Christel Maritz Clinical Psychologist

28/04/2026

Feeling overwhelmed, mentally cluttered, or emotionally exhausted? That’s your mind asking for a reset.

We often push through stress without realising that our thoughts, like our bodies, need recovery time. A mental reset isn’t about “switching off”—it’s about creating space to process, regulate, and realign. When you reset your mind, you improve clarity, decision-making, emotional balance, and even your physical wellbeing. It allows you to respond instead of react.

Simple resets can start with pausing, breathing intentionally, stepping away from constant input, or becoming aware of the patterns running in the background of your thinking. But deeper resets often require guided support—especially when stress, anxiety, or past experiences keep looping.

As a Clinical Psychologist I am trained to understand how your thoughts, emotions, and behaviours are connected, and to help you work through them in a structured, evidence-based way. It’s not just about talking; it’s about meaningful, lasting change.

If you’re ready to reset your mind and take back control, reach out to me, at cmaritz67@gmail.com.

23/04/2026

The Body Remembers: Understanding the Physical Language of Grief

When we think of grief, we often think of it as an emotional state—a cloud of sadness or a wave of memory. However, grief is a **full-body experience**. For many, the first signs of loss don’t appear in our thoughts, but in our physical selves.

How Grief Manifests in the Body? The nervous system treats deep emotional loss much like physical trauma. If you are feeling "off," it may be your body processing what the mind cannot yet put into words.

You might experience:

* **The "Weight" of Grief:** A profound sense of heaviness in the limbs or a crushing sensation in the chest.

* **Digestive Shifts:** A "knotted" stomach, loss of appetite, or sudden sensitivities.

* **Brain Fog:** Difficulty concentrating, forgetfulness, or feeling "spaced out" as your brain redirects energy toward emotional survival.

* **Sleep Disturbances:** Insomnia or, conversely, a need to sleep for many hours as the body attempts to repair from the stress of loss.

Why We Shouldn’t "Look Away"! In our fast-paced world, there is often a temptation to "push through" or distract ourselves from the discomfort. But looking away from grief doesn't make it disappear; it simply causes it to store itself deeper in our tissues.

Embracing grief is not about wallowing; it is about **attunement**. When we acknowledge the ache in our shoulders or the tightness in our throats, we are acknowledging the reality of our love. To turn toward the pain is the first step in moving *through* it, rather than staying stuck *in* it.

Grief as a Celebration - It may feel counterintuitive to think of grief as a celebration, but **grief is the final act of love.** We only grieve what we valued deeply. The intensity of the pain is often a direct reflection of the beauty of the connection. By honoring your grief, you are:

1. **Validating the Relationship:** Acknowledging that what was lost mattered.

2. **Allowing the Healing Cycle:** Just as a physical wound must be cleaned and tended to heal, grief must be felt to be integrated.

3. **Celebrating Human Capacity:** Choosing to feel the depth of loss is a testament to your capacity to love deeply.

A Note for the Journey - If your body is speaking to you through these symptoms, try to listen with kindness rather than frustration. You are not "broken"; you are responding to a significant life event.

Grief matters because **the person or the thing you lost mattered.** Take it slow, breathe into the tight spaces, and remember that honoring the pain is, ultimately, an act of honoring the love.

**A simple practice for today:** - If you feel a physical symptom of grief, place a hand where you feel it (your chest, your stomach, your temple). Instead of trying to fix it, simply say to yourself: *"I feel this, and it belongs here. It is a part of my story."*

21/04/2026

Neurotypical brains tend to process the world in expected, standardized ways—efficient for stability and social alignment. Neurodivergent brains, however, often process information differently, not incorrectly—detecting patterns others miss, making unexpected connections, and approaching problems from entirely new angles.

17/04/2026

New 2026 studies show stimulants (like Ritalin) and atomoxetine work best short-term to calm ADHD symptoms like focus struggles and restlessness. Tools now help pick the right fit, while mindfulness, exercise, and talk therapy help long-term—but we need more proof on lasting effects.

Adult ADHD is on the rise (affects about 6% of adults), especially in women who were missed as kids. COVID brought more awareness, and science spots genes + brain wiring differences that make it stick around. Team up pros for the best care!

15/04/2026

Your Brain's Hidden Power!

