FND Sufferers & Caregivers North East England

29/04/2026

What interest would there be in a pie and peas night with either a quiz or bingo and what would be the best location Stanley Rowlands gill or cullercoats. Price would depend on numbers

29/04/2026

Sleep matters more than we like to admit 😴

When you’re living with Functional Neurological Disorder, your nervous system is already working overtime — and poor sleep only adds to the load.

Tonight, instead of just “going to bed,” take a moment to look at your bedtime routine & habits:

✨ Are you giving your mind time to slow down?
✨ Is your space calm, quiet, and comfortable?
✨ Are screens switched off early enough?
✨ Are you going to bed at a consistent time?

Good sleep isn’t just about hours — it’s about how you prepare your body to rest.

Small changes can make a big difference:
🌙 Dim the lights
🌙 Swap scrolling for something calming
🌙 Try slow breathing before sleep
🌙 Keep a gentle, consistent routine

You don’t need a “perfect” routine — just one that supports your body instead of fighting it.

What’s one habit you could change tonight to help your sleep? 💬⬇️

Sleeping

29/04/2026

Living with Functional Neurological Disorder can feel like being deeply connected and disconnected at the same time. 🌳🧡🥰

Like roots beneath a tree, our nervous system is complex, sensitive, and constantly responding to the world around us. When something disrupts those signals, the effects can be real, physical, and often misunderstood.

FND is not "all in the mind." It's a genuine condition where the brain and body struggle to communicate properly — like roots trying to send signals through shifting ground.

This image represents that connection:
🌳 Strength, even when unseen
⚡️ Signals that don't always flow as expected
🌱 The potential for healing, adaptation, and growth

If you live with FND, you are not alone - and your experience is valid.

29/04/2026

🧊 Placing something cold, like an ice cube, on the back of your neck can activate the body's parasympathetic nervous system 🧊

Cold stimulation may help calm anxiety quickly

Placing something cold, like an ice cube, on the back of your neck can activate the body’s parasympathetic nervous system, which helps slow heart rate and promote relaxation. This response is linked to the “diving reflex,” a natural mechanism that can reduce stress signals and create a calming effect within minutes.

While this technique may provide quick, temporary relief during moments of anxiety, it doesn’t treat underlying causes. It works best as a short-term grounding tool alongside long-term strategies like therapy, breathing exercises, and lifestyle changes.

Simple methods like this can help you regain control in intense moments but lasting mental health requires a broader approach.

Sources:

Cleveland Clinic
National Institute of Mental Health
Diving Reflex

28/04/2026

Tonight was Emily’s first social support group meet in cullercoats and she absolutely smashed it there will be more pictures to come it was even requested for her to have it on a weekly basis. Well done Emily and thank you everyone for turning up this really does make all our hard work worth it

28/04/2026

𝐅𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐨𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐒𝐲𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠. 🧠🥰

For some people, these symptoms are mild and sit alongside other health conditions. For others, difficulties with memory and thinking can become the main challenge, affecting everyday life — from work to socialising.

It's completely understandable to worry that these symptoms might be something more serious, like dementia or the result of a brain injury. But functional cognitive symptoms are different. They are real, common, and importantly - can improve.

Getting the right diagnosis matters. With careful assessment, healthcare professionals can distinguish between neurological disease and functional symptoms. A clear diagnosis can be a turning point, helping people understand what's happening and find ways to improve.

If you're experiencing these symptoms, you're not alone - and there is support available. Whether that be through your medical team, or local support and online support groups. 🥰

𝑼𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒑 𝒕𝒐𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕

Read more here… https://neurosymptoms.org/en/symptoms/fnd-symptoms/functional-cognitive-symptoms/

28/04/2026

Pick one habit.
So small it feels silly.
Eat a vegetable before lunch.
Walk for 5 minutes after dinner.
Drink a glass of water before coffee.
Then do it for 7 days in a row.

It's Monday morning. You're all in. Meals prepped, gym shoes by the door, snacks tossed, water bottle full. This is the week.

By Thursday, you're exhausted, cranky, and quietly wondering if it's even working.

You're not weak. You're stuck inside a culture that sells speed and calls it healing.

