Tracey O Shea - Hope Well-being Practice

04/01/2025

We recently drove from Mildura to Melbourne, here is some of the incredible art we saw along the way.
The images of the birds are all from a gorgeous little town called ‘Wedderburn’. We stayed there for a night on the way back. Would highly recommend calling in to 24 Karat cafe if you are passing through Wedderburn for a great coffee, and to check out Lens fabulous art work decorating the walls - First time seeing paintings made from Vegemite - so cool !! 24 Karat Cafe

31/12/2024

02/07/2024

When a stranger passing by offers to take a family photo for you … say yes 🥰✨

I love the way a photo holds the story of a moment in time, and often the feelings attached to it 💛

“As long as we have memories,
yesterday remains. As long as we have hope, tomorrow awaits. As long as we have love, today is beautiful.” ~ Unknown

22/05/2024

Quite often our bodies hold on to tension, without us even realising it.

I find this simple self awareness exercise helpful as a little check, to see where I am holding tension in my body. And as a reminder to slow it down, take deep breaths and release and let go of this tension, if I can.

For years I had problems with my jaw. It was so painful and stiff. It popped out of place on several occasions, and was just so uncomfortable. I presumed at the time this was something purely physical, and it needed to be ‘fixed’.
But throughout my studies, and years of therapy, I learnt how our bodies are incredible messengers, trying to alert us to what we might need to look at or heal within, Or when we might need to speak up for ourselves, Or when we might we might need to put some boundaries in place.
- each of our stories are unique 💫

So for me, if I am feeling stressed or anxious about something, quite often one of the first things I notice is my jaw might feel tight or sore, this is where I tend to hold a lot of tension in my body. And I have thankfully found lots of ways to support and release this tension when needed. (Self Compassion being #1 on the list 💕)

Do you ever notice tension in your body?

23/04/2024

Three gentle reminders for you today:

1. You are worthy of love and support.
2. Your feelings are valid; honor them.
3. Listen to your heart; it knows the way.

Take a moment to silence the noise, and listen to the whispers of your heart 💛

01/01/2024

Wishing you all a very happy, healthy and peaceful new year.
I want to thank you all for your support throughout the year, it is very much appreciated 💛

As one year closes and another begins I want to share some exciting news for Hope Wellbeing Practice for the year ahead ✨ - My little family and I are moving to Australia in the coming months! I will be returning from maternity leave in February, and will continue offering one-to-one therapy through online sessions.
And once settled in, will be running groups and workshops from our new location.

This past year has reminded me how short and very precious life can be, which made
our decision to give this new chapter a go that bit easier.
I am very excited for this opportunity, and look forward to sharing some of our new adventure with you all
💛

Tracey x

23/12/2023

As I walked around last night doing some food shopping, if you asked me to describe the environment around me, the words that come to mind would be Tense, Frantic, Stressed, Heavy….

There was no time for a passing smile or hello, everything felt consumed by rushing, racing, grabbing, buying ..
And it’s so easy to get sucked in to this absolute chaos.

I think the grinch hit the nail on the head with the quote below. Christmas is so much more than presents, food and decorations.

This year in particular I am leaning in to a feeling of gratitude. Gratitude for those around me, and for a warm, safe home where I can safely tuck my kids in to bed at night. What’s going on in the world is very dark right now, and now more than ever, it needs more light 💛

16/12/2023

✨17 years, always loved, always remembered 🤍✨

03/12/2023

How many times have you wished you could say ‘No’ to something recently? And with Christmas just around the corner, how many more unspoken ‘No’s’ are ahead of you?
Parties to attend, family and friends to visit, plans to be made, traditions to be upheld … it can become very overwhelming trying to keep everyone happy, putting others needs before your own and stretching your limits to ‘keep the peace’.

But is it peaceful for you?
We tell ourselves it’s easier to go along with so many of these things, afraid to say no fearing conflict or upset, and what are we left with? Conflict, upset or overwhelm within ourselves. Feeling anger and resentment. Feeling unappreciated and unseen. Feeling stressed or anxious.

So how do we change this pattern?
At first it can feel uncomfortable or scary-because it’s new and outside your comfort zone. But the more you assert yourself, putting boundaries in place around what feels right for you, choosing what you would like rather than what you ‘should’ do, the easier it gets over time.
It’s not selfish to say no, and it’s not something we need to apologise for! It’s an important part of self care

But it can be tough, so go easy on yourself. Here are some alternatives -
-Thanks for thinking of me, but I’ll have to pass
-I wish I could, but it’s not possible for me right now
-I would love to help, but I’ve already committed to something else
-And finally sometimes simply “No”
Is enough

Let’s normalise saying ‘No’ to others, and saying yes to ourselves💛