http://www.carolinetoshackcounselling.com/

Caroline Toshack - Supporting Minds & Bodies, Louis Braille Way, Gorebridge (2026)

04/03/2026

Hello March 👋(my birthday month!)

Here’s what this month ahead currently looks like:

🌀the final Movement & Meaning of this winter arc is on Thursday 19th March from 6-7pm. The theme is EMERGENCE which sits nicely with the flowers emerging this month after the buds quietly waited until it was the right time to open.

✍️🗒️I’m allowing some writing to emerge having created some regular little slots in my week to do this. Tbh those slots have been there in my diary for a couple of months now, but I’ve fair enjoyed fannying about and not really doing anything instead 😂 it felt like it was what I needed, and did my best to feel into this, rather than berate myself for what I thought I ‘should’ be doing. According to Brene Brown ‘doing nothing’ is an essential part of the creative process that allows for rest, reflection and rejuvenation. It’s from that ‘doing nothing’ that insights emerge. It feels true for me.

📧I’m hoping that some more blogs will emerge and some wee nourishing email notes to my mailing list (little reminders that we are all human). If you don’t receive my ‘occasional’ emails but would like to, then drop me a wee message and I’ll make sure you get the next one.

👥 I also have some space now on a Tuesday afternoon to work with one more person. If you’re interested in counselling to help you with your relationship with your body, food, yourself or others then please get in touch. You can find out more on my website - link in my bio 🔗

🌷🌼🐇🌷🌼🐇🌷🌼🐇

25/02/2026

It’s Eating Disorder Awareness week this week.

I also seem to have been talking about dopamine a lot this week - unrelated. But also not unrelated!!

Dopamine plays a big part in the binge cycle.

So I put fingers to the keyboard and wrote about it…..

Binge eating can be really distressing. It’s confusing, feels out of control, and can come with an aftermath of feelings: shame, guilt, frustration… and self criticism around why it happened and resolve to not let it happen again. So when / if it happens again it can feel confusing and may increase the difficult feelings around it.

But here’s the thing: binge eating actually follows a predictable cycle in your brain and body. It isn’t random, and it isn’t a failure of willpower. Understanding this cycle can be a relief — and can help form new responses with more awareness and self-compassion.

It’s up on my website now and the link is the comments below 😁😁

24/02/2026

Seem to have been having a few conversations about dopamine recently - in relation particularly to social media and food relationships (particularly binge urges) - so thought I’d do a wee carousel about ADHD dopamine.

Dopamine isn’t a bad guy! And seeking it isn’t a bad thing. Actually we seek it for regulation.
BUT often (usually???) when we’re tired, overwhelmed, emotional we seek the ‘spiky’ kind of dopamine that’s quick to grab and get our hands on.
We reach for the phone and the scroll, or the comfort and easy to eat food, we game or we go online shopping…. Etc etc etc. None of these are inherently bad things to do… BUT they’re not satisfying so we go looking for more.

There are MORE NOURISHING things that will satisfy us and it is those that will regulate us:
Movement, sensory, novelty, social, completion, meaningful activities…..

They might require more organisation or effort to begin with, and they may need to be slower, but ultimately they will satisfy far more.

It can be helpful to have a list of the things that you know are helpful for you and not have decision paralysis around to add to the urge to scroll or binge etc.

And remember, it really isn’t about perfection, but it’s about knowing you have different options and choices and widening your ‘go to’s

☺️🥰😁

21/01/2026

If you’ve been wondering what actually happens in these sessions, I get it ☺️ it’s not always easy to picture.

So here it is simply:

We move slowly and gently.
Movements are familiar shapes - lying, seated, standing.
I offer an idea to explore - like intention, ease, or stability.

We try the same movement in slightly different ways and notice:
- How it feels
- What changes
- What stays the same

There’s no fancy coordinated moves to learn, no right way to do it and no pressure to “get” anything.

Most people leave feeling a bit clearer, a bit steadier, and more in touch with themselves than when they arrived in the space.

Thursday’s session is INTENTION.

