Living Well Counselling

Hi there. How are you doing? I've been enjoying short talks and guided meditations courtesy of mindful.org, a non profit based in America.
"Like" their facebook page for access to their guided meditations by different mindfulness teachers 3 times a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8 pm UK time.
There's one beginning now if you fancy checking it out! ... It's called "mindful at home."
Great for restoring peace and calm to our minds in these difficult days.
See More

With everything going on at the moment, it's easy to get into a cycle of negative thinking.
Thinking about what we are grateful for is one way of breaking this cycle.
What are you grateful for today?
... Me? Work to do, a cosy home, a garden to have a cuppa in and technology that means I can keep in touch with people.
See More

Good to remember right now.

This is a post from a psychologist with lots of great ideas for how to live well during this time.

Hi there. How are you doing? These are unprecedented times we are in. It’s okay if you’re feeling a bit lost and more anxious than usual. That’s just you reacting normally to abnormal events.
One of my mantras most of the time, but especially now, is “take it one day at a time.” What can you do today to pass your time? To quiet your mind? To offer someone else kindness and support? To practise self-care?
There’s an American therapist, Debs Dana who I like learning from.... She works with people who have experienced trauma quite a lot, and are feeling lost in dark thoughts and dark days. Debs asks these individuals to look for a glimmer in their day each day. These are short wee moments of joy, happiness or peace, experienced even during dark days.
What about beginning to take notes of the glimmers in your day? Mine would be spending lots of time with my dogs, who aren’t a bit concerned about Covid 19! Eating lovely family dinners around the kitchen table together. My daily walk in the sunshine. And video calling family and friends who I can’t be with in person right now.
Keep taking things one day at a time.
Keep up your hope for better days ahead and look for the glimmers in each day.
See More

As some of you know, I use Mindfulness a lot in my counselling work and also in my personal life.
Mindfulness is about spending as much time mentally as we can in the present moment, with acceptance. It's all too easy at the moment to think days and weeks ahead and the potential escalation of this crisis.
Try to think about and take one day at a time, breathe in and out deeply and slowly when feeling anxious.
... You can also do simple grounding exercises such as feeling your feet on the ground, your bum on the seat and the seat holding you and looking around where you are and naming 3 things you can see, 2 things you can hear and 1 thing you can smell or touch.
And don't watch the news or scroll social media constantly; give yourself lots of breaks from it.
Another thing that can help when feeling anxious is doing something physical to use up the angsty energy, cleaning or exercising at home work well.
This is a list of free mindfulness resources that could be comforting and fun to explore in the days and weeks ahead.
Keep taking good care of yourself and your loved ones.
See More

https://www.nhs.uk/…/coronavirus-covid- 19-staying-at-home-…/

Some useful ideas here for changing our thinking to more helpful thinking in these difficult days.

Hi there. How are you doing? These are such strange, potentially scary times. I hope you are all doing okay.
We now know the key messages and are hopefully all implementing them in our daily lives: practise social distancing as much as possible when well; self- isolate for 14 days if unwell with the virus. Keep washing your hands.
Myself and my family have been practising social distancing since last Saturday. I’ll be honest with you: I was feeling quite stressed and a...nxious over last weekend as the enormity of the situation was unfolding. I watched the news via TV and social media almost constantly which only made me feel more stressed and anxious.
When I realised what was happening, I changed my behaviour. I still check the news updates regularly but now only once or twice a day. And the rest of the day I go about my daily life with as much normality as possible.
There’s a comfort in the daily rituals now isn’t there? Washing dishes, keeping up with the laundry, chopping vegetables for dinner.
If you’re struggling to get motivated and beginning to get stuck in a rut of living in pyjamas and scrolling social media and bingeing on TV shows, please hear me. Having a healthy daily routine is so important right now. Aim to get up at your usual time, get washed and dressed and eat a healthy breakfast.
If you’re struggling to think of things to do, why not begin using a notebook and writing in it each evening 2 or 3 small things to accomplish the next day. It’s a good idea to include some time outside everyday in this, whether that’s taking your children or dog for a walk, doing some gardening or playing kick about with a ball.
I’ve seen posts about completing major projects, but small projects like clearing out a cupboard, baking a cake, or learning a new recipe for dinner are all good.
And try to not think too far ahead; we just need to get through these challenging days one day at a time.
If you’re working in front line services, thank you so much. I’m sure it must be very hectic and quite worrying for you. Remember your self-care and do small things you enjoy when you’re not working: read a favourite book, or sing along to your favourite music or have a long, relaxing bath.
For the first time in a long time, most of us have time now. We can choose to go slow. For many of us, hectic schedules are no longer a thing. And that could be a good thing.
Maybe this horrible virus will teach us to go slower, to be more aware of the needs of those around us and to be kinder to each other.
What things have you been doing to keep yourself going and to look after your mental health? Let’s share some ideas.
Yesterday I did an hour’s gardening in the sunshine. This photo is of one of my tidied-up shrubs, whose name I can’t remember. Any knowledgeable gardeners out there who know?
See More

