Counselling Helped Me to Chase Away Hopelessness

After starting my fourth year in high school, I often use to have a feeling of something being amiss. But it was not until several weeks that I became quite cognizant of what was actually going on. I started becoming extremely fatigued during the day, and shunned away from society as often as possible. It was so hard to control the expression that my lachrymose face revealed in front of people.

Although I really missed my amazing friends and the school during vacations, I could not fathom the reason why all of this faded away when I went back. I told my parents about the unusual mental problems I had been experiencing and they tried desperately to help. But all their efforts were simply in vain. Even my friends were perplexed and saddened by the strange behaviour I was exhibiting.

It was not that I disliked my studies or hated my students or teachers. Neither could I comprehend nor explain to others what the actual problem was. I was lost and desperately trying to get rid of the feeling of hopelessness gripping onto me day by day. When the first term began to slip away from my hand and my teachers called in my parents to report about my poor performance in the class tests, I decided to help myself by seeking the help of a counsellor.

One of my aunts told me about Jade Couquax, a French psychologist in Bondi who was renowned for her exceptional counselling skills. I wasted no time and immediately booked an appointment with her. During my first visit, she contracted me for 5 sessions. But soon after we started to discuss about my persistent psychological problems, she realised that my treatment would require more follow-ups. There was something very relaxing in the way she interrogated me, and I did not feel any kind of intimidation while confronting and answering her questions.

As time passed by, I started feeling more and more confident about myself. The conversations I had with Jade helped me to relax and have better thoughts. My condition kept improving significantly and I was able to concentrate on my studies better. I no longer felt the need to run away from people and my parents and friends were more than happy with my positive change. I still remember my last session with Jade, how she made me feel like she would always be there to help me. She said her doors would remain open for me, if my demons tried to come back ever again.

Guest Author: I, Katherine Saavedra, 18, am presently studying in the fifth year of high school. I love reading books, listening to music, playing guitar and watching movies.

Counseling What is it and What are its Various Therapy Formats

Counseling What is it and What are its Various Therapy Formats from counsellingbondi

Counselling Bondi offers women & couple counseling in Bondi. Here the psychologist in Bondi does relationship counseling, counselling for depressed women & more.

Causes of Work-Related Depression in Women

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Women offer suffer from work-related depression. It has become a growing problem all over the world. It affects not only the health & well-being of the working women but even the productivity of the organisations. It is after all the second most common compensated injury/illness in Bondi Junction, NSW after musculoskeletal disorders. 

A woman may experience work-related depression die to many reasons. It is said that work-related depression in woman generally arises when there is too much of workload and pressure with deadlines as well as overtime, unsupportive work environment, bullying & harassment, lack of job security or job satisfaction, redundancies, problems with office colleagues, personal problems or too much of responsibility beyond the job level. 

Many people think that it is actually the heap of unfinished work that causes depression in women at work. But that's not the main reason. A lot of studies have been conducted on this and it has been found out that heavy workload has no such effect on employees who get depressed. It is basically the work environment & feeling of being ill-treated by the boss or management, which has the greatest impact on the mood of the employees. 

However, one thing needs to be kept in mind that what one woman may consider as stressful and depressive, another may view that same thing as challenging. So, whether a woman actually suffers from work-related depression depends on the nature of the job, the psychological make-up of the woman and such other factors. 

Given below are  some internal as well as external causes of work-related depression in a woman. Have a look at them: 

Internal causes :

• wrong-fit role 
• mismatch between personal values and company values 
• working parent guilt 
• interpersonal discomfort 
• work/life imbalance 
• extrovert/introvert stress 
• financial struggles 
• feeling trapped 

External causes :

• unreasonable demands from the management 
• unclear guidance at workplace 
• bullying behaviours faced at work-related
• poor project practices
• low engagement or low morale at work 
• poor working conditions 

Are you a woman who is facing work-related depression? Try talking to your boss or human resources manager at your workplace. If you want, you can also take the help of your doctor or a psychologist in Bondi to deal with your depression. 

When to Seek Psychological Counselling?

Maintaining a proper and sound mental health is as important as caring for physical fitness of the body. For having a healthy mind, a person must be free from anxiety, depression, excessive stress, addictions and various other psychological issues. But it is not always easy to keep oneself away from these problems, especially in the modern times when our lives are filled with busy schedules and hecticness. Therefore, it is important to understand when to seek psychological counselling. 