Ever feel the world crashes in, sounds too loud, lights too sharp, emotions overwhelming? That's sensory overload: your brain drinks in details others miss, turning life vivid and intense.

Struggling to plan, focus, or shift tasks? That's executive function working overtime in your unique wiring, it's not weak, it's wrestling a firehose of input to create something extraordinary.

You're not broken. You're built for deeper feeling, bolder creativity, unbreakable insight.

13/04/2026

Many people today resonate with the term “Highly Sensitive Person” — but few know where it comes from.

The concept was first introduced in the 1990s by psychologist Elaine Aron, bringing language to a trait that had long existed but was often misunderstood. Being highly sensitive is not a diagnosis or a disorder, it is a natural temperament, reflecting a nervous system that processes experiences more deeply.

In my clinical work, I often see how this sensitivity can be both a strength and a challenge. When unsupported, it may feel overwhelming. But when understood and nurtured, it becomes a powerful capacity for empathy, insight, and meaningful connection.

Awareness is key, not to label, but to understand ourselves more compassionately.

Christel Maritz
Clinical Psychologist
cmaritz67@gmail.com

06/04/2026

As a HSP, I experience the world with heightened senses. This is evident through physical sensations, like being startled easily, or needing time away from large, loud groups. HSP are also known to be deep thinkers, and often get lost in thought. What stood out most to me, however, was this intangible ability to pick up on the emotions of others solely through feeling their energy. Simply being near someone who is feeling anxious or upset will set off my senses and make me fully aware of their tension.

There’s a growing awareness that “highly sensitive people” aren’t just “too emotional” or “overreacting”—they experience the world more deeply, and that has real implications for mental health.

Recently someone online described their experience beautifully:
“As a HSP, I experience the world with heightened senses. This is evident through physical sensations, like being startled easily, or needing time away from large, loud groups. HSPs are also known to be deep thinkers, and often get lost in thought. What stood out most to me, however, was this intangible ability to pick up on the emotions of others solely through feeling their energy. Simply being near someone who is feeling anxious or upset will set off my senses and make me fully aware of their tension.”

Research backs this up: around 30% of people are highly sensitive, meaning they process sensory, emotional, and social information more intensely. This can make them more vulnerable to anxiety, depression, and stress‑related conditions, but it also means they often respond very well to the right kind of support, therapy, and nurturing environments.

If you recognise yourself in this—the quick startle response, the need to withdraw from crowds, the feeling that you “absorb” other people’s moods—your sensitivity is not a flaw. It’s a trait that needs understanding, boundaries, and gentle care.

If you’re ready to explore how to live well with a sensitive nervous system, reach out. Therapy can help you turn heightened sensitivity into a strength, not a burden.

02/04/2026

World Autism Awareness Day 2026: Different, Not Broken!

Today, on World Autism Awareness Day 2026, it’s worth pausing to reflect on how we think about autism. A growing perspective in research and practice is that autistic people are not “broken” versions of neurotypical people—they simply have a different brain profile, with its own patterns of thinking, processing, and relating.

Autism is increasingly understood as a neurodevelopmental variation rather than a universal deficit. Studies show that many autistic individuals bring distinct strengths, such as deep focus or “hyperfocus,” strong attention to detail, pattern recognition, robust memory, systematic thinking, creativity, honesty, and direct communication. Their ways of relating, communicating, and experiencing sensory input may differ, but these are part of natural diversity in human cognition, not a flaw.

Several peer‑reviewed papers explicitly argue that autism should be understood as a difference in brain organisation and information processing, not merely a list of deficits. Work by Mottron and colleagues, for example, describes autistic cognitive and neural patterns as “atypical” rather than automatically “disabled,” and notes that some of these differences can translate into real strengths in areas like attention to detail, logical reasoning, and problem‑solving.

This emerging view aligns with the idea that autistic people are not broken, but different—living with a distinct brain profile that can be highly effective in supportive, flexible environments. While neurodiversity remains a developing and sometimes contested framework, current research increasingly recognises that difference itself is not a pathology, but a form of human diversity that deserves inclusion and respect.

27/03/2026

Finding the strength to try one more time when life feels overwhelming requires a combination of self-compassion, radical simplification, and mental reframing. Mental capacity is not a static resource; it can be nurtured during tough times by focusing on small, actionable steps rather than the overwhelming whole.

