Towards Tranquility Therapy

05/09/2026

Hi it’s Liz I’ve not been able to post much this week as my Doggo is unwell he has an ear infection . I stayed up with him until 2:30 in the morning, the other night stroking his paw to let him know I was still there until he settled well enough to sleep.

Animals are far more than just pets and can create such complex and intense emotions within us.

He’s starting to feel better thankfully 😅 and I just wanted to say I am wishing everyone’s animal loved ones are doing okay.

04/09/2026

F**k It Friday

F**k waiting until you're completely overwhelmed before you're "allowed" to make life easier.

You don't have to prove something is unbearable first -
Use the headphones.
Cancel the unnecessary thing.
Ask someone to help.
Order the easier dinner.
Leave early.
Take the break.
Say:
"Actually, I haven't got capacity for that today."

We can spend an enormous amount of energy trying to demonstrate that we could cope if we really pushed ourselves.

Maybe today we don't need to.

🌿 Pocket Thought
Making something easier isn't cheating. Sometimes it's simply meeting yourself where you are.

**kItFriday

02/09/2026

Well, Well, Well Wednesday

Well, well, well… perhaps you weren't "overreacting" after all.

Imagine carrying ten shopping bags. Someone hands you a teaspoon. You drop everything.

Was the teaspoon incredibly heavy?
Of course not.

It was simply one thing more than you could carry.

Emotional capacity can work like that too.

We often judge ourselves by the final event:
"I cried because I couldn't find my charger." But your nervous system experienced the entire load that came before it.

That doesn't mean every reaction is helpful or that we can't learn different ways of responding. It means shame probably isn't the best place to begin.

Curiosity might be.

🌿 Pocket Thought
Instead of asking "Why did something so small affect me?", try "What else was I carrying?"

01/09/2026

Tiny Steps Tuesday
Why do I always feel like I’m falling behind?

You look around and other people seem to be managing:

Their house is tidy.
They've answered their messages.
They remember appointments.
They seem to get through a whole day without needing three days to recover from it.

Meanwhile, you're wondering why ordinary life sometimes takes so much effort. But we're rarely comparing like with like.

We don't see how much energy someone else's brain uses to organise, remember, transition, regulate emotions, manage sensory input, concentrate or interact with people.
They can't see ours either.

🌿 Pocket Thought
Before deciding you're behind, gently wonder whether you've been measuring your life using somebody else's starting point.

31/08/2026

Make Sense Monday

Why can something tiny suddenly feel HUGE?

Someone asks you a simple question.
You can't find your keys.
The website won't load.
Someone changes the plan.

Suddenly you feel like crying, shouting, shutting down or walking away from everything.

Then comes the judgement:
"Why am I reacting like this? It's such a small thing."

But perhaps we're measuring the wrong thing.

The size of the last thing that happened doesn't tell us how much you were already carrying.

You might already have been managing worry, sensory input, masking, tiredness, decisions, memories, responsibilities or simply a day requiring far more effort than anyone else could see.

The lost keys weren't necessarily the whole problem.
T
hey might simply have been the moment your remaining capacity ran out.

🌿 Pocket Thought
Before judging the size of your reaction, gently wonder about the size of everything you were already carrying.

30/08/2026

Slow Down Sunday:
Have you left any space around this week’s plans?

When we look at the week ahead, it can be tempting to focus only on whether an appointment will physically fit into an available gap.

But processing takes energy too.

A meeting might occupy one hour in the diary, while the conversations, concentration, travelling and transition involved may affect our energy for much longer.

The same can be true of:

🛒 Going to the supermarket
💬 Spending a day talking with people
🔊 Being in a noisy classroom or workplace
🚆 Travelling
📍 Visiting somewhere unfamiliar
🎉 Attending an enjoyable social event

Even positive experiences can leave our brains and nervous systems needing quieter space afterwards.

This may be particularly familiar for autistic people, people with ADHD, those experiencing anxiety or trauma, and anyone managing sensory overload, chronic pain or fatigue.

