https://www.instagram.com/nuanced.mind/, https://www.nuancedmind.co.uk/

Nuanced Mind, Edinburgh (2026)

01/03/2026

Our brain may be the most complex organ out there, but it's also lazy🤷‍♀️

It loves a well-travelled avenue or a good shortcut - it'll choose it over the unknown or longer route every single time. It naturally gravitates towards extremes too. Because extremes are easy.

They are loud, attractive, and simple - they don't require too much thinking. And they sell well. It's enough to turn on TV or go online to see the ever mounting evidence. Extremes are popular: they gather the crowds, they shock, they enrage, they engage. They get people talking - or shouting, more like. And in an attention economy, the stronger and louder the reaction, the better.

And here’s one of life's paradoxes: the more stimuli the world throws at us, the more our brain longs for simple, uncomplicated, white and black answers. The more noise there is for us to process, the less capacity we have to engage with the world in a critical and analytic way - we end up either engaging superficially, or not at all. And it doesn't seem fair to judge our brain for it. Amazing as it is, it has its limits, and it’s not developing nearly as quickly as our societal and economic standards are changing.

Going against the current and striving for balance (in life and in thinking) is hard, and does not return immediate results. Balance takes time and effort. It's calm, slow, subtle and wildly unpopular. It doesn't fit in bite-sized, 15-second content, it's rarely funny or shocking, so it never goes viral.

And yet balance (in life and thinking) is the key to mental well-being. It allows for differences to coexist not just peacefully, but also productively. Psychotherapy - in my understanding at least - is a quest for that productive balance. And balance often starts with noticing nuance - recognising all those shades of grey in that white and black picture.

Nuance may be bad for social media engagement, but it’s good for your mental well-being.

18/02/2026

Live music is magic🎸🎶✨️

There is something very special in attending the gigs of bands that have been a significant and consistent part of my life for so long (I'm talking way over a decade!). Sure that their music is great, and live shows jaw-dropping every single time. But they're now also putting up a mirror for me to reflect back on the moments and emotions in my life that were both profound and mundane. Certain songs and albums signify not just the time in the band's growth, but also in my own. It's like we grew and changed together 🫶

It goes so far beyond music itself at this point... ❤️

Is there a band or an artist that you feel so close to?

11/02/2026

There is an idea floating about: if you think negatively, you bring negativity into your life, and vice versa.

While there is SOME truth to our thinking INFLUENCING our mood and outlook on reality, it NEVER directly causes things to happen. We don't hold this kind of magical power. In the space between thought and action reside feelings and agency. A choice to make: am I defaultingly reacting or mindfully responding?

I've argued before that thoughts are not facts. We don't control what pops into our heads, but we can control - or in other words choose - how we interpret our thoughts, what meanings we assign to them, which one we ride on, and which one we just let pass.

Agency isn't about control, it's about choice, about intentional actions. And your route to that action doesn't have to be (rarely is!) linear. It's not to say that from now on you should always mindfully respond and never defaultingly react - it's not a switch you can flick! But you can start working towards maximising your mindful responses and minimising your defaulting reactions. So that even if those unwanted reactions keep happening (and they damn will!), you can still drive most of your actions with intention.

Even if it's fairly easy to forget - you are in the driver seat of your mind, you do have a say. Very limited at times, but a say nonetheless.

The content of your thoughts is NOT who you are.
Thoughts are just thoughts.
It's what you do with them that really counts.

04/02/2026

For me as an expat, home has always been an ambiguous notion. I’ve learnt over the years that home can be many different things: a place, a feeling, a person, a community, sometimes a choice. Two years ago it became brutally clear to me that whatever home is to you, without a house – a safe base, a literal shelter – it simply ceases to exist 🏠

When I started my therapeutic placement in Edinburgh-based charity that deals with homelessness - in summer 2023, I was already well aware how dire the housing situation in Scotland is. But I could have not predicted how very close to home (pun intended) their mission was going to get. Barely half a year later, I unexpectedly became homeless myself and it just crushed me. Knowing how easy it was to lose the safety of the roof over my head and how very hard it was to regain it, changed my attitude towards the housing crisis irreversibly. Safe and affordable housing is a matter of wellbeing!

Contrary to what we are led to believe, the housing crisis isn’t an accident. It’s a natural consequence of years of government’s decisions that have been putting profit of big companies over people’s wellbeing. Living rent - a community-led union of tenants that I have become aware of while struggling with housing myself - is addressing the issue on both local (see for Edinburgh and for Glasgow) and national level by giving voice to us: tenants. Their main goal is simple: to make renting affordable (and better) for all. If you, just like me, are a tenant – or know someone who is renting (and I’m sure you do) - and would like to do something about the housing crisis, please consider joining.

The more we unite, the bigger chance we have to make a real difference.

The local branches run monthly meetings which can also be a good opportunity to meet new people 🤗

Everyone deserves a safe and affordable home.