Nothing to prepare, do or think about beforehand. Simply come as you are, and how you are, and play with movement. ☺️

You are very welcome to join live or catch the recording

🔗 booking link in bio

Please feel free to DM me any questions ☺️

11/01/2026

MOVEMENT & MEANING starts back later this month with a 3 SESSION ARC for the Winter season.

This season’s arc starts from INTENTION in January, through CONTINUITY in February and finishes with EMERGENCE in March.

❓What IS Movement & Meaning I hear you ask (for those who haven’t been before)?

Well, it’s:
- 60 minute movement explorations with some reflective prompts
- Once a month - January to March for this season
- Online

Each session has a theme that we explore through gentle guided movement and is at its simplest a space to move gently, mindfully and with some curiosity.

It’s also an invitation to notice our patterns, stories and habitual responses and play with some new ways of moving.

Because movement isn’t just physical - it reflects how we meet and move through the world. How we respond with movement can offer us something about how we relate to ourself, others and the world around us.

These sessions aren’t about getting movements ‘right’ but about feeling into them and how they might change with the odd little turn of phrase or shift of perspective.

Movement & Meaning is built around my trained practices of pilates, yoga, somatics, and breath and flavoured by my own explorations and curiosity of what it is to be human, with a body that moves!

The pre-requirement of attending then is simply that you are human and that you have a body!

They’re also online so I guess you’ll also need space to move and technology that supports zoom!

⏰ Each session is a Thursday at 6 -7pm

🗓️ Dates:
January 22nd: INTENTION
February 19th: CONTINUITY
March 19th: EMERGENCE

£10 each or £26 for the series of 3.

🔗 Booking link in comments below

Scroll through the slides above for a bit more about each session. And there’s more info in the booking page too.

(A wee note: you want to book for all three use the link in the January listing and I’ll register you for the other two at my end 👍)

Please feel free to DM me any questions. 🥰

04/12/2025

Been pondering BOUNDARIES….. 🤔

Especially with December upon us and demands and expectations from others are often not necessarily what we want for ourselves.

It’s a subject that comes up often in the therapy room. And it’s also one of the first things introduced in therapy as a therapeutic contract is set.

Honestly, I think boundaries are one of these things that many feel they SHOULD be good at, or better at. And it’s often at the most overwhelmed or depleted that people crave or seek better boundaries.

In these moments though we learn that are boundaries are not necessarily where or what we’d like them to be. So that’s ok. It’s information.

Maybe it’s when we bow we’re going to do things differently or say no when we need to or quite simply ‘stop putting up with sh*te’ 💩🤷‍♀️

And then maybe we feel better, we let them slip, we fall back into people pleasing, rescuing, being the one that is always there for others putting our own needs to the back. Maybe we’re the one that thinks it’s selfish or rude or will let others down if we say no, so we carry on saying yes.
And the cycle continues.

Yes, boundary work can be hard. But it’s small steps… finding the easiest place to lay down a new boundary, starting with ‘safer’ people and situations.
And also, my god, do boundaries make a difference.

A therapist of mine once told me that having boundaries is actually kind to everyone. Yes, some may not like them, but there’s a clarity in that and we’re giving them an opportunity to meet us, know us, in a healthy mutual relationship. It’s actually an opportunity for them to know us and for us to know them when we connect with our boundaries known and acknowledged.

And with all that said…. (Coz I could go in and on….)…. Small baby steps, it DOES get easier 🥰😚😚

20/11/2025

“Just be yourself…….”

It sounds simple, doesn’t it? But for many (maybe most?) neurodivergent people, it’s not. Life has been about putting on a front—hiding parts of self in order to fit in, stay safe, or avoid judgment.

It becomes “normal,” and after years of doing that, figuring out who “yourself” is can feel confusing, scary, and vulnerable.

What is who you actually are?
And what is how you have been in order to fit in?

And that’s also not black and white…. There is overlap and nuance.

After discovering their neurodivergence, many of my clients feel an extra pressure: “Now I should be more myself. I should unmask fully.”

And yet, when they try, it often brings up anxiety, self-doubt, and that old feeling of “not good enough.”