Nature is so beautiful and calming. ♥

Some suggestions for what to do for those of us at home practising social distancing.
For those of you working in the health service, caring services, grocery shops and pharmacies, thank you. We really appreciate you.

Great advice for managing any anxiety at this time.

Hello there. How are you? This is a difficult time we are all living through. Try not to watch the news 24/7 and get sometime outside everyday, to clear the head.
I've been thinking about what is best to do in the current situation and I'm going to move from face to face counselling sessions to video or telephone sessions, whichever an individual may prefer. This will be at a reduced rate of £25 per 1 hour session.
I'm available to do a one off session with individuals ...around the anxiety they may be experiencing due to Covid 19 or anything else going on in their lives at this time.
I wish you all a sense of calm in the storm, that you keep your sense of humour and that we practise compassion towards others and also ourselves.
Take good care of yourselves.
Fiona
See More

Hi there. It's been a difficult week with the spread of corona virus and with knowing that the spread is set to continue. It can become very anxiety provoking, especially for those already prone to anxiety.
Please choose to follow the guidance given to us and do what is necessary to keep yourself, your family and your community as safe as possible.
And remember to keep showing kindness and compassion both towards others and towards yourself.

Good morning to you. How has your week been? I hope there have been some good parts to it.
Have you ever heard the term “relapse signature?” For individuals who have mental health issues like bipolar disorder, psychosis or schizophrenia, learning our personal relapse signature can be extremely helpful in reducing episodes of ill health and in the journey towards recovery.
An individual’s relapse signature is the personal to the person signs that they are becoming unwell.
... Everyone has what are called “early warning signs” that they are becoming unwell, whether this is getting very stressed and overwhelmed for many of us or experiencing acute symptoms when individuals have a diagnosed medical condition.
Examples of early warning signs for diagnosed conditions could be not needing as much sleep as usual, experiencing racing thoughts, having grandiose ideas (where we feel super powerful or important) feelings of paranoia setting in, losing our filter when talking and talking more rapidly, a general feeling of loss of control or feeling agitated or angsty.
Or it could be beginning to feel worthless, not seeing the point to our life, extreme guilt feelings and feeling disconnected from those around us.
Learning to know and recognise our early warning signs and personal relapse signature can be the key to keeping well and experiencing good mental health.
Once we know the signs that we are becoming unwell, we can then take steps to nip things in the bud when we are slipping and prevent ourselves becoming very unwell.
We have all heard of the term “burnout”. Burnout happens when we push ourselves too much, work too hard, and overstep our own boundaries for a prolonged period of time.
If you’re in the caring profession, it’s possible to experience “compassion fatigue” when we feel like other people’s problems are becoming our own and we begin to feel overwhelmed and very emotional about our work or we begin to lose our empathy and passion for the work.
What’s the answer? Self-care and support from a loved one.
Whatever your job, whatever your diagnosis (if any), learn to care for yourself as if you were your best friend. Feed yourself nutritious, tasty food, try to get enough sleep, take time each day for rest, and take time each week to do the things you really enjoy and that make you feel good.
And talk to a trusted person about how you are feeling/what you are experiencing.
If things are getting on top of you, why not have a couple of quiet days pottering at home? It’s okay to withdraw from people and responsibilities for a time and concentrate on becoming refreshed and recharged emotionally and physically.
If this post is striking a chord with you, what can you do today to care for yourself?
I wish you a good week ahead with rest, fun and laughter as well as the necessary chores and responsibilities.
See More