Holistic Sands Psychology

09/08/2026

PTSD does not always look like what people expect.

Sometimes it looks like being constantly on edge. Struggling to sleep. Feeling numb. Overreacting to small things. Avoiding people. Shutting down. Being exhausted from just trying to get through the day.

Many children and adults are living in survival mode while everyone around them thinks they are “fine”.

Trauma changes the brain, the body and the way people experience the world. Understanding this could change how we treat others forever.

If more people understood trauma, fewer people would be judged for behaviours that are actually signs of deep emotional pain.

Please share to spread awareness. Someone you know may need others to understand what they are carrying silently.

Free PTSD CAN FEEL LIKE – TRAUMA AWARENESS POSTER

LIKE the photo and comment "PTSD" and we will send you a message with a link to a free PDF of this resource.

09/08/2026

Source Winter edition is here and in this issue we’re looking ahead: From independent living and employment readiness to self-advocacy …

03/06/2026

Don’t miss out – the Youth Services Expo is coming 🔥🙌

We’re bringing 20+ local services together in one space to connect you with opportunities, support, and everything you and your young person need to thrive 💙

✨ Explore pathways in education, employment & wellbeing
🤝 Meet services in your community
🔥 FREE BBQ & giveaways on the day

Open to all community! This is your space to ask questions, get inspired, and make connections that matter!

📅SAVE THE DATE: 14 July 1-4pm

14/05/2026

You have heard crying called weakness or manipulation. A biochemist at the University of Minnesota discovered something entirely different. He collected two types of tears from the same people, tears triggered by onion vapour and tears triggered by genuine sadness. When he analyzed their chemical composition, they were completely different substances. The onion tears were 98 percent water. The emotional tears contained stress hormones, pain killing endorphins and hormones linked to chronic tension.

Here is what your body is actually doing when you cry from emotion. It is excreting the chemical residue of suffering. Cortisol, the primary stress hormone, builds up in your system during difficult times. Adrenaline and inflammatory proteins accumulate. Your body has no other way to remove these compounds efficiently except through tears. Emotional crying is not a malfunction. It is a built in detoxification system.

The science behind emotional tears is remarkable. Onion tears are a simple reflex to protect your eyes. Emotional tears are biologically active. They contain prolactin, adrenocorticotropic hormone and leucine enkephalin, a natural pain killer. This explains why you often feel physical relief after a good cry. Your body just flushed out the chemicals that were keeping you tense, inflamed and on edge.

Let yourself cry without shame. Do not apologize for it. Do not suppress it. Find a private space or a safe person and let the tears flow. Your body knows what it is doing. Emotional tears are not a sign that you are falling apart. They are proof that your body is fighting to put you back together. Crying is not weakness. It is your biology asking for a reset.

14/05/2026

A useful way of looking at and managing the miscommunication which regularly impedes everyday interactions between autistic and non-autistic people.

Damian Milton's 2012 reframe shows that miscommunication between autistic and non-autistic people is mutual, not one-sided.

21/04/2026

21/04/2026

Why a Young Person May Hide Their Self Harm

⬇️ Like the post & Comment: ‘Hiding SH’ for the PDF.

- Fear of getting in trouble/told off

- Not wanting to upset or worry their loved ones

- Not knowing how to express how they are

- Feeling and why they are self harming to others

- Worries that people will not understand

- Feeling shame and embarrassment

- Wanting to keep control

- Worries around what support will look like if they ask for it

- Feeling scared that people may tell them to stop self harming and they do not know how else to cope with their feelings

21/04/2026

Children and young people experiencing domestic and family violence are not just “witnesses” to harm – they are victim-survivors, with impacts that can last a lifetime.

Without targeted support, exposure to violence can shape a child’s development, mental health, learning, relationships and safety well into adulthood.

The Specialist Workers for Children and Young People program provides early, trauma-informed and age-appropriate support to help children and young people begin to heal while they are still in crisis situations, including when staying in refuge with a parent.

This work is not optional or “extra”. It is a core part of preventing lifelong harm and breaking cycles of violence.

If we want real change, we must invest in tailored support and recovery for children and young people.

01/03/2026

Cortisol is a hormone your body releases when you feel stressed or under threat. It’s part of your built-in survival system. When something feels dangerous, cortisol helps your body focus on getting through it by putting less important jobs — like digestion, reproduction and parts of the immune system — temporarily on hold.

This response is meant to be short-term. It’s designed to help you deal with a stressful moment and then switch off once you’re safe again.

But with PTSD and C-PTSD, the body can struggle to switch that alarm system off. It can stay stuck in “threat mode”, even when there’s no immediate danger. That means cortisol levels can remain out of balance — too high for some people, and too low for others.

The connection between the mind and body is very real. When your mental health is suffering, your body feels it too. Over time, living with disrupted cortisol levels can start to affect your physical health in ways that feel confusing, unexpected, and sometimes worrying — such as:

❗️Your skin may scar more easily
❗️Your ears might ring
❗️You might gain weight around your tummy
❗️You might develop digestive issues like bloating, gas or IBS
❗️You might get frequent joint and muscle pains
❗️It can be difficult to gain muscle
❗️Your feet and hands might be icy cold
❗️You might yawn more
❗️Allergies may flare up, or you may develop new ones

If you’ve experienced any of these, you’re not imagining them.
PTSD and C-PTSD are not “just in your head”. They are whole-body conditions.

When your nervous system has been on high alert for a long time, your body adapts in ways that were once protective - but that can become exhausting and damaging over time.

When we live in survival mode, the body prioritises immediate threat over long-term health.

That’s why digestion, immunity, hormones and even temperature regulation can become disrupted. Your body isn’t broken - it’s trying to protect you.

Find out more about how PTSD and C-PTSD can physically affect your body in our blog article here:
https://www.ptsduk.org/10-unexpected-physical-symptoms-of-ptsd/

Find out more about how cortisol and PTSD and C-PTSD are linked (and how you can balance cortisol levels) here:
https://www.ptsduk.org/the-link-between-cortisol-and-ptsd/

PLEASE NOTE: These symptoms listed can also be an indication of other conditions - so if you experience any of these symptoms, you should speak to your GP to rule out anything more serious.