They might feel exposed after showing even a little more of who they really are, and sometimes they get frustrated with themselves for still holding back.

That’s okay. Feeling vulnerable, uncertain, or self-critical is normal. It’s not a sign of failure—it’s a sign of doing something new, something brave, and something meaningful.

There is no timeline.
There is no endpoint.
You get to go at our own pace, in your own way.
You get to discover yourself safely, steadily, and on your own terms.

Unmasking isn’t about being perfect. It’s about learning to trust yourself, recognise your needs, express in ways that make sense to you. It’s also about recognising where and when you don’t feel safe to be yourself and honouring that too.

Every step in ‘learning to be you’ whether neurodivergent or not, is valid and important.💕💕

14/11/2025

I’m already feeling the busying up, quickening and a pull of momentum towards Christmas!

Every December I yearn for a pause in amongst it all, so I’ve been ahead of myself this year and created it! I’ve popped it into the middle point of the month and the middle point of the week for all of us who need that space to pause in amongstit all.

The Pause is exactly what it says it is:
- an invitation to stop, to breathe, to wind down the ‘doing’, soften effort and to settle into being.

It’s an hour of gentle yin-inspired shapes and slow transitions, as we settle into the quieter layers of the body. It’s not an absence of movement, but its softest, most subtle form— the breath, the sensations, the tiny internal shifts that continue even when we appear still.

This isn’t about productivity or progress. It’s an hour to land, to listen inward, and to reconnect with yourself.

• Restorative, yin-inspired movement and breath
• Space for reflection, stillness, and reset
• A gentle practice to look after you and your needs

No yoga, yin yoga or movement experience is needed — just yourself, a blanket or two, and permission to slow right down.

DECEMBER 10th
8-9pm
Online

🔗 booking link in comments

11/11/2025

The Christmas season can be joyful AND it can also be really overwhelming!

A challenging relationship with food or your body can feel even harder this time of year:

🔹 Food is everywhere
🔹 Life gets busier and more stressful
🔹 Emotions can be stirred up that aren’t so present the rest of the year
🔹Family… (enough said!)

It can be exhausting trying to navigate it all, and it’s really common to turn to, or away from, food to cope. It’s so understandable that we can feel more vulnerable about how our body looks, or how we feel in it.

And then, what I see — and have experienced myself — is feeling guilty about it all.

That’s why I’m running this workshop - Your Body, Food and the Festive Season — to help you pause, reconnect, and find some calm. And to help you gently navigate some of the pressures and your responses.

In this space, we’ll explore:

🔸 Common food, body and festive triggers
🔸 Practical ways to navigate food and body pressures without judgment
🔸 Short somatic exercises to help you feel grounded and present
🔸 Personal reflection and optional group discussion.

The session is for anyone who finds this time of year more complicated when it comes to food and how they feel about their body - and wants to explore a calmer more trusting relationship with food and their body.

🗓️ Wednesday 4th December · 7–8:30pm (UK time)
💻 Online via Zoom
💰 Sliding scale £5 / £7.50 / £10

(I would like to make this as accessible as possible so please do email me to attend for free if price is a barrier to attending - no questions asked)

You’re so welcome to join, exactly as you are, if this speaks to you
Link in comments or DM me to book.

10/11/2025

Coming out of our comfort zone can be where we experience growth. But too much, or too soon, could mean fear or panic (and retreating back to our comfort zone).

When we stretch ourselves just enough — trying something new, taking a gentle risk, or sitting with some discomfort — we move into the growth zone. That’s where learning, confidence and resilience begin to expand.

That’s where our sustainable capacity can expand.
(Note the word sustainable!)

But if we push too far, too fast, we can slip into the fear or panic zone, which is where things start to feel overwhelming or unsafe. When that happens, our nervous system often pulls us back to the comfort zone for protection.

That’s okay because that’s our body doing its job. But when we don’t know that this is what’s happening it can feel like failure, or trigger ‘not good enough’ comparisons and beliefs.

For many neurodivergent people, this balance is especially important. Growth isn’t about forcing or “pushing through.” It’s about noticing what’s sustainable, building safety, and expanding capacity at your own pace.

