Ensuring you get a good night’s sleep isn’t just about preparing you for the day ahead; it’s crucial in looking after yourself, physically and mentally. Our body clock is regulated by routine, as well as light and darkness. This is why when it's out of sync, we can feel alert later at night or sleepy at unusual times during the day. However, there are ways to gently reset it when we need to. 

Sleep allows your body and brain to rest, repair, and rejuvenate. When we get enough sleep, we are more likely to get sick less often, are at lower risk of serious health problems, and are able to think more clearly. Sleep helps to reduce our feelings of stress, improve mood, and support our health and well-being.

I’ve been growing this idea for quite some time now. That we aren’t fixed pointed, stuck “selves” so much as living, shifting landscapes - and the more I’ve listened, to myself, to clients and to the patterns that keep popping up, the more I’ve realised this isn’t just a nice image to have in your head. It’s a practical way of making sense of why we grow the way we do, why we get stuck, and how we can start to move again.

“Just be yourself” is one of those phrases people offer with good intentions. It sounds comforting, simple, even wise. But when you pause and really consider it, it often creates more confusion than clarity. In some contexts, it can even be shaming or dismissive.

Here’s why it often doesn’t help - and what might work better.

There was a time when I felt wrung out like an old cloth, drained after years of pouring myself into a job that seemed to demand everything and give so little back. Travelling all over Europe, sitting in meetings, it was tough. I’d ignored the signals from my body for months: the heavy shoulders, the clenching jaw, the quiet sighs that escaped when I thought no one was listening. Eventually, exhaustion wrapped itself around me like a fog. I couldn’t think straight. I didn’t want to talk about it. I didn’t have the words.

Most therapy begins with conversation. You show up, take a breath and start to explain what’s going on. You reflect on how you feel, what’s been happening and how it all fits together. Sometimes, that alone helps. It clears the fog. Things begin to shift.

But not always.

I see them often.

Men who come quietly, cautiously, as though stepping into unfamiliar ground. Men who carry stories like boulders – handed down through generations, never quite theirs, but there all the same. These are not men in crisis. They are men in transition. Men attempting to break with the norm, to live differently than their fathers, their grandfathers, the silent lines and male blueprints before them.

Some minds bloom sideways.
Some don’t sit still in the chair of expectation.
Some speak in colour, metaphor and movement instead of neat little categories.

And yet, we label them.

I didn’t set out to write about trauma bonding. I set out to write about connection. But over the past few months, I have responded to a few issues witih clients bringing a similar angst in a different wrapping. The quiet confusion….“Why does it still feel like love when I know it’s hurting me?”

There’s a certain irony in life: we often get so busy trying to ‘achieve’ that we forget the real secret to productivity lies in.…doing nothing. If you’re like me, you’ve spent countless hours working yourself to the bone, whether it’s juggling endless to-do lists in your corporate job, studying until your brain feels like it might explode, or navigating the complexity of life’s personal challenges. You’d think that all that doing would result in some form of winning, right?

You’ve been staring at the same email for ten minutes, rereading the same sentence without taking it in. The laundry basket is overflowing, but somehow, so is your sense of apathy. Your to-do list is a novel at this point, and yet, instead of tackling it, you find yourself scrolling social media, watching videos of cats knocking things over. A little voice whispers, “You’re just being lazy.” But is that true? Or is something else going on?

Words have power. They shape our relationships, our self-perception, and our ability to navigate the world. But what happens when words are used not to uplift, but to control? When fear becomes the driving force behind communication, it can have a deep and lasting impact not just on an individual level, but on entire communities and even nations.

Men’s mental health is one close to my heart and a topic that’s often brushed under the carpet, yet it’s an issue that affects millions across the UK every day. The statistics are hard to ignore with three quarters of suicides in the UK being by men, and it remains the leading cause of death for men under 50. Over 4,000 men take their own lives each year in the UK, a number that highlights the pressing need for serious change. Despite this huge number, men are significantly less likely to access mental health support than women, with only 36% of NHS talking therapy referrals being male and for many, the idea of opening up about their struggles feels like an insurmountable challenge…..

The term ‘trauma-informed care’ is increasingly common in the mental health field, and for a good reason. Trauma is more prevalent than many people realise, and it significantly affects how people think, feel, and behave and we see it in the therapy room all the time. Whether it stems from childhood experiences, systemic oppression, or recent global events, trauma unfortunately shapes lives. That’s why integrating a trauma-informed approach into therapy isn’t just beneficial, it feels essential…..

As therapists, we often encounter clients grappling with social phobia, also known as social anxiety disorder. This condition affects an estimated 8% of the UK population annually, which equates to approximately 1 in 12 people (NHS). Social phobia manifests as an intense fear of social situations where one might be judged, embarrassed, or scrutinised by others. Understanding social phobia is crucial not only for those who suffer from it, but also for their support systems…..

Working for a coach training company, I have always thought is would be beneficial to provide integrated coaching and counselling sessions, and in fact wondered how a therapist could offer them mutually exclusively, without straying into one domain or the other.

In my mind, combining the two could offer a comprehensive approach to encouraging personal growth and emotional well-being at various levels and could leverage the benefits of both disciplines, to address past issues, whilst setting future goals….

Life is full of unpredictable moments, but few things can prepare us for the sudden loss of a loved one. When death comes without warning, it shatters our sense of stability and leaves us grappling with a whirlwind of emotions…..

Within human connection and emotional understanding, the concept of empathy holds profound significance. It's the ability to comprehend and resonate with another's feelings, a foundational element of compassionate interaction. Yet, as technology advances at an unprecedented pace, the question arises….can artificial intelligence (AI) ever truly embody empathy?