This blog post was first published as a newsletter in March 2022, you can sign up for our newsletters by scrolling to the bottom of any page and adding your details.

This year we are working together to consider the impact of the pandemic and recover some of our resources.

So far this year we have had a Rewind in January, looking back over what the impact of the pandemic has been using the framework of collective and individual trauma. In February, we talked about Recovery and how to reconnect with our minds, bodies and that which is bigger than us. This month, we’re talking about regulation – specifically how we understand and regulate our own feelings, how we understand and support our children with their emotions and how we bounce off one another emotionally in our homes. And how we are influenced by the world around us in our expression of emotion. Here’s a reminder of what is coming up for the rest of the year:

Image item

For the first week of March, we were due to talk about understanding our own emotions but we had a break for a few days given the war in Ukraine. This has left many people deeply anxious and just as a reminder, I posted this to counter some of the overwhelm at the news and my wonderful colleague Chantell shared this restorative yoga session with us.  Emotional regulation is a huge topic, and I put together this 101 to think about the basics. So often, even though feelings can sound simple, in actual fact we bring so much to how we understand and express our emotions. These can be influenced by our own upbringing, the messages around us, but also our own temperament and how ‘hot’ we run! I talked about this in more depth here and also referred back to this Reel to consider our emotional temperature, and I also reminded you about the window of tolerance which I discussed in this video.  

Image item
The Collective
As the impact of the pandemic – and the changes to mental and physical health services – is hitting, we have seen an increase in referrals to the Collective. This is the group of psychologists I work alongside, together offering whole-family support. I’m not currently taking on new therapy clients but many of the clinicians I work with do have current availability. If therapy is something you’d like to find out more about, feel free to have a look at the work we offer here. You’re welcome to have a quick call with any of the clinicians who work as part of the Collective, to find the best person for you, and if we don’t feel we can help you we will help you find a more suitable service. 
Sending love. If you want a bit more soothing, try this

Emma x