Laura Portsmouth Counselling

03/09/2024

I can’t believe that it’s 4 months ago today that I drove away from my house in Blossom to start this new van life!
I’m so enjoying it, it’s full of so many moments of joy that give me so much pleasure and am daily counting my blessings that’s for sure 🙏💯

I can believe however, that it’s taken me 4 months to put up the awning by myself for the first time today! 🤗😂

It really isn’t about how long it takes us to get there, only that we get there in our own time, at our own speed and pace and in a way that feels right for us.

I’ve not felt confident enough to do it before today on my own so have many times gone without it for the shade I so needed on those sweltering days in July and August.

I haven’t once berated myself for being useless or not good enough but reassured myself that in time I would do it and that it’s fine to wait til that day came.

Life is so full of so many challenges, hurdles and tests of our endurance..we cannot possibly expect ourselves to be able to ever manage each and every one of them successfully. More importantly we must remind ourselves that anything we achieve to accomplish is something to feel proud of but it does not define who we are…I am still the same person with the same character traits, values and morals whether I manage to put my awning out or not 😉

What do you feel proud of eventually managing to do?

Are you using self compassion whilst you persevere with it? 🤔 I really do hope so 💕

💪 💜 ❤️ 😎

25/08/2024

Kindness really does make ALL the difference 💕

In yesterday’s rain I became very much aware of just how much everyone’s kindness towards me since I started living in Blossom has truly helped me so very much not only in making it work but also in continuing to believe that I am capable of making it work.

You all know who you are, my dear friends, wonderful sister and my fab kids and Blossom of course 🚐, I really wouldn’t be able to do this without you 💕

There have also been random acts of kindness from strangers/campsite owners that have helped me so much.

From the smallest to the bigger acts of kindness, I am so thankful and grateful to each of you and to those I haven’t even met yet, it so warms my heart to know that there are so many kind people out there 💕

(I am also benefiting from being more kind to myself, I know I’m doing my best, sometimes that doesn’t seem to be enough but it is all I can do so I can’t expect anymore than that from myself can I 😉👌)

❤️ 🙏❤️ ❤️ 🙏 ❤️ ❤️ 💪

22/08/2024

It really doesn’t matter what other people think, they are not living your life, they are not you.

It doesn’t matter how old you are, it is never too late to try what you’ve always wanted to.

Do it your way, in your own time and the way that feels right for you around everything else that you have to do.

It will all so be worth it 👍💯

😎 ❤️ 💯

15/08/2024

Are you allowing your “shoulds” to guide you and influence your decisions, choices and even the person you are?

This is about fitting in, conforming to societal conditioning /pressure or other people’s expectations of you.

Try and not allow these shoulds to make your decisions for you but follow your true gut feeling, dig deep and be really honest with yourself about what you want and who you want to be 👌💕

09/08/2024

If you’ve never tried it before, how do you KNOW what YOU will think of it, feel about it, be affected/impacted/changed by it?

Don’t let other people’s experiences of something influence your opinion or choice you make of doing/trying the same. They are not you, their way of being is not yours, their frame of reference is not yours, their experience is not yours. It may not have gone well for them but it absolutely could do for you.

What are you not trying just because someone else has tried it and it’s not worked out for them?

❤️ 🤷‍♀️ ☝️😎

30/07/2024

27/06/2024

You can rewire your brain for positivity👌

It’s not going to be easy after so many years of just accepting, going along with, believing and feeling unable to do anything about changing it…but it is possible!

Start by purposefully noticing the positives that are around you, that you have in your life, that matter to you, that make you smile, that make you feel safe..

It doesn’t matter how big, small, who or what they are but try and focus your thoughts onto them more than you have done up til now.

You can choose to write them down somewhere to remind yourself of them, a bit like how you would go about learning anything new, you have to practice and repeat.
Over time with some perseverance, patience, determination, dedication and self compassion you can then learn to be able to automatically override your negative brain with the positives that help you feel better about who you are, what you are doing with your life and those you are sharing it with 💕

♥️

11/06/2024

What a beautiful end to a wonderful day for me, somehow the rainbow galvanised everything I was feeling..

A few of my amazingly brave clients this morning, digging deep and pushing themselves out of their comfort zones to make the changes they have been wanting to for so long. It really is so rewarding witnessing their achievements and how empowered they are now feeling 💪💕

Arriving this afternoon at this campsite for my first stay here tonight, it was great to find myself pitched next to two lovely friendly and interesting ladies who were so surprised to hear I am actually living in Blossom.

They have both been so very encouraging towards me, reminding me that the world is now my oyster and urging me to start blogging etc too!
It all feels so very exciting but also quite overwhelming as there seems so many choices now that I need to think about and decisions I need to make regarding managing the logistics of working and living in a motorhome.

I finally got round to cooking my first mini casserole which was very tasty and wholesome(I haven’t been prioritising what I’m eating as I should have been doing). It was so easy and really gave me a sense of being at home which of course I now am 😉👌

After a horrible few days last week when I was really doubting this whole new van way of life, today feels quite significant in how it’s showed me and given me all the reasons why I love it and so want to continue 💯👏

Life will always throws us curveballs and challenges that test us to the very limit of our endurance. We can find a way through if we remind ourselves that feelings do pass through us, storms do come to an end and there is light at the end of the rainbow…we just have to be as patient, tolerant and optimistic as we can 😉💕

☀️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ⛽

10/06/2024

Life really is so very fragile, is it time to reevaluate what really matters? 💕

04/06/2024

Did you sleep well last night? The night before? What about the night before that?

Continuous deprivation of the sleep you need compromises your mental and physical health and can result in more serious problems if nothing is done about it.

Don’t expect yourself to miraculously feel better when you are not getting the sleep you need night after night.

Poor quality of sleep is at the core many people’s issues regarding their lack of motivation, interest, ability to cognitively function as they would like to/need to for work or simply just feeling able to cope getting through their day.

If you are struggling to sleep, try and focus on all the things you know can help you such as..

⭐️ cutting out caffeine(preferably from midday onwards)
⭐️ getting out in daylight in the mornings(helps regulate your circadian rhythm, (body clock))
⭐️ not going on your phone at bedtime(preferably having it at least out of reach)
⭐️ teaching your brain that bedtime is switch off time(not switch on time), which means taking control of your thoughts.
⭐️ self soothe with one word ‘nothing’, repeat slowly and softly to yourself, helps keep your thoughts away from all that will keep you awake( another client has benefitted from doing this recently 😉👌).

10/05/2024

How very different the reality can be to what our thoughts have told us it would be like 👌(how can they possibly know when it hasn’t happened yet!)

Before I set off for this first mini adventure on my own, my thoughts were saying to me…

“You’re going to struggle on your own”
“You won’t be able to manage everything without any help”
“You won’t enjoy exploring by yourself “
“You’ll never go in the pub and order a drink for just you”
“It won’t be safe enough to go in the sea by yourself”

Well, I can now tell you that not one of these thoughts were in the slightest bit true!

There hasn’t been anything that I haven’t managed to do without having anyone to help me ✅

I absolutely have loved exploring my surroundings by myself✅

I felt so good going in the pub and ordering my favourite tipple ✅(especially today as a reward to myself for climbing the mountain and getting in the freezing cold sea 😉😂)

I chose a spot where there were a few others also in the sea and walking along the waters edge so I could shout if needed to ✅(it was amazingly invigorating 👏).

Your thoughts will keep you stuck believing you can’t do something if you allow them to.

Instead of that being your reality you can choose to go with the thoughts that fill you with hope, joy, a sense of adventure, a sense of achievement and excitement about what your future holds 💯

I’m so very grateful and blessed to be at this stage of my life with less responsibilities but also in having the awareness and knowledge that I can now use to help me live my life in the way that feels right for me.

So if your thoughts are holding you back from something you would like to try or do, remind yourself that you have the power to change them, correct them or ignore them as I did 😉

🌟 👊 ✨ 🧠

08/05/2024

It’s Mental Health Awareness this month of May and I’m certainly getting all I need to help me manage mine really well this week 👍🤗

Sleep/brain processing/healing✅
Eating/nutrition ✅
Walking/movement ✅
Swimming/exercise✅
Fresh air/daylight exposure/circadian rhythm ✅
Talking to friends/family/connection ✅
Resting/switch off ✅
Reading/escapism✅
Choosing me/putting myself first ✅

It isn’t always possible to do so many/meet so many of my own needs and wants but this week I am very aware of the WHY I am feeling so well, contented, grounded, in control, empowered, grateful and at peace 👌🤗🙏

All of the above list contribute hugely to how you are going to feel about yourself, your circumstances, your life and those who are in it!

Try to pay more attention to these things and you may well find you begin to feel more positive and able to cope with everything better than you have been 👌💕

💚 💚 ♥️