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How can I support my child with Complex PTSD?
To support your child with Complex PTSD, you can try the following activities:
- Normalising emotions: Inform the child that experiencing strong emotions after a traumatic event is common and can alleviate their guilt. Encourage a supportive and safe environment to foster trust.
- Distraction: Engage the child in activities that divert their attention from the traumatic event and reduce stress such as playing games, cooking, signing, drawing, and sports.
- Quick response: Create a safe haven for the child during panic attacks or flashbacks, practice breathing exercises and mindfulness, and address and eliminate triggers.
- Grounding techniques: Implement techniques to help the child calm down such as having them identify 5 things they see, 4 things they hear, 3 things they smell, 2 things they touch and 1 thing they taste.
Who Can Diagnose Children's Mental Health?
If parents are concerned about their child's mental health, they can seek help from professionals such as their GP, school counselor, social services, or a children's center.
The GP can refer the child to specialized mental health services like CAMHS or CYPMHS, which focus specifically on children's mental health. CAMHS can provide a range of treatments, including therapy, medication, and hospitalization, depending on the child's needs.
Contacting CAMHS can be done through the GP referral or by contacting them directly through their website or phone number. The diagnostic process begins once the child is referred to CAMHS, which is a free service provided by the NHS.
Hello, I have been facing a lot of stress recently because of work. Any tips to ...
I am sorry to hear that. Stress is something we all experience throughout our life however it can sometimes get too much and affect our everyday lifestyle. I will share with you some tips on how to reduce your stress.
When work becomes overwhelming and you feel like you are having too much stress, it is important to have a support circle in which you can speak about your stress and work worries. If you find yourself having physical symptoms as a result of stress such as increased heart rate or difficulty breathing, mindfulness and meditation is a quick response to feel better. You can find various Mindfulness exercises through this link.
On the other hand if you find yourself having difficulty breathing or being overwhelmed about a situation, you can always try a quick breathing exercise.
Whenever, I represent myself in front of lots of people, I'm totally black out. ...
Thank you for your question.
It sounds like you are having a social anxiety issue and I want to start off by saying that this is something that a lot of people experience. There are lots of different ways that you can cope. Firstly you can start off by understanding this trigger better by visiting this link.
You can then start to explore strategies to change your negative thinking by visiting this link. It can be very easy to avoid social situations of groups of people in order to reduce this feeling however avoidance can result in feeling worse. You can read more about this here.
Lastly, working on your self esteem will allow you to be more confident when presenting yourself to people and reduce your negative feelings and the feeling of blacking out. This is a useful resources for your self-esteem.
I am always scared when I deliver my work to my boss, How to deal with this?
Thank you Stephen for your question.
Performance anxiety is very common in the workplace and there are ways that you can identify it and cope with it. Firstly, you can prepare yourself for any questions or areas in your work delivery that may be weak in which your boss may question allowing you to prepare yourself for any negative comments and decrease your worry. At times when you cannot prepare yourself, it will help to know your triggers and what scares you and how to cope with these triggers. You can read more about triggers through this link.
Anxiety is a natural response that everyone feels. Understanding the mechanism and how to use anxiety positively is a good way to cope as you can turn something that you are currently viewing as negative to something positive which in turn will help you in your workplace! To read more about this mechanism you can visit this link.
Learning to control and reduce your worry and fear will allow you to distress prior to delivering your work and help you reduce your anxiety. This will help control and reduce the negative feeling so that your interactions with your boss will be more positive and constructive. You can visit this link.
Increasing your self esteem will help with feeling more self-confident in your work. You can keeping a journal of positive things you have done through out the day. Alternatively, if you find that something doesn't go well through out your workday, you can practice self-compassion to reduce future negative self thoughts.
How to deal with anxiety or stress during talking with other person.
I am very sorry to hear that you feel this way when talking to someone else.
One thing that can help you with this is to use the Feelings Wheel which can help you identify your anxiety and stress to more specific feelings. This can help you cope and manage them. Another thing you can try is some Mindfulness.
Mindsum offers information regarding anxiety which can help in understanding what anxiety is and using it to its potential in a more poisitive way. You can find information on Anxiety and how to help yourself with Anxiety.
Lastly, if you feel like your interactions with people cause you to have a panic attack, you can read more about it on Mindsum.
I have been going through serious heartbreak, I'm not able to deal with it. what...
Thank you for submitting this question.
