Everyday Adventures: December 2018

Have Any Concerns but Too Shy To Open Up in Person? Try Online Counselling

By Mommy Donna and Kib - December 24, 2018

Nowadays, the number of people needing mental health care is increasing, and the number of mental health professionals is scarce. Because of this, the amount needed for mental health care is very high. Sadly, a lot of people cannot afford to undergo mental health therapy due to its high cost. In addition to that, people really do not know where to seek professional help, or in most cases, they are too scared to consult someone in person because they do not want to be judged or criticized.

I have been writing about mental health in my blog because this is one of my advocacies, to improve the mental health of individuals. Even if we are surrounded by loving family and friends, sometimes they can be too subjective when it comes to your concerns. They tend to be overcritical, saying that you are just overreacting to the situation.

So, where will you go?

Good thing that there is an available help for those people who needs to be heard and understood. Because of technology, the help that people need is readily available online. If you are thinking of your privacy, rest assured that the online counselling that you will get will respect and protect your privacy.

Here are the five reasons why doing online counselling is much better than face-to-face counselling:

1. It is cheaper. There is no need for you to physically go to the office for a consultation. It also saves time and operating cost on the part of the counsellor because there is no need for a physical office to do consultation.

2. It is convenient. There is no need for you to adjust to the availability of the counsellor and file a leave to go to the office for an appointment. Since looking for a counsellor near your place is very difficult (most of the time their offices are located in business districts), doing online counselling is advantageous since you don't need to allot time for travel. The counsellor will be the one to adjust to your availability. In addition, since this is online counselling, you will be given options on how the counselling will be done (either thru video call, email, or text messaging).

3. Perfect for people with physical disability. Since there is no need to go to a center for a counselling session, people with physical disability won't have any problems scheduling for an appointment and won't have any difficulty going to and from the center.

4. Ideal for those people who have difficulty opening up face to face. There are some people who are extremely introverted and having a hard time expressing themselves in front of other people. Thru online counselling, these types of people won't feel pressure and anxiety to open up to an counsellor. They will be able to pour out their emotions while protecting their privacy.

5. It is flexible. Just like what I've mentioned in number 2, there are lots of options on how to do the online/remote counselling, depending on the comfort level of the individual. The counsellor may also suggest other methods so that the counselling session will be effective.

Been doing remote jobs for the past ten years, talking to individuals online is very much convenient for me. I would recommend people to try online counselling. It may sound new to most people, but once you tried it and experience its advantages, you won't make any more hesitations on scheduling for another appointment. You can try it here:  https://www.betterhelp.com/online-counseling/. Where ever you are across the globe, online counselling is readily available for you.

Talking to a third party will really help you sort out our feelings and emotions, and I can attest to that.

May you live a life full of hope and positivity!

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BetterHelp

Beat the Holiday Blues Away By Online Therapy

By Mommy Donna and Kib - December 21, 2018

Holidays are the best time to be connected with family and friends. We make use of this time-off from work to spend quality time with our loved ones and friends whom we haven't seen for a long time. We post holiday photos to show how we spent it. Holidays put smile on our faces because serves as a moment for us to forget about the daily stresses that we experience at work.

Or so we thought....

Holidays can also bring stress in our lives. We need to prepare for the holidays like the buying the gifts, cleaning the house, planning the menu, or even packing our luggages (if we thought of going out-of-town). Because of this, there is a tendency for us not to enjoy the actual holiday because we already got too tired of the preparations that we did. Worse, during holidays, we might be disturbed by our bosses because of some emergency at work.

So are you really enjoying the holidays? There are actually lots of reasons why there is a tendency for us not to enjoy the holidays.

There is actually what you call seasonal affective disorder (SAD). SAD is a type of depression which occurs seasonally, usually on the same time every year. Most of the time SAD is experienced during fall and winter and is less common in spring and summer.

An individual may be considered with SAD if he/she experiences the following signs and symptoms:

Depression almost every day
Losing interest in activities that you usually enjoy
Low energy
Sleeping problems (oversleeping in winter and insomia in summer)
Changes in appetite (craving for certain food in winter and lack of appetite in summer)
Changes in weight (weight gain in winter and weight loss in summer)
Feeling sluggish or agitated
Difficulty in concentrating
Feeling hopeless or guilty
Thoughts of death or suicide

What are the usual causes of SAD?

An individual who is a candidate for SAD may experience the following:

Stress
Fatigue (from preparing for the holidays or catching up the deadlines to be met before the holidays)
Unrealistic expectations (wanting to create a 'perfect' holiday experience)
Commercialization (when there is an intense need to celebrate the holidays because of the things that we see around us, the decorations, promotions, etc.)
Financial stress (when you don't have that much money to spend during the holidays)
Inability to be with family and friends during holidays (common for those individuals who have jobs far away from the family or those who work during holidays)

It's normal to experience holiday blues at times, but if the individual is already withdrawing himself/herself from having a normal social life, experiencing problems at work and school, into substance abuse, developed other mental problems such as eating disorders, and thoughts of suicide, the individual must consult a professional.

I don't know of anyone who is suffering of SAD but to tell you honestly, this holiday season is not exciting for me. In my experience working from home for the past 11 years, working during holidays is nothing new to me. I am already used to the set-up. But I noticed that this year, I was too consumed on meeting deadlines of my several engagements that I wasn't able to find time to arrange stuff for the holidays. I wasn't able to track down the dates that I have a tendency to do last-minute preparations. I even miss attending some social events for the sake of finishing deadlines. But hey, don't think that I'm experiencing SAD, maybe you can call it adulting instead, haha.

Kidding aside, let's try to prevent holiday blues! Here are some tips to avoid getting depressed during holidays:

Make realistic expectations during holidays. Don't push yourself too much in creating a perfect holiday experience to your family. Sometimes, things don't work out as planned and it makes us sad. Learn to accept that booboos may happen and prepare for another plan if ever.
Set realistic goals for yourself. Put limitations on yourself. Learn how to say no.
Pace yourself. Do not take on more responsibilities than what you can handle. Just do whatever is workable on your timetable and energy. Be honest to yourself that you cannot do everything and you need help.
Make a list and prioritize the important activities. This can help make holiday tasks more manageable.
Don't pull out all your energy in one day. Spread out your activities into different holidays. For example, go to your parent's house on Christmas and go to your in-laws' house on New Year.
Live in the moment and enjoy the present. Learn how to relax and not think too much of the future holidays.
Find holiday activities that are free, like going to watch holiday shows inside shopping malls or walking to a certain street full of holiday decorations.
Keep track of your holiday spending. Put a cap on each expenditure. Better if you plan ahead so you can save money and energy too! Shopping on holidays can be stressful, lines on counters are long and prices are high.
Limit the alcohol consumption. Too much alcohol drinking can also trigger depression.

Lastly, there is nothing wrong if you consult a professional should symptoms persist. This only means that you acknowledge that there is something wrong within you and you need someone to help you out sort things for yourself. If you are too shy to get help in person, you may wish to schedule for an online therapy. Don't worry, your records will be treated with confidentiality and the therapists will adjust to your availability, not you as a patient finding time to meet your therapist.

Want to learn more about online therapy? Check out this link for more info: https://www.betterhelp.com/online-therapy/.

Let's try to enjoy this holiday season and spend quality time with our loved ones!

Happy Holidays!