more about me here) I know, first hand, about the benefits of counselling for things such as anxiety, depression and stress, as well as grief, loss and bereavement. I have witnessed with my own eyes the positive effect it can have on a person when they begin to share their problems and feel like they are doing something that will help. That realisation that somebody else knows what you are going through can stop you feeling quite so alone and helpless. The idea that someone else wants to know about your struggles can be very comforting. A place for you to unload and examine how life is affecting you right now is a powerful place to be.
There is always a reason why you are feeling and acting the way that you do and counselling can help you find those reasons, which will put you in a great position to make the changes you need.
If you have been considering counselling but are uncertain about whether it's for you, you can get a free 30 minute consultation. We can do this on the phone and it will be a chance for you to ask any questions you have and voice any concerns. I can also explain a little more about the counselling process and how I believe you could benefit from it.
The situation you find yourself in is temporary. So let's make it as short as possible.