Here's the truth your body has been trying to tell you. Metabolic healing isn't a sprint. It's a rebuild.

Insulin sensitivity takes time to improve. Cells take time to start listening again. Hormones take weeks to find their rhythm. Energy takes even longer to stop spiking and crashing. None of that shows up on Day 3 of a boot camp.

That's why the all-or-nothing plan flames out. It's not a discipline problem. It's a biology problem.

The fix is almost laughably small. Pick one habit. So small it feels silly. Eat a vegetable before lunch. Walk for 5 minutes after dinner. Drink a glass of water before coffee. Then do it for 7 days in a row.

You're not building a habit. You're proving to your brain that you can follow through. That trust is the foundation everything else gets built on.

This is the 17th article in my A to Z of Diabetes series. Q is for Quick Fix Culture. I wrote a full article on why fast plans fail, how repetition rewires your metabolism, and the 7-day micro habit challenge that starts the rebuild.

Read it below 👇️

28/04/2026

“Blue State Mind”…

Who else loves being near water? Whether it be the sea, a lake or a river 🙋🏼‍♀️

🌊🧘 Being near water reduces stress by triggering a “blue mind” state - a meditative, relaxed state that lowers blood pressure and heart rate, decreases cortisol (the primary stress hormone) levels, and reduces sensory overload. The rhythmic sound, visual stimulation, and surrounding natural environment engage the senses, encouraging mindfulness, mental clarity, and a calm, parasympathetic nervous system response.

To elaborate, the sounds of water (crashing waves, gentle streams) align with the brain’s natural frequency, lowering heart rates and blood pressure. Negative ions produced by crashing waves can also decrease anxiety.

Water also provides a “soft fascination”, allowing the mind to stop overthinking and enter a restful state, away from the mental exhaustion of daily life. It engages four of the five senses (sight, sound, smell, touch) forcing a shift from anxious internal thoughts to external presence.

Being in “blue spaces” (coasts, lakes, rivers, etc.) connects people with nature, which is one of the greatest ways to reduce the “fight-or-flight” response. Proximity to water also encourages walking, swimming or boating which releases endorphins that boost mood.

The vastness of water creates a sense of “awe” or “something greater than ourselves”, which helps reduce personal stress and puts worries into perspective.

This calming effect is so strong that even viewing aquariums or nature scenes of water can lower blood pressure and improve mental health.

Being out in the forest or other green spaces can also reduce stress and I have a feeling it is a bit subjective - if you prefer the forest over water, you’ll likely feel more relaxed there and vice versa!

Do you prefer being near water or walking through a forest?

For educational purposes. This content is based on publicly available scientific research.

27/04/2026

"𝐔𝐒𝐄 𝐈𝐓 𝐎𝐑 𝐋𝐎𝐒𝐄 𝐈𝐓" 🧠🧡🥰

𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒔𝒆𝒕𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌𝒔.

With FND, every movement, every thought, every small action is a step forward - even when it doesn't feel like it. Progress isn't about perfection, it's about showing up again and again.

Some days it's hard. Some days it's really hard.
But every time you try, you're building strength, retraining your brain, and proving that you haven't given up.

🧡 𝐾𝑒𝑒𝑝 𝑔𝑜𝑖𝑛𝑔
🧡 𝐾𝑒𝑒𝑝 𝑡𝑟𝑦𝑖𝑛𝑔
🧡 𝐾𝑒𝑒𝑝 𝑏𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑒𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑛 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑓

Because those small steps? They add up to something powerful. You've got this 💪🏼🥰

27/04/2026

“Gratitude List”… 🥰🤩

27/04/2026

No Screen Challenge… 📺 ❌📱 ❌ 💻 ❌

Here’s a fun idea to try over the next few evenings. See how many of these no-screen ideas you can do. Some of them you may find a little tougher than expected.

Screens are a big part of our lives, so we’re always going to have them in our lives. However, taking a break from our screens is so important. There are ideas here to encourage you to be present, complete simple activities without interruptions, and ideas to go outside and be in nature.

27/04/2026

Reset… Reset… Reset… 🥰

Take all the resets you need. 🤍