Feel Free

10/10/2025

It’s World Mental Health Day 2025 and it’s also Baby Loss Awareness Week, so I thought it was time for a more personal post. When we were trying to conceive I went through the lowest point in my life so far. My mental health was badly affected by the cycle of hope and disappointment that came with each month. All I wanted was a baby and not getting pregnant put me in a really bad mental space.

Then, when we did finally get pregnant it was an ectopic pregnancy. Since then, I suffered four further miscarriages. During this time we experienced feelings of stress, loss and grieving, low self esteem and isolation. Eventually I developed depression.

My story ended happily. But that time gave me a deep empathy for people who are struggling in the same way. I did some specialist courses and now I’m able to use my counselling skills to help others walking that same road. If someone trusts you enough to confide in you about their infertility and/or baby loss journey make sure you listen, empathise, don’t offer helpful advice (they’ve heard it all before), offer them a hug and check in on them. I will always remember a friend’s kindness when she sent me a sympathy card and flowers after a miscarriage.

10/09/2025

It’s World Su***de Prevention Day and I’m thinking of all those who have been touched by the sadness of su***de in some way.

18/06/2025

Self-compassion does not condemn. Choose to look at your old self with understanding.

14/05/2025

This is Mental Health Awareness Week and the theme for this year is community. Being part of a community is very important for good mental wellbeing. In fact, people with good social networks experience fewer mental health struggles because communities can provide life satisfaction and help people feel less isolated. If you don’t feel plugged in to a community, here are some ideas: go outside and get sporty, start a hobby, join a class, join a faith group, start volunteering. Just a step towards building community - like a quick chat with a sales assistant or joining an online support group can be helpful if some of these ideas feel overwhelming at the moment.

04/04/2025

“Poor listening diminishes another person, while good listening invites them to exist and matter." (David Mathis)

13/03/2025

It’s University Mental Health Day. I’ve been privileged to work with students with disabilities in university settings & the extra challenges can be huge. Physically accessing spaces, having the right equipment to aid learning on top of feelings of isolation. It’s a lot for a new adult to manage.

24/12/2024

Wishing everyone a peaceful and restful Christmas and new year. I’m back to work on Thursday 2nd January. 🎄

10/10/2024

It’s World Mental Health Day. Did you know that the highest su***de rate among women is between the ages of 45 and 55? It seems clear to me that going through the menopause can be a factor for some women. Of course, the causes of su***de are complex - dealing with work stress, parenting teenagers, caring for aging parents and many other things could all be factors as well. During perimenopause when drastic hormonal changes occur, many women report disturbed sleep due to night sweats, insomnia, brain fog, lack of concentration, feeling overwhelmed, loss of confidence and for some the onset of depression and/or anxiety for the first time in their life. Self care and self awareness will be key to emotional well-being during this time of flux. HRT, exercise, lifestyle changes and therapy may all have a part to play. If you know someone in this age range you can help them by listening, empathy, not minimising their problems, and of course practical help.

03/10/2024

It’s ADHD awareness month. Many adults are seeking a diagnosis after looking back at their childhood and realising their struggles were not their fault.

The following is a small excerpt from my new book 'Raising Attention' in honour of ADHD awareness month.

“So many more children have ADHD today, it can’t be a real thing.”
“Parents just want to get their children diagnosed with anything nowadays”

I have overhead so many comments similar to these. While it is true that there has been a dramatic increase in the number of ADHD diagnoses over the last decade, the majority of these are actually in adults, not children.

Between 2000 and 2018 for instance, the diagnosis of ADHD in adults increased twentyfold. The increase in child diagnoses did increase, but only moderately when compared to the adult rate.

Even if diagnoses are increasing, we must not be too quick to jump to conclusions that it is over-diagnosed, or indeed even that it is on the rise. The most obvious explanation here is that individuals with ADHD have always existed, they were just ‘the naughty ones,’ ‘the weird ones,’ or ‘the difficult ones,’ ‘the dreamers’.

There is a reason why the rate of diagnoses is increasing so much in adults, as people finally learn that they are neurodivergent and that the difficulties they faced during childhood were not their fault.

The more we, as adults, speak freely about our mental health and our challenges, the more open we are to looking into possible neurodivergence.

When it comes to childhood diagnoses, the advent of social media discussion groups, and parenting styles that place a focus on neuroscience, such as gentle parenting, it is a natural next step that this increased awareness leads parents to seek a diagnosis for their child if they are struggling with their behaviour and feel it is more out-of-control and explosive than that of their neurotypical peers.

It’s not that more children have ADHD, it’s just that we’re better at identifying it and talking about it, as well as less willingness to force children to be something they’re not.

Preorder my new ADHD parenting book here:

https://amzn.to/3Y4MnDX

10/06/2024

It's Men's Health Week and we thought it was a perfect opportunity to re-share our R.A.I.S.E. campaign which helps people to spot the signs of depression in men.

Our survey found that 50% of therapists reported men present with different depression symptoms than women and that 56% of therapists agreed that men are less likely to get mental health support than women.

What does R.A.I.S.E. stand for? 🤔

Risk-taking
Anger
Isolation
Substance Abuse
Exhaustion

The campaign aims to raise awareness of these lesser known symptoms of depression in men and to encourage men to seek therapy if they are struggling with their mental health.

Read more here 👉 https://orlo.uk/WRMxy

18/05/2024

There is always someone to speak to if you are in crisis.