Category archive: Just a thought

Please click on the following link for information on the stages of grief / bereavement   http://www.rscpp.co.uk/content/features/bereavement-stages-grief.html   Darren Magee, Sentient Counselling

Trauma usually refers to when our usual ways of processing and coping become overwhelmed during a distressing event or events. It can leave us feeling unable to cope, numb, isolated, disconnected, anxious and vulnerable. Sometimes it can be a one off event, other times it can take place over a sustained period of time. Some of…

With the sad death of comedian and actor Robin Williams depression is now once again in the spotlight. But what do we know about depression? For some people it happens gradually over a period of time, for others it happens suddenly. It is a common condition which affects about 1 in 10 people at some…

Living in Constant Fear General Anxiety Disorder, or GAD, is a condition in which a person suffers constant worry and high anxiety, feeling a state of constant fear and dread. At the very core of anxiety is a feeling of being helpless, or having no control over something really important. To live in a constant state of…

Our life experiences and communication skills are linked. How we communicate, how we perceive, our attitudes have been shaped by our life experiences and from our significant others such as parents, older siblings, friends, teachers, clergy etc. For example we may have grown up in an environment where sex was a taboo subject so we get…

The word ‘esteem’ comes from a Latin word which means ‘estimate’. When we think of self esteem we are looking at how we estimate ourselves. Ironically however our self esteem more often than not is not so much what we think of ourselves but rather what we think others think of us. Our sense of…

I believe that the key to a successful relationship is communication. For example if we don’t talk about what’s wrong how is the other person supposed to know? It isn’t just talking about it though as sometimes we have to be careful of the language we use, so as not to accuse or judge. Even…

Resilience is a word often heard when we talk about hardship and tragedy, but what do we mean by it?  It is the capacity to withstand hardship and difficulties and to be able to bounce back from adversity. Resilient people may experience the same things that others do but have adapted and are able to persevere onwards and remain…

As mentioned yesterday here are some ideas to help if you find yourself in a manipulative relationship. One way to detect a manipulator is to observe them to see if they behave differently around different people. Although this is quite normal for all of us manipulators go from one extreme to the other, for example helpless to…