Sharon O'Farrell - Counselling, Psychotherapy, Hypnotherapy

17/06/2026

I just saw this morning that An Post are running a lovely initiative this year. You write a letter to your future self and they post it back to you in twelve months, free of charge.

I love the simplicity of it. Simply just a stamped envelope and your own handwriting waiting twelve months on a shelf to find you again.

What would you tell yourself right now if you knew it would land in your hands next June? The authentic version of you who expressed it onto a letter. What you're afraid of, what you're hoping for, what you can't quite say out loud.

The stirring in the gap between writing it and receiving it. A year passes and you become someone slightly different from the person who wrote those words, which is exactly what makes reading them back so interesting!

Apparently they have done this before, I just never knew! If you take part, I'd love to hear what you chose to say to your future self

An Post's 'Letter to My Future Self' campaign is back 💌

You can write a letter to yourself today and have it delivered back to you one year from now - completely free of charge.

28/05/2026

✨To feel different, we often need to become different.✨

One of the most difficult yet honest truths in therapy is this:
Many people come hoping to feel better while staying in the same patterns that keep them suffering.
We all do it.

We long for relief, but at the same time we can cling tightly to familiar ways of being, like defences, protective strategies, identities, coping mechanisms, relationship dynamics. Even when they no longer serve us.
Let's be honest and real.....Therapy isn’t magic.
No therapist can give someone the life they want, remove pain, or bypass the work of becoming. The work is deeper than symptom reduction.
It is the slow and often courageous process of:
• becoming aware
• grieving what cannot be changed
• loosening old survival patterns
• learning new ways of relating
• embodying change, not just understanding it intellectually
And yes… this can feel disappointing at first. But paradoxically, this disappointment often opens the door to something real:
Hope. Agency. Choice.
Because if change doesn’t come from outside us… it means it is possible within us.
🌿 Therapy is about becoming more fully yourself, not about becoming someone else ✨👌🏼

Sharon O’Farrell
Psychotherapy | Trauma-Trained | Embodied Approaches

09/05/2026

One of the hardest things about supporting someone in grief is realising that love alone doesn’t always tell us how to help. We often rush to reassure, fix, encourage, or make sense of pain, all because sitting beside heartbreak can feel so uncomfortable and helpless.

This beautiful infographic by Megan Devine / Refuge in Grief gently reminds us that grieving people don’t need to be corrected, cheered up, or “brought back to normal.” More often, they need presence. Safety. Permission to feel what they feel without being hurried through it.

Sometimes the most healing thing we can say is: “That sounds really hard.” “I’m here.” “You don’t have to do this alone.”

Support is not about fixing pain. It’s about staying connected to someone within it.

💛 Show up. Listen. Don’t rush the process.

19/04/2026

This applies to all relationships.... friendships too 💖

04/04/2026

Traumatic symptoms are not caused by the triggering event itself.
They stem from the frozen residue of energy that had not been resolved or discharged at that moment; this residue remains trapped in the nervous system where it can wreak havoc on our bodies, minds and spirits.

When people have been traumatised, they are stuck in paralysis - the immobility reaction or abrupt explosions of rage.

So! What is Emotional, Psychological, or Physical Trauma? According to Dr. Peter Levine, “Trauma is perhaps the most avoided, ignored, belittled, denied, misunderstood, and untreated cause of human suffering”. He describes trauma as “anything that is too much or comes too fast”.

Bessel van der Kolk describes emotional trauma as “anything that overwhelms the body’s ability to cope.”

Trauma is not held in a single event but in the way the body is able to cope with the trauma. We become traumatised when our bodies do not have the ability to respond to a perceived overwhelming threat in a way that is helpful to the body. Our bodies are then stuck or frozen in a in a loop of overwhelming stress.

Trauma can be very subtle and different for each individual and often symptoms of trauma, e.g. depression, anxiety and PTSD do not show up until years after the original trauma event.

23/01/2026

So we're heading into the tail end of January, the first month of 2026 and it got me thinking about the most empowering thing we can do, which is to show up authentically as ourselves.
This reminder speaks to something I often explore with clients: we don't need to wait for the "perfect" moment or the "perfect" version of ourselves to live fully. You are already enough. Your presence, your story, your journey....these are what matter.
The "good clothes" we're waiting to wear might be the dreams we're postponing, the boundaries we're hesitating to set, or the life we think we'll live "someday." But what if today is the occasion? What if you are the occasion?
This year, let's practice honouring ourselves right now, not just when conditions feel ideal. You're worth celebrating today.✨🎉✨

30/12/2025

As We Close This Chapter......

As the year winds down, I've been thinking a lot about the relationships we carry with us and those we might need to release.

That first image stopped me in my tracks: "Let this be the last year you tolerate unsupportive friends and family." It feels important to name this truth as we stand on the threshold of a new year.

There's a big difference between tolerating unsupportiveness and showing patience or grace. Tolerating unsupportiveness has a bone-weary fatigue that comes from repeatedly dimming your light, apologising for your needs, or walking on eggshells around people who should be in your corner.

And here's what Dr. Dyer reminds us in that second quote: we teach people how to treat us not through what we say, but through what we accept. When we fill ourselves with self-love and radiate that outward, we create a boundary that says, "I deserve care, respect, and genuine support."

