Evolve Talking Therapies

20/12/2025

I wonder if this could be a festive stress release tool?
No zebra were harmed in the drawing of this picture 🦓🦓🦓😊

15/12/2025

15/12/2025

✨ Why Comfort Eating Feels Stronger in December ✨

If your cravings feel louder right now, you’re not weak — you’re human.

December brings emotional overload, darker days, exhaustion, and reminders of loss, and food often becomes the quickest comfort.
As a therapist, I see this every year.

This isn’t about willpower — it’s about emotional hunger.

💛 A few gentle shifts that can help:

• Pause and ask, “What do I really need right now?”
• Eat regularly — skipping meals fuels cravings
• Allow festive treats without guilt
• Create comfort beyond food (warmth, rest, connection, calm)

When eating is soothing emotions, the answer isn’t restriction — it’s care.

🌿 If emotional eating feels stuck on repeat, Virtual Gastric Band Hypnotherapy can support a calmer relationship with food as you move into the New Year.

✨ If you feel ready to tackle emotional eating, then keep an eye out for New Year Offers for hypnotherapy support to manage emotional eating in early January.

Warmly
Sue

13/12/2025

Cafe space following on from memorial service led by Helen Davies- Celebrant

13/12/2025

What a gorgeous winters sun shining on The Remembrance Service being held at East Riding Crematorium today.

13/12/2025

I love this poem by Donna Ashworth - Evergreen

Day 13 of my advent.

Simply put, it is winter. Do not expect your summer stamina. Rest and renew wherever you can. Take nutrients deep and sleep well. You are working hard beneath the surface. X

Donna

12/12/2025

⭐ Finding Peace When You’re Missing Someone This Christmas

Christmas can feel especially difficult when you’re grieving. While the world celebrates, many people quietly carry the emotional weight of missing someone they love. Grief at Christmas may come from the loss of a loved one, a beloved pet, a relationship breakdown, divorce, or a major life change — and this time of year often intensifies those feelings.

Why Grief Feels Heavier at Christmas

✨ Traditions change and highlight the absence of someone special
✨ Pressure to “be merry” creates emotional conflict
✨ Family gatherings bring attention to the empty chair and missing laughter
✨ “First Christmas without them” experiences make memories sharper
✨ Slower festive days allow buried feelings to rise
These reactions are human and valid. Grief doesn’t disappear because it’s Christmas — and you are allowed to feel exactly as you feel.

🌿 Gentle Ways to Create Comfort When You’re Grieving This Christmas

💛 Dedicate a moment to your loved one — light a candle, visit a special place, or leave a seat at the table
💛 Do Christmas your way — keep it simple, quiet or different if that feels safer
💛 Release the pressure to feel festive — grief and small moments of warmth can coexist
💛 Share your grief — talk about them, speak their name, allow others to support you
💛 Be compassionate with yourself — emotions will rise and fall throughout the season
💛 Keep their memory alive through stories, rituals or meaningful objects
💛 Raise a toast to honour their life and create a gentle moment of connection

This season isn’t about “moving on”. It’s about moving through grief at your own pace, with self-kindness and understanding.

If Christmas feels heavy and you’re looking for grief support, Evolve Talking Therapies offers a warm, safe space where you’ll be heard, understood and supported. Whether this is your first Christmas without someone or the tenth, you don’t have to navigate it alone.

If you are ready then I’m here to listen.

Warmly, Sue

11/12/2025

In amongst the rush of this festive period, I treasure moments like those in the pic... an older lady (excluding me) and a giddy young pup full of the joys of the season and time with my daughter ... but pleased they've all gone home ... feeling shattered, but happy ... and filled with gratitude 🥰

10/12/2025

🌟 The Guilt of Saying No at Christmas — and How to Protect Your Relationships 🌟

Saying no at Christmas can feel incredibly hard. Many of us worry about letting people down, causing upset, or breaking long-held traditions. But when your heart is tired, your mind is full, or your emotions feel stretched, saying yes can take a real toll on your own wellbeing.

Here are some common challenges people share:
💬 “I don’t want to disappoint anyone.”
💬 “They expect me to do it every year.”
💬 “What if they think I’m being difficult?”
💬 “I feel guilty for wanting a quieter Christmas.”

These feelings are so normal — especially after a year of change, stress, loss, or shifting roles. But healthy boundaries don’t damage relationships… they protect them and keep them authentic.

❤️ Gentle Ways to Say “No”

Here are some warm, relationship-friendly ways to create space for yourself:
✨ Be honest but kind: “I don’t have the energy for that this year, but thank you for thinking of me.”
✨ Offer an alternative: “I can’t host, but I’d love to pop in for an hour.”
✨ Keep it simple: You don’t owe long explanations — your wellbeing matters.
✨ Set expectations early: The sooner you share your limits, the smoother things feel for everyone.
✨ Hold compassion for yourself: Boundaries aren’t rejection — they’re self-care.

When you honour your needs, you show up more authentically and lovingly. And that helps relationships grow even stronger into the new year.
If guilt or overwhelm feels heavy this season, counselling can offer gentle support and a safe space to explore what you need.
If you are ready to explore these feelings then I’m ready to listen
Warmly,
Sue

09/12/2025

Festive meal and networking with Bridlington and Wolds Women in Business Group was held at Tiffen and Tart, Quay Road Bridlington this evening.
Fab food, fab company and delightful evening spent in support and companionship. Thankyou Jo for organising and for the yummy food 😋 xx

09/12/2025

🌟 Grief, Loss and the Christmas Season: Navigating What You’re Carrying 🌟
Christmas can be a beautiful time of connection, but for many women it can also be deeply emotional. Grief doesn’t only come from the loss of a loved one. It can come from the loss of a beloved pet, the end of a job you loved, a divorce, a relationship breakdown, or a life transition you never expected.
And while the world around you begins to sparkle, you may feel anything but celebratory.
It becomes even harder when loved ones still expect you to be the “festive fairy”—the one who organises, manages, holds everyone together, and keeps traditions alive, even when your heart feels tender and your energy is low.
If this is your experience, you’re not doing anything wrong. You’re human, you’re grieving, you’re carrying a lot but your feelings are important and valid.
Here are a few small but powerful ways to gently support yourself through the season:
✨ Create space for your feelings.
You don’t need to hide your sadness or pretend you’re okay. Let your emotions have some room to breathe.
✨ Keep things simple.
If the usual routines feel too heavy, reduce them. It’s okay to scale back or do things differently this year. You could give yourself to create a new tradition that is suitable for the present time and going forward.
✨ Honour what or who you’ve lost in a meaningful way.
Light a candle, look through photos, write a message, or choose a gentle ritual that brings comfort. You might walk a certain route that you quietly associate with the missing loved one.
✨ Take short moments just for you.
A walk, a cup of tea in peace, watching the sky—small pauses can bring calm to a busy, emotional season.
✨ Reach out for support if you’re struggling.
Talking to someone who understands can help you feel more grounded and less overwhelmed.
At Evolve Talking Therapies, I offer warm, person-centred counselling for women navigating grief, emotional overload, and changing roles—especially during December, when the weight of loss often feels heavier.
💛 You don’t have to move through this season alone. If you need a gentle space to talk and breathe again, support is here. Just let me know, I’m ready when you are.
Warmly, Sue