Wishing You Well (2025)

02/09/2025

Life doesn’t ask for permission to change - it simply does. Like the shift from summer’s warmth to autumn’s quiet, transitions arrive with their own rhythm. Some feel like spring: full of hope and new beginnings and others resemble winter: stark, still, and uncertain.

If you're in the middle of a life change; a new career, a loss, a move, a relationship shift - you might feel like you're caught in a storm or stuck in the frost. Counselling can help you find meaning in the season you're in and prepare for the one that’s coming. No season is permanent, and each one carries its own kind of wisdom.

See https://www.counselling-directory.org.uk/counsellors/sabrina-evans or www.wishing-you-well.co.uk for more information.

23/08/2025

We often think of values as abstract words; kindness, honesty, growth. But in truth, values are the quiet architecture of our lives. They shape how we love, how we lead, how we respond when life feels uncertain. They’re not rules - they’re roots. And when we’re disconnected from them, we can feel adrift, even if everything looks “fine” on the surface.

Values give us language for what matters. They help us make decisions that honour who we are becoming, not just who we’ve been.

Among these values, one often stands quietly at the centre: Purpose. Purpose isn’t always loud. It doesn’t demand perfection or certainty. It’s a gentle sense of direction - a feeling that your life is part of something meaningful, that your presence matters, that your story is unfolding in a way only you can live. When we reconnect with purpose, we begin to move with intention. We stop chasing what others expect and start listening to what our inner compass is quietly pointing toward.

In counselling, exploring values isn’t about choosing the “right” ones. It’s about remembering what already lives within you. The moments that made you feel most alive. The choices that felt true, even if they were hard. The relationships that nourished something deep and real. If you’re feeling stuck, uncertain, or like something’s missing, it might not be a lack of motivation - it might be a longing for meaning.

Counselling can be a space to rediscover your values, to name what matters and to find your way back to purpose - not as pressure, but as possibility. You are allowed to live a life that feels true.

See https://www.counselling-directory.org.uk/counsellors/sabrina-evans or www.wishing-you-well.co.uk for more information.

19/08/2025

Ever held back from speaking your truth, applying for that job, or expressing your feelings… just in case you were rejected?

Fear of rejection doesn’t just protect us - it limits us. It whispers: “Don’t risk it. Stay safe. Stay silent.” But silence can cost us connection, opportunity, and self-worth. It can feel like a locked door. We stand outside, imagining what’s behind it - judgment, shame, disappointment.

Rejection doesn’t always come from others. Sometimes, it comes from within - from the stories we tell ourselves before anyone else gets the chance to respond. We imagine the worst: “They’ll say no.” “I’m not good enough.” “Why bother?”. So we don’t apply, we don’t speak up, we don’t reach out. We don't knock - we stay in the hallway.

That closed door? It’s not always locked. The light beneath it? That’s hope… possibility… the life waiting on the other side of fear.

In counselling, we explore where this fear began - maybe in childhood, maybe after heartbreak, maybe from years of criticism, or a moment you were made to feel small. We don’t rush, we don’t push. We listen, we heal. We build the courage to knock, to open, to walk through.

You deserve connection. You deserve opportunity. You deserve to be seen and heard.

See https://www.counselling-directory.org.uk/counsellors/sabrina-evans or www.wishing-you-well.co.uk for more information.

16/08/2025

You seem fine. You’re getting through the day. You’re holding it together. From the outside, it looks like calm. But inside, it’s something else entirely. Imagine a lake in winter. Its surface is frozen - still, silent, untouched. But beneath that icy layer, the water is alive, currents move, pressure builds. And the cold doesn’t stop the motion, it just hides it.

That’s what suppressed emotions feel like. You push down the sadness, you bury the anger, you ignore the fear. And for a while, it works; you function, you cope, you survive. But the ice doesn’t last forever; a moment of stress… a sudden loss… a quiet evening when the noise fades, and the cracks begin to form.

Sometimes it’s a slow thaw; tears you didn’t expect or a heaviness you can’t explain. Other times, it’s a sudden break; panic, rage, exhaustion. The lake gives way, and everything beneath it rises.

