BRIGHTER BEGINNINGS THERAPY
therapy ONLINE IN THE UK or face-to-face in Leeds, West Yorkshire
Letting out the anger, in a controlled and safe way
My teenage son had a voucher for a rage room experience for Christmas last year and I was secretly thinking “pick me, pick me, pick me” when it said he had to be accompanied by an adult. Luckily he did pick me (hurrah) and we made the 230 mile round trip today. I know that anger is often seen as a ‘bad’ emotion but we can’t regulate an emotion we don’t allow ourselves to feel. I do not advocate violence in any way, but cathartic, controlled and safe release of pent-up emotion? Why not?! The experience was thoroughly enjoyable, we […]
National stress awareness day UK
2 November is National Stress Awareness Day in the UK and I have shared some effective self-care tips on my social media accounts this morning: Brighter Beginnings Therapy on Facebook Brighter Beginnings Therapy on Instagram Self-care to reduce stress is great, helping relieve symptoms of stress but getting to the root cause of stress can help long-term. What is stress? According to the World Health Organisation, stress is “a state of worry or mental tension caused by a difficult situation” (1.) and we all have different situations that cause us stress and we all react to these situations differently. Underlying […]
It takes, on average, 7 times to leave an abusive relationship for good.
This might sound like a crazy statistic, but the National Domestic Violence Helpline has collated data that shows people in abusive relationships take, on average, 7 times to leave for good. That means that some people do it in less than 7 attempts and some people (like me) do it in more attempts. Mine was 8. That was 8 times when he left, or I forced him out (with help) but 7 of those times I let him back. Why? Because I was weak? Because I enjoyed the abuse? No. Because I was so confused about my reality that I […]
What is emotional abuse?
Emotional abuse is a pattern of behaviour in which the abuser humiliates, insults, and instils fear in an individual. Emotional abuse can take many forms, it is insidious in that it is not always obvious that it is happening to us, and it can be even harder to spot, and confront, in others. Also called psychological abuse and falling under the umbrella of domestic violence, it is the continual emotional mistreatment of a person (child or adult). It is a crime punishable by law of up to 4 years in prison in the UK for controlling and coercive behaviour. Section […]
Journaling for self-awareness
One of the requirements for my Masters course in Integrative Counselling was to keep a reflective journal. And I hated it. Passionately. I couldn’t think of anything more uncomfortable than writing down my inner thoughts about how I was thinking and feeling on paper. I felt vulnerable and exposed, and it felt awfully self-indulgent. But, it was necessary for the personal and professional development (PPD) assignments, so I dutifully started writing. Nothing honest, nothing deep, just ramblings at first. One day (I don’t remember when exactly), it became clear that it actually helped. It helped me open up and be […]
Anger
Have you ever found yourself getting angry, and afterwards, you’re not sure where it came from? How about when your child runs out into the road? When someone cuts you up in the car on the way to work? Maybe that person stood too close to you in the queue at the supermarket? Perhaps when you have cleaned the kitchen, someone makes a snack, and undoes all your hard work? Anger is an emotion like any other; emotions are a reaction to triggers. I have noticed more clients seeking counselling and psychotherapy to address anger management issues. Anger is classed […]
© Lisa Furnish
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