Counselling, Psychotherapy, Mental Health & Happiness Blog. - Mindful Meanings | Counselling in Dublin

Anxiety Self Help with Mindfulness

15/11/2015

In this post I will share with you what I do in my work to help people who are suffering with anxiety, and show you what you can do to help yourself if anxiety is ever an issue for you.

We all experience anxiety in life, but to varying degrees. It can present as stress and worry, or it can show up as debilitating panic and fear.

Working with anxiety in therapy is a two fold process. On the one hand we want to spend time uncovering the thought patterns and belief systems that produce, or add fuel to anxiety. We do this so that we can begin to rewrite the scripts that we use internally, which can move us away from anxiety and towards what we actually want.

Using Dream Journals to Discover what Your Dreams Mean

13/11/2015

In this post I'm going to talk a little bit about dreams and developing dream recall. Dreams are fascinating, and they can provide us with so much information that can help us in many ways. For a dream to be useful however, we first have to remember it.

That's where dream journaling comes in. An adult will typically dream several times every night, with our most active dreaming done during the REM (rapid eye movement) stages of the sleep cycle. Our most active dreaming is done during REM sleep, but how many of these dreams can you remember when you wake up in the morning?

Choice Theory in a Nutshell

19/8/2015

As an integrative psychotherapist, my work varies all the time, and I adapt the therapy to suit the needs of the individual client. Very often however, I find that I will use Choice Theory / Reality Therapy as part of the work I do with many clients.

The reason I use it so often is the fact that it is effective and the understanding of it empowers clients to make more effective choices in their lives. And no matter how bad things may seem, we always have choice.

Thoughts on Being Busy

27/7/2015

My practice is going from strength to strength and I’ve never been as busy as I am these days. Now, I am very grateful that things are going well, but it has got me thinking about the nature of busy.

It is one thing being busy in a productive way, but it’s another thing altogether being a busy fool.

Being busy has been glorified in our culture today. People assume that being busy means you are doing well and that the opposite is also true. It has become almost a badge of honour to be busy. The busier you are, the better you are perceived to be doing.

3 Sure-fire Ways to Feel Better Now

3/7/2015

Cry:

Crying releases cortisol (a by-product of adrenalin) and other toxins from the body. It allows us to shed some of the emotional burden we are carrying. How often have you cried and felt better for doing so? It’s a natural process that we can deny ourselves needlessly. Give yourself permission to cry whenever you need to.

Sweat:

Sweating also releases cortisol and other toxins from our system. Working up a sweat through vigorous exercise also gets our bodies to release endorphins, our all natural feel good medicine. Depending on the type of exercise, it can take your mind off what ails you, or even help you work through whatever you are struggling with.

Leaving Cert Tips From a Therapist

13/3/2015

Recently I have been working with some young people ahead of their Leaving Certificate exams.

While every person is different, there are some things I can share here that we have been working on that may be helpful to others facing their upcoming exams. If you are someone who is taking the Leaving, or you know someone who is, then you might benefit from the following tips from the therapy room.

Depression vs Vitality

12/2/2015

Andrew Solomon said in his wonderful and eloquent TED talk on depression, that “The opposite of depression is not happiness. It is Vitality”

Many sufferers of depression will resonate with this statement. Often one of the worst things about depression is the complete lack of energy and zeal. I believe that this is the reason why many interventions or attempts at lifting depression, personally or professionally, are unsuccessful.

It doesn’t matter how well designed or insightful the intervention may be. It doesn’t matter how many times it has worked in the past, or for others. If we cannot muster the energy to try it, then it will never work.

10 Ways to Capture Your Creativity

27/3/2014

A common myth exists that says that you are either creative or you are not. The truth is however, that creativity is not something that you can have. Creativity is more like a well that anyone can draw from. A subtle wave of imagination that can be tuned into if we but know how to listen. Certainly some people seem to be more skilled at tuning into this resource than others, but it is a skill that anyone can learn.

We all get flashes of creativity from time to time. We all hear those whispers inside. The trick is to capture the creativity as it arises. And, just like an exercised muscle, the more often we do this, the stronger our ability to do it becomes. Here are my top 10 tips for tuning into that creative force, and capturing some of it for yourself.

On Dragons' Wings

16/3/2014

How to fly on dragons’ wings,
To dance with faeries,
To laugh,
To sing.
You must teach them all these things,
And witness all the joy it brings.

Setting Aside Distractions

15/3/2014

Who am I? Why am I here? What is the purpose of life?

These are the big questions. The questions that we, as human beings with self awareness are left to contemplate and struggle with. We may try to hide from these questions as best we can (and indeed that is what this post is about), but ultimately they remain. A feeling that something is missing. An emptiness that can not long be filled.

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I am a psychotherapist, trainer, coach and meditation teacher, working with people face to face in Dublin, Ireland, and worldwide via Skype. I blog about mental health, happiness, personal growth & development, spirituality, and other things that interest me.

Disclaimer

The author(s) of this blog express thoughts and opinions based on personal and professional experience. Please note that as there is no established professional relationship between author and reader, that this blog does not constitute therapy or professional advise and should not be taken as such.

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