Blog Archives - I Need Therapy

Christmas – A difficult time of year

13th December 201813th December 2018 By Sharon Roberts Comment Closed

Not always a Joyful time That time of year is upon us again and the big push to have a Merry Christmas has begun. Whilst many are caught up in the glitter and sparkle of the season, for others this will be a most difficult time of the year. If you have suffered a loss, separation, homelessness or financial difficulties, Christmas may be something you dread rather than enjoy. It is an occasion which does not last for just one day but begins with several weeks of preparation. Shops glisten with tinsel and Christmas songs boom out of speakers as people rush around to buy gifts. The big drive to plan “the day” and invitations to events with family, friends and work abound. If you are alone, the reality of loneliness is made stronger by TV, social media and radio depictions of constant merriment. While you might be be worrying about the bills landing on the mat in January. Loneliness and Loss felt...

Mother’s Day – A Different Meaning

10th March 201829th March 2019 By Sharon Roberts Comment Closed

Mother's Day is celebrated all over the world - the special day we've set aside to celebrate motherhood. For those lucky enough, our mothers are the one constant in our lives who never give up on us. They are always fighting our corner and provide us with the secure place we go to when things are not going our way. Mothers are often the centre of families and often have multiple roles. 'Mothers' are the grand-mothers, aunts and sisters who are pivotal figures in many of our lives. What do you and your family do to mark Mother’s Day? Traditionally children buy their mum a lovely bunch of flowers or chocolates and give a Mother’s Day card. There's a lovely family gathering for Sunday lunch with everyone chipping in to give mum a well-earned rest. The posts on Social Media remind us how special mums are. There is nothing wrong with this version the day; and it's a lovely way to spend the day...

Domestic abuse: Women and girls never need to suffer alone

8th March 201813th December 2018 By Emma Radway-Bright Comment Closed

Domestic abuse affects a lot of women. As a friend, I have been aware that some of my friends have endured domestic abuse. As teenaged girls and as women. In relationships and when they were single and ‘fair game’. As a colleague, I’ve seen the bruises, heard the whispered phone calls. Seen the fear and anxiety in their eyes. As an acquaintance, I’ve seen the tears of women who have suffered unspeakable episodes of violence. Beaten. Spat on. Told they are worthless. Trapped. The things is, I never said anything. We smiled, chit-chatted about our work, the weather, activities. But I just didn’t have the tools to ask. To listen. Staying silent in the awkwardness of talking When I was a teenager and young woman, I didn’t know how to have difficult conversations with other girls. They hinted about their experiences of abuse and violence at home; of witnessing their mothers being hit. We just didn’t have the language to talk about it properly. I...

New Year, New You… Does January mean a new start for you?

13th January 2018 By Emma Radway-Bright Comment Closed

The New Year is here and January has truly set in. You can’t get away from the barrage of information about new diets, new fitness regimes, new you. At the same time, everyone’s talking about ‘Dry January’ and believing that detoxing for a month will help right the wrongs of the year before. The news tells us that marriages end in January; and divorce lawyers are really busy. While by mid-January-to-February everyone’s given up on turning vegan, going to the gym and has started drinking again. So, January is actually pretty dire! It gets dark by 4pm, it’s a long 5-week month until pay day and the New You isn’t materialising. The Reality of January Personally, I struggle with January’s ‘New Year – New You’ message. I just don’t buy it. Yes, of course there are things you could change in your life to make it better. You can eat more healthily, do more exercise, drink less, sleep better… But do they REALLY make you...

Is Emotional Resilience about ‘bouncing back’?

27th July 201713th January 2018 By Emma Radway-Bright Comment Closed

Emotional resilience is generally understood to be your ability to adapt to ‘bad’ things that happen like trauma, stress and crisis. You are emotionally resilient if you can ‘roll with the punches’ and keep going without lasting difficulties. You’re thought to be less resilient if you have a harder time dealing with stress; and major or minor life changes. Develop Resilience So, it looks like we’d all like to be as resilient as possible and there are some good resources and steps that instruct on how you might become more resilient. Most commonly, the advice is to make some lifestyle changes; look after your physical health; be kind to yourself and use your support network. All leading to improved well-being and self-esteem. Research has identified some key characteristics of resilience. ‘Resilient Individuals Use Positive Emotions to Bounce Back From Negative Emotional Experiences’ … for the scientific among us! (Me!) Both people with high- and low-resilience were equally frustrated in response to the most important problem they...