Happy Me

04/01/2026

18/12/2025

Huge list of calm down ideas!

These are simple strategies kids can use to calm down when angry, upset, frustrated, or overwhelmed.

https://www.andnextcomesl.com/2017/07/calm-down-strategies-for-kids.html

16/12/2025

When terrible things happen, we want to make sense of things for our kids, but we can’t. Not in a way that feels like enough. Some things will never make any sense at all.

But here’s what you need to know: You don’t need to make sense of what’s happened to help them feel safe and held. We only need to make sense of how they feel about it - whatever that might be.

The research tells us so clearly that kids and teens are more likely to struggle after a tr@umatic event if they believe their response isn’t normal.

This is because they’ll be more likely to interpret their response as a deficiency or a sign of breakage.

Normalising their feelings also helps them feel woven into a humanity that is loving and kind and good, and who feels the same things they do when people are hurt.

‘How you feel makes sense to me. I feel that way too. I know we’ll get through this, and right now it’s okay to feel sad/ scared/ angry/ confused/ outraged. Talk to me whenever you want to and as much as you want to. There’s nothing you can feel or say that I can’t handle.’

And when they ask for answers that you don’t have (that none of us have) it’s always okay to say ‘I don’t know.’

When this happens, respond to the anxiety behind the question.

When we can’t give them certainty about the ‘why’, give them certainty that you’ll get them through this.

‘I don’t know why people do awful things. And I don’t need to know that to know we’ll get through this. There are so many people who are working hard to keep us safe so something like this doesn’t happen again, and I trust them.’

Remind them that they are held by many - the helpers at the time, the people working to make things safer.

We want them to know that they are woven in to a humanity that is good and kind and loving. Because however many people are ready to do the hurting, there always be far more who are ready to heal, help, and protect. This is the humanity they are part of, and the humanity they continue to build by being who they are.♥️

10/12/2025

Someone told me yesterday that when they get nervous and their heart starts racing, they call it their “Inner Applause”—because instead of assuming something is wrong, they imagine their body is cheering them on. And honestly, that might be one of the most precious narrative shifts I’ve ever heard.

Think about how differently we would approach life if we treated our anxiety not as a warning to retreat, but as a signal that something meaningful is happening. Butterflies wouldn’t mean fear—they’d mean anticipation. A pounding heartbeat wouldn’t mean panic—it would mean preparation. The trembling hands, the shaky voice, the fluttering chest—maybe those aren’t symptoms of weakness at all. Maybe they’re the body recognizing a moment that matters before the mind fully catches up.

Every dream comes with a doorway, and often, the threshold feels uncomfortable. We’ve been conditioned to believe nerves are a red flag, when sometimes they are a green light. The body doesn’t always know the difference between excitement and fear. The sensations are nearly identical—the story we attach to them is what changes everything.

Calling it “Inner Applause” is like having your own built-in cheering section. It’s your heartbeat saying, “You’ve waited for this. You care about this. You’re stepping into growth.” It’s a reminder that the moments that make us shake are also the ones that shape us.

So the next time your heart races, try hearing it as a crowd rising to its feet—not to warn you away from the stage, but to welcome you onto it. Because sometimes, the body doesn’t say “stop.” Sometimes, it says “go.”
“Andy Burg”

06/12/2025

Love this from To You From Steph 💜

22/11/2025

Fight, flight, freeze, fawn aren’t choices, they’re survival responses.
We don't consciously choose how we respond.
These instincts are automatic survival responses wired into our brains. Understanding this can help us be kinder to ourselves when coping with trauma.

21/11/2025

Research shows that talking about su***de can reduce shame and encourage people to seek help. With compassionate and professional support, the person can move past the crisis point and begin their recovery.

We can all take action to prevent su***de with some understanding and simple steps.

If you’re worried about someone having suicidal thoughts, you should ACT IMMEDIATELY by taking the following 4 steps 👇

Learn more 👉 https://bit.ly/3ANCgqF

15/11/2025

07/11/2025

06/11/2025

04/11/2025

30/10/2025