And for people in recovery (of any kind!) this is also important to be aware of. It’s going to be uncomfortable, changing patterns is uncomfortable - but it will get easier if we go step by step.

We all have different-sized comfort, growth and fear zones — and that’s completely okay. It’s about finding ‘uncomfortably comfortable’ or ‘comfortably uncomfortable’. It DOES need to feel uncomfortable but we don’t want it to feel fearful.

For one person, stepping into the growth zone might look like wearing clothes they’ve not felt confident to wear before.

For someone else, it might be making a phone call, trying a new food, or routine, stating what they need, saying no or having a difficult conversation.

What matters isn’t how far you move — it’s that you’re moving at a pace that feels sustainable and supportive for your nervous system.

Growth isn’t a competition. It’s deeply personal.

It’s also worth saying that growth doesn’t have to happen along. The presence of support can be the difference between something feeling like a stretch compared to fearful. 💕💕

07/11/2025

I thought I’d start each month with a wee note about what’s ahead in the next 4ish weeks.

It let’s you know what’s coming up AND it keeps me accountable and on track!!
(I’m always full of ideas, not always putting the action I want to behind them!! 😂)

🌀MOVEMENT & MEANING:
This month is the final session in the Autumn Arc.
Theme is INITIATION and we’ll be exploring where movement (and action) begins
Thursday 20th 5:30 - 6:30pm
Online

✏️ Over on Substack I’ll start exploring and musing about GROUNDING

🌙 THE PAUSE:
Between the Autumn and Winter Movement & Meaning arcs we’re taking a pause - literally.
I’m running a yin inspired online session on December 10th
Booking opens later this month.

💕 FOOD, BODY & THE FESTIVE SEASON:
December can be such a difficult month to navigate though pressures around food, bodies and expectations.
So I’ll be running this session as a space to pause and explore these challenges and help you build awareness, self compassion and confidence around them.
Early December midweek evening and online.

🙋‍♀️I’d also love to host an in-person one in Midlothian or East Lothian is there’s enough interest - DM me if interested.

👥 Finally…. I have one opening for 1:1 therapy on a Tuesday afternoon. For someone liking to improve their relationship with their body / food, or self esteem, or navigate late diagnosed neurodivergence.

📧 DM me if you’d like to be added to my mailing list to get info on these sessions in your email inbox, or have questions about any of them.

🔗 Link in bio for Movement & Meaning

06/11/2025

I hear it so many times: “I’ve gone backwards.”

Often it comes with feelings of failure or disappointment — and sometimes a sense of shame. Sometimes the person feels that they’ve let me down (FYI - they’ve not)

Because in reality, this is all part of the process and can actually be a point for growth.

When we feel stretched, overwhelmed, or hit a hard place, our brain and body reach for what’s familiar. They remember old ways of coping and return these because new ones for this particular challenge aren’t quite built in yet.

That’s not weakness — it’s protection.

These are exactly the moments where we can find more clarity, understanding, and insight. We start to see where the old pattern shows up again and can understand it in a new, deeper way.

It’s a time to lean in with compassion.

Because when we skim over this pattern that’s showing up again, bury it away, or avoid acknowledging it, we miss the opportunity for new pathways and new ways of coping to be created.

These new ways often come from slowing down — not pushing through. From noticing - not judging. From acknowledging emotions and asking for help. From focusing on what truly supports our health and wellbeing.

This is where self-compassion matters most.

When we can recognise what’s happening without shame, we open the door to learning, healing, and trying again.

None of us are meant to get this “perfect.”
We all have moments when old patterns resurface —
and each time, we get the chance to meet ourselves differently.

We’re all just human and doing our best. 💕

We haven’t gone backwards. 🌱

We’re learning, adjusting, and continuing forward —
with a little more awareness each time. 🌿

Caroline Toshack - Supporting Minds & Bodies

04/03/2026

25/02/2026

24/02/2026

21/01/2026

11/01/2026

04/12/2025

20/11/2025

14/11/2025

11/11/2025

10/11/2025

07/11/2025

06/11/2025

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