Towards Tranquility Therapy

17/08/2026

Make Sense Monday

Why does a 3pm appointment somehow start at 9am in your head?

You’ve got an appointment at 3pm. Plenty of time, right?

Except somehow the whole day already feels taken. You might find yourself checking the time more than usual. Thinking about when you need to get ready. Working backwards through when you need to leave. Wondering whether there’s enough time to start something else.

Even when there is plenty of time, settling into anything can feel strangely difficult.

This can happen when your mind has already started preparing for what’s coming. For some people, particularly those who experience ADHD, autism, anxiety or trauma, knowing there is something later in the day can make it harder to fully switch attention elsewhere.

Part of your attention may already be keeping track of the appointment — making sure you don’t forget, aren’t late, have enough time to prepare, know what to expect, or feel ready for whatever it involves. So from the outside, it might look like you’ve spent the morning “doing nothing.”

But inside, quite a lot may already be happening.

Pocket Thought
You may not be doing nothing. Your mind may already be preparing. Perhaps the question isn’t always, “Why am I wasting the whole day waiting?”

Maybe it can sometimes be:
“What is my mind trying to keep track of or prepare me for?”

16/08/2026

Anyone else thinking about what tomorrow will bring? Anxiety? Heavy work load? Productivity? Holiday? Challenge? Excitement?

I’m really lucky in the work I do with Towards Tranquility Therapy I meet and chat to a large variety of people who are motivated to understand and create change. I get to do really interesting projects and am learning all the time.

Not everyone feels like that, I’ve had those experiences of the Sunday Blues. The name of which doesn’t really describe the intensity of the experience accurately.

If you are struggling with the thought of work on Monday maybe it’s time to think about having a safe space to explore how you would like to move forward, what’s your purpose and what brings you joy.

Compassionate tailored therapy in North Leeds, Otley and surrounding West Yorkshire areas as well as Online. Specialising in Anxiety, Trauma, hypnotherapy and neurodivergent support (ADHD / Autism) for all ages.

15/08/2026

What sensory soothers have you used today?

14/08/2026

F**k it Friday - if you can’t do something the way you ideally want to (e.g. stay in a fancy hotel to get a break from the usual routine) is there a different way to do it?

13/08/2026

Life can throw lots of moments our way that can feel overwhelming and scary. Take control and throw yourself lots of moments of calm and natural beauty to counteract it.

What would bring you a sense of calm and appreciation for nature?

12/08/2026

Well Wednesday

Maybe it isn’t people that exhaust you

Have you ever come away from spending time with people feeling completely drained and thought:
“Why does socialising take so much out of me?”

Sometimes, it might not actually be the people who are exhausting.

It might be everything happening around the people.
The background music you’re trying to filter out while listening to someone speak. The journey there and back. Not knowing who will be there, where you’ll sit or how long you’ll stay.

Trying to follow one conversation while three others are happening nearby. Working out when it’s your turn to speak.
Making small talk when your brain would much rather have a meaningful conversation — or no conversation at all.

Sometimes, there’s another layer too:
trying to appear okay while your brain and body are quietly becoming overwhelmed.

When we experience anxiety, trauma, ADHD, autism or sensory differences, environments can ask a huge amount of our nervous system and processing capacity.

So perhaps instead of thinking:
“People exhaust me.”

We might become curious about:
“What was it about that environment that cost me so much energy?”

Because that distinction matters.

You might discover that you love seeing a friend when you meet somewhere quiet, but struggle in a busy restaurant.
You might enjoy family gatherings more when you can step outside occasionally.
You might cope better when you know the plan beforehand.

Or perhaps shorter visits, quieter venues, fewer people or permission to leave when you’ve had enough make connection feel very different.

You don’t necessarily have to change who you spend time with.
Sometimes changing the conditions around the connection can make it easier to enjoy.

Pocket Thought
Sometimes changing the environment changes the experience.

11/08/2026

Tiny Steps Tuesday

Notice what drains your social battery

Sometimes it isn’t how long we spend with people that leaves us exhausted. It’s everything our brain and body were managing while we were there. An hour somewhere quiet, familiar and relaxed might feel completely different from an hour somewhere noisy, crowded or unpredictable.

