Ellie Belfield Counselling

27/08/2025

Why I think the expression "stop chasing" is a bit pants: 🩲

It's very passive, and though I get the sentiment, as a therapist I think we need to look into what we are starting any time we stop something.

We MOVE the energy, it always goes somewhere. 🏃🏼‍♀️

So,

instead of people pleasing ➡ we're making more time to pursue our hobbies

instead of seeking validation from others ➡ we're building respect for ourselves through a consistent self care practice

instead of always being there for others even when it's not appreciated ➡ we're showing up for ourselves and focusing on what we can change in our own lives

It's not about sitting on the sofa waiting for the love of your life to come calling 🛋

It's about pursuing your own interests,

being your own biggest cheerleader

and building a strong foundation within

so that when potential relationships & career changes do come along,

you've got the resilience to cope with uncertainty and change. 🙏🏻

Learn how to chase your dreams in a practical way with me:

1 space left for the vision board circle (in person) THIS Saturday 🎨

2 therapy slots available starting in September 🗓

www.elenabelfield.com

12/08/2025

Negative self talk is one that comes up a LOT in therapy! 🔍

As therapists we are trained to notice these subtleties in the way you speak: whether your story is peppered with:

"do you know what I mean?"s (validation-seeking)
"that probably sounds like a load of rubbish" (self-doubt)
"I know I'm being a dick but.." (negative self image)

All of these words may seem commonplace, petty, even harmless...but actually they can do a lot to build ourselves into someone who is not assertive, highly unsure of themselves and deep down needing someone else to say "it's okay, you're okay." 🤗

As much as validation is something I do provide in therapy, I also help you to take a closer look at the way you are talking about yourself and what deeper beliefs may be hiding under these statements.

That way, you can start to be the first one to give yourself compassion and acceptance without having to wait for our next session to let yourself off the hook. 🧡

I'm not about keeping you glued to the seat opposite me for as long as I can, I am here to help you build the tools needed to be your own biggest cheerleader, with some trauma-informed integrative therapy along the way.

Did you resonate with this post - do you find yourself saying "I'm so stupid"?

It can be so ingrained, know I still have to catch myself sometimes!

As always, here when you're ready. 🫶

09/08/2025

Mercury is in retrograde, energy is high ☄️

It's the perfect time for reflecting, shedding and shifting.

Come and dream about what life could be if we allowed ourselves the power to choose. 💫

🎨 This will be a fun, creative and thoughtful session with numbers limited to ensure enough time for everyone to share if they want to.

We'll start with a guided meditation to help stir the imagination then we'll get sticking, gluing, scribbling & designing our boards to take home and feel inspired by.

Price: £22.50
Previous clients: £15

Please book via my website or DM with any questions :)

So excited to start offering circles again 🪷

31/07/2025

I've been thinking about how it can be so easy to overcomplicate or throw money at our problems. 💸

Maybe if I take this collagen my skin will be more glowy & I'll look better?

Or if I get this new top I will get a dopamine rush when the postperson delivers it to my house. 📭

Not saying that these things can't be lovely & helpful, but also questioning what's the feeling behind the behaviour...what's motivating us?

If we look around are there shifts we can make in the here & now without spending money or looking at screen.

Maybe it's a walk or a home cooked meal or a chat with a friend or a hug. What's the need behind our behaviours? 💌

Can we slow down and take stock rather than always trying to add? Just some food for thought on a greyish Thursday afternoon 🍃

29/07/2025

Slide #5 - did I make up a word or is that a thing? 😆

"Self-beration".

Discuss:

28/07/2025

Good morning!

I've been working on a new website with all my offerings, some free activities to get you started on the healing journey such as my timeline exercise and article on being a Highly Sensitive Person.

Please feel free to check it out and share with anyone who might appreciate it 🧡

As a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) myself, I deeply empathise with being a sensitive soul who thinks a lot, needs time to process & worries about what other people think.

21/07/2025

We love therapy, but it's those in-between moments in daily life that help build a strong foundation. 🌳

Living in a world where a lot of things happen to us outside of our control, I like to zoom out and think about the choices I can make towards making life feel more positive every day.

My non-negotiable ritual is the bed making 🛌 It closes the chapter on sleep and starts the day properly, making us less likely to climb back in and doom-spiral or scroll (we've all been there).

What's your daily non-negotiable? I know nourishing food for me is another big one, whether it's a pot noodle at a service station on the way back from an adventure or a frozen lasagne made with love reheated on a day when I've got no energy. 🍝

Sending love on this fresh Monday afternoon 🍃

15/07/2025

Sometimes, I know we feel a lot of shame as High Sensitive People: as though we don't work properly.

We can feel like we are too much or not enough, overly sensitive or under developed emotionally.

It can feel isolating, like no one understands and we can't be fixed.

And it's completely understandable to feel like that - in a world where over 80% of people are not highly sensitive, we are likely to receive a majority of reactions that do not understand our experience.

This can leave us feeling dismissed and as though we must be wrong and need to change in order to fit in.

But I promise, you are not broken. You just need a certain soft touch and the special kind of empathy that you also possess: you need company that gets you.

It's a big, emotional world to navigate out there at times.

Get in touch if you feel called, and I'll listen while we drink hot tea and unpack those heavy bags of yours. It's time to finally let your guard down and feel heard 🧡

08/07/2025

💔Market research shows that clients with low self-worth and people-pleasing tendencies are the *least* likely to invest in support for their own mental wellbeing.

This is definitely heartbreaking for both of us.

All the people I would love to support, all the people who will go on to keep living feeling triggered, resentful and confused about their pain.

It's a huge shame.

Even if it's not with me, I'd love to change this statistic. 📈

You deserve support ❤