The Wounded Healer

When you're stubborn and demand to go to the gym. Despite not being able to walk properly.

Should've realised when needing the lift to get to the class that I might not be well enough.

Not everyone can practice what they preach 👀

Learn to recognise when your body needs a break and give it some rest!

Although I work primarily with young people, I still have a number of adults with difficulties.

Saw this and feel it's suitable for anyone with relationship concerns

Migraine sufferer or dramatically hungover.

A new game invented by running errands with a migraine in the rain.

There was hope that working with children and young people would keep me young, or at the very least up to date with the latest trends in language.

This morning, whilst playing around with the kids, I heard from my eldest "that's so cringe!"

Guess I'm not as cool as I think 😒

Picture of our home made Shortbread

Working as a private therapist, a lot of time and effort is spent on directories to advertise yourself.
There are so many therapists out there how do you know which to work with! It's not really appropriate for me to ask people for reviews as it ruins the concept of confidentiality.

So when a new client says they have come to me because they've heard such good things about my work from others, it absolutely makes my day 🤩

Word of mouth is definitely the greatest way to advertise 😊

Spent the day after my first workout completely buzzing despite how weak I felt.

To then cramp my neck after sneezing 🤕 🙄😒

A sharp reminder that you don't get better overnight!

It took 1.5 years to be ready for the gym after my surgery. With strict instructions to take it slow, I did gentle cardio for 12 weeks.

It has now reached the stage that I have been able to do my first lot of weight training 💪🏼🙌🏽

The post work out buzz is amazing and I have missed it so much.

I was down disheartened to see how far back I went after the op. But it just means I can be even prouder when I get myself back to strong and healthy!

Medical appointments can be tough. Talking to a professional about something impacting your life can be anxiety filled.

My recommendation is to make a list. If that's symptoms or questions you'd like to ask. A list is always useful!

If you're worried you won't make it through your list. Highlight key points that are higher priority and focus on those.

Hopefully you'll feel empowered regardless of the outcome of your appointment

Even the most experienced people can make mistakes. Don't be so hard on your self when you make some yourself.

As someone who has far too many MRI scans and will continue to do so for the next 10 years, I rocked up to one last week completely forgetting all the prep work necessary!

All metal/jewellery (except wedding rings) need to be removed. I remembered to wear appropriate clothing. But had to be prompted to remove two sets of earrings and a nose ring 🤦‍♀️😒

Resulting in me leaning over a chair playing around with my nose to quickly remove the ring.

Welcoming the latest addition- Crumble 🐾

Looking forward to the therapeutic walks and lots of cuddles.

For now, lots of trips in and out the house to get him house trained 😴

https://www.beautybrainuk.com/blogs/blog/20-things-to-expect-after-brain-surgery?fbclid=IwAR1jTER3cbzxEgRwa0holswZeo202QxnWZMMhl8RV3IzyRQRsNK7pp1MSDg

20 Things to Expect After Brain Surgery A firsthand account of preparing for brain surgery filled with insights on resilience, patience, and the surreal nature of life after facing the unexpected.

Went to my first ever networking event for counsellors recently.

Not only did I feel all official attending something like this, the first speaker spoke about the difficulties faced training/working as a Counsellor as someone who has experienced physical health issues. It hit so close to home yet it felt so inspiring.

Maybe being disabled doesn't have to limit my career forever!

Pre school jabs 🥺

An evening of cuddles it is

Picture just to show off the size of the delivery box vs the small items inside!

Post gym mum life

Listening to Raa Raa The Noisy Lion 10 mins after the kids have gone to bed because I'm too tired to move.

Plus, the theme tune is rather catchy 😏

Life as a disabled mum (that's in denial)

Went to centerparcs with the family and all went swimming. Couldn't walk against the current and needed pulling across the pool. Then struggled with vertigo watching them climbing trees.

Trying to find the balance between accepting my limitations and wanting to enjoy life is hard.

So after I got the first all clear post op, I decided to embrace a bit of the mental crisis and coloured my very dark hair blonde. This has been a long process but I now have it out of my system. I've had my year taking my stress out on my hair.

All booked in to go back dark and in true parent style, had to cancel the morning of the appointment as my youngest was poorly!

Guess the inch long dark roots are here to stay a little longer!

Did my induction as the gym.

I quit the gym 2 weeks pre op, was half way through couch to 5k and a keen participant in the gym classes.

My new plan involves a strict ban on weights and a very light start to cardio. It has been so hard acknowledging that change. To see where I was in comparison to where I am now.

But, we all have to start somewhere. I can get back to where I was with time and focus.

Life happens, things change, we can't control everything. But we can control how we work through it.

Purely because January is the hardest of all months, this post is coming a lot later than it should.

I got to start the new year with a letter (despite being super vauge) confirming that I can live a year a time between scans 🙌🏽

Definitely motivation to start the new year positively. I was then approved to start a 12 week program to increase my physical health. Let's see what this year brings 💪🏼

Just over a year since the hardest week of my life. Celebrated by cancelling clients due to severe head pain but ended it with a living room picnic with my little ones ❤️

As we get closer to the end of my first year post op. I find myself reflecting on the gravity of the situation and how we worked through the stress.

Remembering sobbing in the shower, crying through birthdays wondering if it was the last one I'd see. Planning wills and custody for the children was tough when it feels like that moment is looming nearer. Begging people to tell me I'm over reacting with this fear but nobody could.

I think back to the moment I woke up after surgery. The confusion and pain was next level. Not being able to keep anything down for days so needed all my medication through drips or injections.

The progress I made being able to get out of bed was wonderful. Despite being partially blind I was so pleased it only took a couple of days to walk to the loo's - until I walked headfirst into the door!

Learning my coordination to be able to clean myself. The loss of dignity is something you get used to as a mother but is something I refused to accept in this circumstances. Comprising by having my husband stand outside the loos ready to rush in if I collapsed.

We are nearly 1 year through the worst. I can walk, think and see pretty well. I get down thinking about how low I've set my standards until I think about what I've had to overcome.

Nearly 1 year later. I have my family, I've kept my business and (granted, its iffy) my health. ❤️

It can be hard, but every so often, try and sit down for a minute and appreciate what you have in life.

When you're experiencing a surge in stress levels, what else is there to do but rearrange the dinning room, including laying out the table cloth for thorough disinfecting.

Self care at its finest 👌 🙃

Being excited when you go to a shop and they have 6 pints of milk!

Our regular shop do 4 pints as their biggest.

Mum life has never been so exciting 😎

Being so proud of how tall our jenga tower got, we had to get a picture 📸

Optician: Would you like us to do the more detailed health check to quicker diagnose anything.

Me: I'm happy without finding out any further problems, thanks.

Trying to get back into some old hobbies

And I wonder why none of my clothes fit 🙃