Gail Ann Counselling

03/09/2025

Always 🫶

01/09/2025

A rainbow after the rain

27/08/2025

🌿Healing from trauma doesn’t mean the old fears, shame stories or intrusive thoughts vanish forever. They may still show up from time to time, that is normal, and can actually be part of a healthy healing process 🌿

As we heal from trauma, whatever shape or story that trauma has taken in our lives, it can sometimes come as a surprise to find that familiar thoughts, fears, or worries still show up. We might expect healing to mean a clean break, a moment where the difficult emotions and intrusive voices simply disappear. When they don’t, it can leave us questioning ourselves, am I really healing? Have I made any progress at all?

The truth is that it is both normal and healthy for these echoes of our past to remain part of us. Their presence does not mean we have failed, or that our growth is undone. Healing does not erase what has happened, it reshapes our relationship with it.

When those old fears or shame stories rise again, we can notice something has changed, we are not swallowed by them in the same way. There is space between the fear and who we know ourselves to be. In that space is self-respect, self-compassion, and the ability to meet ourselves with truth and with kindness.

So even when the old patterns revisit, they do not hold us in the same grip. We can be with them, and we can be with ourselves. That is the evidence of growth, that is the freedom, that is the light that tells us ..... I have changed, I am healing, and I am still moving forward

www.gailanncounselling.co.uk

26/08/2025

Shame is harmful, horrible, hateful. But shame has a purpose. It isn't just something we 'shouldn't' have. It's something that's trying to achieve something – albeit in an upside-down way.

Read more in my book 'Unshame': https://www.carolynspring.com/books

26/08/2025

Glimmers ✨

A glimmer is a small moment of calm, joy or connection. My daughter's little dog Bridget found hers in the sun and flowers yesterday and noticing hers brought me one too!

It made me think about how, just like certain things can trigger stress or worry, other little things can lift us. Glimmers are those small, everyday moments that remind us that there is still magic and beauty in the world, tiny reminders that peace and joy are still around us, even on the days when things are not going well. Glimmers are always there if we’re open to noticing them.

Glimmers and Triggers acknowledgement and

24/08/2025

💛 Do you ever feel like you should be fine… and yet you’re not?
Maybe you carry an unspoken fear of failure or criticism.
Maybe you find it hard to let your guard down and be ‘real’.
Maybe you worry about being abandoned, or feel you can’t ask for help in case it makes you appear ‘needy’.
Maybe you always say “yes” to keep the peace, even when you don’t want to.
Perhaps you feel embarrassed or ashamed for even having needs at all.
It can feel like these struggles are proof that something is wrong with you, that you’re broken, weak, or somehow “deficient.”
The truth is that these patterns often begin in our childhood or younger years, when we adapt to what life asks of us. They were ways of surviving, of staying safe, or of staying accepted and loved in our closest and most essential relationships.
They’re not signs of weakness, they’re signs of strength, and they can be healed.
You are not broken, and are not wrong, and you are not “too much” or “not enough.”
You are okay just as you are.
And it is very possible that life is waiting for you, whether in your relationships, your personal or work goals, more self-acceptance and confidence and all that these bring 💚

www.gailanncounselling.co.uk

Photo credit

23/08/2025

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20/08/2025

Is there one small choice you can make today that honours your own needs and keeps you in alignment with the person you want to be in your life and in your relationships?

At times, we can feel pulled in two directions ........

I want to do what I need for myself

But I also want to stay the kind of person I value being.

Feeling stuck between these two ...... if we choose ourselves, we’re letting others down, or if we choose others, we’re letting ourselves down ...... can feel conflicting and stressful.

The truth is we don’t need to choose one or the other. We can choose to check in with ourselves, and find ways to honour both caring for ourselves and staying in alignment with our values.

It might feel impossible, even a little ridiculous right now. But this is a skill we can learn, and it’s available to all of us if we choose to be open to it. Yes, it can feel scary, to let go of the 'rules' which have guided us, but most of the worthwhile things in life often are a little scary!

What one small choice you can make today that honours your own needs and also helps you stay in alignment with the person you want to be in your life and in your relationships?

This week I give myself permission to…
🫶 To know, and value, what matters to me
🌳 Take time to rest or relax without guilt
💪 Notice what matters the most today

What would your permission slip say this week?

www.gailanncounselling.co.uk

12/08/2025

11/08/2025

Mondays can bring a rush of expectations …… 💪
........ whether it’s meeting work deadlines, keeping the household running, supporting family members, or keeping in touch with friends.

When our minds pile on the pressure, we can try shifting our inner-voice to something realistic, kind, and actually more productive in the long run!

Re-framing the words and tone of our inner-voice is powerful….

Research shows that a nurturing, compassionate, and encouraging inner voice helps you handle challenges better and make choices that serve you in the long run.

When we’re kind to ourselves, we conserve energy, stay focused, and are more likely to achieve what’s truly right for us, instead of burning out trying to do it all at once.

🌤 5 Ways to Reframe Your Inner Voice - Work, Family and Friends Edition 🌞

1. “I didn’t get enough done last week” → “I did what I could, and that is always enough.”

2. “I’m letting my family down” → “I’m showing up in the ways I can today.”

3. “If I slow down, everything will fall apart” → “I know that if I do slow down, the world won’t collapse.”

4. “I should be coping better” → “I’m doing my best with what I have, and that’s okay.”

5. “I can’t do it all” → “I don’t have to do it all, it will be enough.”

Imagine how you might speak to someone you really care about, who is feeling the pressure to be ‘good enough’ in these aspects of their lives, and apply that same compassion, care and perspective to yourself. 💛

www.gailanncounselling.co.uk

27/07/2025

🌸We’re all growing through things the world doesn’t see.🌸

It’s taken six years, but here it is, finally flowering.

This hydrangea was a gift from my mother six years ago, and it has been through a lot. It’s been moved from place to place. It’s survived poor soil, harsh weather, and more than one sheep regularly nibbling it down its efforts. And mine!

And this year, quietly, it bloomed!
There’s something in that. Because the truth is, we all go through times when things don’t feel like they’re working, when we’re trying our best and still feel stuck.

We all have patches of ourselves that feel hopeless, tired, or left behind. But that doesn’t mean things won’t shift.

Our personal growth isn’t always obvious, and it doesn’t follow a straight line. And just because it hasn’t happened yet, doesn’t mean it never will. We all have the potential to bloom, when the time is right, when our time is right.

It might not look like anyone else’s timeline, there may be years of waiting, false starts and harsh seasons, stress, anxiety, sadness and old patterns. But the capacity remains. We all have the capacity to grow, to change, to begin again, not in spite of what we’ve been through, but because of it.

If we can stop expecting ourselves to thrive in poor conditions, begin to care for ourselves, actively, like something worth loving and protecting, we can begin to grow into who we were always meant to be.

www.gailanncounselling.co.uk

23/07/2025

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