NEWS & VIEWS
Olive Branch Counsellor Geoff offers some thoughts
DEPRESSION, ANXIETY AND THE FUTURE
Depression and anxiety are debilitating emotional condition which almost always go together. They affect a significant number of people in the UK and we certainly see it in many clients who seek counselling from Olive Branch.
Depression and anxiety are rooted in the primary emotion of fear. Fear itself is all about the future – the future that we cannot predict and over which we have very little real control.
George Harrison (of Beatles fame) once said ‘We cannot relive the past, we can only learn from it. And as for the future, we don’t know if there is one. All we have is the present.’
When we are anxious or depressed we often start predicting the future by playing one or more ‘dangerous games’ and these are guaranteed to re-enforce our already low mood.
These ‘games’ are
· What if……
· If only……
· Yes but…..
· It’ll be alright when…..
Taking the correct medication and paying regular visits to our GP is very important but Mindfulness can be a very useful additional method of helping with depression and anxiety since it helps us to focus completely on the present moment.
Such techniques as ‘safe place’, breathing and relaxing music or sound are beneficial if you are able to take regular ‘time outs’. However, the principle of Mindfulness is also just as effective. This involves focussing on the task or issue at the top of our list and only moving to the next problem when we have dealt with the current one.
If you need an excellent illustration of the above, observe your cat, dog or small child. They live completely ‘in the moment’ and are not interested in the future. They are brilliant at Mindfulness
So if you find yourself slipping into a low mood and starting to play ‘dangerous games’ come and talk to us at Olive Branch. We are here to listen
References
Making Friends with Anxiety by Sarah Rayner
Mindfulness, Be Mindful, live in the Moment by Gill Hasson