Some of the conditions that require mental health counselling are as follows:

Suicidal Thoughts and Tendencies :

Individuals contemplating on suicide or harming themselves must be administered with professional psychological counselling. Their safety should be secured properly and steps should be taken to determine if they are a potential danger to the safety of others. After a suicidal individual receives the first evaluation, appointment must be set for a session in future.

Signs of Depression :

Talking therapy can help to curb down the symptoms of acute depression such as feelings of despair and hopelessness, loss of interest in favourite activities, anxiety, weight loss or gain, and changed sleeping habits. Physicians can administer screening for the signs of depression and also refer the patient to some reputed psychologist or therapist.

Dramatic Mood Fluctuations :

Irregular mood fluctuations during puberty, menopause, pregnancy, etc. can also be an indication that the person requires counselling. Sometimes the cause can be due to hormonal imbalances, which must be confirmed with a physician. Duration, times and frequency of the mood swings must be noted down carefully so as to report the counsellor about them later on.

Substance Abuse :

People with addiction problems also require psychological counselling. In most cases, it plays an important role throughout the rehabilitation process. After doctors detect medical stabilisation, therapeutic counselling for improving mental health can be essential to overcome the addiction.

Post-Traumatic Stress :
Individuals recovering from the after-effects of traumatic events can significantly benefit from talking therapy sessions. Many people often find it difficult to manage post-traumatic stress without the help of a mental health therapist after incidents like car accidents, abuse, loss of someone dear, sexual assault, etc. Talking to a counsellor about the emotional difficulties can make it easier for them to cope up with the situation more effectively.

If you are experiencing any of the above mentioned psychological problems, you can book an appointment with the French psychologist Jade Couquaux. She is a renowned counsellor who works with individuals as well as couples in Bondi Junction.

Causes of Anxiety in Women and How to Alleviate Them?

In the modern times, anxiety has become more common among women than men in Bondi Junction, NSW. While some anxiety issues rise from societal and cultural expectations, others may also be triggered by hormonal imbalances occurring in the body, the former being the primary cause.

Stress At Workplace :

While this can be the cause of stress for most people, the workplace of a woman is more likely of including discrimination and harassment, as well as work pressure. All of these can be quite difficult to combat with, because it is often subtle and easy for miscreants to deny or disguise their wrongful deeds. Besides that, work pressure can also take tolls on a woman trying to maintain balance between office and home.

Overload of Domestic Responsibility :

Women are usually expected to perform the duties of two or more members within a household. Most men are culturally brought up or trained to regard that women bear the primary responsibility of conducting domestic tasks like cleaning, cooking, and attending children. Such a situation can be extremely stressful for a woman who also has to work outside home.

Sexist Demeanors from Family :

Besides being assigned with additional domestic responsibilities, women are often pressured by their family members to pursue specific goals like getting married, bearing children, or doing jobs with low pay so that it does not overawe a spouse. Such pressure can be very stressful for a woman because it becomes very difficult to maintain a positive connection with those family members.

Hormonal Changes :

During the course of her life, a woman will often find her hormones thrown off from balance quite often. Most of the times, it can adversely affect her physically as well as emotionally. Hormonal imbalances can have many symptoms that trigger anxiety, like cramps, irregular growth of hair, hot flashes and sleep disorders. Some of the common natural causes for hormonal imbalances include -

• Menstrual cycle
• Pregnancy
• Lactation
• Menopause
• Thyroid dysfunction

Besides these natural factors, hormonal imbalances may also be caused by some unnatural causes, such as -

• Obesity
• Contraceptive pills
• Consumption of animal products that are non-organic
• Overuse of cosmetics

Ways to Alleviate Anxiety :

No matter what the cause maybe, anxiety can be successfully coped up with and also alleviated by following certain measures. Domestic responsibilities can be shared equally with other members in the family. If one or more family members are pressurising to do something, a respectful explanation should be provided about the resulting discomfort. To maintain an equilibrium between home and work, your daily tasks and responsibilities should be analysed or help from a reputed counsellor in Bondi Junction must be taken. Adequate amount of sleep and a properly balanced diet are necessary as well. Oriental and holistic treatments or therapies can also help to combat stress.