How I can help

A Highly Sensitive Person (HSP)

A HSP is a neurodivergent individual who is thought to have an increased or deeper central nervous system sensitivity to physical, emotional, or social stimuli, some refer to this as having sensory processing sensitivity (SPS).

Elaine Aron published her book The Highly Sensitive Person in 1996 and her study found that around a fifth of the population could be described in this way. So, there are many people who could be an HSP. Someone who is an HSP could avoid violent movies or TV, have a rich inner life, be deeply moved by beauty, be overwhelmed by sensory stimuli, feel the need for downtime.

Neurodiversity

Neurodiversity is a term that refers to the different ways some people behave and think as a result of the way their brains are wired up’. There is no one explanation of why people are neurodiverse but it is thought to be a mixture of genetic influence and life experiences. Having said this there is often a strong relationship between someone being neurodiverse and family traits that are similar. Types of neurodiversity include a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Dyslexia, Dyscalculia and Dyspraxia. All of these disorders can affect the way an individual thinks, behaves, decision making, attention and concentration.

I have personal experience of neurodiversity and understand both the strengths and problems neurodiversity can bring.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

This refers to difficulties with attention, concentration and hyperactivity.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

This affects someone’s ability to live and function in the social world. Someone could find interacting with others and relationships difficult, have strong interests, repetitive speech and behaviour and sensory difficulties.

Dyslexia

Affects the skills involved in accurate and fluent word reading and spelling.

Dyscalculia

This describes difficulty understanding numbers which can lead to a diverse number of difficulties with maths.

Dyspraxia

This affects movement and co-ordination.

Addictions

Addiction is often linked to mental health problems. If you have an addiction problem it may have started as a way to cope with feelings that you felt unable to deal with in any other way such as dealing with stress, emotional pain, anger and frustration, feeling misunderstood, how you feel about yourself (self-esteem) etc. Recovering from addiction is a long process, one that requires time, commitment, motivation, and support.

Anxiety

Mild anxiety is a normal part of being human. But anxiety can cause severe distress over a period of time and disrupt your life. Symptoms such as shortness of breath, racing heartbeat, trembling and dizziness often accompany certain anxiety disorders such as panic and generalized anxiety disorders.

Panic disorder involves sudden, intense and unprovoked feelings of terror and dread. People who suffer from this disorder generally develop strong fears about when and where their next panic attack will occur, and they often restrict their activities as a result. A related disorder involves phobias, or intense fears, about certain objects or situations. Specific phobias may involve things such as encountering certain animals or flying in airplanes, whereas social phobias involve fear of social settings or public places. Obsessive-compulsive disorder is characterized by persistent, uncontrollable and unwanted feelings or thoughts (obsessions) and routines or rituals in which individuals engage to try to prevent or rid themselves of these thoughts (compulsions). Examples of common compulsions include washing hands or cleaning their house excessively for fear of germs, or checking over something repeatedly for errors.

Depression/low mood

There is no single cause of depression. It is often an interaction of genetic factors, body chemistry and early life experiences. It can be triggered by distressing life events such as a relationship breakdown, bereavement or trauma. It can result from prolonged episodes of stress, or physical illnesses such as glandular fever. Hormonal changes such as childbirth, menopause or the over-production of cortisol, alcohol or drug use contributes to the onset of depression. Depression spans the spectrum of negative states from feeling low to severe or clinical depression and can affect all age groups.

Disordered Eating

Our relationship with food becomes damaging when food is not serving a mere desire to satisfy hunger and is used instead to cope or deal with difficult feelings such as boredom, anxiety, anger, loneliness, feeling ashamed or sadness. Food then becomes a way of managing these painful situations and can feel as though it relieves the stresses of those painful feelings albeit temporarily.

It is usually a combination of things that has allowed disordered eating to flourish and take hold of a person’s life such as a bereavement, being bullied or abused, an upheaval in the family (such as divorce), long term illness or concerns over sexuality; life can feel pressured such as high academic expectations, family pressures and peer group pressures all affecting self-esteem and the ability to cope.

Relationship Issues

Although relationships can bring us a great deal of fulfilment and we may have strong connections with our loved ones and friends, in some cases, our relationships may not meet our expectations. This can impact on our happiness and how satisfied we feel with life. For others seeking or finding relationships can be difficult. Therapy can be part of making a change in this area of your life.  

What is stress?

Stress is a physical reaction caused by hormones in our bodies. Often when we experience a demand or requirement on ourselves, our brains produce adrenaline and cortisol and this helps to manage the pressure we are facing at that time. It is a physical response that causes us to go into a ‘fight or flight’ mode and this boost of physical adrenaline gives us a surge of energy and we focus on the task at hand. However, there are times when we can feel too stressed and stress can then affect our quality of life.

Self-esteem

Self-esteem is the way we perceive and value ourselves. This can be influenced by lots of different things, for examples past experiences, our childhoods and life events. While these beliefs can feel very difficult to change, therapy can offer a way of considering how to do things differently.

Trauma

A trauma is when someone experiences a terrifying, stressful or distressing event that causes a sense of danger and strong emotions. Not everyone who experiences a trauma also experiences Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). However, a trauma in itself can be a very difficult experience for people. A trauma can be an event such as:

• An accident such as a crash
• Being attacked in some way
• A bereavement
• Personal assaults such as; sexual assault, rape, mugging, bullying, robbery
• Prolonged abuse
• Surviving or being witness to a terrorist attack
• Seeing someone else hurt or killed
• Returning from a conflict zone, experiencing war or violence
• Being kidnapped or held hostage
• Going through a traumatic birth or witnessing a traumatic birth
• Being a part of a natural disaster such as an earthquake, tsunami or avalanche
  

Symptoms of PTSD can include:

• Flashbacks
• Nightmares, that may be related to the event or seemingly completely unrelated
• Intrusive thoughts and images
• Disturbed Sleep
• Anger, irritability, outbursts, aggressive behaviours
• Extreme alertness, constantly feeling “ready for anything”, being easily startled
• Or the opposite to this, feeling extremely detached and numb
• Avoiding things that remind you of the trauma, tying to keep busy to avoid it, repressing memories
• Self-destructive behaviours
• Intense distress at any real or imagined memory or reminder of the trauma
• Physical symptoms such as sweating, dizziness, pain
• Experience depression and / or anxiety

Life Transitions

Life is full of change and transition. The way in which we cope with and manage these changes, and the feelings that these transitions bring about, can impact how we feel about ourselves, about others and about our lives. Transitions can include:

• Gender
• Retiring
• Having a baby / babies
• Moving Jobs
• Moving Location (within or out of the country, or moving house)
• Getting married
• Experiencing your child or children leaving home
• Finding yourself single after a relationship, or divorced after being married. Equally, finding yourself in a relationship having been single
• Leaving home, either for university or another reason
• Illness or an accident that has affected someone you love, or an illness or accident that is affecting you
• The death of a loved one
• Change in your work pattern, i.e. to part-time from full-time or working from home after being in an office environment
• Significant birthdays e.g. turning 40, 21 or 60
• Moving from being a breadwinner to being at home, or vice versa