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Anxiety & Panic attacks
Anxiety is incredibly common. At last count, just over one in eight Australians is expected to have an anxiety related condition at some stage in their lives.
Anxiety can range from mild disquiet to full-on panic attacks. It can have been present for as long as you can remember, or suddenly arrive like a bolt from the blue.
Whatever the presentation, anxiety can be debilitating, compromise your quality of life and interfer with what you would like to achieve. Often people will think that they are the only ones feeling this way and try to hide their symptoms - modifying their lifestyle and having a very negative internal conversation. Unfortunately this does little to improve the situation.
Anxiety is a highly treatable condition and there are a range of strategies that we can use - it is rare for no improvement to occur. Usually quite a deal of relief can happen in a short period of time.
Hoarding
Hoarding often has such negative overtones. Let's start by changing it to "over-accumulating". That's better! People over-accumulate for a variety of reasons. Sometimes it can be a family behaviour learnt in childhood. Sometimes it is a reaction to a set of physical circumstances. And sometimes it is a protective reaction to a set of psychological circumstances.
Whatever the reason, once the habit is formed it can get stuck fast. Getting on top of it can seem like digging out concrete with a plastic fork. Over the years I have found that working with over-accumulating is multifaceted therapy and yes, it can take some time. Over-accumulating becomes wired into both our thoughts and our emotions. It is useful to remember that we are working with something that has been there for some time. The thing is to begin rather than putting off making that appointment. Little by little we will make inroads and changes in a gentle supportive way. Over time big changes can happen!
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Sleep Disorders
Even before COVID-19, the western world was facing an avalanche of sleeplessness. Now so many people are finding it hard to fall asleep, stay asleep, or get sleep that leaves them feeling refreshed the next day.
While the reasons might appear clear, matters are in fact a little more complex. Insomnia is the most common presentation, but the International Classification of Sleep Disorders lists 60 possible sleep-related diagnoses.
If you are reading this page, the chances are you have already visited "Dr Google" and tried some simple remedies. They haven't worked so well and now you are looking for something more.
Every person's circumstances and physiology are unique. Instead of tips and tricks we will be taking a deeper dive into what is contributing to a lack of quality sleep. And then working through evidence based strategies tailored specifically for you.