It's Mental Health Awareness Week 2021 this week and the theme is nature. I think we have come to appreciate the importance of the natural world that we live in during the past year of us all struggling with the covid-19 pandemic. Being stuck at home with work, kids, families, the same old films and TV every week has helped us appreciate the power and impact that nature and our fellow animals can have on our wellbeing and mental health. Of course, many have not been lucky enough to be able to access a garden or outside space at all, and we have heard from many of our clients the difficulties that has led to with regards their mental health. Getting outdoors, even if just to hear the birds sing or feel the sun on our face can make such a difference to our physical and mental wellbeing. I personally love being near the water and I am a big animal lover. Many of our clients enjoy this too and have felt their mental health struggle because they cannot be part of nature during lockdown
GRIEF, LOSS AND BEREAVEMENT Grief and loss is complicated and messy. There's no simple way of putting it. That's how it is. In therapy and counselling, we often hear clients say that family and friends keep telling them that 'you should be over this by now'; 'how can you still feel sad about X' or even 'pull your socks up and get over it' (I have to admit, I shriek inside when I hear that, arghhh!). The thing is, hearing these things 1) isn't helpful or validating; and 2) misses the point when it comes to grief, loss and bereavement. We can also experience grief, loss and bereavement for lots of different things: it's not just in response to the loss of a loved one. We can experience this in relation to the loss of a beloved parent, friend, colleague or pet. We can experience it in relation to loss of health, a job, moving house/location, loss of elements of our identity, a interest/hobby, an object that had meaning for us, something in our e