Anxiety, Depression and
Low Self-Esteem

The NHS UK describes anxiety as a feeling of stress, panic or fear that can affect everyday life physically and psychologically.

Feeling anxious can be a completely normal or natural reaction to situations or things that happen in life and everyone can experience feelings of anxiety sometimes. This usually passes when the cause of the feelings goes away.

However for some people the feelings of anxiety can take over everyday life. The feelings can become disproportionate to the situation, for example a situation can feel much bigger than it is in reality. The feelings associated with anxiety can become very intense, constant and hard to control. This can be overwhelming and significantly impact a person's daily life and their relationships with others.

There are different types of anxiety and anxiety can affect people in different ways and to different extents. Some signs of anxiety can include feeling tired, on edge, a feeling of dread, repeatedly checking things or having trouble falling asleep. However, these signs do not necessarily indicate anxiety and this is by no means a complete list of possible signs.  If you would like further information regarding anxiety then please click the following link which will take you to an NHS information site. 

Anxiety - Every Mind Matters - NHS (www.nhs.uk)

If you feel you would like some counselling support to talk through any feelings of anxiety you may be experiencing then please click on the 'get in touch button' above. 

The NHS describes depression as a low mood that can last a long time or keep returning, affecting your everyday life. I have taken some information from their site and summarised it here to give a brief overview of depression but there is so much more to it than I can put in this section.  If you would like more detail and guidance about depression the NHS website can provide a good place to start. You can access it at Depression - NHS (www.nhs.uk).

Low mood can affect anyone and most people go through periods of feeling low, for example during difficult times or as a response to a difficult situation. This often gets better after a few days or weeks and can often by improved through making small changes in life such as resolving something that is bothering us. Experiencing low mood therefore does not always mean that a person is suffering from depression.

Depression is more than just a low mood as it is more than just feeling unhappy or low for a few days. It involves feeling persistently down for weeks or months. Depression is often misunderstood by some as not being a real health condition and as being a sign of weakness or something that a person can just snap themselves out of. This is not the case at all - depression is a very real and genuine illness for which support and help is available.

There are different types of depression and a range of different factors which can contribute to or cause a person to become depressed. Both adults and children can experience depression.  There is also a wide range of symptoms of depression, including physical ones such as lack of energy, disturbed sleep and unexplained aches and pains and psychological ones such as having low self-esteem and feeling tearful or irritable. There may also be social symptoms such as avoiding contact with others. Depression can vary from mild to severe and the symptoms experienced can vary greatly for each individual. The NHS website provides a more comprehensive list of symptoms.

Depression can have a significant impact on a person’s life and can feel very overwhelming and isolating. If anything you have read here sounds familiar or you feel are struggling with your emotions or mood then please remember that there is help and support available – you are not alone. As a starting point the NHS link I have provided can give you further information and guidance which you may find helpful. It also gives information about what to do if you feel you need help urgently.

As I mentioned earlier I am not able to give a medical diagnosis as that’s not my role. However I am qualified and able to provide support  for depression or low mood and the difficulties this involves through counselling and I would love to hear from you if you would like my help with this. You can contact me by clicking the ‘get in touch’ button above.

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The following information about self-esteem is taken from the NHS, Mayo Clinic and Very Well Mind websites. It is only a small part of the information they provide and I have given links to each website should you wish to find out more about low self-esteem.

Self-esteem basically refers to how a person sees or values themselves or their overall opinion of themselves. This can fluctuate over time and in response to different events and situations. Self-esteem is shaped by experiences, relationships and thoughts.

Healthy self-esteem means feeling good about and valuing who we are, including our thoughts, feelings and interests. It means believing ourselves worthy of being loved and respected by others.

Low self-esteem means not placing value on our own thoughts and feelings and may involve worrying that we're not good enough or that we do not deserve the love or respect of others. It can mean seeing ourselves negatively and being overly critical about ourselves. This can have a significant impact on life in terms of how we treat and feel about ourselves but can also affect our ability to develop and maintain healthy relationships with others.

Low self-esteem can affect confidence and motivation and can also contribute to other mental health problems such as anxiety and depression.

I have experience of working with clients with low self-esteem and can provide you with a space where you feel safe to talk openly about your feelings and thoughts and where you know that I want to listen to you and will value and respect what you say. If you feel that self-esteem issues may be affecting your daily life and would like my support through counselling then please click on the 'get in touch' button above.

The following sites provide more information regarding low self-esteem.

11 Signs of Low Self-Esteem (verywellmind.com)

Raising low self-esteem - NHS (www.nhs.uk)

Self-esteem check: Too low, too high or just right? - Mayo Clinic

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