Mara Fraser Counselling & Psychotherapy

09/08/2026

If you were not afraid of disappointing anyone, what would you choose?
Would you say no? Leave? Rest? Speak up? Ask for help? Change direction?
Sometimes the life we want is hidden under all the things we think we are supposed to do.

08/08/2026

One thing I have learned through my work as a therapist is that people are always a lot harder on themselves than they are towards those they love.
We offer endless compassion to others whilst speaking to ourselves in ways we would never tolerate from someone else.
Maybe today just pause and notice the voice you use with yourself. Would you talk to a friend that way? If not, maybe you deserve a gentler voice too.

07/08/2026

This week I have been thinking about how easy it is to measure ourselves against other people.
Someone else's business seems to be thriving....someone else's house looks perfect...someone else's life appears to be moving forward...and suddenly we are wondering why we aren't doing better.
BUT we rarely see the whole picture of someone else's life...we see a photograph...not what was happening before or after.

06/08/2026

New blog post today. Do you have trouble saying no? This one's for you!

Learn why healthy boundaries matter and discover five practical tips to build stronger relationships. Professional counselling in Somerset with Mara Fraser Therapy.

06/08/2026

What if you are not actually 'too sensitive'?
What if you've simply been taught to ignore your own feelings?
What if you are not asking for too much?
What if you don't need to be less emotional?
Sometimes we heal when we stop asking, 'what's wrong with me'? and start asking, 'what happened to me, and what do I need now'?

05/08/2026

It is easy to overlook the small things that make life so good when we are busy dealing with everything else. What are the little things that make you stop and think 'this is actually rather lovely'?

04/08/2026

Anxiety often asks:
What if everything goes wrong?
What if they are angry?
What if I upset them?
What if I make the wrong decision?
What if they don't like me?
What if I fail?
One of the challenges of anxiety is that it can make uncertainty feel unbearable.
Therapy isn't about promising that nothing will go wrong, it's about developing the confidence to trust yourself to deal with it when it does.

02/08/2026

Your needs are not an inconvenience
You do not have to make yourself smaller to make someone else comfortable
You don't have to apologise for having feelings
You don't have to earn the right to rest
You don't have to justify every boundary
You are allowed to have needs.
You are allowed to matter too.

01/08/2026

You don't have to wait until you're falling apart to ask for help.
Therapy isn't just for moments of crisis.
Sometimes it is about space to make sense of things, to understand why you repeat the same patterns, to explore why saying no is hard. Time to begin to build a kinder relationship with yourself.
If you are feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or just simply tired of putting yourself last, counselling may be a place to begin.
I offer counselling in Glastonbury or online, you are most welcome to get in touch for an informal, free telephone call about whether this may be a good step for you.

31/07/2026

A question to sit with today:
Where in your life are you saying 'yes', when something inside you is saying, 'no'?
You don't have to answer straight away.
Just notice.
Sometimes awareness is where change begins.