Happy Me Somatic Therapy

28/04/2026

28/04/2026

28/04/2026

***Food and diet culture***

In a world where we are completely bombarded with messages about diet, body size, and exercise (especially as a woman), it can feel almost impossible to shut off the noise.

I don’t think I’ve ever encountered a woman who, at some point, hasn’t struggled with food, body image, or weight. And I really try not to subscribe to diet culture… but let’s be honest, even when you don’t want to, it still creeps in. Especially as you hit perimenopause and suddenly the algorithm is shouting: eat more protein, increase fibre, strength train, fix your hormones…

Recently, it’s been incredibly refreshing to find someone who talks about food from a compassionate, somatic lens one that actually considers trauma, nervous system states, and lived experience. For me personally, I don’t want to take advice on food or exercise from anyone who doesn’t understand this.

Because the truth is, many of us are so disconnected from our bodies that we don’t even know what true hunger feels like anymore.

Interoception, our ability to feel and interpret internal body sensations is something many of us were never supported to develop. So how can we trust hunger, fullness, or cravings if we can’t accurately feel or interpret what’s happening inside?

Sometimes what we call “hunger” is actually anxiety. Sometimes it’s a need for comfort, safety, or rest. And sometimes it’s the opposite a complete absence of hunger because the body has learned it’s not safe to feel.

And this doesn’t happen in isolation…

Our relationship with food is shaped by so many layers - our family culture, the environment we grew up in, the messages we received about bodies and worth, and even epigenetics and inherited stress patterns.

When we only approach food through rules, macros, or willpower, we miss the deeper intelligence of the body.

This is why I love this podcast it brings things back to the nervous system, to safety, to learning how to feel again… rather than control.

If you’ve ever felt confused around food, stuck in cycles, or like you “should” have it figured out by now this might feel like a bit of a breath of fresh air.

And if this is something you’re wanting to explore more deeply, this is exactly the kind of work I support clients with through somatic experiencing gently rebuilding connection to the body, learning to recognise your own cues, and creating safety from the inside out.

The podcast is called “Satiated” : https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/satiated-podcast/id1494607245?i=1000740333620

And a fantastic interview on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/_MK-x7usl8s?si=AtZf31N1vZsWSREq

6 likes, 1 comment. "Somatic eating, food trauma, and why willpower won’t heal your relationship with food Ep. 183"

14/04/2026

What a difference the spring weather has been making! ☀️ We’ve been getting out on our bikes more, and getting our steps in walking around our estate.

A man in our street said he’s seen us more this last month than he has in the ten years he’s lived there! We usually hop in the car and drive to places to walk but with the increase in diesel costs have been more resourceful. And now I’m thinking - why have we never done this before? 🤷‍♀️ Even though it’s just quiet streets it’s really nice and making me appreciate where we live!

I’ve not been able to take time off over Easter (apart from Easter weekend) so just enjoying stolen moments with the kids when I get chance! I’ve started working from a clinic in North Shields two half days a week so doing a hybrid of online and in person sessions and slowly getting used to the change! But the space is light, airy and bright and I’m really enjoying it and love the work I do 💜

10/04/2026

Your nervous system wasn’t designed for this pace, and the constant stimulation. The reset isn’t more input or another hack. It’s less. More presence. Your body still lives by older rhythms. It needs quiet, space, stillness, nature, and real-life connection.

01/04/2026

👏🏻 👏🏻 👏🏻

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1CWRYALeqC/

17/03/2026

💡 Did you know trauma can stay stuck in your body even years after an event? It can show up as tension, anxiety, or even unexplained physical discomfort.

Discover how your nervous system holds onto experiences and what you can do to start releasing it. 🌀

Read more here: https://www.happymesomatictherapy.com/post/trauma-stored-in-the-body

Why is it that people who have spent years in therapy can still feel stuck, anxious, tense, or disconnected?For me personally, I had years of psychotherapy, inner child work, and EMDR under my belt, yet when life became challenging I still experienced anxiety deep in my stomach, a sense of disconnec...

15/03/2026

Ever feel like your child pushes all your buttons and you don’t know why? It’s not bad parenting.

Your nervous system is responding! In my latest blog, I explain why triggers happen, how trauma lives in the body, and simple somatic strategies to stay calm and connected. Read more ➡️ https://www.happymesomatictherapy.com/post/parenting-nervous-system-child-triggers

15/03/2026

Mother’s Day is one of those days that becomes very visible in the world around us.

Cards line the shelves in shops. Social media fills with tributes and photos. Restaurants advertise special meals. Schools send home handmade crafts. Everywhere we turn there are reminders that this is a day meant to celebrate mothers.

And for many people, it is exactly that.

But doing the work I do, and simply being alongside people in their stories, I’m always mindful that Mother’s Day can hold so much more than celebration.

For many, it’s a day that brings up a complicated mix of feelings.

Sometimes it’s grief for a mother who is no longer here. The kind of loss that doesn’t change over time, and can feel particularly heavy and present when the world around us is focused on remembering and celebrating mothers.

Sometimes it’s the quiet, often unseen grief of having a mother who is still living, but who has not been able to be the safe, nurturing, or emotionally available parent we needed. That kind of loss can feel confusing and difficult to name, especially on a day that assumes all mother–child relationships are warm and uncomplicated.

For some, Mother’s Day carries the deep ache of a child who is no longer living in their care. A loss that reshapes life in ways words often struggle to capture.

For others, it’s the tender place of longing and wanting to become a mother, while navigating fertility challenges, pregnancy loss, or a path to parenthood that hasn’t unfolded in the way they hoped.

And for many adopted people, the day can hold more than one truth at the same time. It might mean celebrating the mother who raised them and offered safety and love, while also holding space for their birth mother and the story that began with her.

Mother’s Day can hold joy and gratitude and it can hold grief, anger, confusion, or longing.

Sometimes all at once.

If this day feels complicated for you, there is nothing wrong with that. Our relationships, our histories, and our losses are rarely simple. It makes sense that a day like this might stir things that are heavy or unresolved.

However Mother’s Day lands for you this year, your experience is valid.

15/03/2026

Happy Mothers Day 💜 and thinking about all those who find today difficult.

13/03/2026

There are skills children only get one real chance to build.

If children don’t build them slowly – through play, boredom, face-to-face connection, trial and error – they don’t magically appear later.

These are foundational skills, built in childhood, when the brain is still wiring itself.

When screens take over too early, children aren’t just ‘entertained’ – they’re missing the conditions these skills need to grow.

Delaying smartphones and social media isn’t about being anti-tech.

It’s about protecting the developmental window where these skills are formed.

You can download an app at any age.
You can’t download a childhood.