Showing posts with label invisible illness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label invisible illness. Show all posts

Monday, 30 March 2009

Counselling CBT It Helped Me

I have been lucky enough to have had six weeks of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy on theNHS and then have had two years of counselling with the Wimbledon Guild at reduced cost.



At first I went to counselling because of on-going problems at work with a manager who had great difficulty dealing with someone with an invisible disability. I soon found that I had other problems wghen I realised that this new illness I had been newly diagnosed with was not going to go away, there was no cure and it seemed like a life sentence.



Going to counselling mean't not only was I able to deal with my problems at work, cry shout about the unfairness of it all but I was able to deal with the grief I felt about losing the person I was. That busy person who could do anything and probably more than one thing at a time.

Who was I, what was going to become of me when I had no job to define me? I was given extra sesssions when I found that I could not cope without the weekly sessions following a problem in the family just before last Christmas, I was not ready to do without my listening ear.



I was also able to explore problems from my childhood that I didn't realise I had, feelings of the strong need to be liked and overcaring for people then being surprised when they did not live up to my standards.



This was indeed a bonus of receiving counselling and I now feel like I truly know myself, what my needs are, my strengths and weaknesses. My reasons for behaving as I do and I feel a great peace within myself because I know myself. Whatever hapens to me I will be able to cope, I will manage, I will survive. If you get the oppurtunity to have counselling say yes please and take full advantage of it.

Friday, 6 March 2009

Asking For Help- Again and Again

Am now on my third day in bed am coping Ok with it but it brings me to this dilema. Having to rely on others to help you by bringing you refreshments, medication, water or other things because you either just cannot get out of bed because you are just too tired or have got a bit low and bed is the only place you are comfortable.
I sometimes feel like Miss Haversham shut away in the attic with no visitors the worst being knowing there are people in the house and they don't come near or by you. Maybe you don't have this problem but its hard to have to keep asking for help without feeling like you are whining or getting cross. I don't really know the answer to this one tried to bring up what I need myself and think about having another talk with offspring about needs. I guess they don't like to think that you are poorly and would rather close their eyes to the fact and think you are just having a lazy day in bed.

I think it is because the nature of the illness is to be invisible so you don't look sick and in the main you behave as if you are not sick so it seems to come as a surprise that you might need help after all you are the Mum.
Tomorrow will be better will try to get up and go out.