I am sorry to hear about your break up. It's always very difficult to navigate after a relationship ends. There is no right or wrong way to deal with a break up. You need to feel all the emotions you are going through and not supress them. I can direct you to a couple of resources that can support you and guide you during this difficult time.
This article on Tiny Buddha sets out nicely some things you may wan to try out and also helps you view things from an unbiased emotional point of view. Finally, something that a lot of people struggle with after a break up is finding back themselves and the person they where before the relationship. It is true that relationships may change your personality and the person you are so it is very important to find your true self after a break up. You can read more about that through here.
My mother has OCD , How can I help her?
Thank you for your inquiry.
I want to firstly reassure you that there are many different types of ways to support someone who has OCD. To start off, it is very important to make your mother feel supported and make sure she does not feel isolated. You can do this by being understanding of what they are going through and what they might feel, being non-judgemental and patient. Talking openly about OCD can help your mother as it removes the embarassment and ultimately the stigma around mental health and OCD.
Encouraging activities and living life as normal as possible instead of accommodating the fear will be helpful as avoidance can result the person isolating themselves. Helping your mother with her self esteem can also be helpful. This is done by pointing out things that she is good at. It is easy to automatically focus on things that OCD can make difficult and that she struggles with so pointing out their strengths in areas they do well can have a positive result.
Lastly, it is important to remember to take care of yourself when supporting someone else as you cannot pour from an empty cup.
You can also visit our page to read more about helping someone with OCD.
I have anxiety issue that not letting me live the normal life. There is always c...
Thank you for asking this question, I understand it can be very overwhelming to feel constant fear.
Firstly, you can try talking to friends, family or close people to get that first support. It always helps to talk about what you feel fearful of and have the reassurance that there is someone there to support you during a rough time. Secondly, with anxiety it is always useful to get psychological therapies. Psychological therapies consist of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Psychotherapy etc.
Mindsum has a group of therapist who specialise in anxiety and you can book a free initial consultation with them if you wish to go through the private practice. You can read more about this on our website. If you wish to use the NHS for help, you can self refer yourself to the NHS talking therapies. You can find more information from your GP or through this link. If anxiety gets to the point of you not being able to function in everyday life, then it is important to get support and help. Always remember that anxiety is treatable and you can get better.
My depression leading to drink more alcohol ,what to do ?
Hi, I'm sorry to hear you're going through a difficult time.
It sounds like you’re self-medicating your depression with alcohol. Speaking to your GP about the experiences, thoughts and feelings you’re experiencing may help them understand and support you though therapy and medication to help you move forward. NHS prescriptions are cheaper and can be less harmful to your body than drinking alcohol.
Another route could be to contact your local Alcoholics Anonymous group, even if you don’t drink every day they can offer support.
How do I deal with someone telling me what to do?
Thank you for taking the time to ask this question.
It is expected that other people will ask you to do things to support them. However, I understand how frustrating it can be when you feel like others are asking too much. Have a think about what your physical, mental and emotional boundaries, and learn what boundaries are acceptable to you. This will help you see what boundaries are being crossed when you’re asked to do things for others.
You could try using the following tool to communicate your feelings when being asked to do things that don’t align with your boundaries. DEARMAN: The Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) can also help you to communicate about other related annoyances such as tone of voice and the way in which you’re asked to do things for others.
Any tips on how to move from anger and frustration with anxiety to a place of co...
Thank you for your question.
Many people find this change in mindset difficult however once you begin being able to be compassionate towards yourself, it gets easier to accept anxiety and move forward.
Firstly it’s important to remind yourself that anxiety is not a choice. It’s a tool your brain uses to protect you from what it perceives as real danger. Writing a life timeline of significant positive and negative events throughout your life can help you understand what’s led you to develop anxiety.
Another way of thinking about having anxiety is questioning the benefits such as allowing you to understand and be compassionate to others that experience anxiety. Some people find positive mantras helpful. You could try saying to yourself phrases such as “I am strong” or “I am determined”.
Journaling is a useful tool to help you identify and understand triggers which may help you become more accepting of general feelings of anxiety.
I don't know how to explain this but, I'll try my best so basically I am not hap...
Hello, thank you for your question.
Personally I like to use The Feelings Wheel which helps you break down general feelings so you can pinpoint what you’re feeling. If you’re struggling to get started you could write about things in your life that you’re grateful for and goals for your future. Goals could cover topics such as; friends, family, love life, finances, career, hobbies, diet and exercise. Next you could plan how to reach these goals. This could help you understand what’s currently making you unhappy and how to move forward.
