Tag: counselor

Health · Mental Health

Five Signs of Anxiety a Counselor Will Spot

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Five Signs of Anxiety a Counselor Will Spot
Photo by Tonik on Unsplash

Anxiety is one of the most common forms of mental illness, with an estimated 1 in six people suffering from some sort of anxiety. For many of us, anxiety os something that we live with on  day to day basis, barely recognising the varying symptoms that we’re dealing with. However, knowing the different ways in which your anxiety manifests itself can be half of the battle in dealing with it, so I’ve put together a list of five of the most common signs of anxiety that your BetterHelp counselor will spot, even if you don’t:

Hyperactivity

While you may just think you’re being motivated and getting things done, going on a sudden overactive kick of doing something could be a sign of anxiety. Cleaning the house from top to bottom, overexercising or even talking too much can all be ways that we try to distract ourselves while dealing with the excess energy that anxiety can produce.

Irritability

Most people associate feelings of aniety with fear and worry, but for many people, aniety can actually look like irritability and snappiness. This is often due to the racing thoughts and feeling on edge that the excess adrenaline in your system causes. If someone close to you seems snappy and less tolerant than usual, try to remember that it’s not your fault and could be due to their anxiety.

Hoarding

We’ve all seen the “Extreme Hoarders” programmes on TV, where people live in houses which are so full of stuff that they have to climb over a virtual assault course just to get to bed, but hoarding doesn’t always look like this. Often, people who are hoarding because of anxiety will pick one item which is significant to them and hold onto it because it gives them some sense of comfort.

Dissociation

Dissociation is a feeling of being disconnected from your thoughts, feelings, memories, and surroundings. Often, when people are dealing with Dissociation, they don’t even realise that this is what they’re dealing with, and it’s only when they explain their feelings to a mental health professional that they realise thi is what’s happening. It sometimes resolves itself, but seeking help from a counselor is vital. 

Physical Symptoms

There are many physical symptoms which can result from having anxiety, and it’s not uncommon for sufferers to belive they’re having a serious health problem, such as a heat attack, when these symptoms occur. Sweating, heavy and fast breathing, hot flushes or blushing, dry mouth, shaking, hair loss, fast heartbeat, extreme tiredness or lack of energy, dizziness and fainting, and stomach aches and sickness are ALL symptoms which can result from anxiety and can all make you believe you have a physical sickness.

Happiness · Health

Online Counseling – Five Key Benefits

Jayne1 Comment
Five Benefits of Online Counseling
Photo by Sincerely Media on Unsplash

If there’s one thing that many of us have learned durin glockdown, it’s that it is possible to do things differently. Everything from shopping to learning to medical appointments have moved online to help limit the spread of COVID-19, which is something that we should be utilising even more moving forward, even after the threat of a pandemic is gone. With that in mind, I’ve put together five reasons why you should consider online counseling:

Convenience

The top reason for having online counseling with a service like BetterHelp is that you can do it any time, anywhere. You don’t need to take time off of work for appointments if you can go online in your lunch hour for your counseling session, nor do you need to find childcare if you’re at home with the kids. Online counseling is ultra-convenient – you can even stick to your appointments if you’re on holiday or working abroad!

Comfort

Sometimes, going to a clinic or surgery for counseling can leave you feeling totally out of your comfort zone. However, with online counseling, you can do it from the comfort of your own home where you’ll feel totally at ease. You don’t even have to put shoes on, you can sit curled up in your favourite armchair and have a chat with your counselor. What’s not to love about that?!

Cost

When you visit a counselor in an office, part of what you’re paying for, aside from their expertise, is their overheads. They’ll have expenses like rent for thier office space, business rates, utilities, staff etc. When you see a counselor online, it’s likely that they work from a home office and their cost can be very low, which means they’re able to charge less for their services.

Options

When you visit a counselor in person, you’re often limited by the type of counselor you’re able to see. Different mental health professionals will have different methods of being able to help, and by using an online counselor you can access the type of help you need which you may not have been able to find otherwise. You also benefit from an element of anonymity by using a counselor who doesn’t live or work locally to you.

Travel

Even when we’re not in the middle of a pandemic, travel can sometimes be tricky. We live in a rural location with one, not very regular, bus route nearby. If our car is off the road, getting to appointments is basically impossible, which means online counseling would be a really good option for us. Having an online session means that we only have to travel as far as our PC to get to see a mental health professional.