Sounding good?!
I've asked my clients to write a few words of feedback, advice or encouragement for people thinking about whether to take the leap! They are the experts from experience of course! I’m sure you’ll feel inspired about possibilities for change, when you read how far others have come. I hope it also gives you a more detailed sense of how I could help you on your life journey, from those who have walked the path from struggle to strength themselves. There are no identifying details, not even first names or initials, as, to me, it‘s of utmost importance to protect peoples’ total confidentiality.
Handling stress and finding calm
With Eleanor’s guidance in helping me handle all the stresses of life, work, emotional rollercoasters and a very busy mind, I can feel that my outward “strength” is returning. I am looking again at all the creative interests I had when much younger and I am feeling motivated and inspired by them! Other people say they’ve noticed that I’m happier and calmer than I have been for many years, which is certainly true!”
What I have learnt from Eleanor has been invaluable and has improved my quality of life greatly. There are many things (e.g. buying a house, getting a new job) that I now look forward to doing, rather than getting totally stressed out and overwhelmed about them all and taking out my stress on other people accidentally.
I’d recommend CBT with Eleanor because I found it massively beneficial to my situation. After going for only 6 sessions, I developed skills to cope that I can now use throughout the different life areas that were stressing me out. I’ve learnt such helpful psychological and practical strategies not just for challenges in the here and now, but also for any potentially stressful or upsetting times ahead.
To anyone thinking about whether to start CBT, my advice is: just do it! It is truly invaluable. You won’t regret it and it is such a good investment for the rest of your life.”
I decided to start CBT because I had to take time off work due to stress and I always felt tired. I recognised that my thought patterns were affecting my well-being at work and in my life in general and I wanted to address this. CBT has helped me to identify think more positively about my life and environment. The most valuable things I’ve learnt are to not automatically take things personally, and not to worry so much about others’ opinions of me. The most important practical changes I’ve made are to reduce the amount of activities to which I commit myself, to build in relaxation time into my life and to change my nutritional habits.
With the help of CBT, my confidence has grown, because I can more easily separate out my negative thoughts from the actual reality of the situation. My sense of inner peace has increased because I can use strategies to prevent the onset of stress and anxiety. My relationships with my friends have improved and I am calmer and much happier. This is because I am much more self aware now and other people have said they’ve also noticed I’m more relaxed and cheerful. I think that CBT is a very worthwhile experience because it helps you identify how your thoughts are affecting your behaviour and actually go do something about it. If you’re thinking about starting CBT, I’d say try it for at least six sessions and complete the self-help “homework” between sessions. It’s worth the effort as you will definitely see positive results.”
Thanks to the process of CBT and Eleanor’s guidance, I’m much more calm these days. Rather than letting things escalate to the point of stress-out, I now evaluate what is going on, coach myself with more constructive thoughts and end up making firm decisions, because I can now trust in myself. My confidence has grown because I understand more about myself, and the things that make me feel good. Because I know this, I can do more of it, which helps me get a healthier balance in life. In particular, the way I handle my thoughts and feelings has changed and I also respond more wisely rather than react to situations now.”
