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Pink Corner

anxiety


I am a qualified integrative counsellor with over 6 years experience and founder of New Beginnings Counselling. I also have a BA (hons) degree in Sociology and Social Policy. I believe we are all capable of creating a change in our lives that lead to personal growth and development and sometimes we need a helping hand in making this change. Counselling and psychotherapy can support you, in any area of your life that you may be struggling with or with feelings of anxiety, depression, grief, trauma, anger or stress. It can also help you through major life transitions such as motherhood, a change in living situations or in relationships. By guiding you to reconnect with your authentic self, your values and identity. Improving your confidence and self-worth.  Psychotherapy and counselling are closely linked, however counselling will often focus on the problems and parts of ourselves that we are already aware of. Psychotherapy will go deeper, uncovering things that may be hidden to us or that we are not consciously aware of.  My approach to therapy is a non-clinical and therapeutic approach. My aim is to help decrease negative stigma surrounding mental health and normalising it within our society. We all have mental health and it is our responsibility to care for it, just as we care for our physical health. I also believe in mental health education and I share information, strategies and techniques on how we can best care for our mental health and well-being, through my client work, workshops and in the articles I write. I offer my clients a safe space to talk, to be heard and understood without judgement. Therapy is different for everyone as we are all unique with our own world view. However it often focuses on helping clients to resolve problems, understand their thought patterns, gain new perspectives, learn how to catch, challenge and change cognitive distortions, improve their self-worth and sense of self and build a toolkit full of positive coping mechanisms. Therapy offers you the opportunity to resolve, process and let go of pain and worries that you have been carrying. It helps you to live authentically and with purpose. Prioritise yourself as you are the most important person to you.

Re-entry anxiety: How to adjust to life after lockdown 4 years ago

Re-entry anxiety: How to adjust to life after lockdown

By  •  Health

The lockdown cloud is slowly starting to lift and whilst some of us are eager to feel a sense of normality again in our lives, the prospect of a ‘new …
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Post-lockdown anxiety: What happens now? 4 years ago

Post-lockdown anxiety: What happens now?

By  •  Health

If you live with an anxiety disorder, or if you have experienced anxiety for the first time due to the pandemic, there are things you can do to help you …
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Living through isolation 5 years ago

Living through isolation

By  •  Health

This is a really challenging time for everyone. We have our good days, and our not so good days. Many people will be feeling lonely, isolated and disconnected from the …
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5 ways to create a new routine for your wellness at this time 5 years ago

5 ways to create a new routine for your wellness at this time

By  •  Health

Without a routine, our life can feel stressful and unpredictable. If you have a mental health condition, this unpredictability and lack of structure can cause you extra stress, worry, as …
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15 wellness tips for self-isolation 5 years ago

15 wellness tips for self-isolation

By  •  Health

The main focus at the minute with my clients, myself, my friends, my family and probably the majority of people is how can we care for our emotional and mental …
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Facing social anxiety 5 years ago

Facing social anxiety

By  •  Health

Social anxiety, put simply, is the fear of social situations.

Living with social anxiety can be frustrating and overwhelming. Your mind is constantly jumping to the worst case scenario. …
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Tidy House = Tidy Mind? 5 years ago

Tidy House = Tidy Mind?

By  •  Health

The benefits of a tidy and organised home are obvious.

Cleaning can be an outlet for energy and negative emotions. Removing dust, dirt and clutter from our environment provides you …
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‘If this event helps just one person then it’s job done’ 5 years ago

‘If this event helps just one person then it’s job done’

A local Letterkenny woman has organised an enjoyable and education evening out for everyone to focus on wellbeing this August.

The ‘Mind Yourself – Women’s Wellness’ event will be held …
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5 ways to manage social anxiety this summer 5 years ago

5 ways to manage social anxiety this summer

By  •  Health

Social anxiety can impact on people in different ways. Some people will find that all social situations are stressful, while others will only feel the fear when they have to …
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Why social anxiety is more than just being shy 6 years ago

Why social anxiety is more than just being shy

By  •  Health

Social anxiety is more than just being shy.