Radically Simplify and Take Small Steps
When your mental capacity is depleted, your brain shuts down, making big decisions impossible.

The "Rule of Three": Identify only three tiny things to accomplish each day (e.g., take a shower, eat a meal, send one email).

Focus on the Next Hour: Do not look at the next month or even the next week.

Focus only on getting through the immediate present.
"Brain Dump": Write down everything causing stress on a piece of paper. Cross off what you cannot control, and circle one thing you can take action on today.

26/03/2026

There is a moment many people describe in therapy that sounds something like this:

“I’ve always felt things more deeply than other people… but I thought something was wrong with me.”

They are often referring to what is known as **Highly Sensitive Person (HSP)** traits—a recognised and assessable psychological profile. While not a disorder, it is a clinically observable pattern of heightened sensory processing and emotional responsiveness. In some cases, people are even misdiagnosed or misunderstood for years before recognising this pattern.

Let me tell you a simple story from the consulting room.

A client once said she could walk into a room and immediately feel the emotional atmosphere. Before anyone spoke, she already knew who was upset, who was anxious, and who needed support. At school she was called “dramatic.” At work she was told to “toughen up.” In relationships she was often overwhelmed—not because she was weak, but because she was absorbing everything.

Over time, she learned to survive by shutting down parts of herself. Avoiding noise. Avoiding conflict. Avoiding people. But inside, she felt exhausted and confused. “Why is life so overwhelming for me when others seem fine?”

What we discovered in therapy was not a flaw—but a **highly sensitive nervous system without enough containment or understanding**.

And here is where the shadow side often shows up:
Sensitivity that is not understood can turn into anxiety, burnout, emotional overload, or self-criticism. People start believing they are “too much” or “not coping,” when in reality their system is simply processing more information than most.

The important truth is this:
Being highly sensitive is not the problem.
Not understanding it is.

In therapy, we don’t remove sensitivity—we help you understand it, regulate it, and work with it instead of against it. We build language for what you experience. We create boundaries that protect your system. We help you reconnect with yourself without overwhelm.

And slowly, something shifts:
What once felt like “too much” becomes clarity.
What felt like “overwhelm” becomes awareness.
What felt like weakness becomes depth.

If this sounds familiar, you are not alone—and you are not broken.

This may simply be a part of your psychological and emotional make-up that has never been properly understood or supported.

If you recognise yourself in this, therapy offers a space to explore it safely, make sense of it, and learn how to live with more ease in a world that often feels too loud.

Christel Maritz from Christel Maritz Psychologist is a qualified Clinical Psychologist based in Somerset West. Over the past 22 years she has come to realize that although there are different schools of psychotherapy, certain common denominators are occurring and that these denominators are brain ba...

23/03/2026

Ever felt like you were thinking in a different language to everyone else?? Realizing I’m neurodivergent was both empowering and terrifying. It finally made sense of a lifetime of feeling like an outsider in my own skin. Therapy has helped me turn that “difference” into strength, learning to work with my mind, not against it. I may miss some social cues, but I also see the world in a way many don’t.

What’s one thing your “different” brain has helped you do better?

Comment below if you’ve ever felt like you were thinking in a different language to everyone else.

If you’re in Somerset West, Western Cape, and want support understanding your neurodivergent mind, reach out to Christel Maritz, Clinical Psychologist:📧 cmaritz67@gmail.com

https://christelmaritzpsychologist.psychpractice.org/understanding-my-neurodivergence/

Christel Maritz from Christel Maritz Psychologist is a qualified Clinical Psychologist based in Somerset West. Over the past 22 years she has come to realize that although there are different schools of psychotherapy, certain common denominators are occurring and that these denominators are brain ba...

20/03/2026

Therapy is More Than Talking.

Therapy helps you break down experiences, reset your nervous system, and — most importantly — realize you are not broken.

It’s about experiencing life at a different level: understanding your patterns, releasing tension, and building resilience. Healing isn’t about changing who you are — it’s about reconnecting with your true self.

Take the step to feel lighter, clearer, and more in control. Therapy is a safe space to explore, process, and grow.

📩 Connect with Christel Maritz, Clinical Psychologist, and start your journey toward deeper understanding and emotional freedom today.