John Richardson Counselling for Anxiety

05/04/2024

High anxiety and historical gaps in emotional support and validation seem to coincide with eachother. “My childhood was fine, but we never really spoke about emotions and stuff.” Is a common phrase I hear from anxious clients, and “There’s not really anyone I can talk to about now either.”

In this video I explain how when difficult stuff happens, having somebody around who ‘gets it’ can make a massive difference to how we cope and how we recover.

Take a couple of minutes to check out how anxiety might be amplified depending on who is (and was) about to make space for you and it, and you when you’re in it, and what can be done to attend to that.

21/03/2024

From Intelligence in the Flesh by Guy Claxton

The body isnt a thing, it's an event.

We exist by happening When we look in the mirror, we see a familiar object looking back When we look down, our legs look and feel solid enough but we know that if we stop happening, we quite quickly start to fall apart.

If we lock up the house and go on holiday we imagine it will just stay put, but not so the body. Even when we are asleep neurons are firing, cells are developing, bladders are filling, blood is pumping, lungs are breathing, legs are twitching and throat grunting.

In a thousand ways, large and small, we are squirmin and wriggling the whole time. Moving is not something we d from time to time and rest in between. Rest is itself a form motion. There is special circuitry in the brain, called the defau network, which starts up precisely when we have nothing urgent to do.

On the micro level, we are constantly abuzz with activity.

21/03/2024

For anyone who feels that some therapy might really help right now, but isn’t sure what to expect…

Here is a terrific analogy of how Therapy can really help with the jumbled thoughts, feelings and experiences to bring some much-needed clarity, calm and resolution.

20/03/2024

Feelings are not a nuisance. They are not, as Plato thought, and many still do, wayward and primitive urgings that continually threaten to undermine the fragile structures built by dispassionate reason.

They are the bodily glue that sticks our reasoning and common sense together.

Feelings are somatic events that in Body are values and concerns. The Signal, what we care about, what gives our lives, meaning and direction. Our hopes and fears arise from the residence of our organs in response to events.

20/03/2024

Getting going with “ intelligence in the flesh” by Guy Claxton this morning.

I’m really interested in how our bodies help us to stay calm and engaged and productive, and also what role they play when we are challenged, that means we drop into a hopeless, depressive or shame, based place, or even a hostile dogmatic and aggressive place? The former feels very much like thriving, and the latter feels very much like an old and familiar attempt at surviving.

I guess that’s my question in a nutshell, what role do our bodies play, in conjunction with our minds, when it comes to our thriving or surviving?

14/03/2024

Anxious, confused and fed up with it…?

The short video explains what anxiety is, why it is so difficult to make sense of and what we can do about it.

If anxiety is causing confusion, consternation and exhaustion, perhaps talking with a non-judgemental, effective professional would help.

Click on the link below to find out more and book your initial free session to see how us working together could really make a difference with your anxiety.

https://www.counselling-directory.org.uk/counsellors/john-richardson

10/03/2024

To all those whose Mums are not around anymore, and to those who never had the relationship with their Mums that they would have liked, thinking of you today…

29/02/2024

Lovely discussion with Russell Howard, his anxiety, imposter syndrome and his therapeutic journey.

I love it when successful men are really honest about their vulnerability. He’s terrific here… as he is in most things he does… even with imposter syndrome and anxiety…

‎Show The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett, Ep E109: Russell Howard: How To Laugh Through Fear, Anxiety & Imposter Syndrome - 5 Dec 2021

27/02/2024

Feeling lost in the middle of family, career, relationships and You? Sometimes overwhelmed, anxious and exhausted because of it?
Knowing that there must be a better way but not quite able to grasp it?

Perhaps a conversation with a non-judgemental professional would help? Making time to listen and space to understand creates release, relief and resources to engage differently, feel better no regain a sense of control.

Click the link below to to find out more, like how this approach helped Laura, a stressed and anxious Mum of two and professional woman who was realising that a ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’ approach wasn’t working for her any longer.

Sessions are 60mins, online and in the strictest confidence. Click through to book a free initial session to see if this approach could help.

Stressed by anxiety, struggling with worry, confused and fed up of it? Looking for clarity, support and relief? I specialize in helping people with anxiety. I'm supportive, non-judgmental, and effective. 1st session is Free. Please do get in touch.