Sarah Pearce Counselling

30/08/2026

Today is National Grief Awareness Day 💜

At some point in our lives, we will all be impacted by grief. And yet, grief is still something that many people find difficult to talk about, and there are many misconceptions about what it means to grieve.

This National Grief Awareness Day, we wanted to share some reminders ⬇️
https://ow.ly/ZkBG50ZFc4O

Please remember, you're not alone 💜

27/08/2026

This morning, here in Kent, the rain arrived after such a long, hot and unusually dry summer. It reminded me how much our senses can influence the way we feel.

The sound of rain tapping against the windows, the earthy smell of wet ground, the coolness of the air, the sight of water falling and the feeling of a gentle breeze on our skin can all invite us to slow down and become more present.

In counselling, we often explore ways of reconnecting with our senses as a gentle way of grounding ourselves and finding moments of calm. Perhaps today’s rain offers a simple invitation: pause for a moment, notice what you can hear, see, smell and feel, and allow yourself to simply be.

27/08/2026

🌼 A Gentle Reminder: What You See Isn’t Always What’s Felt 🌼

It’s natural to assume that someone’s outward appearance reflects how they’re feeling inside, but the truth is often much more complex. Many people are carrying unseen struggles, including Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Complex PTSD (C-PTSD), even if they look okay on the outside.

PTSD and C-PTSD affect people in deeply personal ways, and their symptoms aren’t always visible. If you or someone you care about is living with PTSD or C-PTSD, here are some of the challenges they may be facing:

✨ Re-experiencing Symptoms
Flashbacks that feel as though the trauma is happening again.
Intrusive thoughts, memories, or distressing dreams.
Sudden waves of fear, panic, or physical discomfort.

🌿 Avoidance Symptoms
Avoiding places, people, or conversations.
Feeling emotionally numb or disconnected from others.
Struggling to remember details of the trauma.

🔥 Alertness and Reactivity Symptoms
Always being on high alert, feeling unsafe even in safe places.
Difficulty sleeping or concentrating.
Feeling irritable, overwhelmed, or easily startled.

❤️ Changes in Mood and Emotions
Trouble trusting others or feeling disconnected.
Persistent feelings of fear, sadness, guilt, or shame.
Loss of interest in things that once brought joy.

💙 For those with C-PTSD, additional challenges may include:
Struggles with regulating emotions, leading to intense emotional highs or lows.
A distorted sense of self-worth, often feeling 'not good enough' or broken.
Difficulty forming or maintaining relationships due to trust and attachment issues.

💛 Kindness and understanding go a long way.
Just because someone looks okay doesn’t mean they aren’t struggling. PTSD and C-PTSD can be isolating, but a moment of patience, a listening ear, or a compassionate gesture can mean everything to someone fighting battles you can’t see.

💙 Be kind. Be understanding. You never know how much it might help. 💙

❤️

Find out more about the symptoms of PTSD and C-PTSD here: https://www.ptsduk.org/what-is-ptsd/symptoms-of-ptsd/

27/08/2026

Sometimes, it’s worth pausing to reflect on how social media is affecting our mental wellbeing.

Notice the signs, be kind to yourself, and remember, it’s okay to step away for a while.

Image credit: https://www.instagram.com/mhealthuk/

27/08/2026

26/08/2026

26/08/2026

26/08/2026

18/08/2026

Nature doesn’t apologise for resting, changing, growing slowly, needing protection or moving through difficult seasons. Yet when our mental health is low, we can find ourselves apologising for needing time, support, boundaries or simply not feeling ourselves.

Perhaps we can learn from nature and give ourselves permission to pause, to heal, to grow at our own pace, and to recognise that some seasons of life simply ask more of us than others.

You are allowed to be where you are right now, without apology.

18/08/2026

I came across this image and thought about how much it can resonate with clients and perhaps with some of you too.

Sometimes it’s not about asking “What’s wrong with me?” but instead exploring “What happened to me, and how has it shaped me?”

Be kind to yourself. Your responses often have a story behind them.

Image credit: