Caroline Marr Counselling

17/03/2025

Challenging Intrusive Thoughts When You Have Anxiety…

Those persistent worries that won't leave you alone? You're not alone in this battle.

As someone who understands anxiety's grip, I've learned some effective ways to challenge those intrusive thoughts:

Recognise the thought for what it is - just a thought, not reality or a prediction of the future.

Label these thoughts: "I notice I'm having the thought that..." without reacting or responding to it. This creates helpful distance.

Question evidence: "What evidence is there that this thought is true/accurate?”

Challenge the thought: “What is a more balanced way of thinking about this?”

Practice the "worry delay" technique - set aside 15 minutes later in the day specifically for worrying, then postpone intrusive thoughts until then. (If you worry that you won’t remember them, write them down).

It might feel weird to talk to yourself in this way, but if you can become more aware of your inner monologue, you can gradually create a more balanced rational way of thinking about things.

12/03/2025

"Is it true anxiety is a response not an illness?"

As a natural response, anxiety is a normal and even helpful part of the human experience - it's our body's built-in alert system that evolved to protect us from danger. This type of anxiety is temporary and proportionate to the situation.

However, anxiety can also manifest as a clinical disorder when it becomes:

Persistent (lasting for weeks, months, or years)
Disproportionate to actual threats
Disruptive to daily functioning
Difficult to control

In these cases, anxiety disorders might be recognised as legitimate medical conditions. These conditions often involve dysregulation of the body's stress response systems and can have genetic, neurobiological, and environmental components.

So both perspectives hold true - anxiety is a natural response that everyone experiences, but it can also develop into a medical condition requiring treatment, when it becomes chronic and debilitating.

Talking and behavioural therapies can be really helpful with managing all types of anxiety, providing space and support to identify and change negative thought patterns. Therapy can help you to create your own practical coping strategies and self-management techniques that provide lasting benefits beyond treatment.

My own coping strategy involves writing down the things that make me anxious and focusing my thoughts and energy on the things that I can control, whilst giving myself permission to let go of the things that are out of my control.

What works for you?

Feel free to comment and share - you never know, your strategy might be really helpful to someone else...

08/12/2024

03/11/2024

Sitting with your feelings, why does it matter?

In a world that’s always urging us to move, fix, or distract, sitting with our feelings might sound counterintuitive. But taking a moment to truly feel our emotions, (rather than pushing them away) can be a powerful tool for personal growth, mental clarity, and emotional resilience.

Here’s why it’s worth trying:

To gain self-awareness:
Our feelings tell us what we need, what we value, and what might be missing. By sitting with them, we learn more about ourselves and our true desires.

Suppressing emotions can lead to stress and tension that show up in all sorts of ways, from physical symptoms to unhealthy habits.

Feeling our emotions allows us to process and eventually release them, leading to real, lasting healing.

When we sit with discomfort, we learn that feelings (no matter how overwhelming) are temporary and can be manageable. This helps us to be more calm, to build trust and resilience.

When we understand our own emotions, we’re better equipped to understand others and show up authentically in our relationships.

Remember, sitting with your feelings doesn’t mean wallowing or getting stuck in negativity. It is about giving yourself the grace to feel, reflect, and grow. Next time an uncomfortable feeling comes up, try leaning into it, just for a moment. You may be surprised by the peace and clarity it brings.

10/10/2024

🌍💚 Today is World Mental Health Day, a reminder that mental health matters every day, for everyone. It’s okay to seek help, to rest, to speak up, and to care for yourself and others.

Let’s break the stigma surrounding mental health and make kindness, compassion, and support a priority. Whether through a simple conversation, lending an ear, or being there for someone, every little bit helps.

Take a moment to check in with yourself and those around you today. You’re not alone on this journey. Together, we can create a world where mental well-being is valued and nurtured.

22/05/2024

01/05/2024

We may not realize when we violate our own boundaries if we grew up in an environment where boundaries were rarely respected. It may be difficult for us to identify when we might start to feel small, neglected, or resentful because we may have become desensitized to these experiences.

Repeated experiences in our lives start to feel normal to us even when they are not good for us.
As children, if we were not given healthy permission to say no, then we may have difficulty to be okay with saying no in adulthood. If we never learned to take up space, then we may be later challenged to express our opinions and thoughts in a room full of people. If there was no room to talk about our emotions growing up, then it might be hard for us to name what we are feeling and acknowledge it.

The good news is that we all have the power to change. Our brains create new patterns and behaviors through neuroplasticity. It takes more work on our end initially, but with consistent practice, these behaviors become automatic to us. However, the first step is understanding ourselves better. How were your boundaries violated and neglected in the past? How does that impact your ability to set boundaries for yourself?

If you enjoy learning about these topics, I’d love for you to join my free newsletter to get more more in-depth psychology information in your inbox ♥️

Take care of your mind and body. Love, Nawal ♥️

01/05/2024

Sustainable happiness requires work—lots of it. And the best way to start is by focusing on routines like these that you can practice daily to make your happiness more reliable and more durable.

01/05/2024

😂