So, before filling every available gap, it might help to ask:

“What have I got planned this week?”

And then:

“Where might I need some space around those plans?”

That space might mean a quieter evening, fewer decisions, familiar food, comfortable clothes, time alone or simply not expecting yourself to move immediately from one demand into another.

Recovery time does not have to be productive to be worthwhile. It does not need to be earned, justified or filled.

Your diary may look empty during those moments—but your brain might still be processing, recovering and finding its way back to capacity.

**Pocket Thought**

Recovery time isn’t empty time. Your brain may be doing important work there.

29/08/2026

Soothing Saturday: Are today’s plans putting you into waiting mode?

Sometimes an appointment or plan later in the day can feel as though it has taken over the whole day.

You might struggle to begin anything else because part of your mind is busy holding on to what is coming:

What time do I need to get ready?
What if I become distracted?
What if I lose track of time or forget something?

This experience is often called **waiting mode**. It can be particularly familiar for people with ADHD, autistic people and anyone experiencing anticipatory anxiety.

Instead of battling with yourself to “use the time properly”, you could experiment with making the waiting feel safer and more comfortable.

First, externalise the things your mind is trying to hold:

☕ Make a drink.
👜 Put everything you will need by the door.
⏰ Set an alarm for when you actually need to start getting ready.

Then choose something gentle that does not require lots of mental switching:

🎵 Listen to music.
📺 Watch a familiar programme.
🌳 Sit outside.
🎨 Do something creative.

The aim is not to force yourself to forget about the plan or become highly productive before it.

It is to offer your brain some reassurance:

“I don’t have to hold this quite so tightly. I’ve made a plan.”

Perhaps the waiting time does not need to become useful time. It can simply become more comfortable time.

**Pocket Thought**

Sometimes external reminders allow our minds to loosen their grip.

28/08/2026

F**k It Friday
Today's rebellion?

F**k forcing yourself to tolerate unnecessary sensory misery just because everyone else seems fine.

Turn the big light off.
Move away from the ticking clock.
Wear the sunglasses.
Choose the quieter table.
Cut the label out of the jumper that's been driving you bananas all afternoon.

You don't win a prize for being the person who can tolerate the most discomfort.

Making your environment work better for you isn't failing to cope. It's actually rather sensible.

Pocket Thought
Comfort doesn't have to be earned by suffering first.

**kItFriday

27/08/2026

Are you a Therapist or someone working with people who Self Harm or experience suicidal thoughts and wanting to build confidence around Clinical Risk?

Why not read of our Blog on the topic or email us at [email protected] to book onto our Saturday the 5th September Workshop:-

Working with self-harm, suicidal thoughts and clinical risk can feel daunting for therapists. Explore how confidence, compassion, creativity and understanding your own responses can help you stay alongside clients and navigate difficult conversations together.

27/08/2026

Therapy Thoughts Thursday:

When irritability might be information

Have you ever heard yourself snapping at someone and wondered:

Why am I so irritable today?
Why can’t I cope with anything?
What is wrong with me?

Sometimes we have become so used to overriding discomfort that we do not notice sensory overload or emotional overwhelm building.

We keep going through the noise, conversations, hunger, tiredness, social demands, decisions and lack of time alone—until irritability becomes the first signal we can no longer ignore.

Rather than moving immediately into self-judgement, we can become curious about what happened **before** the reaction:

🌿 How noisy or busy has today been?
🌿 How many people have I spoken to?
🌿 Have I eaten and had enough to drink?
🌿 Have I had any time without demands?
🌿 How many unfinished tasks or worries am I carrying?
🌿 Has my body been trying to communicate discomfort?

Understanding what sits underneath irritability does not mean excusing hurtful behaviour. We remain responsible for how we speak to and treat other people.

But curiosity can help us recognise our earlier signs, repair when needed and respond before we reach the point of snapping.

Perhaps irritability is not evidence that you are a bad or unreasonable person. It may be information that your brain, body or nervous system is reaching its current capacity.

**Pocket Thought**

Sometimes irritability is information: something in me may be reaching capacity.