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Monday 1pm - 8pm Tuesday 1pm - 8pm Wednesday 1pm - 8pm Thursday 1pm - 8pm Friday 1pm - 8pm

Emotional Respite - Disability Counselling Service

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Newcastle upon Tyne
Emotional Respite - Disability Counselling Service

Disability-led Online Mental Health Service offering therapy across the UK. She has created a team of therapists with lived experience of disability.

Emotional Respite is a counselling service providing professional support to individuals with physical disabilities, their families and carers. It offers those affected by physical disabilities a unique opportunity to work with a physically disabled counsellor. Helen Rutherford has been a counsellor for over 14 years and has spinal muscular atrophy and uses an electric wheelchair. Her personal and professional experience gives her a deep understanding of the diversity of disability issues. Helen is aware of the challenges faced by people affected by physical disabilities and how this can impact on them emotionally. Sessions are conducted online. Sessions are £45 an hour but concessions are available for low incomes

05/04/2026

🌷 Happy Easter from Emotional Respite 🌷

This season reminds us of renewal. The slow, steady return of light after darker days. 🌞

Easter can mean many things: a time of connection, reflection, or simply the joy of small beginnings. Whatever it means for you, we hope you take space to rest and honour how far you’ve come. 💚

May this time bring you calm moments, heartfelt connection, and renewed strength for the days ahead.

🕊️ With warmth and care,
The Emotional Respite Team

emotionalrespite.co.uk
Appointments Available!

01/04/2026

April is Stress Awareness Month!
Let's Talk About Stress & Disability...

Stress Isn't "Just i in Your Head"
For many people with disabilities or chronic illness, stress is layered, it's physical, emotional, social, and systemic. This month, we're exploring what stress really looks like, and how to manage it with compassion and care.

What Happens When You're Stressed?
Stress activates your body's "fight or flight" response, releasing hormones that affect your heart rate, breathing, and pain sensitivity. For those living with chronic conditions, this can intensify fatigue, pain, or flare-ups, making rest and regulation even more vital.

Recognising Hidden Stressors
Many stress triggers are invisible but constant. Medical appointments and uncertainty * Accessibility barriers Financial or benefits
pressure Social isolation or stigma Recognising these helps us create more targeted self-care routines, ones that go beyond "just relax."

Gentle Ways to Reduce Stress
🧘‍♀️Body-based calm: Try grounding exercises that fit your energy levels - deep breathing, progressive relaxation, or sensory focus.

💬Emotional regulation: Journaling, art, or voice notes can help release built-up emotions.

🤝Connection: Talking with trusted friends, counselling, or peer groups builds resilience.

Why Energy Management Matters
The Spoon Theory (by Christine Miserandino) describes how people with chronic illness have a limited number of :"spoons" (units of energy) each day. Managing stress means spending spoons wisely. Setting boundaries, prioritising rest, and saying "no" when needed. Stress management energy preservation.

It's Okay to Ask for Help
Managing stress is not a sign of weakness, it's an act of self-respect.
Emotional Respite offers counselling and mental health support tailored for people with disabilities and chronic illness.
You deserve peace that's sustainable, not exhausting.

emotionalrespite.co.uk
Appointments Available!

31/03/2026

🌙 End-of-Month Check-In

Take a moment to pause. Breathe.

Reflect. What moments brought you calm this month?
Maybe it was a quiet cup of tea, a supportive message from a friend, or a small victory on a hard day.✨

Write them down, these are your anchors.

When life feels uncertain or overwhelming, look back at them. They remind you that peace is possible and that you’ve already created it before.You don’t need a perfect month to find something worth holding onto, just one gentle moment at a time.

emotionalrespite.co.uk
Appointments Available!

28/03/2026

⛅️When the Clocks Change - So Does Our Balance

The shift in daylight may seem small, but for many, especially those managing chronic illness, fatigue, or mental health conditions, it can create real change in mood, energy, and sleep.

Benefits: Longer daylight hours can help lift low mood and seasonal depression. Morning sun supports better sleep rhythms over time. Natural light can gently motivate social connection and outdoor pacing.

Remember: adjusting takes time. Be kind to your body as it adapts. Keep your evenings calm, hydrate well, and maintain grounding rituals like stretching,.journaling, or deep breathing.
Your energy doesn't reset overnight and that's okay. Move gently into this new rhythm.

emotionalrespite.co.uk
Appointments Available!

25/03/2026

"Chronic illness can make every day unpredictable. Self-compassion builds flexibility not failure."

When life feels uncertain, self-compassion isn’t giving up, it’s adapting.
Building flexibility in your routines, expectations, and self-talk helps you cope with what your body needs on any given day.

💭 You’re not failing when you rest. You’re responding with care.

🌿 Self-compassion builds resilience.

Flexibility keeps you moving gently forward, one day at a time.

emotionalrespite.co.uk
Appointments Available!

23/03/2026

💜 Affirmation for Today

“My body is not the enemy. It’s doing the best it can.”

Living with disability or chronic illness can sometimes make you feel disconnected from your body, especially on days filled with pain, fatigue, or frustration. But your body isn’t against you. It’s constantly working with you, adapting, signalling, and protecting in ways that often go unseen.

🌿 Speak to yourself with gentleness today.
Remember: you and your body are on the same team, finding new ways to navigate this life together.

emotionalrespite.co.uk
Appointments Available!

19/03/2026

🌿 "Find people who truly "get it"
Connecting with others who live with disability or chronic illness can reduce isolation and provide practical coping ideas. "

Living with disability or chronic illness can sometimes feel isolating, especially when others don’t fully understand your daily struggles.

Connecting with people who share similar experiences reminds you that you’re not alone. It’s in those conversations, shared laughs, and honest moments that new coping ideas and deep empathy grow.

Emotional Respite Disability Counselling Service
Supporting your journey toward emotional wellbeing, one meaningful connection at a time.
Because you deserve connection that feels real and safe.

emotionalrespite.co.uk
Appointments Available!

16/03/2026

🌼 Spring Cleaning for the Mind

As the world begins to bloom again, it’s the perfect time to do a little inner tidy-up.

🌿 Let go of habits rooted in guilt, comparison, or pressure.

🌷 Keep what nourishes peace, rest, and self-acceptance. Emotional clutter can be as heavy as physical clutter, the overthinking, self-criticism, or striving to meet unrealistic expectations.

This season, choose gentleness.
You deserve space to breathe, to grow, and to feel at home in yourself.

emotionalrespite.co.uk
Appointments Available!

12/03/2026

✨️ Protect Your Energy ✨️

We see you. Exhaustion isn't just tiredness, it can come from masking, making endless micro-decisions, and carrying invisible loads. Let's explore evidence-informed ways to protect your energy and reconnect with yourself.

I.Prioritise Energy, Not Tasks
Evidence shows that energy fluctuates more predictably than motivation. Instead of focusing on a to-do list, plan your day around your energy peaks.
🌀Ask yourself: "What feels manageable right now?", not "What should I do?

2. Use Gentle Transitions Research on sensory regulation shows that sudden shifts (like finishing work then socialising) can overload the nervous system. .
🌿Add small pauses between activities, stretch, breathe, or sit quietly for two minutes.

3. Limit "Micro-Decisions" Decision fatigue is real. Even small daily choices (meals, messages, outfits) drainmentalenergy.
💡Try creating "defaults", like a go to meal, playlist, or outfit to reduce decision load.

4. Practice safe Unmasking Studies highlight that chronic masking can increase anxiety and burnout. 🌼Experiment with safe spaces, moments or people where you can drop the mask, even briefly. Your nervous system learns safety through repetition.

5. Reconnect with Your Body's signals Evidence from trauma-informed care shows that tuning into your body helps restore balance.
💧Drink water, stretch, track tension or pain gently, and respond with kindness, not judgement.

Remember, , protecting your energy is a form of self-respect, not selfishness.

Appointments Available!
emotionalrespite.co.uk

09/03/2026

"Honour your limits, not your guilt. Living with a disability or chronic illness often means your energy and capacity are different from others. Learning to honour your limits is an act of self-respect, not failure."

Your body is not the problem; the world just isn’t designed with your reality in mind.

You energy levels fluctuate in ways others don’t always see. That doesn’t make you weak, unreliable, or “too much”, it makes you human. Choosing to rest, cancel, or say “I can’t today” is not failure; it’s you practising self-respect in a world that constantly asks you to push past your pain.

You are allowed to prioritise comfort over expectations, pacing over pressure, and sustainability over proving yourself.If your body is asking for slowness, believe it.

If your mind is overwhelmed, take that seriously. Guilt will tell you to ignore your needs to keep everyone else happy; wisdom will tell you that the people who truly care want you to honour your limits, not burn out to please them.

Your worth has never depended on how much you can do on your worst day.You are not falling behind. You’re moving at the pace that keeps you alive, present, and as steady as possible, and that is something to be deeply proud of.

emotionalrespite.co.uk
Appointments Available!

08/03/2026

💜 International Women’s Day 2026
💜

Today we celebrate the incredible women who are part of Emotional Respite Disability Counselling Service.

We are proud of the compassionate, dedicated and inspiring women who work within our service and make such a difference to the lives of the people and families we support every day.

We also celebrate the amazing women across our wider community, carers, advocates, professionals, friends and family members, whose strength, kindness and resilience uplift others.

Thank you for everything you do.

Together we continue to empower, inspire and support.

🌸 Happy International Women’s Day 🌸
🌐 emotionalrespite.co.uk
abilitySupport

04/03/2026

"Protect your energy from overwhelming news
Constant news, health content, or ableist narratives online can be draining. Taking breaks from the news and muting triggering accounts is a mental health tool, not avoidance."

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, anxious, numb, or on edge… that makes sense.

Protecting your energy is not ignorance.
Taking a break from the news is not apathy.
Muting triggering accounts is not avoidance.

It’s mental health care.

We were not designed to consume global crisis in real time 24/7. Doom-scrolling keeps your body in a constant stress response. Your brain cannot tell the difference between immediate danger and repeated exposure to alarming headlines.

Try this:
• Set specific times to check the news
• Mute or unfollow accounts that spike your anxiety
• Balance heavy content with something regulating
• Step outside, move your body, breathe
• Log off without guilt

Staying informed should not cost you your stability.

You are allowed to care about the world and care for yourself. 🌿

www.emotionalrespite.co.uk
Appointments Available!

Address

Newcastle Upon Tyne

Opening Hours

Monday	1pm - 8pm
Tuesday	1pm - 8pm
Wednesday	1pm - 8pm
Thursday	1pm - 8pm
Friday	1pm - 8pm

Website

https://www.emotionalrespite.co.uk/

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