You'll find the link to their webpage in my highlighted stories under "🏠"

31/12/2025

Starting small seems to be going against the current, especially around the New Year's time. The world appears to be drawn to the dichotomy of "GO BIG OR GO HOME". As someone who loves to write things down and plan ahead, for years I tried to embrace the tradition of New Year's resolutions. And almost every single year I would fail at it, simply because I aimed too high.

The hype can make you believe that you can pull it off: that you can change your life overnight. You just need the right tools (preferably purchased on a New Year's sale) and proper attitude (preferably acquired from a purchased pdf). It works for about the first two weeks of January, and then you feel like an absolute failure. And here's my first tip: January is just for surviving. Hibernate. Leave life revolutions for the beginning of spring, when the sun is back in your corner ☀️

Building new and lasting habits requires planning (specifically tailored for your own reality), and consistency in taking action (which simply cannot rely on your mood). We need easy, manageable tasks that will fit in our daily schedule as it is right now. So either attach a new action to an already existing habit, or replace an already existing habit (that you want to get rid of, or don't care that much about) with a new one. Don't just mindlessly add new tasks to a schedule that you know is already filled up to the brim. Motivation will run out (quicker than you think) and if it doesn't fit your life, it won't stick!

The smaller you start, the bigger chance you get at keeping it as a long-term habit. And so my last tip is to limit your yearly goals to a maximum of 5, but make sure that you never work on more than 2 simultaneously. If each of your 5 goals is a year-long project, drop 3 of them right now. Seriously, no one is going to juggle 5 new projects at once, while also trying to live their already established and full life. Be smart: be selective.

And one last note: if you are not in a safe or stable enough place to design achievable, just skip it altogether. New Year day is just a regular day - you can start on your goals whenever suit you ✨️

25/12/2025

What's the favourite ornament on your tree? 🎄
Mine is, of course, a fluffy hairy coo with a thistle in its mouth, gifted to me by .ley_ 🫶
It's an all-year-round kind of ornament for me, it lives on my shelf when the tree is down - that's how much I love it! 😍

Wherever, however and whoever you spend the winter holidays with (it's allowed on your own too😉), I hope you're having a good, peaceful time 🌟

Remember to take good care of yourself first: it can be just a regular day, there is no requirement to spend it in any specific way, no one's checking 😉 And the less pressure you put on it, the better!

17/12/2025

Here's the thing: whatever you need to recover from, you're going to make a mess out of it. Not because there is anything wrong with you or the way you're healing (there certainly isn't), but because healing by nature is helplessly messy. For everyone, anytime, anywhere, with absolutely no exception.

This is why lapsing is an integral part of any healing journey. It's very natural to slip up, get it wrong and try again. And again and again. Healing isn't linear. It takes time, it takes effort, entails plenty of mistakes, and generally isn't pretty.

It's a bit like hiking munros. The weather is often s**t (or at least unpredictable), you get tired and frustrated on the way, and there are at least a few false summits: when you think you've finally reached the end, but around the corner there is yet another piece of slope to tackle. And then, when you finally stand at the top, ready to take in the stunning views, all you can see is the white, thick fog…

But there are always some magnificent moments on your way up (and down!), and the satisfaction of actually making it to the top leaves you wanting to hike more. (Well, only if that is your actual jam, as hike-haters may strongly disagree with this analogy.)

It is not going to be one big, life-changing event (or a person) that heals you. It will be all those small, seemingly insignificant changes in your own behaviour that will have the biggest impact. That's where the real change, the real healing happens. It's quiet and barely visible at first, but has a ripple effect that has the power of truly transforming your life.

You are not expected to consistently succeed, only to consistently keep trying.

Failing is the expected part of the process - getting up and keeping at it is the key. It's not about how far and how quick you've come, but how you have never stopped getting back to trying💪

10/12/2025

Lights warming up the darkness ✨️🎄🌟🎡

The Christmas season can be tricky. It tends to come with a lot of attached ideas and we often either love or hate it 🤷‍♀️

I had a Catholic upbringing so Christmas used to be a big deal in my family's house. The pressure built up to a point that the day itself always fell short of the copious expectations. As a kid I loved the festive vibe (the lights, the decorations, the gifts, the carol singing), but hated the overall pressure for perfection (which, of course, could never be reached).

As I got older, left the Church and got much more aware of the commercialisation of Christmas, my view on it drastically changed (i.e. it became much less of a deal), but still: spending my first Christmas away from home in 2016 was surprisingly tough.

It took a few years and a few more Christmases "away" before I started seeing winter holidays as regular days that we just assign certain meaning and value to. And so I started assigning my own, while the said "away" started slowly merging into "my home".

Today (for me) the build up to holidays (so called advent) is mainly the time for slowing down and reflecting on the year passing. It is all about making my immediate space (as well as my mind!) cosy for winter and prioritising meet-ups with friendly faces over a warm drink and flickering lights. The goal for Christmas day itself is only one: to make it chill.

