Shannon Swales Psychologist

02/06/2026

I was recently sent an article on the midlife journey and asked for my thoughts.

As I read it, I found myself nodding along to many of the themes: disruption, searching, loneliness, changing values, and finding a new way forward. But I also found myself wondering what feels different about the female midlife journey.

Many of us arrive here after years of caring for others, meeting expectations, carrying responsibilities, and putting ourselves at the bottom of the list. Perhaps that is why I often see midlife not as a journey away from something, but a journey back to ourselves. Back into the circle of care. Back to what matters. Back to parts of ourselves that may have been waiting quietly in the background for a very long time.

For me, midlife seems to involve a lot of unravelling and unlearning. Letting go of beliefs, roles, expectations, and identities that no longer fit. Making space to discover what does. I'm curious about your experience.

For those who have been on the journey for a while, what has your midlife journey involved?

What have you had to let go of?

What have you reclaimed, discovered, or returned to along the way? 🌻

01/06/2026

One of the topics that emerged in this week's Midlife Reclaimed Community - Heart Space was **life crafting** (sometimes called job crafting or work redesign).

It's the idea that sometimes burnout recovery isn't just about resting, healing, or learning new coping skills.

Sometimes it's about redesigning aspects of our lives so they better support who we are, what we value, and what our bodies and minds need.

My life today looks very different from the one I lived before burnout.

There have been many changes. For example, before burnout, I was seeing around 24 clients per week and carrying over 100 clients on my books. I was working in environments that I thought were simply part of being a psychologist.

Today, I work very differently.

I see a maximum of three clients per day, around ten per week, and primarily work from home.

One of the biggest surprises was realising how much my nervous system was being affected by things I had normalised—constant phone ringing, reception noise, interruptions, and a busy environment.

What I have learned is that recovery isn't about becoming better at tolerating what is hurting us. It is about asking what needs to change.

I'd love to hear from you:

✨ Have you ever redesigned or crafted your work or life to better support your wellbeing?

✨ Is there something you are currently considering changing?

And if conversations like this resonate with you, they are exactly the kinds of discussions we have inside the Midlife Reclaimed Community as we explore what it means to come home to ourselves in midlife.

Join Us: www.shannonaswales.com/midlife-reclaimed-community

31/05/2026

Books have been some of my greatest companions through burnout, recovery, self-discovery, and midlife.

The books on my bookshelf have challenged me, comforted me, expanded my thinking, and helped me find my way back to myself when I felt lost.

As a psychologist, I read professionally. As a woman in midlife, I read personally. Often the two overlap.

I'm curious...

📚 What book has supported you on your midlife journey so far?

It doesn't have to be a self-help book. It might be a memoir, novel, poetry collection, spiritual text, or something completely unexpected.

I'd love to hear your recommendations.

Side note: Inside my Midlife Reclaimed Community, we have a dedicated Book Club space just for conversations like this. It's home to a growing collection of book recommendations shared by both myself and the wonderful midlife women in the community. I've discovered some beautiful books there that I may never have found otherwise. 🌻 https://midlife-reclaimed.mn.co/

30/05/2026

Today I had the opportunity to virtually learn from someone whose work has profoundly influenced both my personal and professional life for more than a decade — Kristin Neff.

I have been following and applying her empirically supported approach, Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC), since 2012. Over the years, I’ve read her books, attended self-compassion training here in Australia, and integrated MSC into my own life as well as my work with clients.

Today’s teaching focused on Mindful Self-Compassion for caregivers, and several of Kristin’s insights and direct quotes stayed with me long after the workshop ended (see reel).

I don't know many midlife women who aren't caregivers in some way — whether caring for children, partners, ageing parents, clients, colleagues, friends, or communities. It’s one of the reasons self-compassion is almost always woven into the work I do with women. We so often extend care outward while forgetting that we, too, are deserving of care.

MSC has been a practice that has supported me through some of the most challenging periods of my life, including burnout and vicarious trauma and I have witnessed its impact in the lives of so many people I have worked with.

It was such an honour to be present with the woman who helped bring this work into the world and started a movement that continues to touch so many lives. It was worth getting up at 1.30am on a Sunday morning for.

Thank you, Kristin. 🙏🌻🧡

30/05/2026

Family 🧡🐕🧡🐕 ❤️

28/05/2026

“I learned a long time ago the wisest thing I can do is have my own back.” — Maya Angelou

I found this quote in a Mindful Self-Compassion text I'm currently reading and immediately highlighted it.

So many women reach midlife having spent decades supporting everyone else while rarely offering themselves the same loyalty, care, and understanding.

Having your own back doesn't mean never struggling. It means meeting yourself with compassion when you do.

These days, I can genuinely say I have my own back.

It's one of the greatest gifts self-compassion has given me. 🧡

What helps you know you've got your own back?

27/05/2026

This morning while journalling, I found myself reflecting on the ACT skill of defusion — the ability to step back from the thinking mind and see thoughts as thoughts, rather than becoming completely tangled up in them.

As someone with a very active mind, this has never come naturally to me.

I used to ask my partner what he was thinking about, and when he’d say “nothing much,” I genuinely thought he was kidding. My mind has always been busy — reflecting, analysing, worrying, imagining, processing.

But regardless of how busy our minds are, defusion is such an important practice.

This morning, I started doodling in my journal with no intention other than putting pen to paper, and afterwards, I realised I had drawn what looked like a satellite peering down on the world, and suddenly it clicked.

The satellite became the part of me that notices. The part that can observe my thoughts, feelings, sensations, behaviours, memories, urges, and the world around me without completely losing myself inside them. The world became all my inner and outer experiences, and the satellite became awareness itself. What a cool metaphor for defusion.

So often in burnout, especially in midlife, we become fused with pressure, self-criticism, over-responsibility, fear, and endless mental noise. Defusion helps us gently step back and reconnect with the part of us that notices. Not to get rid of thoughts, not to stop feeling, but to relate to ourselves differently. Sometimes healing begins there.

Take gentle care of you
Shannon

🧡 Disclaimer: This page is intended for psychoeducational and informational purposes only. The content shared reflects general reflections, therapeutic concepts, and wellbeing information and may not apply to your individual circumstances. It is not a substitute for personalised therapy, diagnosis, medical advice, or crisis support. Please seek support from a qualified health professional regarding your own needs and circumstances. A full disclaimer can be found pinned on my page.

26/05/2026

I’m honoured to have contributed this piece to the Australian Counselling Association magazine.

“Finding a way through imposter syndrome: Meet fear with compassion” is an excerpt from my memoir *Nothing Left to Give* and explores a lived experience of imposter syndrome, fear, and self-doubt through the lens of mindful self-compassion.

In the piece, I share a real-time reflection of learning to turn toward fear with awareness and compassion rather than criticism — and how this helped me continue moving forward even whilst afraid.

This work sits close to the heart of both my professional and personal work: supporting people to relate to themselves with greater compassion during times of struggle, burnout, vulnerability, and transition.

You can read the article here:
https://magazine.theaca.net.au/collections/emag-2-4/meet-fear-with-compassion

And if you are keen to check out the book: https://www.amazon.com.au/Nothing-Left-Give-Psychologists-journaling/dp/B0CJXBMJD9

Take gentle care of you
🌻 Shannon Swales

26/05/2026