Suppressing emotions is a survival strategy - it’s how we’ve learned to protect ourselves. But healing asks for something different. It asks us to feel, to thaw, to trust that what’s beneath the surface can be faced, understood, and released.

Counselling is the warmth that helps you melt safely. It’s about creating space - gentle, consistent, compassionate - where you can begin to feel again. Where you can explore what’s been frozen and find your way back to emotional freedom.

You don’t have to stay frozen. You deserve to feel fully - and live freely.

See https://www.counselling-directory.org.uk/counsellors/sabrina-evans or www.wishing-you-well.co.uk for more information.

12/08/2025

Have you ever caught yourself spiralling into negative thoughts, convinced that one mistake defines your entire worth? Or assumed someone’s silence meant they were angry with you? These aren’t just passing thoughts - they’re cognitive distortions. They are like mental carnival mirrors: they reflect reality, but in a warped, exaggerated way.

Cognitive distortions are biased perspectives we take on about ourselves and the world around us. They’re habitual patterns of thinking that reinforce negative emotions and self-defeating behaviour. These distortions often arise from past experiences, core beliefs, or the brain’s tendency to take shortcuts when processing information.

These distorted thoughts can fuel anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and strained relationships. The problem isn’t just the thought itself - it’s how much we believe it. When we treat distorted thoughts as facts, they shape our emotions and decisions in powerful ways.

Your thoughts aren’t always facts. They’re often stories your brain tells you - some helpful, some harmful. Counselling provides a safe space to help identify patterns in thinking that may be holding you back and helps you give yourself the power to rewrite those stories with clarity, compassion, and truth.

See https://www.counselling-directory.org.uk/counsellors/sabrina-evans or www.wishing-you-well.co.uk for more information.

09/08/2025

Softness is not weakness. It's the quiet strength that allows us to feel, to heal, and to hold space for others.

We live in a world that often praises hardness - toughness, resilience, grit. But there’s a quiet power in softness that’s just as vital, and often overlooked.

Softness is the courage to feel deeply. To cry when something hurts. To pause when the world demands speed. To speak gently in a moment that could easily turn sharp. It’s the strength to stay open when you’ve been wounded. To offer compassion when you’re tired. To forgive yourself for not being perfect.

It’s the wisdom to know that healing doesn’t come from force - it comes from tenderness. It’s the bravery to sit with discomfort, to hold space for your own emotions, and to let others do the same. You are allowed to be soft. You are allowed to be strong in ways the world doesn’t always recognize. And you are allowed to take up space - just as you are.

Counselling offers a space where you can soften, to show up and be seen, without needing to perform or protect.

See https://www.counselling-directory.org.uk/counsellors/sabrina-evans or www.wishing-you-well.co.uk for more information.

05/08/2025

Burnout doesn’t always extinguish your light - it dims it until you forget how bright you used to feel.

You might still be showing up, still helping, still smiling… but inside, your flame is flickering.

You might notice:
A sense of emotional flatness, even in joyful moments
Feeling invisible in your own care routines
A quiet resentment toward tasks that once felt meaningful
Feeling irritable, anxious, or emotionally numb
Feeling constantly overwhelmed, yet unable to slow down

It’s more than just fatigue - it’s emotional depletion, a sense of disconnection, and the feeling that no matter how much you do, it’s never enough.

Counselling can help to identify the root causes of your burnout, rebuild healthy boundaries, restore your sense of self-worth and create space for rest, reflection, and renewal.

You don’t have to push through alone. Healing begins when you give yourself permission to pause and protect your spark.

See https://www.counselling-directory.org.uk/counsellors/sabrina-evans or www.wishing-you-well.co.uk for more information.

02/08/2025

Not every silence is peaceful. Sometimes, it’s the quiet weight of feelings we’ve tucked away to protect others - or ourselves. Suppressed emotions don’t disappear. They wait.

We often learn to silence our feelings - not because they’re wrong, but because the world around us doesn’t always know how to hold them.

So we tuck away the anger that might make us seem “difficult.”
We swallow the grief that feels too heavy for others to witness.
We hide the longing that might be misunderstood.

