Chris Doyle is an accredited counsellor, with a focus on grief and loss counselling, abuse counselling, relationship & conflict resolution, and counselling clients with addictions.
Some will not know the next line of this song, written in 1962 by Charles Strouse; it goes “Put on a happy face!” Rod & Todd from “The Simpsons” white-knuckled through a rendition of it when the family Flanders had to go live in their car… Toxic positivity is the pressure to display only positive emotions, while suppressing any negative feelings, reactions or...
When addiction is mentioned, an image of the homeless, or those that have fallen through the cracks of society swigging cheap booze from a paper bag can come to mind. In reality, it is a fact of life for a large cross section of people from all classes, creeds and walks of life. The consequences of addiction directly affects psycho-physiological & biomedical wellbeing, impacts the economy and...
Grieving the loss of a loved one can seem unbearable, not just in the early stages of bereavement when shock and disbelief are the predominant emotions for those affected by the loss. Adjusting to the fact that we will never be in the company of that person again can be a form of torture. As the reality of loss sets in, panic can be followed by anxiety, dreadful sadness, and the agonised yearning...
Everybody will experience loneliness at some point in their lifetime, and most can relate to the experience, but what is actual loneliness? Professionals that specialise in the human condition have put a lot of research into this state of being, and concluded that loneliness is not just being alone, but a state of mind, rather than a situation. The major finding from these studies was the often...
Emigration is not a new concept to the people of Ireland.
Earlier instances that can be quantified go back to the “Flight of Earls”, Hugh O’Neill, Earl of Tyrone, and Rory O’Donnell, first Earl of Tyrconnell, who fell out with the crown in the early 1700’s, and got out of dodge while they still could.
In Ireland, we have a saying; “Hard work won’t kill you, but worry will!”
Most people could relate to the wisdom in that observation, but few realise the toll that’s taken on the physical, psychological and spiritual aspects of ourselves when flooded with negative emotions like stress, anxiety, grief or loss.