Acute Stress Disorder

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What Create a Trauma and Chronic Health Counsellor?

For me, trauma is something I’ve experienced in multiple forms. In my younger years with parentification, then school bullying, and also at home with complex family issues. You could say crisis and trauma have always been my baseline—what I’ve considered normal. These life experiences shaped me and ignited a passion for helping individuals like you, navigating stressful experiences or healing from past events. These events can leave you with a hyperactive stress reaction. That means that you may feel hyper aware of other peoples emotions because it was a way you kept yourself safe when you were young. And this is where the connection between trauma and chronic illnesses is as our early childhood traumas effect us later in life. What this means is that the stress we encounter early in life effects how our nervous system developed and through our fight or flight responses, as having cortisol flooding the body with these traumas can cause later illnesses.

After these experiences, I eagerly trained to become a crisis counselor, driven by my passion to help others in similar situations. As when I had all those challenging times, I also had crisis counsellor support me through it, even when I didn’t think I could survive it. This inspired me to learn how to provide the same help for others in crisis. As I studied, I immersed myself in volunteer work at my local police station, assisting victims of traumatic incidents on scene, often after the worst day of their lives. I worked in different crisis centers and I loved going to scenes and following up providing long term support to survivors experiencing the stress and shock of the trauma. I knew what to do, and I felt calm and collected as I sat with them in their distress because I had experience in trauma. Sometimes, being there was the most powerful thing anyone could do for a survivor. I continued to follow up with them throughout the first year as they navigated grief of loss, anxiety that comes after trauma, and confusion—the most challenging period after death or trauma. This became something I excelled at and found meaning in. Seeing the growth in my clients as I provided personal support, fueled my dedication as I pursued my degrees in clinical counseling. Studying and volunteering deepened my love for helping others. And through exploring the ways trauma therapy can heal the wounds we carry away, resonated with me and fueled my passion. Therapy, is a powerful way to work through struggles and heal, it certainly helped me.

As I went through my training in counselling (i.e., a BA, MA, and additional training), I envisioned a certain path for my life, but it took an unexpected turn. Perhaps you relate? Sure, there were bumps along the way, typical for those who have experienced trauma. Yet when multiple chronic health conditions emerged it felt like I was being veered off course. These diseases are often a consequence of our bodies struggling to cope with high cortisol that damages us after years of stress and trauma. Balancing these health conditions while attending university and raising two kids was and is incredibly challenging, especially in these young years. Accepting and coping with these conditions has proved to be both difficult and confusing.

The frustration often set in because life wasn’t going according to plan. Our bodies tend to internalize emotional wounds and stress, akin to physical injuries, leading to lasting damage without proper intervention. Attempting to maintain a fast-paced life despite my health conditions exacerbated these issues. Perhaps you’ve received a diagnosis, are living with a disorder, and feel stuck, unsure of where to go from here, or are fighting it alone? Throughout my journey, I’ve frequently felt that way, and after 10 years these frustrations have forced me to learn more about illnesses and adapt to a new way of life, through seeking out new coping strategies.

Determined, I combined my knowledge from clinical counseling styles, neurobiology, and research into chronic illnesses to develop tools gleaned from my lived experiences with chronic health and trauma. I aimed to manage illness while navigating my daily life. And after years of coping with chronic illnesses, I graduated with a Master’s Degree, created online programs, resources, and an online therapy practice to assist others dealing with mental health, trauma, and chronic illnesses. Maybe I can help you?

www.thewoodscounselling.com

#ChronicFatigue #ChronicPain #MentalHealth #Trauma #PTSD #AcuteStressDisorder #Fibromyalgia #Migraine #ThyroidDisease #Caregiving

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Easy Access To a Chronic Illness Therapists in Vancouver, BC, Fully Online.

The Woods Counselling Co. is a trusted and dependable service for Online Therapy Canada Wide. Helping to provide personal support for those with chronic illnesses, trauma, anxiety, depression, fatigue, and more. Our online therapist is an RCC covered by insurance. Get Personalized Online Counselling
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Becoming a grandmother

I thought becoming a grandmother would be the most exciting thing in the world. Instead it’s made me extremely depressed because I don’t get to see him. I don’t even get a FaceTime with him. My heart is broken by the way I was treated after he was born. It was during the pandemic. I found out later her Mother was able to hold him. I was not able to hold him until he was 8 weeks old and I had to wear a hazmat suit. Her mother did not. She was able to hold him from day one. My husband and I are a lot older than her parents and we are not as well off financially. My son aloud this to happen and did nothing to stop it. I do not feel anything anymore. I have a brain injury that has gotten worse due to the depression and hurt I suffer with everyday. I don’t feel like a grandmother nor am I treated as one. On my birthday this past October I got a call from both my sons thats it. I waited for a FaceTime from my grandson that never came. I was devastated. They live close by it’s not like it’s out of state. We are not aloud to babysit him. We have offered and they make an excuse. Christmas with Santa Claus not us. Easter bunny not us. Valentine’s Day came and I finally had to say I had a gift and it would not reach him in time. She told me they would plan sometime to come out. They stopped in for 90 minutes sat and looked at their phones. He got his gift and they left. Everytime they leave I am crying and depressed. I hurt my back lifting him to get the mail. I’m still trying to heal my back. That was the last time we have seen or heard from them. We don’t seem to matter to them. I wanted to do something with Santa last year. My son says make it happen!!! I don’t know what he means by that. Then I see they took the train ride with Santa and we were not asked to come along. So if they already did it then why tell us to make it happen. I really have nothing to live for anymore. It’s getting worse and my son is now a stranger to me. The only way to protect my heart from more damage is to pull away. I really don’t know what else to do. I’m not rich Lyme disease took all my money. These last 3 years have been a living hell. Lost my mother , my brother and 6 others to suicide. Plus 22 more. I can’t even work anymore on line.
#brokenheart
#Depression
#BrainInjury
#Hoarding
#LossOfAParent
#PTSD
#LymeDisease
#RareDisease
#AutoimmuneDisease
#AutonomicDysfunction
#dyautomia
#Isolation
#PudendalNeuralgia
#suicidalprevention
#EmotionalHealth
#AcuteStressDisorder
#livingwithabuse
#ADHD
#KidneyDisease
#dentalpain
#Anxiety
#PanicAttacks
#Trauma
#venting

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BPD & Zoning Out

Dissociation during times of stress is one of the main symptoms of BPD. It's also associated with acute stress disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), both of which can co-occur with BPD

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What’s bringing you joy today? What’s stressing you today?

Share your ups and downs today. We can feel both happy and miserable at the same time but they key is to make sure we are aware of the small joys which can lift us up.

#CheckInWithMe #AcuteStressDisorder #Anxiety #Depression #Stress #MentalHealth

(Photo from Stressbuoy app)

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How stressed do you feel right now?

Choose the emoji that fits you best:

😇 - Not stressed, feeling #blessed.
😅 - Starting to sweat the small stuff.
😬 - I’ve got a lot on my plate but I’ll get through it.
🫠 - It’s fine. Everything’s fine. (No, it’s not.)
🥴 - Sick to my stomach, can barely concentrate.
🤯 - Stress is all I’m feeling right now! Help!

#MightyMinute #CheckInWithMe #MentalHealth #AcuteStressDisorder #Anxiety #ObsessiveCompulsiveDisorder #ChronicPain #Parenting #RareDisease

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