Considering Moving Back Home?

A young person looking unhappy to be living back home with parents.Considering Moving Back Home?

The Independent newspaper reports here that young adults considering moving back home to live with their parents are likely to suffer from depression. The page refers to recent research that looks at the reasons a person might make this move. Furthermore, an investigation into lesser known information such as the affect on mental health has been carried out. As a counsellor I know how critical it is for a young person to transition into an independent adult. A successful early adulthood relies on this independence. Major signs of success come from financial, social and residential security.

Therefore, if these parts of a person’s life come under scrutiny or fail altogether, the results could be overwhelming. Potential examples are the loss of a job, breakdown of a significant relationship or loss of accommodation. Considering these in greater detail reveals that the individual may or may not have been able to influence the outcome. In other words, it may be that the loss of a job is due to redundancy. Alternatively, behaviour at work may not have been acceptable. People deal with different events in their own personal way. Our upbringing can heavily influence these reactions. 

 

The Importance of Being Independent as a Young Adult

Either way, at this key stage of developing independence, the expectations on a young person are very high. Young adults desire to be accepted by society, which goes some way to explain why this type of life event can have such a large impact. Nevertheless, I find that young adults are incredibly resilient and determined. Counselling can provide the opportunity to reconnect with these attributes. Importantly, it can be a time in which the young adult can feel what it is like to exist without the pressure and expectations of society. Learning to feel like this in sessions is the first step towards being able to apply these sensations to life outside the counselling room.

If you are or know someone struggling in this way or considering moving back home, please get in touch for a free consultation.

 

Counselling Social Anxiety

Counselling Social Anxiety

Counselling Social Anxiety and Awareness

Social anxiety is a serious condition that I am passionate about helping clients to manage. The news and society frequently pay no regard. My experience counselling social anxiety has shown that the talking therapies can be very successful. Counselling aims to raise awareness of oneself and empower the client to choose change. Awareness is so important to us as human beings. Without it, we can find ourselves meandering through life wondering why we don’t seem to have much control. However, once we are able to start noticing how we are feeling or checking that what we are about to do/say is what we want – then we have choice.

 

Choose Change

With choice, we can choose a different course of action. In the case of social anxiety this can take time. Generally, I find that clients need to build up to choosing change at their own pace. They need to feel sufficiently fed up with living within the constraints of social anxiety that change becomes the favourable option.

At this stage of counselling, there will be great trust in the relationship with the counsellor. It will be feeling safe enough to discuss things that have not felt possible until now. The openness and ease of sharing these parts of one’s life is where the understanding and potential change lies. This is the time, as hard as it may feel, to become fully committed. Supported by your counsellor, you have the opportunity to explore unreached parts of yourself. The opportunity to break free and become the person you would like to be. 

 

Read More in My Article on the Counselling Directory Website

My article, published on the Counselling Directory website can be read here. In it, I discuss counselling social anxiety in more detail with the hope that more people may be inspired to conquer this major mental health condition.

Please contact me directly if you would like to discuss any aspect of counselling social anxiety.

 

 

World Mental Health Day – 10th October 2018

Half of all Mental Illness Begins at 14

Yesterday (10th October), the World Health Organisation (WHO) recognised World Mental Health Day 2018. This year the focus gave special consideration to young people in a changing world. Their page here makes interesting reading, with a headline being that ‘half of all mental illness begins by the age of 14’. Surely this puts parents and caregivers in a position of great responsibility.

Phone use on World Mental Health Day 2018

Helping a young person manage mental illness can be very challenging. However, having an awareness of the child’s mental health and taking some steps to help are a must. The WHO go on to comment that a young person’s online presence adds a burden to their existence. Unlike a couple of decades ago when social interactions between groups of teenagers stop for the day when school finishes, online activity takes place 24 hours a day.

Nevertheless, should we switch off the internet at night? This would surely increase conflict. There must be many solutions involving guidance and a good listening ear.

