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Your Inner Child and Your Adult Self: Understanding the Parts of You We grow up, but the younger parts of us don’t simply disappear. We can be fully functioning adults, working, raising families, managing relationships and dealing with everyday life, and still find ourselves reacting to certain situations in ways that feel surprisingly intense. You might be 40 or 50 years old, but when someone rejects you, criticises you, ignores your message or seems disappointed in you, som

Swear words have been around for entries, but what we consider offensive has changed dramatically. Once, religious words caused the greatest shock; later, sex bodies and bodily functions became taboo. Swearing gives us an interesting glimpse into what society considers shameful, sacred or unacceptable. It also raises a deeper questions: what were you taught you shouldn’t say, and what did that teach you about the parts of yourself you shouldn’t show.

Many people come to therapy because they want to feel different. They want the anxiety to stop.They want to stop overthinking.They want to feel more confident.They want healthier relationships.They want to stop reacting in ways they don’t understand. While these are all important goals, the real question often becomes: Why do I keep responding this way, even when I know better? The answer usually isn’t because you’re weak or broken. It’s because different parts of you have le

Have you ever walked away from a conversation thinking, “Why did that feel so difficult?” Or perhaps you’ve noticed that some people seem to dominate every discussion, while others barely say a word. The way we communicate isn’t random. It often reflects our personality, our past experiences, what we learned growing up, and even how safe or threatened our nervous system feels in the moment. Understanding conversation styles can help us build stronger relationships, reduce mis

If you’ve ever wondered “What is anxiety?”, “Why do I feel anxious?”, or “Why am I anxious for no reason?”, you’re not alone. Anxiety is one of the most common mental health concerns worldwide, yet it’s also one of the most misunderstood. Many people believe anxiety means something is wrong with them or that they simply need to “calm down” or “stop worrying.” But what if anxiety isn’t the problem? What if anxiety is actually your nervous system trying to protect you? Understa

Separation, divorce, or the end of a long-term relationship is one of life’s most painful experiences. It can feel as though you’ve lost part of yourself. The grief is real, the emotions are intense, and it’s natural to find yourself longing for what once was. But there is a gentle question worth asking: Are you grieving the person, or are you grieving the future you imagined with them? The two can feel almost identical, yet they are very different experiences. The person ver

Have you ever left a conversation thinking, “That didn’t go the way I expected”? Maybe you were looking for comfort but received advice instead. Perhaps you wanted someone to help solve a problem, but they kept asking questions. Or maybe you were trying to help someone, only for them to become frustrated with your response. Often, the problem isn’t what we said—it’s the type of conversation we were having. Every conversation has a purpose. The more we understand different con

Have you ever found yourself reacting in a way that doesn’t quite make sense? Perhaps someone didn’t reply to your message, and you felt unexpectedly rejected. Maybe a small criticism stayed with you for days, or you found yourself avoiding conflict at all costs. You might even hear yourself thinking: “I’m not good enough.” “I’m too much.” “People always leave.” “I have to get everything right.” These reactions often have far less to do with what’s happening today than they d

Divorce and separation are among life’s most significant transitions. While they often mark the end of a relationship, they can also bring grief, uncertainty, relief, hope, and profound personal change—all at the same time. Whether the decision was yours, your partner’s, or mutual, separation can leave you questioning your identity, your future, and your sense of stability. If you’re finding this time overwhelming, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re not coping. More often, it

We often think of anxiety as something that happens to us. Something that appears out of nowhere, takes over our body, and leaves us wondering, “Why am I like this?” But sometimes anxiety isn’t coming from the outside at all. Sometimes it’s the result of an internal conflict. A conflict between what we believe we should do and what we genuinely want to do. Many of our “shoulds” don’t actually begin with us. They come from the world around us. Society teaches us what a “good”

Most of us spend our lives believing we’re in control of our thoughts, feelings and decisions. But the truth is, the conscious part of your mind—the part you’re aware of—is only a small piece of the picture. Much of what you think, feel and do is influenced by your unconscious mind, quietly working behind the scenes. The conscious mind is the part that plans your day, solves problems, weighs up decisions and reflects on experiences. It’s where you think, analyse and make inte

If you’ve ever experienced anxiety, panic, overwhelm or even emotional numbness, you’ve probably wished you could switch your nervous system off. It can feel like it’s working against you. But your nervous system is not your enemy. Your nervous system has one primary job: to keep you alive. Every sensation, emotion and bodily response is information about how safe or unsafe it believes you are in that moment. It doesn’t stop to ask whether the threat is real, current or remem

Self Monitoring in Social Situations: Are You Watching Yourself More Than You’re Experiencing the Moment? Have you ever left a conversation replaying everything you said? “Did I talk too much?”“Did they think I was awkward?”“I shouldn’t have said that.” If so, you’re not alone. Many people spend social situations monitoring themselves instead of experiencing the interaction. Rather than being present, they’re constantly checking how they’re coming across and adjusting themsel

When people hear the word boundaries, they often imagine saying “no,” putting up walls, or being difficult. In reality, boundaries are much simpler than that. A boundary is the point where you end and someone else begins. It’s recognising what feels okay for you, what doesn’t, and responding in a way that honours both yourself and your relationships. Many of us weren’t taught what healthy boundaries look or feel like. Instead, we learned to tolerate discomfort, keep the peace

We all have a window of tolerance. It’s the range where our nervous system is regulated enough to think clearly, feel our emotions, connect with others and respond to life in ways that reflect who we are. The size of that window is different for everyone, and it changes depending on factors such as stress, sleep, trauma, illness, relationships and the demands of everyday life. When your nervous system shifts into high activation High activation isn’t a problem in itself. In f

Curiosity is one of the most powerful qualities we can bring into our lives. It invites us to pause instead of react, to understand instead of assume, and to explore instead of judge. It opens the door to learning, growth, and deeper connection with ourselves and with others. At its best, curiosity helps us become more flexible. It reminds us that we don’t have all the answers, and that’s okay. We begin asking questions like: “I wonder what’s happening here?” “Can you help me

Understanding Menopause: A Natural Transition For many women, menopause arrives with a narrative that is not their own. Society has long painted it as an ending — a loss of youth, vitality, fertility, and desirability. Decades of cultural conditioning have led us to believe that this natural transition is something to hide, fix, or resist. But what if it’s none of those things? What if menopause is not the closing of a door, but the gentle turning of a page? It can be a time

Book Review and an Invitation for Late-Diagnosed Neurodivergent Women Strengths in Neurodivergence — from Neurodevelopmental Disorders in Adult Women If you are a woman who discovered your neurodivergence later in life, you may have spent years trying to be who everyone else expected you to be. You may have learned to mask, to blend in, to work twice as hard just to feel “enough”. You may have carried a quiet belief that something was wrong with you. This chapter, Strengths i

The Trickster Dynamic in Therapy: Navigating Humor and Vulnerability Sometimes in therapy, something playful and unexpected shows up right in the middle of pain. This is often referred to as a “trickster dynamic.” It can lighten the moment, but it can also pull both therapist and client away from something raw and vulnerable. Understanding the Trickster Dynamic The trickster dynamic is a fascinating phenomenon in therapy. It often appears when clients face difficult emotions.

Ever feel torn between panic and logic? That’s the amygdala and prefrontal cortex in a tug-of-war. The amygdala reacts fast to keep you safe, while the prefrontal cortex helps you stay calm and think clearly. When stress hits, the amygdala can hijack your brain, making it hard to think or regulate emotions. Therapy helps restore balance, creating space between reaction and response so you can feel more grounded and in control.