Beth is 56 years old, lives in a cottage and loves to cuddle up to her cat.
She and her husband moved to Australia from overseas two years ago, but just after arriving, sadly Beth's husband Andy passed away. She felt very alone as all her family and friends were overseas. Soon after her husband's passing, she began hearing negative and critical voices which she struggled to understand or manage. She did some research and found resources about other people who also hear voices. Through reading their stories, she no longer feels so alone in her experience and has learnt some practical strategies to manage the voices and bring back a sense of calm in her life.
On a more challenging day, Beth finds it difficult to get out of the house as the voices tell her bad things will happen to her or that other people are conspiring against her. She uses a compassionate approach to help manage the voices and knows the critical voices are a sign that she is feeling stressed or anxious. At times when she needs to quieten the voices, she uses strategies such as singing and keeping busy with cooking and other household tasks.
Beth has found connecting with spirituality, mindfulness, spending time with her cat Harry and talking to a therapist have been helpful in building a more positive and peaceful relationship with the voices.