These feelings don’t vanish. They settle quietly into our bodies, invisible to others, but heavy all the same. Over time, we forget they’re even there. We just feel tired. Disconnected. A little more irritable. A little less ourselves.

But here’s the truth: Every unspoken feeling is a part of you asking to be seen. Not to overwhelm you - but to reconnect you.

What feeling have you been carrying without words? Give it a name. Whisper it aloud. You don’t have to explain it. You don’t have to justify it. Just let it breathe.

Because healing begins not with fixing, but with witnessing.

See https://www.counselling-directory.org.uk/counsellors/sabrina-evans or www.wishing-you-well.co.uk for more information.

29/07/2025

Vulnerability isn’t weakness - it’s weathering the storm without pretending it’s sunny.

We spend so much energy trying to hide the cracks.
But what if they’re not flaws?
What if they’re invitations?

To soften.
To be seen.
To let healing begin.

We often think we need to be “strong” to be okay.
But real strength is found in the quiet moments when we admit:
“I’m not okay right now.”

Vulnerability is the doorway to connection, clarity, and healing. It’s about showing up honestly, even when it’s messy.

In my counselling work, I hold space for those moments. The ones where you finally exhale.
Where you stop performing and start feeling.
If you’re tired of holding it all together, you’re not alone. There’s room here for your truth.

See https://www.bacp.co.uk/therapists/406729/sabrina-evans/ or www.wishing-you-well.co.uk for more information.

26/07/2025

Cognitive Dissonance is that uncomfortable tension we feel when our actions, beliefs, or emotions don’t quite line up.

You might say “I’m fine” while feeling overwhelmed.
You might believe in kindness but struggle to set boundaries.
You might post joy online while quietly grieving inside.

This inner conflict isn’t a flaw - it’s a signal. A call to pause, reflect, and realign. Healing begins when we stop judging the dissonance and start listening to it.

Have you ever felt torn between what you believe and how you behave?

Counselling provides a safe place where you can share the moments when your inner truth doesn’t match your outer world, and explore what can help you realign.

See https://www.bacp.co.uk/therapists/406729/sabrina-evans/ or www.wishing-you-well.co.uk for more information.

22/07/2025

Imagine a candle in a quiet room. When the wind picks up, the flame flickers - not because it’s weak, but because it’s sensitive to the air around it. The candle longs for someone to close the window, to shield it from the breeze. But over time, it learns to steady itself - not by becoming hard or cold, but by trusting its own warmth. The flame still flickers sometimes, but it knows it won’t go out.

This metaphor speaks to the tender need for reassurance - the longing to feel safe, seen, and soothed. It also invites the idea that we can learn to offer that steadiness to ourselves, even when the winds of uncertainty blow.

Counselling provides a safe, non-judgmental space where you can gently enquire “What helps me steady my flame when I feel unsure?”. It can help increase self-awareness, and gain access into internal resources and strengths.

See https://www.bacp.co.uk/therapists/406729/sabrina-evans/ or www.wishing-you-well.co.uk for more information.

15/07/2025

Being highly sensitive doesn’t mean you’re weak, it means you feel deeply, notice the subtleties others miss, and carry an emotional radar that tunes into the world’s whispers. You may often feel “too much” or “too affected”, but like a finely tuned compass, your sensitivity points toward truth, beauty, and authenticity.

In counselling, your depth is welcomed. It isn’t about changing who you are, it’s about understanding your sensitivity as a strength. Together, we can explore how to:
- Understand your sensitivity as a strength
- Set boundaries without guilt
- Rebuild emotional resilience
- Navigate overwhelm with self-compassion
- Embrace your sensitivity as a source of wisdom, creativity, and connection
- Realign with your inner compass

You don’t need to toughen up. You need space to soften safely.

See https://www.bacp.co.uk/therapists/406729/sabrina-evans/exeter-ex1 or www.wishing-you-well.co.uk for more information.

Wishing You Well

02/09/2025

23/08/2025

19/08/2025

16/08/2025

12/08/2025

09/08/2025

05/08/2025

02/08/2025

29/07/2025

26/07/2025

22/07/2025

15/07/2025

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