Counselling Conversations with Julie

Today's episode explores the common experience of obsessing over things in our minds, such as worries and conversations that didn't go as planned. This can create a negative self-image and prevent us from making progress. Do you find yourself overthinking situations more when you think about them too much? It's easy to interpret things in ways that aren't accurate based on our own experiences and...

Sometimes, we become so overwhelmed with busyness and completing tasks that it can be difficult to function daily. Do you ever feel like everything is too difficult to handle? It's important to know how to recognise when you're heading towards burnout, as it's a gradual process that doesn't happen overnight. Luckily, there are ways to identify the signs of burnout and prevent it from taking over....

On Thursday, September 14th, Australia observes its National Day of Action, which serves as a reminder for everyone to take a moment and ask those around us, "Are you okay?" It's a simple yet powerful question that can open up meaningful conversations and help us connect with those we care about on a deeper level. Thank you for joining me today. For more information please click the link to check...

 Self-regulation is important in relationships, wellbeing, and overall satisfaction and success in life. Self-regulation is the ability to manage our own emotions,  behaviour, and reactions to feelings and situations, events, or things that happen around us, which can include being able to regulate reactions to strong feelings such as anger, frustration, excitement, and embarrassment.  People who...

Picture this: Have you ever felt alone in a crowded room? Have you ever wondered why that is? How can that be when you have all these people to talk to? How can I be lonely? Loneliness can affect anyone at any time in their lives. Humans are social beings, and feeling valued and providing value to others through meaningful connections is vital to our health and wellbeing, both our physical and men...

Family violence is not one particular experience and may include a number of different forms of abuse, control, and/or violence. It can include physical, sexual, social, emotional, psychological, verbal, spiritual, technology-facilitated, and economic abuse. Family and domestic violence occurs in all ethnic and cultural groups, in all kinds of relationships and families, including heterosexual and...

Some days just getting out of bed can be difficult, not just physically but also mentally. We all know and recognise how regularly exercising our bodies can keep us physically healthy. However, exercise can also be attributed to a mentally healthy mind. Research demonstrates that people who exercise regularly have better mental health and emotional wellbeing. Exercise research also suggests that p...

Perfectionism is a trait that can focus on your accomplishments or how you look. A healthy dose of perfectionism can drive you to be self-motivated and overcome adversity and help you achieve success.  When your perfectionism is in an unhealthy space it can become a hurdle to achieving success. Being successful requires a certain amount of putting yourself out there to take risks and challenges, h...

Is there such a thing as a fair fight? Does it depend on which way the fight is resolved, or who is the perceived winner? Can you let the fight go if you do not think you have won, or does animosity and hurt feelings rear its ugly head in every fight? Do you repeatedly go back to the same fights, topics, and issues?  Thank you for joining me today. For more information please click the link to che...

We find ourselves encountering bullies at certain points in our lives. While we often believe that bullying is most common in children during childhood, unfortunately, this is not the case. Bullying does not stop when you become an adult. Research has found that adult bullies are usually motivated by the same things as child bullies and often do not consider themselves bullies. Bullying is about p...

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a mental disorder that can occur after an individual has experienced or witnessed a traumatic event, series of events, or set of circumstances, this can also include hearing about it.  It can be experienced as an emotionally or physically harmful or even life-threatening event that might affect their social, physical, mental, or spiritual well-being.  The s...

Learning about self-talk is important because it greatly impacts how you feel and what you do. Positive self-talk can be supportive and beneficial, it can motivate you to try new things, and it can be hopeful and optimistic talk. On the other hand, it can be negative self-talk that undermines, challenges your decisions, is pessimistic, and focuses on the negative and it also can erode your self-es...

Have you noticed in friends, family, or relationships couples can appear to bring out the worst in each other? Many friends, family, or couples find themselves in this type of situation and when things go too far, the relationship starts to enable the other’s bad habits, behaviours, or vices; this might be a sign of codependency.  Through a codependency triangle lens, also known as the drama or tr...

Polyamory is a philosophy that embraces the understanding that it is possible to fall in love and have relationships with more than one person at the same time, in an open, honest, and ethical way. A polyamorous person might be open to having one or multiple romantic partners.  Thank you for joining me today. For more information please click the link to check out more of what we are doing at Beyo...

Self-esteem is how you see or form your opinion of yourself. People with healthy self-esteem like themselves and value the things they have achieved in their life. When we have healthy self-esteem, we tend to feel positive about ourselves and life in general. Having healthy self-esteem enables us to have resilience and be able to deal with life’s ups and downs. When we are struggling with low self...

In Australia depression affects 1 in 7 people. It is a serious condition that affects your physical and mental health.  However, it is important to know it is treatable, and reaching out and talking to someone about how you are feeling is the first step. Depression usually develops because of a combination of life events, personal factors, and changes in the brain. It doesn’t usually develop becau...

What is journalling? If stress, unhelpful thoughts, feelings, anxiety, or depression are in your life, keeping a journal can be a great tool or strategy to manage those feelings and your mental health. Journalling is one of the ways that help you manage overwhelming emotions in a healthy way to express yourself. Thank you for joining me today. For more information please click the link to check ou...

Mental health influences our cognitive, emotional, psychological, and behavioural health. They all interact with each other and this influences our overall wellbeing. We will look a little closer at cognitive health in today's episode. Cognitive health is one aspect of our overall brain health and is closely linked to our emotional/psychological health. Without good cognitive health, we might be m...

Anticipatory grief exists and paves the way to grief and bereavement. Having an understanding of what to expect is important in having healthy supports in place that build up your resources, both physically and mentally. Thank you for joining me today. For more information please click the link to check out more of what we are doing at Beyond The Surface Counselling https://linktr.ee/beyondthesurf...

What happens when the overwhelm hits? This can look like worry, fear, or even anger. We can become so caught up in these feelings that we feel out of control. Our thoughts are racing, and we can’t seem to turn them off; this can be distressing and anxiety provoking.    Thank you for joining me today. For more information please click the link to check out more of what we are doing at Beyond The Su...

Long-term relationships do not have to succumb to boredom or ineffective communication. Restoring curiosity about your partner can bring your relationship back together in familiar and new ways. Thank you for joining me today. For more information please click the link to check out more of what we are doing at Beyond The Surface Counselling https://linktr.ee/beyondthesurfacecounselling

Do you make assumptions about the person you are, and tell yourself you can't do things? Do you harshly judge yourself?  Many of us have an ingrained belief system that limits what we do, how we live, and who we want to be. It is time to kick the habit of self-limiting beliefs! Thank you for joining me today. For more information please click the link to check out more of what we are doing at Beyo...

Being vulnerable means taking a risk, there is a chance of getting hurt. Taking the risk and leaning into vulnerability enables you to be the most authentic and true version of yourself. Relationships need vulnerability to survive, thus developing a deep bond and attachment to your partner. Find out today how to become more vulnerable in your relationship.  Thank you for joining me today. For more...

Is ADHD on the increase? What challenges does ADHD present for a person or a relationship? Today we delve into the three types of ADHD that present in children and adults. However, it is important to remember we are more than the challenges we face. Thank you for joining me today. For more information please click the link to check out more of what we are doing at Beyond The Surface Counselling ht...

When working with survivors of trauma there is an underlying thought process that most people bring into a therapy session and that is the feeling of shame and guilt. While these two emotions appear the same, they are not. Guilt comes in many facets. Guilt causes us to focus our attention on the feelings of others. Shame makes us direct our focus inward toward ourselves. Shame is intensely painful...