Why have I lost my spark – and how do I get it back?
Sometimes when we look back at the person we were before kids, or before life became ridiculously busy, it can feel as though we were a completely different person. Maybe you remember having this bright spark inside of you. You knew what you wanted and you knew who you were. You had ideas and dreams and things you wanted to do. You felt motivated, creative, spontaneous and excited about life. And then without you even realising it, that spark seemed to disappear. Maybe now, when someone asks you what you want, you genuinely don’t know. Perhaps your life looks pretty…
Keep readingWhy good change can still feel scary
Today was my youngest son’s last day at junior school. It’s something we’ve been looking forward to in so many ways. He’s excited for the summer holidays, and although he admitted he felt sad to be leaving, he also couldn’t wait for what comes next. If I’m honest though, I was far more emotional than I expected. Over the past six years, this school has become somewhere that feels safe, not just for him, but for me too. School hasn’t always been easy. My youngest has ADHD and Autism and for a long time it was incredibly difficult. But this…
Keep readingWhy do I feel like this when nothing is actually wrong?
Have you ever found yourself feeling anxious, overwhelmed, panicky or completely shut down and thought: Why I am I like this? Maybe nothing particularly bad is happening. You’re safe. Life might even look pretty good on paper. And yet your heart is racing, your chest feels tight, your mind won’t stop thinking or you just want to hide away from the world. And then, because we’re human, we often make ourselves feel even worse by blaming ourselves for feeling that way… I should be able to cope with this. Why can’t I just stop thinking about it? Other people deal…
Keep readingWhy You Can Never Find Something When You’re Looking for It!
Have you ever spent ten minutes searching the house for your keys, your phone or that one piece of paper you absolutely need? You check the same place over and over again. You become more and more convinced it’s disappeared. You start feeling frustrated, then stressed, then perhaps a little panicky. And eventually you give up. You make a cup of tea, answer an email, or go and do something completely different. Then you come back… and there it is. Right in front of you! So why does this happen? When you find the thing, if you’re anything like me,…
Keep readingCan’t Switch Your Brain Off?
4 Simple ways to Calm Anxiety and Find Your Way Back to the Present Moment. If you’ve ever found yourself lying awake at 3am replaying conversations, worrying about things that haven’t happened yet, or feeling constantly on edge, you’re not alone. Many of us think anxiety starts in our thoughts. And while our thoughts definitely play a part, anxiety is also a nervous system response. When we spend a long time worrying, rushing, overthinking or carrying the pressures of everyday life, our nervous system can begin to stay on high alert. It starts scanning for problems, looking for what’s next,…
Keep readingGigs, Sports Days, EHCPs, a 3-hour round trip and a 3.45am start!
Have you ever looked at your week ahead and thought, “That feels like a lot,” only for life to throw in a few unexpected surprises for good measure?! That was this week for me. I already knew it was going to be busy. There was a late gig followed by a 3.45am start this morning, Sports Day, coaching sessions, meetings, practise and programming my LED dress for the gig, my eldest son’s residential trip and all the usual day-to-day life admin that somehow still needs doing. Then came the curve balls! A phone call from school at 7.45pm on Tuesday…
Keep readingWho are you when the labels no longer fit?
For most of my life, I knew exactly who I was. I was a violinist. It wasn’t just something I did – it was who I was. Music shaped my days, my friendships, my work, my goals and my sense of identity. If someone had asked me to describe myself, violinist would have been one of the first things I said. Then I became a mum. Like so many women, my priorities changed overnight. The late nights, the travelling and the unpredictability of freelance performing no longer fitted with the kind of parent I wanted to be. So I stepped…
Keep readingFeeling flat, stuck, anxious or overwhelmed?
Your nervous system could be the missing piece. I had an interesting conversation at a co-working session yesterday and it really made me think about how I reach the people who need what I offer the most. I’m a nervous system and mindset coach but how many people actually know what that involves or how it will help them? I’m pretty sure you don’t go around thinking to yourself, “I must find a nervous system coach to help me with my overwhelm or anxiety.” What you do know is that you want to feel better. You want to feel good…
Keep readingA calmer half term: Small things that make a big difference.
One thing I love about half term is the relief of not having to rush out of the door every morning or think about packed lunches and school admin for a few days. But if you’re anything like me, it can also bring a whole different kind of exhaustion — especially if you have younger children, or children who are neurodivergent or highly sensitive. My boys turn 13 and 11 on Monday and Tuesday, so we’ve got a week of birthday celebrations, parties and family coming to stay. And over the years, I’ve realised there’s a very fine line between…
Keep readingThe Golden Path
Sometimes we reach a point in life where we feel like we’ve lost our way. We don’t know where we are anymore, we don’t know what to do next, and everything just feels… off. And when that happens, we usually go one of two ways: We panic. We get anxious. Our body floods with cortisol and we start doing too many things — trying to outrun the discomfort — which only creates more overwhelm and more anxiety. Then we feel even worse about ourselves. Or we shut down. We can’t make ourselves do anything. We want to hide away from…
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