 

One Possible Solution

Find out what really matters to the young person. Try to empathise with how important the social interactions are. Also, peers see the young person as involved and up-to-date. Considering how important physical health is to the well being of adults (see my post here), surely the same can be said for young people. However, taking this further makes me wonder why mental and physical health are still viewed independently. Maybe some day, in the not too distant future, we will just consider a person’s health – mental, physical and spiritual – as a combined entity. However, I applaud the WHO for raising this important subject in World Mental Health Day 2018.

If you have enjoyed reading this post, please have a look at my home page and the rest of my blog. I offer counselling sessions, based in Fishponds (BS16) and central Bristol (BS2), at a pace that feels comfortable and safe.

Can Diet Help With Depression?

Is it all ‘old wives tales’?

A person’s health is strongly influenced by their diet. Slogans such as ‘you are what you eat’ help emphasise the importance of thinking about our food. Furthermore, where it comes from. For generations our ancestors have used the saying ‘everything in moderation’. Unfortunately, many ignore the ‘old wives tales’. However, these phrases originate from someone’s experience. They tend to have a significant element of truth. Sometimes we only need to think about the words to realise what they mean.  Consider the moderation example.  Maybe it is common sense that an excess of anything could be damaging to our health. However, can diet help with depression?

Beautifully ripe tomatoes, part of a Mediterranean diet. However, can diet help with depression?

One aspect of the age of research in which we are currently living is that more often than not these phrases, suspicions or best guesses of our ancestors are being proven empirically. As written here, by The Independent newspaper, the Mediterranean diet is now being linked with prevention of depression. Whilst the exact ‘old wives tale’ relating depression and extra virgin olive oil escapes me, I remember since my childhood much talk about this diet ‘being good’ but no-one really knowing why.

 

Or can evidence prove what people have known for centuries?

As evidence for a particular diet goes, this is a fairly small scale study. There is a long way to go before we are adopting the Mediterranean way of life, however it is a start. In the meantime, maybe we should all check in with some of those phrases we remember and wonder what truth they may hold for us today. For the time being, it appears that the answer to ‘can diet help with depression?’ is a tentative ‘yes!’.

If you have enjoyed reading this post, please have a look at my home page and the rest of my blog. I offer counselling sessions, based in Fishponds (BS16) and central Bristol (BS2), at a pace that feels comfortable and safe.

Male Suicide Rates Falling

Unfortunately, there are many suicides around the world. Nearly three quarters of all suicides in the UK are from males, especially those in their late forties. However, whilst every death is ‘one too many’, the BBC report here that numbers are at their lowest since 1981. Male suicide rates are falling – this good news is very welcome. However, as a population more work is required to raise awareness of male mental health. In the past, society has dictated that men should ‘put a brave face on’ and ‘bottle-up’ strong feelings. Challenging this belief is a starting point to reduce male suicide.

If you are struggling, the Samaritans can be contacted 24/7 on 116 123 (UK and Ireland), jo@samaritans.org or their website.

If you have benefited from reading this post, please have a look at my home page and my blog. I offer counselling sessions, based in Fishponds (BS16) and central Bristol (BS2), at a pace that feels comfortable and safe.

Exercise and Mental Health

Recently, a study published by the World Health Organisation (WHO) observed that about one fifth of the world’s population are not getting enough exercise. Notably, in the UK this figure rises to one third! Click here to find out more from The Independent. Importantly, the benefits to physical health are manifold and outlined very well in the article. However, there is no comment on the benefit of exercise and mental health.

Exercise and mental health. It is easy to see why this bike ride to a remote lake could be beneficial.

It is worth bearing in mind that there is plenty of evidence supporting the link between physical activity and mental health. The NHS give some great pointers here. From personal experience, I would also recommend activity that is appealing and within your abilities. Activity can be a great way to mentally reset yourself and help to put things into perspective.

If you have enjoyed reading this post, please have a look at my home page and the rest of my blog. I offer counselling sessions, based in Fishponds (BS16) and central Bristol (BS2), at a pace that feels comfortable and safe.