Wishing You Well

02/03/2026

Letting go isn’t a single moment of bravery - it’s a slow, tender process. A loosening, a softening and a quiet decision to stop carrying what has grown too heavy.

We don’t let go all at once - we let go in layers, in pauses and in the small moments where something inside us whispers: you can release this now. Letting go doesn’t mean forgetting or that the past didn’t matter. It simply means you’re making space for what’s next - at your own pace, in your own time.

If you’re in a season of change, be gentle with yourself: You’re not behind, you’re not failing - you’re unfolding.

This month I’ve written about the slow, human work of letting go - you can read it here:

A counsellor’s reflection on change, release, and the quiet courage of softening

28/02/2026

When something triggers us, it can feel as though our whole system reacts in one fast, tangled moment. But inside that moment is a sequence - a cycle - and when we can see the steps, we can begin to soften them.
- A triggering event sparks a familiar pattern.
- Automatic thoughts rush in, often shaped by old stories or fears.
- Emotional reactions follow, powerful and immediate.

Noticing this cycle isn’t about blaming ourselves for reacting - it’s about understanding the path our mind and body take so we can gently interrupt it. With awareness comes choice: a breath, a pause, a kinder thought, a different response.

This is the beginning of emotional awareness: learning the language of our inner world so we can meet ourselves with compassion rather than criticism.

If this cycle feels familiar, you’re not alone. Counselling can help by slowing the reaction cycle down so you can understand what’s happening inside rather than being swept along by it, learning to notice triggers, soften automatic thoughts, and respond from a steadier, more compassionate place.

See www.wishing-you-well.co.uk or https://www.bacp.co.uk/therapists/406729/sabrina-evans/ for more information.

23/02/2026

Many of us don’t realise how often we walk through the world wearing two versions of ourselves and carrying two parallel stories.
There’s the one that shows up: calm, capable, composed - the one who smiles politely and says “I’m fine”.

And then there’s the one inside: the one holding the overwhelm, the ache, the questions, the quiet panic, the exhaustion that doesn’t show on the surface.

Both are real and both are doing their best. Both deserve compassion.

Counselling is often the first place where the inner experience is allowed to speak without being rushed, judged, or tidied away. A place where the façade can soften, even just a little, and the truth underneath can breathe. Where you can be met with warmth, curiosity, and compassion - not judgement.

Counselling can support you if you’re:
- navigating stress, burnout, or emotional overload
- masking anxiety behind competence
- feeling disconnected from yourself or others
- carrying old patterns that no longer fit
- longing for a space where you don’t have to hold it all together
- moving through change, loss, or uncertainty
- simply wanting to understand yourself more deeply

It's a place where the inner experience doesn’t have to hide. If the gap between your inner and outer world feels wide or heavy, you’re not alone and you deserve support that honours both parts of you.

See www.wishing-you-well.co.uk or https://www.bacp.co.uk/therapists/406729/sabrina-evans/ for more information.

21/02/2026

Letting go isn’t losing - it’s opening. So often we hold on because it feels safer than the unknown. We grip old stories, familiar patterns, relationships that once fit, versions of ourselves we’ve outgrown.

Letting go isn’t a failure - it’s an act of deep self-trust. It’s the moment you loosen your shoulders, soften your breath, and whisper to yourself: “I deserve to move forward without carrying what weighs me down.”

In counselling, letting go doesn’t happen all at once, it happens in small, compassionate moments - a new boundary, a clearer truth, a gentler inner voice. Counselling can help you let go by offering a safe, steady space to explore what you’re carrying, understand the patterns that keep you holding on, and gently separate your own truth from old expectations or emotional responsibilities. With compassionate support through the discomfort of change, it helps you release what no longer serves you and reconnect with a future that feels lighter, clearer, and more aligned with who you’re becoming

If you’re in a season of release, you’re not alone, and space is already forming for what’s meant to grow next.

See www.wishing-you-well.co.uk or https://www.bacp.co.uk/therapists/406729/sabrina-evans/ more information.

17/02/2026

Sometimes the most powerful shift in our emotional world isn’t a breakthrough or a big decision - it’s the quiet moment where we pause. The pause before reacting, before saying yes when your body whispers no and where you notice your breath again. The pause that lets you choose differently.

In counselling, these small pauses become doorways - to clarity, to self-compassion, to boundaries that feel like relief rather than resistance.

If you’re craving space to slow down, listen inward, and reconnect with yourself, you’re not alone, and you don’t have to do it by yourself. What kind of pause would feel nourishing for you today?

See www.wishing-you-well.co.uk or https://www.bacp.co.uk/therapists/406729/sabrina-evans/ for more information.

14/02/2026

Many people come to counselling believing they need to be “fixed” - as if their struggles are personal failures rather than very human responses to a life that has asked too much of them.