I am not able to good in my career and my friends doing extremely well in their ...
Thank you for asking this question, it's a very common challenge that many people face. My advice would be to stop comparing yourself which I understand is a difficult thing to do. You are unique and will have different qualities than those around you. Have a think about who you are and what qualities you have. This could help you find a job which is meaningful to you and complements your qualities. It may be worth speaking to your local job centre for advice on finding the right role. You could also try some online self-help such as CIMHS Free Online Therapy for Depression .
My parents fight all the time that make me sad ,What should I do ?
Hi, I'm so sorry for what you're going through. Is there anyone you can talk to about this? For example, friends, other family members, school teachers?
I would recommend writing down your thoughts if you feel safe enough. There are also lockable diary apps.
How do psychiatrists typically diagnose personality disorders? Is there a diagno...
Hi, thank you for submitting this question.
Psychiatrists use the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM–5) to diagnose mental health challenges including personality disorders. This document contains different sets of criteria per condition which psychiatrists use to support their diagnosis. A psychiatric assessment is the name for an appointment with a psychiatrist during which they will ask you about your experience managing mental health both in the past and currently.
You do not need to prepare for a psychiatric assessment however, you may find it interesting to read about different mental health disorders .
Your GP will be able to refer you for a psychiatric assessment. Mentioning some of the research you've done about different mental health disorders may help them to write the referral.
I have a good relationship with my girlfriend but most of time she's busy with h...
Hi, thank you for submitting your challenge.
This is a normal challenge to experience during relationships as you and your partner learn to communicate your needs and wants. The DEARMAN (The Dialectical Behavior Therapy) is a tool that you can use to help you understand what you need and how to address this in “I” terms, rather than asking them to change. They may then tell you what they can do to support your needs and which works for them.
Another idea that I’d recommend is to think about how you could redirect some of your extra energy into yourself. See the following link to help you identify where your energy could be spent.
Is it necessary to add meditation as a important part of our daily routine?
Thank you for your question.
It’s not necessary to add meditation to your daily routine. However, it is a popular tool to slow your mind down and practice not thinking. It can be used with journaling to help you see what’s going on in your brain, or some people like to listen to a guided meditation on youtube. It is highly recommended that you practice some type of groundwork exercise (slowing down your thinking to become present to your surroundings) especially during times of high stress or anxiety. If you find that meditation is difficult to exercise you can try mindfulness or breathwork. Mindfulness is bringing yourself into a state of awareness of what is happening in the present moment.
Many people choose tools such as colouring books, cooking or running in a park without music. You can find more about mindfulness here. You can find various Mindfulness exercises through this link. On the other hand if you find yourself having difficulty breathing or being overwhelmed about a situation, you can always try a quick breathing exercise.
Due to lots of work and pressure I am unable to maintain good sleeping schedule ...
Hello, thank you for your question. It sounds like you’re doing too much at the moment.
As annoying as it sounds, humans have a limit of what they can achieve each day. If you haven’t got one already, you could use a diary to write out your plans for each day and limit how much you’re doing to 8 hours of activities per day. Here’s some tips for getting sleep. I personally use sleep hypnosis videos on YouTube and force myself to wake up at the same time every day. Having a morning routine is equally as important as having an evening routine before going to sleep. For stress and anxiety you can use techniques. If these tools don’t work for you, you could speak with a trained mental health professional about different techniques.
I think I have bpd, I have symptoms of a lot of mental illnesses but my psycholo...
Thank you for your message.
I’m so sorry to hear what you’re going through. I’ve been diagnosed with BPD which was a revelation because I’d never heard of the disorder before the diagnosis. I felt a mix of emotions including anger and relief. Being diagnosed is a process and feels like an uphill battle but stick with it. Even though it may not feel like it, you’re in a powerful position because you already know about the disorder.
It’s been a few years and I still haven’t received therapy for BPD (we’re working on this!). I have however, watched a lot of Youtubers such as Dr Fox and Kati Morton, as well as online DBT self-help which have helped me understand how BPD affects thinking, and how to reduce the intensity of thoughts and emotions over time. If you don’t feel like your mental health professional understands you, you have every right to ask to speak with someone else.
Moreover, even if they aren’t specifically trained in BPD, many have backgrounds in other challenges such as anxiety. When anxiety is more controlled, you have the space to notice the BPD patterns and look into adapting these.
You could also book a free initial consultation session witha mental health professional, to speak about these challenges and we will provide you with more specific resources, as well as supporting you through your journey.