• Social anxiety is all-consuming, slowly stealing your confidence and identity.

It is making you feel lost, unsure of …
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Naming Your Anxiety 6 years ago

Naming Your Anxiety

By  •  Health

Whether you get physical panic attacks or mental mayhem, heart palpitations or cognitive chaos. If you feel isolated or watched,  terrified of a crowd or of interacting with one person …
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Motherhood and Me 6 years ago

Motherhood and Me

By  •  Health, Mammy

Being a mum in today’s world is no easy task, as amazing as it is, it is hard. With all the ‘normal’ duties of motherhood, mums today also have to …
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5 ways to manage social anxiety 6 years ago

5 ways to manage social anxiety

By  •  Health

Anxiety is a part of everyday life for many people. Yet you may be completely unaware, as so many people put in a lot of energy and time in hiding …
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How counselling can help treat Obsessive Compulsive Disorder 6 years ago

How counselling can help treat Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

By  •  Health

What is OCD?

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is a mental illness that creates negative thoughts. These thoughts lead you to believe that if you do not carry out a certain …
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How to calm your anxious thoughts 6 years ago

How to calm your anxious thoughts

By  •  Health

We all have anxious thoughts from time to time but sometimes these thoughts can be all we think about. They are intrusive, frightening, repetitive and hard to stop.

It …
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5 ways to deal with rejection when feeling anxious 7 years ago

5 ways to deal with rejection when feeling anxious

By  •  Health

Rejection is hard for most people. Since childhood, we have looked for acceptance from our friends in school to our parents at home. Sometimes doing whatever we can and …
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Don’t think about the Pink Elephant 7 years ago

Don’t think about the Pink Elephant

By  •  Health

Let’s do a thought experiment:

  • Close your eyes.
  • Imagine a pink elephant
  • What shade of pink is it?
  • Is it happy/sad/indifferent?
  • Think about the pink elephant for 60 …
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How to step into Christmas… and away from social anxiety 7 years ago

How to step into Christmas… and away from social anxiety

By  •  Health

With Christmas getting closer, many of us will feel a mixture of excitement and worry. However, for those of you who live with social anxiety, Christmas can be a very …
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Facing your Fear 7 years ago

Facing your Fear

By  •  Health

“Fear is nothing more than an obstacle that stands in the way of progress. In overcoming our fears we can move forward, stronger and wiser within ourselves.”


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Find your Mama Squad 7 years ago

Find your Mama Squad

By  •  Health, Mammy

How are you?

“I’m grand, yeah fine, I’m good”.

How many times a day do we tell ourselves this, do we tell other people this?

Have you perfected your mask?


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‘Admitting weakness gives me strength’ – a Donegal mammy opens up 7 years ago

‘Admitting weakness gives me strength’ – a Donegal mammy opens up

By  •  Mammy

Last Sunday, Donegal Woman Columnist and local blogger Maria Rushe, The S-Mum, posted a blog entitled “My Little Bitch, Anxiety.”

The reaction to the post was phenomenal, with over 100 other …
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15 ways to ease anxiety for a good night’s sleep 7 years ago

15 ways to ease anxiety for a good night’s sleep

By  •  Health

“My nights are for overthinking, my mornings are for oversleeping”

It’s 3am.

You’re wide awake, just laying there in the stillness of night.

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Loving someone with anxiety 8 years ago

Loving someone with anxiety

By  •  Health

Anxiety is unpredictable, confusing and frightening. It is tough not just for the person who has it but for those who love them. If you are one of …
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Alison begins road to recovery after ‘huge wake-up call’ in Donegal 8 years ago

Alison begins road to recovery after ‘huge wake-up call’ in Donegal

By  •  Health

Little did mild mannered Alison Devine think her first encounter with Donegal would become headline news.

Three-weeks ago the 41-years-old Scottish businesswoman, and mother of two young children, was arrested …
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What to do when anxiety overwhelms you 8 years ago

What to do when anxiety overwhelms you

By  •  Health

“Coping with anxiety can be overwhelming. It may trigger your fight or flight response, while using all of your physical and mental energy”.

Living with anxiety every day …
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