Fresh Start Counselling

11/06/2025

I will be launching a new service soon called Good Life Guided Imagery. This will be different meditations for your mental wellbeing and neurodivergent needs.

To give you a flavour of what they will be like here is a free audio the whole family can enjoy 😁

Find a comfortable place to sit or lie down and prepare to feel calm and relaxed 🙏

Welcome to this short, family-friendly meditation audio session designed to help you and your loved ones feel calm, reduce anxiety, and clear the mind.This g...

09/05/2025

Nature has a unique ability to soothe the nervous system, lift your mood, and create space for clarity, especially when life feels heavy.

In this blog, I explore the simple yet powerful ways that time in nature can support your emotional health. Whether you’re neurodivergent or simply feeling stressed or low, reconnecting with the natural world could be just what you need.

Read the blog here: https://freshstart.me.uk/neurodivergent-therapy-and-coaching/how-nature-supports-mental-health-and-emotional-wellbeing/

If you'd like to work with me, I offer online and in-person sessions, and a free 20-minute consultation to see if we’re a good fit.

Contact me here: https://freshstart.me.uk/contact

12/03/2025

Jamie Oliver is on the news this morning advocating for dyslexia support for our children.

I'm glad to see Jamie doing his bit. He is popular among a younger audience. Here is a Channel 4 documentary about his journey.

https://www.channel4.com/press/news/jamie-oliver-unpacks-dyslexia-powerful-documentary-channel-4

When I hosted Love Your Mind on Frome f.m. in Somerset I was very happy to talk to Theo Smith and Andy Reddy about their journeys. They struggled and made it their life's work to help others.

Only recently have I realised I'm probably dyslexic too. School was tough but I loved English and went on to become a published author at 45.

Love Your Mind spoke about Neurodivergence and Mental Health. I loved the nine shows I hosted.

I also interviewed Dr Miguel Toribio-Mateas CBiol a Neuroscientist and AuDHDer about the gut/brain relationship. So fascinating.

There's some fab tunes too.

For counselling and coaching around dyslexia please go to www.freshstart.me.uk

Have a happy day 😁

Sally 🩷



https://www.mixcloud.com/FromeFM/1-love-your-mind-270423-pilot-show/.

11/03/2025

These gremlins sneak up on us over time and their effects can be scary and far reaching. Check out these hacks 😁

When my bloods came back saying I'm pre diabetic I was shocked. Now that I have jumped down lots of rabbit holes I see how it probably happened.

I used drink a lot of alcohol which is packed full of sugar. I have a very sweet tooth (and savoury) so sweets, chocolate, popcorn, ice cream and crisps.

What was also a shock was to look at me I'm not big. I thought diabetes was about obesity. It isn't. Insulin resistance can begin way before pre diabetes, in any body type .

So this is what I do now - as best I can for an ADHDer - to become more sensitive to inulin (which is what we want) and to lower blood sugar and reverse pre diabetes.

I eat 2 meals a day, lunch at 11am and dinner at 6pm. My first meal is high in protein, low carb. I fast for 16 hours - 3 times per week.

No snacking

I drink 2ltrs of water each day which is correct for my weight - 140 Ilbs ÷ 2 = 70 fl oz = 2000 ml

I go for a brisk, thirty minute walk after eating which sends glucose to the muscles where it's supposed to go. I also use weights.

I keep stress levels down so I'm not producing too much cortisol.

My sleep is non negotiable and good length and quality.

This is a lifestyle change. It has built slowly since Sept 2024. I'd put on lots of weight during the menopause which lasted about 12 years from start to finish.

I'm not perfect and don't stick to all of this all the time but I'm cracking on and feeling great.

Have you struggled and worried about your weight, insulin and that you might be heading for type 2 diabetes?

If you're looking for support please go to www.freshstart.me.uk

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05/03/2025

Multitasking as exercise. Bouncing, skipping and listening to great music.

Fabulous for good mental and physical health.

03/03/2025

Eating 'clean food'. This means eating the Rainbow. Filling the body with vitamins, nutrients and the best sources of energy.

This helps to burn fat by keeping sugar levels down and keeps me fuller for longer 😁💚

Growing veg, fruit and herbs, cooking and preparing healthy meals and savouring the taste of nature's finest.

I eat lots of fish, chicken and some good quality red meat.

I love cake too. 20% the naughty stuff, 20% good stuff.

💚😋👏👏👏😋💚👏👏👏😋💚

02/03/2025

Determined to be fit at 60 and still have room for cake😋

Blimey O'Reilly, this health malarky is tough. Thing is, the gremlins creep up on us as we age.

Insulin resistance is the new term on the block in my world. I knew I was lurking around pre diabetes but IR can manifest over time, years in fact.

It's difficult to get tested for IR in the UK. I have done my typical bonkers researching and am treating my body as though it is.

Since last September I've been walking on average 8000 steps per day. I go to the gym 2/3 times a week for weights and love jumping on my trampet at home. Great for my joints

I ensure I get my seven and a half to eight hours of quality sleep each night

I begin my day with protein rich food and eat loads of complex and lower carb foods.

Keeping to a window of eating I fast three days per week.

Snacking has almost gone and my sugar consumption is much lower, apart from my coffee and cake treat on Saturdays.

I drink 2 litres of water each day.

My waist is one inch away from me being in the healthy weight zone. I'm using the height/weight calculation for health.

All of this has been a marathon, not a sprint. It's a big lifestyle change and I feel fabulous.

Quit booze, cigs and va**ng too, for good. No cravings 🤗

Walking in nature, and in the park, has been revitalising and my heart sings listening to the birds.

It was very tough at the beginning. Very.

I'll keep going because I'm seeing results and rather like my shrinking body 👏👏👏👏👏🤗

28/02/2025

Are you neurodivergent? Apparently this is our favourite colour 👏👏👏👏👏💚💚💚💚💚

27/02/2025

Do you struggle with intrusive thoughts?

They can negatively impact your life in so many ways, can’t they? Intrusive thoughts can feel overwhelming, repetitive, and difficult to control—but there are ways to manage them.

In my latest blog, I share practical strategies to help you understand, overcome, and banish intrusive thoughts, whether they stem from anxiety, ADHD, Autism, or OCD.

📖 Read the full blog here:

https://freshstart.me.uk/neurodivergent-therapy-and-coaching/understanding-and-managing-intrusive-thoughts-practical-strategies-for-adhd-and-mental-well-being/

If intrusive thoughts are affecting your daily life, I offer both online and in-person counselling to help you manage stress, anxiety, and emotional well-being.

📩 Book a free 20-minute consultation:

https://freshstart.me.uk/contact

Sally

23/02/2025

Walking, just fabulous for our mental and physical health.

Approaching 60 it's so important to keep my thigh muscles strong so I walk lots of steps and incorporate hills. Thank you Frome for providing lots of these. Keeping those falls at bay 🤗

Walking is the one exercise I can do regularly and enjoy. I listen to music, podcasts and audio books. When the sun is out I love to listen to the birds singing 👏👏👏👏💚

Sending motivational vibes to get out and walk 😁❤️