Grab a drink (non-alcoholic if you like). We want to have a quick chat.
It’s about what’s going on in your head – your thoughts, behaviours and beliefs. For the sake of this article, we’re going to relate this to the head of a beer (that’s the frothy part on top).
On the surface of you, we might see certain ‘symptoms’ like avoidance, anger, anxiety or low self-worth. But it’s important to keep in mind that you’re made of more than just froth.
Most of the time your outward ‘symptoms’ aren’t the whole picture, and trying to address them without looking at what’s beneath the surface is like sipping at the froth, and leaving the delicious body of the beer untouched. You have to take a proper swig to get anywhere.
What’s lying beneath the surface?
Environment – This could relate to the people you grew up with, people who’ve impacted you in the past, and/or who you’re impacted by in your everyday life. For example, a person who often responds to stress with anger may do so because they learned this behaviour from aggressive parenting in early life.
Personality – Your personality could also play into how you behave and act, and these traits are often learned from childhood caregivers.
Situations – Things like trauma, bullying or big life alterations could also be a contributor to your outward symptoms. For example, new parents can experience anxiety and depressive symptoms caused by the shock of caring for a newborn (sleep deprivation, loss of time and/or a complete overhaul of identity).
A strategie to managing your symptoms
(In case there’s any confusion, it’s not drinking lots of beer.)
If you find your behaviours/symptoms are impacting your wellbeing, relationships, performance or overall quality of life in an unhelpful way, a psychologist could help you unpack what’s going on. Connecting with someone who can work to identify what’s causing your ‘symptoms’ could make all the difference. Cheers to that!
Find a psychologist you ‘click’ with.