Sharon Tunstall Therapies

01/12/2025

❤️

11/11/2025

Embrace it or avoid it, just do whatever works for you and yours!
We each find joy in our own ways, if the sparkle of a Xmas tree brings someone joy in November, leave them be ❤️

20/10/2025

You are never a burden, to those that love and care for you, if you feel stuck in a dark place reach out before it feels too late. A deterioration in mental health can happen so very quickly.
“If I was to talk about the words it would hurt, so if you were to ask about the pain I would lie”.
Communicating difficult emotions can feel massively overwhelming when you’ve persuaded yourself you aren’t “good enough” or important enough, you are!

07/10/2025

Always important to acknowledge your own needs, they are hugely important too!

04/10/2025

Gorgeous sculpture which displays the importance of communication as opposed to resentment. Inner child work is so powerful in helping us to reconnect and parent our free spirited selves!

15/09/2025

I’m sure most of us can recall the impact on our bodies when we overindulgence in some of these habits. Pretty much the life habits of many children and young people nowadays, especially teens, despite the ongoing battles of parents/carers to avoid this. Myself being one!!
We often underestimate the impact these habits have on our anxiety levels.

10/08/2025

09/07/2025

The smallest of gestures can impact massively.
I experienced this myself earlier on my early dog walk when a lovely gentleman stopped me with a stick for Walter, said he watches us every morning hunting for sticks (Walter’s favourite game is chase) so he thought he’d save us the time and have one ready so we get longer to play, how sweet was this ❤️

Some kindnesses are so powerful they move you to tears. Not because they are grand or loud or monumental, but because they arrive exactly when the weight is too much to bear.

A stranger who waits with you on the curb whilst your hands shake. A friend who texts "I'm here" without needing a reply. The colleague who says “take a break for a moment - I’ve got this.” These moments often don’t cost the other person a thing; and yet, they are priceless.

Because they don’t come to fix you; they come to make room for you. And in that room - spacious, gentle, unthreatening - you find, often without meaning to, that you can finally fall apart. That you don’t have to keep holding it all together. The armour you’ve worn for so long starts to slip, not because someone pries it off, but because - for the first time in a while - you’re not bracing for harm.

It’s the safety of it.

The tenderness.

The sense that someone is holding a bit of the weight with you, even if they can’t take it away.

And that gentle moment; that safe space, that permission - being allowed to crumble without judgment - can feel like relief.

Yes, some kindnesses are so powerful that they move us to tears. But maybe it isn’t the kindness itself that makes it powerful.

Maybe it’s how much we need it.

*****

For anyone who's ever said (or been told) "don't hug me, you'll make me cry." ❤

Becky Hemsley 2025
Beautiful artwork by the brilliant Lisa Aisato

08/07/2025

Experiencing grief as an individual with a neurodevelopmental condition can intensify a loss. This article explains how loss can impact someone with ADHD and highlights the emotions many experience including the need for a close support network.

Navigating grief with ADHD? This article will help you realize unique challenges and tackle misconceptions - like what's 'wrong' in grieving - to guide your healing.

15/06/2025

I like to think all the Dads in heaven get to come down today and spend it with their precious ones. But you must invite them. Say their names, play their favourite music and tell that joke that made everyone groan. They will come. The thing about love is, it doesn’t die, you see. It places precious parts of souls in loved one’s hearts and that, that lasts an eternity. Much longer than we can imagine. So, if you are finding today hard, look for them in the moments… I believe they’re trying really hard to let you know, they’re still here.

Donna Ashworth
‘Loss’

14/06/2025

If I get dementia, I’d like my family to hang this wish list up on the wall where I live. I want them to remember these things.

1a. Every time you enter the room announce yourself. “Hi Mom- it’s Margaret.”
NEVER ask- Do you know who I am??? That causes anxiety.

1. If I get dementia, I want my friends and family to embrace my reality.

2. If I think my spouse is still alive, or if I think we’re visiting my parents for dinner, let me believe those things. I’ll be much happier for it.

3. If I get dementia, don’t argue with me about what is true for me versus what is true for you.

4. If I get dementia, and I am not sure who you are, do not take it personally. My timeline is confusing to me.

5. If I get dementia, and can no longer use utensils, do not start feeding me. Instead, switch me to a finger-food diet, and see if I can still feed myself.

6. If I get dementia, and I am sad or anxious, hold my hand and listen. Do not tell me that my feelings are unfounded.

7. If I get dementia, I don’t want to be treated like a child. Talk to me like the adult that I am.

8. If I get dementia, I still want to enjoy the things that I’ve always enjoyed. Help me find a way to exercise, read, and visit with friends.

9. If I get dementia, ask me to tell you a story from my past.

10. If I get dementia, and I become agitated, take the time to figure out what is bothering me.

11. If I get dementia, treat me the way that you would want to be treated.

12. If I get dementia, make sure that there are plenty of snacks for me in the house. Even now if I don’t eat I get angry, and if I have dementia, I may have trouble explaining what I need.

13. If I get dementia, don’t talk about me as if I’m not in the room.

14. If I get dementia, don’t feel guilty if you cannot care for me 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It’s not your fault, and you’ve done your best. Find someone who can help you, or choose a great new place for me to live.

15. If I get dementia, and I live in a dementia care community, please visit me often.

16. If I get dementia, don’t act frustrated if I mix up names, events, or places. Take a deep breath. It’s not my fault.

17. If I get dementia, make sure I always have my favorite music playing within earshot.

18. If I get dementia, and I like to pick up items and carry them around, help me return those items to their original place.

19. If I get dementia, don’t exclude me from parties and family gatherings.

20. If I get dementia, know that I still like receiving hugs or handshakes.

21. If I get dementia, remember that I am still the person you know and love.”

ᴄᴏᴘʏ ᴀɴᴅ ᴘᴀsᴛᴇ in Honor of someone you know or knew who has dementia.

In Honor of all those I know of, have loved and lost who are fighting Dementia/Alzheimer’s. ❤️