Be Understood Counselling

King Charles, a man raised with mindset of stiff upper lip stoicism has changed Royal protocol and spoken publicly of his cancer diagnosis. By doing this he is leading by example, and has started a conversation acknowledging that it is okay for men not to be okay. This is a huge step forward in helping break the stigma of men accessing support when it’s needed. Thank you sir, hope all goes well with your treatment and recovery.

Such a powerful picture. Men sometimes feel locked down in their own minds because society has led them to feel speaking their emotional truth to others is weak. It is definitely not a weakness, we all deserve to be heard, understood and valued. Therapy can help unlock those toxic beliefs and live a happier more fulfilled life.

Men please talk 😢💔

Because sometimes all they need is for someone to listen to them! 👂💚

**Please Share**

Your good deed for today…

…could be to share this post and tell at least one person about us and what we do.

We create a free, safe, and non-judgemental space, where men can talk about the things on their mind, with other men going through their own challenges.

We meet at the Horden Social Welfare Centre, every Monday (except Bank Holidays), from 7pm to 9pm, if you don’t want to talk you don’t have to and we even throw in a free cuppa and biscuits ☕️🍪

Come and see for yourself 🙏

Andys Man Club

Today is National hug day. Giving and receiving hugs releases endorphins that lifts our mood, makes us feel loved and cared for, and connected to those around us.

Self Care is the number one solution to helping somebody else, if you are being good to yourself and your body and your psyche, that serves other people better, because you will grow strong enough to lift someone else up. - Mary Lambert
Therapy can help release pent up emotions, anxiety, depression, family problems to mention just a few….. Regular exercise and a relaxing massage can complement the benefits of therapy in a holistic approach to living a happier life.

www.beunderstood.co.uk
www.m2massage.co.uk

Be Understood counselling provides a safe space where you can feel heard, valued and understood. Please visit my website, www.beunderstood.co.uk to find out more about how I work and how I can help you.

With all the stress in the world, surrounding yourself with people who are kind, loving and supportive at their core is self care. We can all learn from this example. Be kind.

As Lilly Singh said “A big part of depression is feeling really lonely, even in a room full of a million people.” Don’t suffer in silence, reach out and talk. Talking helps us to feel seen, heard and valued and most importantly connected to others -,we are not solitary creatures.

Feeling seen heard and valued is something we all need. This small act of kindness costs nothing, but could help someone feel the world is a better place with them still in it.

The best way to escape the prison in your own mind is to let other people into the thoughts that are keeping you there.

Andys Man Club, every Monday (except Bank Holidays), 7pm-9pm at the Horden Social Welfare Centre and over 140 locations around the UK and online.

On the train home after seeing this truly beautiful uplifting and inspirational show based on the life of Henry Fraser. If you don’t know Henrys story I would recommend his book “The little big things” Truly inspirational. Brilliant!! Also had the privilege of meeting him at the end of the show, which was fantastic.

So grateful to have achieved accreditation with BACP, it took a bit of effort but was worth the effort in the end. Very happy.

❤️💚💛💜💙🧡

A Lady asked an old street vendor: "How much do you sell your eggs for?" The old man replied "0.50¢ an egg, madam.” The Lady responde, “I'll take 6 eggs for $2.00 or I'm leaving.” The old salesman replied, “Buy them at the price you want, Madam. This is a good start for me because I haven't sold a single egg today and I need this to live.”

She bought her eggs at a bargain price and left with the feeling that she had won. She got into her fancy car and went to a fancy restaurant with her friend. She and her friend ordered what they wanted. They ate a little and left a lot of what they had asked for. So they paid the bill, which was $150. The ladies gave $200 and told the fancy restaurant owner to keep the change as a tip.

This story might seem quite normal to the owner of the fancy restaurant, but very unfair to the egg seller. The question it raises is;
Why do we always need to show that we have power when we buy from the needy?
And why are we generous to those who don't even need our generosity?

We once read somewhere that a father used to buy goods from poor people at a high price, even though he didn't need the things. Sometimes he paid more for them. His children were amazed. One day they asked him "why are you doing this dad?" The father replied: "It's charity wrapped in dignity.”

I know that most of you will not share this message, but if you are one of the people who have taken the time to read this far...
Then this message of attempted "humanisation" will have gone one step further in the right direction.

Beware the self absorbed who will drink constantly and greedily from your jugular of caring kindness and compassion, never considering you may need some nourishment in return from time to time.
In his book “Emotional Vampires” Albert J. Bernstein explains how to spot the emotional vampires in your life and how to protect yourself from them.

Such an important message to get out there.

#

This is such an important message to get out there.

Men struggle too 💔💔

So grateful for the wonderful weekend spending quality time with family and friends. Back to work feeling really good and refreshed, spending time with those we love is priceless. Live, Love, Laugh definitely the 3 L’s to live by. Happy Tuesday everyone.

❤️

When you have a neurotypical child, you feel reasonably assured that class participation and decent study habits will result in good grades. These kids have close friends. They get invited to participate in social things like birthdays, play dates and weekend gatherings. They make the teams, auditions and are always busy doing something fun with their friends.
But when you have a child with certain differences, this is often not the case. Learning may take longer, both academically and socially. Despite their tremendous efforts, results are often a fraction of their peers and social acceptance is fleeting, setting them up for painful comparisons and bitter frustration. Instead of a fun and fulfilling experience, school can become a breeding ground for depression and anxiety, and homework a battle ground at home. It is exhausting for parents and child alike.

This is the week of SPED (Special Education), Autism, Dyslexia, and ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) awareness. For all the children who struggle every day to succeed in a world that does not recognize their gifts and talents, and for those who are walking beside them, please let this be a gentle reminder to be kind and accepting of ALL people.

Recognize that the "playing field" is not always a level surface.
Children who learn differently are not weird. They are merely gifted in ways that our society does not value enough. Yet they want what everyone else wants: To be accepted.

Please help me share awareness of this. Copy and paste (by touching and holding the text) onto your profile in honor of all children who are deemed "different". Our world would be far less beautiful without them.

❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

National day of reflection.
Taking time to remember the loved ones we have lost and remember the happy times you shared together.
Grief is a very personal experience and different for each person, if you are struggling coming to terms with your loss counselling can give you the space to talk and express your emotions without feeling the need to hold back for fear of distressing others.

We can feel shame when our core belief is that we are wrong or not good enough. Quite often men feel shame when we don’t believe we live up to what others think it is to be a real man.
Part of working on shame in therapy is exploring if the shame we feel is ours to carry. Quite often it is most definitely not.

Self care Sunday. Just got back from a beautiful walk in the woods near my house. The sun was shining, the flowers were out and the birds were singing, a truly relaxing and peaceful couple of hours. So lucky to have this on my doorstep.

On 31st March I will be sleeping out in support of the Royal British Legion’s The Great Tommy sleep out. I hope to raise at least £150+ for this very worthy cause. There are 6000+ homeless Ex service men and women that desperately need our help. Thank you

How are you? By asking this simple question you might just be offering a lifeline to someone who is struggling with their mental health.

Men get R***d too.
You’re not a victim for sharing your story, you are a survivor setting the world on fire with your truth. And you never know who needs your light, your warmth and raging courage. Alex Elle