I now see festive time as an opportunity to find your own meaning - a different one every single year, if needed! Life isn't static nor linear and it loves chaos, so we are all bound to have crap Christmas once in a while 🙃 The goal is to make this time count for you, in whatever way fits. It really doesn't have to (but can, if that's your jam or feel for this year) look like a telly ad. Just make it your own 🌟

A wee light amongst the darkness ✨️

What is your take on Christmas time? 🎄

03/12/2025

We love to throw this sentence about: "just give it time". "Time will help".

And like with many other sayings, there is some truth to it. Some things - if not most - do take time. After all, nothing worthwhile happens overnight. Time can absolutely be - and often is - on our side ⏳️

But the idea that time itself heals all wounds? Nah. That's some drastically simplified version of a much more complex idea.

To put it blindly: time itself doesn't do s**t. It ages you at best, and even that is going to be relative. Time could be (and often is) a necessary component of our healing, yes, but without your actual work and effort throughout (or appropriate medicine if we're talking actual wounds), the exact opposite can happen. Time can make things much, MUCH worse. You can easily use the passing time to cherish or solidify your pain, rather than productively move through it. Time can help you either heal, or further decay - it's a choice of how you're going to use it.

That's the magic ingredient: CHOICE.

It isn't obvious, and it often doesn't even feel like a choice in the first place, but we do choose how we use our time. As narrow and limited as that choice can sometimes be, it's still a choice. And yes, not choosing is a choice in itself too.

So what are you choosing?

31/10/2025

Darker, colder, wetter, foggier and spookier 👻

The season of darkness is upon us! (I'm well aware it sounds pretentious, but I find dividing the seasons into light and dark much more fitting for Scotland than the regular 4 seasons.) Thankfully Edinburgh wears it gracefully, which reminds me how extremely fortunate I am to call it my home 🫶

I'll be replacing my Holyrood walks with wanders around New Town and Marchmont, as the first holiday wreaths will appear on the colourful doors, and flickering Xmas trees will start greeting me from every bay window. From now on, all my lunch breaks will have to be devoted to runs and walks - otherwise I'd have to wave goodbye to the sun for the next five months (at least), and I just can't have that!

The last three seasons of darkness were truly horrible experiences for me, and this is the first time in what feels like forever when I'm not actually dreading it. Quite the opposite, really: I'm looking forward to slowing down, cosying up with a cuppa inside (now that I have a safe and peaceful place to retreat into!😌), and turning my attention inwards. I feel prepared 💪

What about you? How are you preparing for the darker months?

💕 🦄

27/10/2025

Test your beliefs and assumptions, regularly and consistently 🧠

Better yet: get in the habit of testing your assumptions BEFORE they have a chance to turn into solid beliefs 🪨

It's a difficult task, of course. It involves risk and discomfort by design. And the more solid and deeply rooted the belief, the harder it is to test it. We all hold a belief or two (or dozen!) that we would much rather never ever have to challenge - we intuitively feel that some things are better off left alone. And so we get stuck in our ways sometimes 🔒

Going against years of subtle conditioning (and consistent confirmation bias) is always daunting at first, and cannot be safely done without some sense of inner stability. So, as much as I advocate for change and growth, I don't encourage jumping straight into the deep waters. Exposure therapy is gradual for a good reason!

So start tiny but allow that (often revolutionary) fact to sink in: all of our beliefs are, at their core, changeable. Which could be simultaneously terrifying and freeing to realise. And while not every belief is bad or dangerous, each is worth testing. I'm not saying that we shouldn't believe in anything (far from it!) - only that it could be beneficial to start seeing our beliefs for what they really are. Investigate and see: the findings may surprise you 🔎

08/10/2025

Over the past year I have spent many, many hours leaning over jigsaws and I regret absolutely nothing. If anything, I'm planning to spend even more hours on it in the coming year🧩

Some call it an old person's pastime and maybe it is a sign of me aging🤷‍♀️ But jigsaws became my symbol of rest, of me being able to finally, truly slow down. Podcast or audiobook in the background and I can spend blissful hours in an entirely different world. Without screen fatigue or any kind of hangover. Fully focused and yet fully relaxed. It calms me, brings satisfaction (placing that last piece always feels so damn good!) and resets my brain in a way very few things do.

I've been doing much more jigsaws during my social media detox and it felt really good. It got me thinking that this may evolve into a new pattern of my engagement with the online world: on a month on, month off kind of basis.

(And yes, I am a big Biffy fan; their newest record is👌🫶)

Nuanced Mind

01/03/2026

18/02/2026

11/02/2026

04/02/2026

31/12/2025

25/12/2025

17/12/2025

10/12/2025

03/12/2025

31/10/2025

27/10/2025

08/10/2025

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