One of the best things my counsellor told me in our early sessions was that my emotions, behaviours, feelings and reactions were perfectly normal given what I had gone through.

This was a real eye opener for me – a comforting arm around my shoulders at a time when I’d been berating myself for being weak, being a failure, for slipping back, for being unable to cope.

I was reminded of this again in a recent session when my counsellor pointed out that people can struggle when dealing with a single life-changing event, such as:

• Losing a job
• Looking for a new job
• Selling a house
• Moving house
• Dealing with anniversaries of bereavements
• Managing a long-term condition

I was trying to deal with all the above at the same time so in hindsight it was no wonder I was feeling overwhelmed and a bit hopeless.

Worrying and stress are a perfectly natural reaction to life’s difficulties.

If you also have an underlying health condition it is also perfectly understandable that these life stresses may exacerbate that condition and leave you needing to take some time for yourself.

For me, it was a timely reminder not to compare myself to those around me. They may be having a different experience; they may have different coping strategies; they may be less sensitive than me; they may not have my health issues.

Instead I was reminded to look within myself and take stock of what was happening to me, what I was dealing with and how far I’d already come.

I was reacting in a perfectly natural and normal way; I wasn’t a failure. Be gentle with myself – I’m still doing fine.