My previous blog looked at how the nervous system states of fight, flight and freeze are involved in how we feel from moment to moment - including strong emotions like anxiety, fear, panic and anger, OCD and phobias, even trauma and PTSD. This blog will focus especially on the freeze…
Most of us have heard of the terms fight, flight and freeze, but exactly how do these states relate to how humans feel? This is the first of a series of blogs about how understanding how our nervous system works can be a powerful step towards managing our feelings and…
This final article about grounding tools and techniques introduces you to my favourite grounding tool! It also looks at mindful distraction and self-soothing. All of us could sometimes do with a little grounding and all grounding techniques are designed to do one thing: to help us to connect with the…
This blog gives a list of powerful physical grounding tools. All of us could sometimes do with a little grounding! Although grounding does not solve the problem that is contributing to your unpleasant emotions, it does provide a temporary way to gain control over your feelings and prevent things from…
What is Grounding? People often use the expression “I need to stay grounded” when they feel themselves being pulled too much into overthinking and worrying about things or being pulled into very strong emotions. As a counsellor, I find that knowing and using grounding tools and techniques can make a…
Reduce Stress by Managing Uncertainty When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves. —Victor Frankl This blog looks at ways we can reduce stress by managing uncertainty. As I wrote in my previous blog, human beings crave security. We need to have…
When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves. —Victor Frankl. During 2020, managing change and uncertainty has been a constant challenge for us all. Today we wait for the new lockdown restrictions to be announced in Ireland, and it's hard to keep…
This blog looks at the challenging topic of dealing with a narcissistic boss. Many managers can be demanding and difficult at times but a true narcissist has behaviour traits that do not change and can make your working life a nightmare. Working under a boss who is unpredictable, self-centred, and…
The effects of having a narcissistic boss Narcissism, or Narcissistic Personality Disorder, can be almost as hard to deal with in the workplace as it is in personal relationships. Not only are you forced into close contact with your boss every day, but you are also dependent on him or…
This is part two of how to deal with someone else's difficult behaviour, taking some advice from professional crisis intervention teams (who work in the fields of health care, law enforcement etc). They use particular tactics to deal with difficult people and it is well worth learning these and keeping…
These are unprecedented times and every one of us is reeling from the events of the last week or so and finding helpful sources of information about how to mind ourselves is vital. These are three pieces of information that I have found useful - from the HSE, the BBC…
What is a panic attack? A panic attack is a sudden episode of intense fear that triggers severe physical reactions when there is no real danger or apparent cause. Panic attacks can be very frightening. When panic attacks occur, you might think you're losing control, having a heart attack or…