Shadow Play Counselling and Training

It’s that time of year when St.Ann’s Square looks so beautiful swathed in orange lanterns. People often walk this way to our counselling room and I say “aren’t the lanterns lovely “ So many people say “what lanterns” as they just didn’t notice them. Look up, look around, use your senses to pull you out if your head. It’s often not the best place to be 😊

Day 3 Wellbeing Week off - cycling on the Rochdale Canal. So easy, so beautiful. Manchester people get train out to Littleborough and off you go, through Todmorden, Hebden, Mytholmroyd and on to Sowerby Bridge . Jump back on train to Victoria 😃

Most of us spend so much time on disaster planning, what if it doesn’t work out? What if I look stupid? What if they don’t like me? We’re only human and our brains look for danger to try to ward it off. Try to take time picturing it going really well. What would that look like? How would you be feeling? Just doing that puts you in a more positive state, and you’re more likely to make it actually happen 😊👍

Spot on. Seems like almost everyone is struggling now even if they were fine with it all for months. Relationships are strained, anxiety is running wild. Take it really easy with yourselves people, don’t expect too much of yourself. Breathe breathe breathe xx

Not sure I can agree with the proclamation in Lush Manchester’s window 😊 People adopt social ‘masks’ as a way of coping with their sense of vulnerability, to cover up feelings of shame or worthlessness. But all this changing to fit compromises their uniqueness and their ability to deeply connect with others. Those masks which may’ve been beneficial at one time in their life, have kept them hidden and feeling isolated.
If they could summon the courage to show their self more, take a risk of allowing people to know them, they might just find people appreciate that, feel closer to them ... and that , actually, they’re alright just as they are.

Not all your thoughts are true! Often your nervous system is responding as it did in the past. Your mind tells you those sensations are familiar. There’s something to be scared of or worried about. You start to flesh out that story and follow it to it’s awful imagined conclusions. Those body sensations get stronger, you feel sick, your chest feels tight...Stop 🛑 Step out of the thought stream. Breathe... a big long breath out. Look around. You’re ok, safe right now. Not all your thoughts deserve your attention.

Happy day’s. I’m at the world trauma summit which I couldn’t afford when it was in Belfast but I can now it’s in my garden 😁

It’s Garden Wildlife Week so I went to hunt some down in my garden. This Is mindfulness; you don’t have to meditate if you don’t want. Just taking notice, really looking, like you’re seeing it for the first time, the colours the shapes. And before you know it minutes have passed and your thinking, worrying brain had a rest. You’re autonomic nervous system is soothed 💕🌷🐝🐞🐌🦋🐛🕸🦟🐜 @ Manchester North

It's Mental Health Awareness week, timely in the midst of this crisis. I've been thinking a lot with my clients about connection and solitude.
We’re wired for connection, from the second we’re born our survival depends on it. We’re social creatures and are meant to be around others. This Lockdown situation has challenged so many of us, removing the connections we so enjoy. But to not feel overloaded in our busy lives, we also need solitude. Solitude is a constructive state where reflection, creativity, spirituality, thinking or enjoyment of nature can happen. Some people I’ve been speaking to recently have also been realising that solitude has been missing in their lives prior to all this, and that its actually benefiting their mental health. They were so busy or always surrounded by people, or confused solitude with loneliness, a completely different thing.
What about you? Once real life fully resumes do you think you’ll be needing to seek more connection in your life, or might it be more solitude?

To keep counselling available to people during this difficult time sessions can still be carried out via Zoom, Skype, FaceTime, WhatsApp video call or Telephone. Stay safe people x if you’re on 80% income it 80% cost

This is interesting. Of course we know being in nature and green spaces is good for our cognitive functioning and overall well-being but research now shows we need 2hrs a week, the good thing being that it can be in smaller doses over the 7 days.... achievable 🌲🌿🌱🌾💐

Ecopsychology: How Immersion in Nature Benefits Your Health A growing body of research points to the beneficial effects that exposure to the natural world has on health, reducing stress and promoting healing. Now, policymakers, employers, and healthcare providers are increasingly considering the human need for nature in how they plan and operate.