Emotional Respite - Disability Counselling Service

19/09/2025

Daily Reminder: Celebrate small wins

Here are some helpful habits to adopt:

Keep a "victory log" and write one thing you did well each day.

Share accomplishments with a trusted friend.

Reward yourself with small comforts (tea, music, warm bath, time outside).

emotionalrespite.co.uk
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17/09/2025

The Mental Toll of Living in "adaptation mode".

Living with a disability or chronic illness is often described in terms of symptoms, treatments, or "resilience". What we don't talk about is the mental toll of constantly living in "adaptation mode".

Every day becomes a puzzle to solve:

How do I manage my pain or fatigue and still meet responsibilities?

What backup plan do I need i my body doesn't cooperate today?

Which routines will help me function without burning out?

It's a constant cycle of planning, adjusting, and troubleshooting. Even the smallest tasks like getting dressed, cooking,or leaving the house can require layered strategies and mental rehearsals. Add in medical appointments, medications, and flare-ups, and life becomes an endless checklist.

This ongoing problem-solving takes up so much mental energy that leaves little space for spontaneity, creativity, or rest. It can feel isolating too, others may see strength and determination, while what they don't see is the exhaustion from holding everything together.

If you're living this reality: your effort counts, even when it feels invisible. If you're supporting someone, know that your understanding and patience mean more than you realise.

If you need support, get in touch! emotionalrespite.co.uk

16/09/2025

It's helpful for caregivers to practice mindfulness to handle the unique challenges they face. Explore our latest article on techniques that can help you find peace and resilience.

Caring for someone with a disability or chronic illness is a journey filled with love, dedication, and often, unexpected challenges. It’s easy to get caught up in the daily demands and forget to take a moment for ourselves. That’s where mindfulness can be a gentle, powerful tool. It helps us sta...

15/09/2025

✨ “Imperfections are not inadequacies; they are reminders that we're all in this together.” Brené Brown ✨

Living with disability or navigating mental health challenges doesn’t make you less. It makes you human. 🌍💙

Every stumble, every off day, every moment that feels “different” is not a failure. It’s proof that we’re connected in our shared vulnerability. None of us are meant to go through this life alone.

🤝 Let’s normalise asking for help.
🧩 Let’s celebrate the unique ways our minds and bodies move through the world.
💡 Let’s remind each other that community is where strength grows.

Your imperfections are not weaknesses. They are part of the beautiful, messy, collective story we’re writing together. 💜

emotionalrespite.co.uk
Appointments Available!

13/09/2025

Silent Panic Attacks
What You Don't See

Not all panic attacks look the same. Some happen quietly, but they are just as real.

Silent Panic Attacks These are panic attacks without the obvious outward signs like heavy breathing or crying. Instead, they happen internally, making them harder to recognise.

What silent panic attacks may feel like:
✨️Racing thoughts
✨️Tight chest or pounding heart
✨️Feeling light-headed or sick
✨️Feeling "detached" from reality
✨️Intense fear no one else can see

Because the symptoms aren't always visible, people may:
✨️Appear calm on the outside
✨️Hide how uncomfortable they feel
✨️Be misunderstood as "fine"

Ways to ground yourself:
✨️Focus on slow, steady breathing
✨️Try the 5-4-3-2-1 method
5 things you can see
4 you can touch
3 things you can hear
2 things you can smell
1 thing you can taste
✨️Remind yourself: This will pass
✨️Reach out to someone you trust

If you experience silent panic attacks,you are not alone.
Talking about It helps break the stigma.
Save this post as a reminder and share to spread awareness.

emotionalrespite.co.uk
Appointments Available!

10/09/2025

🌀September is Chronic Pain Awareness Month🌀

Chronic pain isn’t just physical. It takes a big toll on mental health, too.

Did you know?

About 1 in 5 adults live with chronic pain. That’s millions of people dealing with an invisible struggle every single day.

And it’s not "just pain." People with chronic pain are 2-3 times more likely to experience depression or anxiety.

Many say the hardest part isn’t only the pain. It's the isolation. Over half report feeling cut off from friends, work, and even hobbies.

It can turn into a cycle:

🌀Pain makes your mental health worse
🌀Poor mental health makes the pain feel worse...and around it goes.

This month, let's support those living with pain:

✨️Believe them even if you can’t see it
✨️Check in with loved ones
✨️Share awareness

You never know who might need it. 🌙

emotionalrespite.co.uk
Appointments Available!

08/09/2025

✨ “What you think, you become. What you feel, you attract. What you imagine, you create.”
Buddha

Your mind is more powerful than you realise. 🧠💫

Positive thoughts can shape your self-worth.

Compassionate feelings can strengthen your connections.

