Welcome to the Westmeria Counselling blog, where our counsellors and expert contributors share valuable insights about the challenges that matter most, from managing anxiety to coping with loss.
Each month, we publish thoughtful articles designed to offer guidance and practical tools for emotional well-being. Whether you’re currently in counselling or looking for ways to support your mental health, we hope you find these blogs helpful and reassuring.
The Myth of ‘Blue Monday’ and How to Take back the day!
Article from www.firststepsed.co.uk Mondays tend to get a bad rep, don’t they? In the same way we celebrate that ‘Friday feeling’, the Monday blues can sink in as early as Sunday as we shift back into our working week – if you don’t work weekends of course. And...
Enhancing life and mental health with new experiences, by Nicola B
In life there are many repetitive tasks, things we have no choice but to do, on repeat over and over. For example, a school run, cooking meals, going to work, etc! Some of these things I have no control over, but I can control the way I am experiencing them. When life...
Food That Impacts Mood: Nourishing Your Mind with Every Bite – Blog by Leena S
"One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well." – Virginia Woolf Our relationship with food goes beyond simple sustenance. What we eat doesn’t just fuel our bodies but profoundly affects our minds and emotions, impacting how we feel, think,...
Moving House By Steve G
Relationship breakups, the loss of loved ones and moving house are frequently cited as some of life’s most stressful events. Moving house was the time of great anxiety for me. What had been the home for my children and me for a number of years was up in the air. The...
Music to my ears by Natasha W
“If I were not a physicist, I would probably be a musician. I often think in music. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music.” ― Albert Einstein Music has always played a major role in my life going back to my earliest memories. My mother taught...
Gratitude for New Beginnings by Christina H
Change is hard, exciting, sometimes scary, and always full of the unknown. Whether a new job, school year or a whole new chapter of our life, change can overwhelm with uncertainty. When we choose the new beginning like moving to a new flat or going back to school,...
The Psychological Benefits of Volunteering and Helping Others – By Sadie G
Purpose is something we all, in one form or another, seek from life. Maybe someone’s purpose is their family, friends, work, being part of a team, helping others, etc. and helping others is something which brings a sense of purpose and meaning for me. There are...
5 ways to support men’s mental health and raise awareness
While many strides have been made in serious mental health conversations, one crucial aspect remains inadequately addressed: men’s mental well-being. The prevailing societal narrative surrounding masculinity often inhibits men from acknowledging and confronting their...
A LITTLE BIT OF AWE… THE PERFECT PICK-ME-UP- By Victoria K
It was one of those days. And not the good type. I was walking my dog in our local park with my shoulders hunched and my inner critic at full volume. As I entered a thicket of trees I looked up. It was deep dusk, and the branches had formed a ring around an open patch...
People Pleasing & Self-Care – By Kirsty E
For a long period of my life, I defined self-care as selfish, also recognising that I was, still am, a people pleaser. I wonder what your initial thoughts and feelings were when reading the term ‘people pleaser’? I am curious because I believe language is extremely...
The Clutter Queen by Jasmine M
Hello, my name is Jasmine, but you can call me the Clutter Queen. Over the years I have gone from being buried under a mountain of my own clutter to being super organised and clutter free. Talking from my personal experience with mental health issues and how my...
Self-Injury by Vikki F
To mark Self-Injury Action Day I thought that I would write an article explaining what self-injury is, how you can help your loved ones if they use self-injury to cope with difficult emotions and how those that self-injure can help themselves to live with, decrease or...
Crafting and your mental health by Laura V
January can be difficult for a lot of people. The long nights and short grey days can make it more difficult to get out and connect with people. But equally, this makes January the perfect time to enjoy the many mental health benefits of taking up a new hobby or...
Harmony Within: Unveiling the Mental Health Benefits of Yoga
By Shelly K We hear a lot about the physical benefits of yoga like increased flexibility and strength, improved blood flow and stronger joints but what about mental health.Daily life can often take a toll on mental well-being and more people are seeking holistic...
A link between stress and poor mental health?
By Elizabeth S. Stress itself is not considered a mental health problem, so it can often get overlooked when thinking about contributors to poor mental health. It’s true, stress is a normal part of everyday life and serves to protect us from danger and even with the...
‘Change’ By Natalie K
Living in the U.K often means a change of weather and quite often without warning but what if seasons of change is something much bigger? September and January are full of new starts for many people, starting new jobs, new schools, college, house moves, relationships,...
A Smile In The Mind – Jonathan P
Earlier in the summer, along the banks of the Thames on London’s South Bank, an outdoor gallery space exhibited 50 large-scale portraits displaying the smiling faces of 50 different people. People of all genders. People of all ages. People with their families. People...
Self-Help Mental Health While You Wait
By Katya J P Being put on a waiting list for counselling can feel frustrating and difficult, so preparing yourself for the counselling process can be one way of helping your mental health before you even set foot in the therapy room. One of the topics that will come...
Healthy Body, Healthy Mind, By Anna G
I’ve long been a great believer and advocate for a healthy body leading to a healthy mind and watching the recent Stutz documentary by Jonah Hill on Netflix, re-enforced this further. The film chronicles the life and career of psychiatrist Dr Phil Stutz, Hill's...
Are you sober curious?
If you have ever wondered whether taking a break from alcohol might have a positive impact on your life, then you are not alone. It would be hard to miss the greater prominence of low and no alcohol drinks options available in supermarkets, bars, restaurants, and even...