So today’s tiny step isn’t about changing anything. It’s simply about noticing where your energy goes.

Perhaps ask yourself:
• Was there lots of background noise to filter out?�
• Were several people talking at once?�
• Did I have to keep switching my attention?�
• Was I trying to work out when to speak or what to say?�
• Was I monitoring other people’s expressions or reactions?�
• Did I feel I needed to appear okay, interested or sociable when I was becoming tired?
• Was the environment unfamiliar or unpredictable?�
• Was I managing uncomfortable lighting, smells, temperature or other sensory information?

For people experiencing anxiety, trauma, ADHD, autism or sensory differences, social situations can sometimes involve an enormous amount of processing that nobody else can see.

You might simply think:
“Why am I so tired? I was only there for an hour.” But your brain doesn’t measure effort in minutes. That hour may have asked a lot of you, noticing this isn’t about avoiding people or deciding you can’t cope with certain environments. It gives you information.

Information that might help you plan quieter time afterwards, choose environments that work better for you, take a break before you reach exhaustion, or understand why some social situations cost more energy than others.

Pocket Thought
Understanding where your energy goes can help you care for it differently.

You don’t necessarily need a bigger social battery.

Perhaps you just need to understand what has been using it.

11/08/2026

Click on the image to read the Counselling Directory Article A compassionate guide to understanding when life feels too much.

I will be writing another article soon around when life feels too much as a neurodivergent person and support based on individual needs. So keep an eye out for that soon.

Understanding suicidal thoughts and overwhelming distress with compassion, and what can help when life starts to feel too much.

10/08/2026

Make Sense Monday

Why am I exhausted after spending time with people?

Have you ever had a lovely time with someone, come home… and suddenly felt completely wiped out?

You might wonder why you’re so tired when you actually enjoyed yourself. But enjoying being with people and finding socialising tiring aren’t opposites. When we’re with other people, our brains can be doing far more work than we realise.

You may be:
* listening while thinking about how to respond
* finding the words for what you want to say
* interpreting facial expressions, tone of voice and body language
* filtering conversations from background noise
* moving your attention between different people or topics
* noticing how the other person is feeling
* managing sensory information such as lights, sounds, smells or movement
* monitoring your own reactions or wondering how you’re coming across
* masking or consciously navigating social expectations

For people experiencing anxiety, ADHD, autism, trauma or sensory differences, some of these processes can require even more energy. Sometimes we don’t notice just how much energy we’ve used until we reach somewhere that feels safe enough to stop.

That moment when you get home, take your shoes off and suddenly feel as though your battery has gone from 50% to 2%?
It may not mean you didn’t enjoy yourself.
It may simply mean your brain and body have been working hard and now need some quieter time to recover.
You might need silence.�You might need your favourite programme.�You might need to lie under a blanket.�You might need to be alone for a while.�
Or you might simply need fewer demands and less information coming in.
None of that cancels out the connection you enjoyed.

Pocket Thought
Enjoying people and needing time away from people can both be true.
Perhaps the question isn’t “Why can’t I cope with socialising better?”

Perhaps a kinder question is:
“What helps me recover after I’ve spent time with people?”

09/08/2026

Slow Down Sunday

Not every unfinished task needs to come into next week with you.

As Sunday draws to a close, it's easy to start carrying tomorrow before it's even arrived.

We replay everything we didn't finish.
Everything we meant to do.
Everything that's still waiting.

But not every unfinished task deserves to travel with you into a new week.
Some things can wait.

Some things aren't as urgent as your worried mind suggests and some things will be easier to face after you've had the chance to rest.

So before today ends, gently ask yourself:
What can I leave here?
Perhaps it's the pressure to do more.
Perhaps it's the guilt of an unfinished list.
Perhaps it's the expectation that you should always be productive.
Leave what you can.
Carry only what matters.
Because you don't need to arrive at Monday already exhausted by Sunday.

🌿 Pocket Thought
Rest prepares us for tomorrow more gently than worry ever can.
Wishing you a peaceful Sunday evening and a gentle start to the week ahead.

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