This is all about the difference between people who love us with our faults, our growing edges, our imperfect humanity... and those who make us feel we need to earn their approval with each interaction.

As we move into the new year, what if we gave ourselves permission to:

Notice how we feel after spending time with certain people.

Stop making excuses for those who consistently leave us feeling small.

Gravitate toward the ones who celebrate our growth, even when it's uncomfortable for them.

Be the kind of friend to ourselves that we wish others would be.

You ARE worthy of relationships that feel like home (not like a test where you may feel like you're perpetually failing).
May 2025 be the year we all stop tolerating what depletes us and start embracing what truly nourishes our souls.

If you're struggling with difficult relationships as the year ends, know that you don't have to navigate this alone. Therapy can be a space to explore these patterns and find your way forward.

30/12/2025

The Radical Act of Self-Love🙌❤️

Lately, I keep coming back to this quote from Dr. Wayne Dyer: "I fill myself with love, and I send that out into the world. How others treat me is their path; how I react is mine."

There's a sound freedom in these words that I think many of us are still learning to allow.

For so long, many of us were taught that how others treat us is somehow a reflection of our worth. That if we could just be better, kinder, more accommodating, more successful, or less "too much" then we'd finally receive the love and respect we deserve.

The truth is that you cannot control how others show up in your life. You can only control how you show up for yourself.
When you fill yourself with love first and when you treat yourself with the compassion, patience, and the kindness that you've been extending to everyone else, things start to move. You stop contorting yourself to earn what should be freely given. You stop internalising other people's limitations as your own failings.

Someone's inability to see your value? That's their path.

Someone's choice to be critical, dismissive, or unkind? That's their path.

Someone's discomfort with your growth or boundaries? That's their path.

Your path is how you respond. Do you shrink? Do you internalise? Do you abandon yourself to keep the peace? Or do you stay rooted in your own worth, treat yourself with love, and let that be your compass?

When we can stop giving others the power to determine our inner landscape, this then means we recognise that we are whole and worthy regardless of whether everyone around us can see it.
As we close out this year, what if you committed to making self-love your default setting? Not as a reward for achievement or good behaviour, but as your absolute birthright.

Fill yourself with love. Let that overflow into the world. And remember: their path is theirs. Yours is yours.

If you're ready to explore what it looks like to truly fill yourself with love and stop carrying the weight of others' paths, therapy can help you find your way.

28/12/2025

Don't Squander Your Life 💥💖

Leaving behind 2025 and heading into 2026 as we stand at the edge of a new year, Michael Stone's simple yet powerful words stand out with clarity: "do not squander your life."

This is a gentle reminder that our time here is limited and how we spend it matters.

Squandering often appears in the small, quiet ways we say yes when we mean no, or let days blur together without presence or intention. It shows up when we give our energy to things that drain us while neglecting what truly nourishes our soul, our spirit.

As 2026 approaches, perhaps the most loving thing we can do for ourselves is to strengthen our boundaries as compassionate containers for what matters most. To recognise that every "yes" to something that depletes us is a "no" to something that might fulfill us.

This is about small, honest choices: protecting our peace, investing in relationships and friendships that reciprocate our care, pursuing work that feels meaningful and allowing ourselves moments of genuine rest, fun and joy.

Our lives are precious and finite and this realisation ought to waken us to the beauty of being here at all, to this particular day, this conversation, this quiet morning, this one irreplaceable life.

What if 2026 was the year we stopped squandering and started truly living?

28/12/2025

Boundaries for the takers, in 2026.
🤍
In 2026, your flexibility is no longer self-abandonment.
You meet others with openness only when there’s mutual effort.
Reciprocity becomes the standard.
New year, new boundary energy 💪✨

What are the signs of takers?

Takers often exhibit specific behaviors that can be identified in various ways. Here are some key signs:

Behavioural Patterns:

- Dominating Conversations: They talk endlessly about themselves, showing little interest in others' experiences or opinions.
- Exploiting Others' Generosity: They accept help, favours, or gifts without reciprocating or showing gratitude.
- Lack of Empathy: They struggle to put themselves in others' shoes or consider how their actions might impact those around them (this is a BIG one!).
- Manipulation: They're skilled at pushing the right buttons to get what they want, often leaving others feeling used.
- Blame-Shifting: They quickly point fingers at others for their own shortcomings.

Relationship Dynamics:

- One-Sided Relationships: They expect others to cater to their needs without reciprocating.
- No Gratitude: They rarely express thanks or acknowledge the efforts of others.
- Transactional Approach: They see relationships as opportunities for personal gain rather than mutual benefit.
- Inability to Forgive: They expect forgiveness from others but struggle to offer forgiveness to others.

Personality Traits:

- Self-Centeredness: They're excessively focused on their own needs and desires.
- Entitlement Mentality: They believe the world owes them something, whether it's attention, favors, or resources.
- Insecurity: Despite their confident exterior, they often have deep-seated insecurity and low self-esteem.
- Lack of Accountability: They avoid taking responsibility for their actions and blame others instead.

Keep in mind that recognising these signs can help you set healthier boundaries and protect yourself from emotional exhaustion.

Thank you for the reminder!