The Edinburgh Counselling Service

17/04/2023

🤍A gentle reminder today to stop pressurising yourself based on other people’s wants or expectations 🤍
A word I often hear my clients use is the would “should.” For instance, have you ever found yourself berating yourself, saying “I should work harder” or “I should look like this” or “I should do/ be/ feel better”?
This can cause anxiety, stress and impact the way we view ourselves.
When we use the word “should” we are implicitly criticising ourselves, and how often do you find harsh criticism helpful?
Instead, ask yourself “why should you?”, “who told you you should?”, or “where does that idea come from?”
Start to challenge your inner critic and instead give yourself some grace and compassion 🌱

04/03/2023

💫The power of *and* (rather than but)💫
A lot of the time we can feel confused by seemingly conflicting emotions, experiences or thoughts. For example, we might feel pleased that a friend got a new job *and* feel jealous that it’s not us. We may be excited to try a new hobby *and* anxious about meeting a new group of people.
We can have polar opposite feelings about the same thing, which can be unsettling. When we use the word “but” to describe our feelings, this can often be accompanied by feelings of self doubt, or guilt.
When we realise that we can feel multiple things at the same time, it can feel so validating, and help us to accept the entirety of our human experience 🤍
📷: .kellyvincent

03/01/2023

Phew what a year! 2022 was such a big year for us, we wanted to take a moment to celebrate our milestones ☀️
Our year in numbers:
✨a whopping 1500 counselling sessions took place both online and in-person
✨our team grew to include 6 wonderful practitioners offering a variety of different therapies
✨we began offering counselling in 2 locations in central and north-west Edinburgh
✨we even managed to squeeze in opening a 3rd office in our central location
We’ve loved every single moment and can’t wait to be able to offer even more services in 2023🪴 Stay tuned for more updates coming soon!📢⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
#2022

08/04/2022

Have you ever woken up after a full eight hours of sleep feeling just as exhausted as you were when your head hit the pillow?
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According to it might be because you’re not getting all of the seven types of rest your body needs.
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🙋‍♀️ Which type of rest do you need the most right now?
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📸&✍️: ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

11/03/2022

We often feel our feelings cognitively 💭 . We may notice a feeling in our body, but we tend to focus on making meaning out of the feeling or trying to rationalize it.

👉🏼Sometimes deeper core beliefs can become triggered. For example, maybe you feel disappointed because you didn’t get a job you wanted. Instead of just allowing yourself to feel disappointed (which is normal!), you may subconsciously add to the negative core belief that you’re not good enough. You may THINK this is another indication that you will never be good enough.

When in reality you are human and sometimes humans feel disappointed or don’t always get the things they want. 😞

This can be helpful at times, don’t get me wrong. Thinking and understanding can bring insight into our inner world.

👉🏼However, sometimes the feeling just needs to be FELT. Allowing ourselves to take notice of the somatic sensation can be helpful to moved the feeling through. It also gives it space to just be.

🙋🏻‍♀️ Tell me, do you stop and take the time to feel your feelings (when needed)? “

📸 & ✍️: .kellyvincent

10/03/2022

The way we talk to ourselves matters. A lot of the time we can be critical of ourselves, when really what we need is a little self-compassion. Do you find yourself being hard on yourself a lot of the time? Save these statements to remind yourself of how to shift that narrative🤍 Send this to someone that needs it 📮❤️
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08/03/2022

Most of the time when couples come to counselling, they are already at breaking point. They have tried everything to make it work, but feel stuck. It feels like a make or break moment. However, “it is helpful to see couples' counselling as akin to getting your car serviced. Any mechanic will advise you that it is better to get your car serviced periodically than to wait for it to break down.”⁠ - Dr Becky Spelman, psychologist and clinical director of Private Therapy Clinic.⁠
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“Most of us have probably already come to terms with the fact that the Disney princess version of everlasting love – the 'happily ever after' – is a myth. Ditto the existence of soulmates: the idea that a single person on a planet of billions will, at some unspecified point in time, magically appear in our life and right all our wrongs.⁠
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However, many of us still struggle with the concept that real love – true connection and companionship – is only achieved through practical means. Romantic realism isn’t a sexy term but it isn’t a contradiction in terms either. The fact is, embracing pragmatism in your personal life is far more likely than any other method to lead to lasting satisfaction.⁠
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And if it does all go wrong? Don’t panic. You’re almost inevitably set to meet someone better than your partner – and sooner than you think… “ ♥️
✍️ ⁠
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07/03/2022

It’s okay if the world feels like a lot right now. Here are some self-care tips in case you need a gentle reminder to be kind to yourself 🌻
If you feel like you could benefit from having a professional to talk to, we’re here for you🤍

08/01/2022

Welcome to The Edinburgh Counselling Service 🌻💜
The office reno is D O N E 👏🏽
We are so excited to welcome both new and old clients to our wonderful space 🧘🏽‍♀️
Our lovely designer says the aim was to create a “safe environment that lives and breathes softness with its calming characteristics. Warm materials such as linen, cotton and wool meets wood and rattan details to celebrate nature and its relaxing effect…”
We hope you love the space as much as we do! 😍
if you feel like you could benefit from a little extra support right now, or would like to learn a bit more about counselling, please do feel very welcome to reach out to us at hannah@edinburghcounselling service.com - we would always love to hear from you 🤍
P.S. stay tuned for lots more exciting new announcements soon!

03/01/2022

📣Some exciting news to kick of 2022📣
ECS is moving to a brand new office in the heart of Edinburgh!
As our practice grows, we decided we need a bigger space to accommodate our group work.
We’re so excited to show you what our interior designer has come up with!
Photos coming soon, for now here’s a sneak peak of the new office vibe 🤫

27/12/2021

“We are afraid to allow and validate our difficult feelings because we think that we will get stuck in them or that doing so will make us feel worse... Paradoxically, the more we make room for what hurts, the better we feel. To acknowledge our feelings is to acknowledge what’s true, which always feels good, even when what’s true may not be good.”

As a therapist, I’m often asked what’s the point in talking about difficult feelings, and how talking about them can possibly help. This article elaborates beautifully on how the more we make room for what hurts, the better we feel.

If you’re interested in starting counselling, or wonder how it might be able to benefit you, please do get in touch with ECS at hannah@edinburghcounsellingservice.com ✨

The more we make room for what hurts, the better we feel.

22/12/2021

Some great tips from for those who may struggle with disordered eating or their relationship with food. The festive season can be a really tough time for many individuals with eating disorders. There can be a lot of triggers surrounding food, and it can be especially hard to avoid increased discussions around food, and the pressure to feel happy and indulge.

Please know you don’t have to go through this alone. Beat's helpline is still open throughout the Christmas period for support 💕