Scribblings of a Psychotherapist

  WHAT IS TRAUMA? 'Trauma is the response to a deeply distressing or disturbing event that overwhelms an individual’s ability to cope, causes feelings of helplessness, diminishes their sense of self and their ability to feel the full range of emotions and experiences' (Karen Onderko).   Emotional and psychological trauma can result from a single event/incident or multiple events/incidents that cause a huge amount of stress in the body and that may compromise our sense of safety or security.   People often think it's only the 'big things' or really 'serious' incidents that cause trauma, however, that's not true. We often experience what we call small 't's' that, if they have specific meaning/significance to us, or occur alongside an accummulation of other small 't's', can result in a traumatic experience.   It's really important to dispel this myth because many people don't seek support because they think or feel that the &

DEVELOP YOUR ASSERTIVENESS AND SELF-COMPASSION SKILLS     * Are you sick of being taken advantage of at work, by family or in relationships? * Always find putting others before yourself? * Ever feel stressed and exhausted at the end of the week because your are meeting everyone else's need, but no-one meets yours? *Maybe you can't say 'no' and end up doing things or going places you either don't want to go to or have no time for. * Perhaps you don't have a lot of confidence or worry that if you don't go along with what others are doing/saying, they will think badly of you or criticise you. What stops you being more assertive? What stops you having more confidence or feeling more positive about yourself? Not being assertive can led to low self-esteem, lack of confidence, stress, anxiety and difficulties with relationships. We can also often feel drained and taken advantage of when we just go along with others and don't stand up for ourselves or our needs

Do you have a thirst for change?   Maybe you want life to change, but don't know how to go about it? Maybe you feel stuck and could do with some support? Maybe you don't know where to start? Maybe you want life to change but don't want to do it alone.   Whatever the case may be, we are here to help and support you. We understand that change is tricky and not as simple as it seems. We also understand though, that change is hard work and that's where we can help.    Remember: change takes work and effort. It would be great if we just woke up one morning and our lives had changed and our goals achieved.   It doesn't work like that though. Change, progress, recovery and transitions take time, effort and commitment, even when we might not feel so motivated.    Often the journey or path of change is where most of the valuable learning takes place, even when that can feel tricky, sore or uncomfortable. But you can do it. You've been hurting and uncomfortable all this t

  Do you have a thirst for change?   ''The price of doing the same old thing is far higher than the price of change''.   Do we really want to change our eating disorders or disordered eating? Do we feel ready for change? Change is a big deal and important when seeking help, support, psychotherapy or counselling.   Sometime we really want things to change, but don't know how this can be possible, or we may feel we are faced with barriers, obstacles or limitations.    Do you want to change but feel there are obstacles? How can we overcome these? What support can we get to help with this? What are the reasons for wanting to change? How can we bring about change? If you are looking for some support with change, feel free to get in touch. Our contact details are below.   Best wishes, Talking EDs: Eating Disorder Support Service Scotland     W: www.eatingdisorderscotland.co.uk E: support@eatingdisorderscotland.co.uk    

DO YOU KNOW WHAT GENERALISED ANXIETY IS?   This week's #FridayFacts focus on Generalised Anxiety Disorder.   What is Generalised Anxiety Disorder?   We all experience anxious periods now and again. Some anxiety, worry and/or nervousness is ‘normal’ and can even act as a motivator sometimes (e.g. deadlines at work).   However, when we begin experiencing excessive, continuous and/or distressing levels of constant anxiety worry and/or nervousness, it is possible that we may be experiencing a condition called Generalised Anxiety Disorder or GAD.    What distinguishes GAD from ‘normal’ everyday levels of anxiety or worry?    Well, individual’s experiencing problematic, and often severe, anxiety can experience high levels of stress, nervousness and anxiety and worry about a wide range of things over a long period of time.    Anxiety symptoms can be persistent, continuous, and pervasive and affect many areas of the individual’s life and wellbe

  Friday Facts: Mindful Eating On Fridays, we post some 'facts' and information about mental health and wellbeing. This week's #FridayFacts look at Mindful Eating.   If food has become a problem for you or you find that sometimes you have a difficult relationship with food and eating, why not try some of these mindful eating 'tips' - they can be really useful. Mindful eating can be helpful even to those who don't have a difficult relationship with food - most of us could do with slowing life down a little bit - including our meal-times.   Hope you find the 'mindful eating tips' useful. If you would like some personal support for eating disorders, disordered eating, body image, self-esteem and more, feel free to get in touch to find out how we can support you through psychotherapy and counselling. Our contact details are below.   Whatever you are doing this upcoming weekend, have a good one and good luck with any of the tips you might try below.   Best w