Imagination can open doors to healing and growth.

Protecting your mental health starts with the way you speak to yourself. Be gentle. Be hopeful. Be intentional. 🌱💖

🌿 Reminder: You don’t need to have it all figured out. Every kind thought you nurture is a step toward a healthier mind.

emotionalrespite.co.uk
Appointments Available!

07/09/2025

Wednesday Adams stands apart from her peers, sound familiar?

Like Wednesday, many of us know what it's like to stand out in a world that rewards fitting in. Being different, whether because of a disability. chronic health or mental health challenges. Who you are isn't a weakness. There is beauty in diversity, individualism, and uniqueness.

Wednesday hides her feelings behind a blank stare, but that doesn't mean she isn'tfeeling deeply. Many of us with disabilities, chronic health, or mental health struggles do the same. Remember:silence doesn't mean the absence of.

Wednesday delivering one ofher witty, morbid one-liners. Humour is Wednesday's shield, and for many of us, humour is a survival tool when dealing with the challenges in our daily lives. Dark jokes can carry light in heavy times.

Enid and Wednesday show us that connection doesn't always look the way we expect. Whether you are introverted, neurodivergent, or living with chronic health or a disability, finding people who accept you as you are is life-changing.

Wednesday doesn't try to be 'normal.' She embraces her identity fully. For those of us navigating disability, chronic health, or mental health journeys, this is a reminder: authenticity is more powerful than conformity.

Follow for more! emotionalrespite.co.uk
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05/09/2025

🌟 5-Star Review Spotlight 🌟

"My son has been using the services of emotional respite disability counselling for over a year and has benefited immensely from having someone who understands being disabled to talk to. The prices are very reasonable, making this much needed service accessible. Thank you for all you do."
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

An amazing review of our service. Well done, Louise Brookes MBACP, for your amazing work.

We are truly honoured to walk alongside our clients on their journeys. Everyone deserves to feel heard, supported, and understood, and we are proud to offer compassionate, affordable counselling designed with the disabled community in mind. 💙

emotionalrespite.co.uk

04/09/2025

✨ Awareness is the greatest agent for change.
Eckhart Tolle

So often, we move through life on autopilot, caught in patterns, thoughts, and emotions without even noticing. But the moment you pause, observe, and become aware of what’s happening within you… everything shifts. 🌱

Awareness doesn’t mean judging yourself. It means noticing: your feelings, your reactions, your habits, your needs. From there, you gain the power to choose differently. To respond instead of react. To move closer to who you really are, instead of who the world tells you to be. 💫

🪞 Awareness is self-understanding.
🌿 Awareness is healing.
🔥 Awareness is the beginning of change.

Take a breath today. Notice what’s alive in you. That awareness might just be the doorway to becoming your most authentic self. 🌸

emotionalrespite.co.uk
Appointments Available!

03/09/2025

💜September is Su***de Prevention Awareness Month💚

✨️Living with chronic illness or disability can mean constant battles, whether it's physical, emotional, or social. But struggling is not weakness. Reaching out is strength. 

Did you know?

🌀Disabled people in the UK are 3 to 4 times more likely to die by su***de than non-disabled people

🌀 Women with disabilities face a 4 × higher risk of su***de

🌀People living with chronic pain are almost twice as likely to attempt su***de.

🌀Within the first year after diagnosis, people with severe physical health conditions are 2 × more likely to die by su***de than their peers

In crisis? 📞

Samaritans - call 116 123 (free, 24/7)

Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) call on 0800 ! 58 5 58 (5pm-midnight every day)

Text "SHOUT" to 85258 for crisis text support

If you're under 35 call HOPELINEUK on 0800 068 4141 (24 hours, 7 days a week), email pat@papyrus-uk.org or text 07786 209 697

Switchboard If you identify as gay, le***an, bisexual or transgender, you can call Switchboard on 0300 330 0630 (10am-10pm every day), emall chris@switchboard Igbt

To get urgent nental health support, call 111 and select option 2.

💚Your life matters.
You are not alone.
Su***de is preventable.💜

Awareness saves lives.

emotionalrespite.co.uk 

Appointments Available!

***dePrevention ***deAwareness

02/09/2025

You'll never know who you are unless you shed who you pretend to be."
Vironika Tugaleva

Living with disability or mental health challenges often comes with pressure to look strong, act fine, or push through. But pretending to be someone you are not only creates distance between you and your true self.

✨ You don’t need to hide your pain
✨ You don’t need to prove your resilience
✨ You don’t need to shrink yourself

When we stop pretending and start showing up as we are, we create space for real connection, compassion, and healing. The courage to be authentic is a form of self-care.

Appointments Available!
emotionalrespite.co.uk