Hannah Carter Therapy

14/03/2025

What a wonderful mystery gift I received this week.

Thank you so much to whoever kindly sent this to me 🙏

I'll definitely be reading it this weekend as I enjoy a child free one 🙂

17/06/2024

Often, clients will share something that resonates with the moral below.

A gentle reminder - It can be easy to jump to conclusions yet it can also help to actively listen to someone to really understand what they are going through.

COPIED FROM ANOTHER FB PAGE:

The man doesn’t know that there is a snake underneath. The woman doesn’t know that there is a stone crushing the man. The woman thinks: “I am going to fall! And I can’t climb because the snake is going to bite me! Why can’t the man use a little more strength and pull me up!” The man thinks: “I am in so much pain! Yet I’m still pulling you as much as I can! Why don’t you try and climb a little harder!?”
The moral is— you can’t see the pressure the other person is under, and the other person can’t see the pain you’re in. This is life, whether it’s with work, family, feelings or friends, we should try to understand each other. Learn to think differently, perhaps more clearly and communicate better. A little thought and patience goes a long way. ❤
- Author Unknown

16/06/2024

My counselling space pretty much ready for my first face to face client from home next Monday 🙂

16/06/2024

Thinking of you all whatever your circumstances. Take care 🤗

Father’s Day is hard. 🧡

From Refuge In Grief

Here in the US, and many other countries around the world, Father's Day is upon us. We're thinking of all the people for whom this weekend is especially difficult.

The third Sunday in June (plus all the advertising and social media activity leading up to and around it) seriously sucks for so many people, in so many different ways.

However this Father's Day affects you, one of the most important things we can do for ourselves, especially on extra-difficult days, is be kind to ourselves. Grief requires kindness. Self-kindness. For all you have had to live.

Treating yourself kindly won't change grief itself, but it will make things easier on your mind and your heart.

Self-kindness is recognizing when you need to back off a bit. It's allowing your pain to exist without judgement, in trusting yourself, and in saying yes to what helps and no to what does not. Kindness means not letting your own mind beat you up.

Whatever your loss — father-related or no — I hope this weekend gifts you with something that lets you feel held, if only for a moment.

How does this thing impact you? Is it hard for you, or is it a non-issue? If it's not a sore point for you, how does the father-related pain of others affect you? Let us know in the comments.

NOTE: If you do not identify with or understand why something was included on this graphic, that's ok. That also does NOT give you license to judge, question, or complain about it in the comments. Please keep your opinions about other people's grief to yourself. This community is a NO GRIEF-SHAMING zone.

31/12/2023

On the stroke of midnight tonight,
you can resolve to be better, if you like…
to be fitter,
to eat cleaner,
to work harder.

On the stroke of midnight tonight,
you can resolve to become a whole new you,
if you so choose.

Or, you can take a moment to acknowledge
what you already are.
Because it’s a lot.
You are a lot.

And you deserve to be truly seen.

On the stroke of midnight tonight,
perhaps you could congratulate yourself for coping.
For breaking, again,
for rebuilding, again.

For catching the stones life has thrown at you,
and using them to build your castle
that little bit more beautifully.

And if you have used those stones to block yourself in for the ‘heal’, perhaps you can realign them this year. Make a grander gate, not a higher wall.

You have endured, my friend.
Through times you thought unendurable.
You did.

And I don’t see the need to resolve
to become a whole new you,
when you are already so very much indeed.

Happy new year.

You made it.

Now let us face another 365 day-turn together,
arms wide…
accepting, embracing and ‘seeing’ one other,
for all we truly are…

breaks and all.

Donna Ashworth

If you don’t have my latest book, it is on sale today. Very important to me. I hope it will be the read your new year needs.

https://amzn.eu/d/eDGFsCs

ART by Sherine Tolba Sherine Tolba Paintings

21/10/2023

What's your thoughts around time?

I feel the subject of 'time' comes up a lot in counselling sessions as well as in everyday conversations.

How many times have you heard yourself or someone else say "I didn't have the time to..."?

How does the idea of 'making time to do something' sit with you? An interesting question for me to ponder about as I lie here now my toddler has just returned to bed (woke due to being hungry) and I'm thinking "I haven't had time to do my core strength exercises today. How will my chiropractor respond to me saying I couldn't find the time?"...

Perhaps I'll find the time to do it tomorrow?! 🤦‍♀️ Is it more to do with inner motivation or prioritisation rather than us 'blaming it' on time?? Something for me to think about as I fall asleep 😴



(SHARED FROM ANOTHER SITE)

VERY NICE DEFINITION OF TIME...

Time is slow when you wait.

Time is fast when you are late.

Time is deadly when you are sad.

Time is short when you are happy.

Time is endless when you are in pain.

Time is long when you feel bored.

Every time, time is determined by your feelings and your psychological conditions and not by clocks, so have a nice time always.

17/09/2023

Take care of yourself whatever you are feeling or thinking today. Tomorrow will be a new day. Take each day as it comes 🤗

23/08/2023

"Today was a Difficult Day," said Pooh.

There was a pause.

"Do you want to talk about it?" asked Piglet.

"No," said Pooh after a bit. "No, I don't think I do."

"That's okay," said Piglet, and he came and sat beside his friend.

"What are you doing?" asked Pooh.

"Nothing, really," said Piglet. "Only, I know what Difficult Days are like. I quite often don't feel like talking about it on my Difficult Days either.

"But goodness," continued Piglet, "Difficult Days are so much easier when you know you've got someone there for you. And I'll always be here for you, Pooh."

And as Pooh sat there, working through in his head his Difficult Day, while the solid, reliable Piglet sat next to him quietly, swinging his little legs...he thought that his best friend had never been more right."
A.A. Milne

Sending thoughts to those having a Difficult Day today and hope you have your own Piglet to sit beside you

Author Unknown

17/07/2023

A gentle reminder to be your true self and to celebrate your own individuality (something I work a lot with in counselling sessions)

23/06/2023

If we ignore or try to push aside our feelings, they only try come back stronger! Sometimes they come through as physical ailments such as headaches, an upset stomach or even autoimmune conditions.

Acknowledge the feeling and then try process it or put it to one side until you feel able to address it.

Feelings can be overwhelming and sometimes hard to label. A starting point can be to pay attention to what's going on physically, eg. are you feeling warmth in your chest or somewhere else in your body? Do you feel a shiver or coldness in another part of your body?

Take care as you learn to recognise, acknowledge and process feelings. It's not something we are readily taught to do so be kind on yourself as you learn this new skill.

29/05/2023

So important to listen to and meet one's needs. It is hard to change a behaviour without understanding what lies beneath it.

02/04/2023

An interesting read on how to become more aware of your own responses and the impact this could have on your own children.