Scribblings of a Psychotherapist

#MondayMotivation This week's #MondayMotivation focuses on 'The Tricky Brain'. We often talk about this in therapy and counselling and it can really help clients to see that many of the problems they blame themselves for are not their fault: the old part of our brain hasn't kept up and presents us with all sort of problems. Basically, the hardware and software in certain parts of our brain haven't updated, through no fault of our own, making things quite tricky for us, especially when it comes to anxiety, worry, panic and stress. So, parts of the brains operating system, built to help us many 1000s of year ago haven't updated, yet we still live out lives according to that old, outdated operating system. If you don't update your phone or laptop, it starts causing problems over time, right? Certain parts of the brain are the same. However, we can't reach into the brain and tinker about with those parts that haven't evolved so well, can we? No. But we

IT CAN BE DAUNTING STARTING THERAPY OR COUNSELLING....CAN'T IT? Starting therapy and counselling can be a daunting and anxiety-provoking step to take for many. Whether you have decided to talk to a therapist for mental health concerns such as depression or an eating disorder; personal development goals, such as increasing confidence or developing assertiveness; or you are experiencing relationship problems, grief and bereavement, therapy and counselling can be very beneficial. It offers you dedicated time and space to talk through your worries and concerns and work towards any goals that you may have. Whatever the case may be, talking to a professional about some of the struggles you are experiencing is a great step forward. However, it can be daunting at times, can't it? This is ok - most people engaging with therapy, counselling or other forms of support will experience initial anxiety and hesitation. Part of therapy involves you and your therapist getting to know each other

''It's like a rolleroaster at times and I don't know what to do''. What it's like to experience anxiety and low mood, sometimes at the same time, from someone we have worked with in therapy (quote posted with permission). ''Sometimes I feel like I'm on high alert and constantly watching and anticipating something bad happening. I don't even know what bad thing will happen, it's just this feeling I get and it's awful. I feel sick, agitated, sometimes my heart races, sometimes I feel faint. I can't sleep well because I am worrying about stuff...it's not even important stuff either. My brain never rests, I am always planning the next thing to do or worrying about things that might not even happen. As I said, it's not just affecting sleep; I can't relax, I've noticed I'm more impatient than usual; I am eating more to comfort myself and I seem to be doing millions at thinsg at once. I don't even know why I feel

GUILTY! Who experiences guilt? Most of us do, at some point in our lives. However, some of us experience it a lot: me feel guilty about what we did say, didn't do, could have done and so on. Guilt can be in relation to ourselves or others. ' I feel guilty eating more than I should' or 'I feel guilty that I didn't do the chores even though I had a stomping headache' or' I felt guilty when I didn't work on that assignment for exactly 1 hour'. And so the list goes on....   But what is guilt? The Cambridge Dictionary defines guilt as: 'a feeling of worry or unhappiness that you have because you have done something wrong, such as causing harm to another person'.   Wiki also defines guilt as 'an emotional experience that occurs when a person believes or realises—accurately or not—that they have compromised their own standards of conduct or have violated universal moral standards and bear significant responsibility for that violation'.   The