Willow Counselling

17/12/2025

✨️ Link in Bio ✨️

15/12/2025

Christmas can be a lot for children.
More noise. More people. More expectations.

Holding boundaries at this time of year isn’t rude or ungrateful, it’s about helping children feel safe in their bodies and emotions.

When we advocate for our children, model boundary-holding, and give them words they can borrow, we’re teaching them something powerful:
their feelings matter.

You don’t have to get it perfect.

And it’s okay if boundaries wobble — learning takes time.

💾 Save this for Christmas gatherings
📤 Share with family or another parent who might need this reminder

13/12/2025

Christmas doesn’t have to mean more stuff sometimes the most meaningful gifts are the ones that help children feel safe, seen and supported.

Big feelings often show up more at this time of year. There’s more noise, more change, more expectations… and little nervous systems can get overwhelmed quickly.

These are some of my favourite mental-health-nurturing gift ideas that support emotional regulation, connection and expression.

✨ Gentle reminder: you’re not trying to raise a “perfect” child - you’re supporting a human with feelings.

If you’d like more calm, practical support, my parenting guides are designed to help you understand behaviour, reduce overwhelm, and feel more confident supporting your child’s emotional world 🤍
(You’ll find them via the link in my bio.)

💾 Save this for later
📤 Share with another parent who’s feeling the Christmas pressure

12/12/2025

POV: You’ve done the work and Uncle Dave’s comments no longer land.

11/12/2025

Feeling a bit overwhelmed or out of balance lately? 💭
I’ve created something that might help…

✨ The 30 Day Mental Health Re-Set Journal ✨
A gentle, realistic way to reconnect with yourself, build healthy habits and feel a little more you again.

No pressure. No perfection. Just small daily actions that actually make a difference.

Inside you’ll find daily check-ins, simple challenges, mindset prompts, space to reflect, and a structure that keeps you grounded without feeling heavy or clinical.

It’s basically your calm little corner in the chaos. 🌿

If you’re ready for a fresh start (or just need some support getting through the next month), you can grab it now via the link in my bio 💚

https://payhip.com/WillowCounselling

09/12/2025

“I heard your voice in my head and made a different choice.”
Moments like this remind me why I do this work.

08/12/2025

If your child is feeling overwhelmed by Christmas excitement, noise and routine changes, this simple breathing trick can help their nervous system settle. 🎄🤍

Big emotions often show up as meltdowns, anger or tears at this time of year, not because children are “naughty”, but because their bodies are overloaded with stimulation.

This Hot Chocolate Breathing exercise helps slow the breath, calm the body and create a sense of safety in just a few moments.

You can use it when your child is:
• Anxious
• Overstimulated
• Frustrated
• Struggling to regulate emotions

✨ Gentle reminder: Regulation always comes before reasoning.

💾 Save this for Christmas week
📤 Share with another parent who might need this today

08/12/2025

Neurodivergent children (especially those with ADHD, autism and sensory processing differences) often have nervous systems that stay in “on” mode for much longer. By bedtime, their bodies can feel restless, fuzzy, buzzy or overwhelmed, even when they’re exhausted.

Rough-and-tumble play, deep pressure, pushing and playful “wrestling” all give proprioceptive input. This is the sense that tells the brain where the body is in space. Heavy work through the muscles and joints sends strong organising signals to the nervous system.

That input:

Activates the parasympathetic nervous system (the calm, rest-and-digest system)

Helps lower cortisol (the stress hormone)

Supports the release of calming neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine

Improves body awareness and emotional regulation

In simple terms:
The body calms first → then the brain can follow.

For many neurodivergent children, stillness doesn’t feel safe or regulating at bedtime, movement does. When a child receives deep pressure through playful pushing, squeezing or resistance, their nervous system finally gets the message:
“I am safe. I can slow down now.”

For a long time I tried to fight my sons natural instinct to play like this right before bed, believing it would only hype him up, but it turns out he knew all along what his body needed, and once I stopped fighting it and started joining him in this kind of play, he started settling so much better!

It’s not chaos; it’s co-regulation through the body.

And most importantly: it works because it’s done within connection, laughter and safety. The relationship is the regulator.

06/12/2025

Get em while their hot!

05/12/2025

05/12/2025

Come and take a look around..

04/12/2025

Boundaries! Such a contentious subject amongst parents, and with so many different viewpoints it can be hard to know who to listen to.
This guide combines evidence backed methods alongside my own personal experiences to create a clear, easy to follow guide on implementing boundaries.
Take a look at my online store: https://payhip.com/WillowCounselling