But I see something different. I see how people soften when they feel genuinely met, how their breath deepens when they realise they don’t have to perform, how their shoulders drop when they sense they’re no longer alone with it all.

Connection is not a luxury. It’s not something reserved for when we’ve finally “sorted ourselves out” - it’s the ground we heal on. We’re shaped in relationship - and we’re repaired in relationship too, through the small, steady moments of being seen, heard, and understood.

In counselling this looks like:
- place where you don’t have to be the strong one
- a conversation where nothing is too much
- a relationship where your inner world is allowed to exist without judgement
- a gentle reminder that you’re human, and humans are allowed to need support

If you’ve been carrying things quietly, or feeling disconnected from yourself or others, you’re not failing. You’re longing for something deeply natural: to be held in connection rather than held together by sheer effort.

You don’t have to do it all alone and you’re allowed to reach out. Connection heals - one honest moment at a time.

See www.wishing-you-well.co.uk or https://www.bacp.co.uk/therapists/406729/sabrina-evans/ for more information.

09/02/2026

For those who feel deeply and notice everything, here are 10 signs you might be a a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) from Highly Sensitive Humans

09/02/2026

Is your bucket full, leaking, or in need of mending? We all carry an invisible “bucket” - a simple way of noticing what nourishes us, what drains us, and what helps us heal.

What fills your bucket: Moments that leave you feeling grounded, proud, connected or simply more you:
• Moving your body in ways that feel good
• Time with people who feel safe and energising
• Creativity, nature, rest, small wins

What creates holes in your bucket: The things that quietly drain your energy or confidence:
• Negative or self-critical thinking
• Overwhelm, overstimulation, or pressure
• Conflict, comparison, perfectionism

What helps mend your bucket: Gentle practices that support repair and resilience:
• Mindfulness and grounding
• Self‑care (small, doable steps)
• Safe social connection

Counselling offers a calm, supportive space to notice what fills and drains your bucket with more clarity, understand the patterns behind the “holes” and build healthier coping skills that actually fit you.

You don’t have to patch the bucket alone. Small, consistent support can make a big difference in how full your life feels.

See www.wishing-you-well.co.uk or https://www.bacp.co.uk/therapists/406729/sabrina-evans/ for more information.

07/02/2026

The Climbing Star: There was once a star who longed to touch the mountaintops. Each night, it stretched its light farther - brighter, higher, more dazzling. It lit paths for others, warmed cold places, and became a beacon of brilliance. But in its striving, it forgot to rest. It dimmed slowly, quietly, until one night, it flickered low. The sky whispered, “You were never meant to burn endlessly. You were meant to glow, to guide, and to rest in rhythm.”

This metaphor reminds us that overachievement often comes from a tender place - a longing to be enough, to prove worth, to earn love through excellence.

But you are already worthy.

Counselling offers a space to ask:
“What am I trying to earn through doing?”
“What would it feel like to be enough, even when I pause?”
“Can I trust that my light doesn’t disappear when I rest?”

You are not just your output. You are a star - meant to shine, yes, but also to soften into stillness.

See www.wishing-you-well.co.uk or https://www.bacp.co.uk/therapists/406729/sabrina-evans/ for more information.

02/02/2026

What really resonated with me in this post was the reminder of how many thoughtful, perceptive people move through their working lives believing their quietness is a weakness. In so many workplaces, assertiveness, speed and certainty are praised, while sensitivity, depth, and reflective thinking are overlooked - even though they’re often the qualities that create real connection and long‑term impact. Their way of contributing doesn’t always match the dominant pace, and over time many begin to pull back - not from lack of capability, but because their strengths were never named as strengths.

This piece highlights the quiet courage it takes to honour a way of processing in environments that reward the opposite. It is a form of wisdom that offers clarity rather than demanding attention.

This post offers us a reminder that depth isn’t something to apologise for. It’s something to honour.

02/02/2026

When Understanding Feels Heavy: Empathy is often spoken about as a simple kindness - but for many of us, it’s a tender, complicated, deeply human experience.

Caring deeply can be beautiful. It can also be tiring, can stir old wounds, stretch our capacity, or leave us feeling full to the brim.

If this is you, you’re not doing empathy “wrong.” It’s okay to feel overwhelmed by others’ emotions, it's okay to have limits, it'’s okay to step back when your heart feels heavy - and it’s okay to offer compassion to yourself too.

Empathy doesn’t have to be perfect or endless to matter. Small moments of presence - a pause, a breath, a gentle listening - can ripple further than you realise.

This month, I’ve written about the quieter side of empathy: the weight, the warmth, and the ways we can care for others without losing ourselves. If you’re navigating the tender edges of understanding, I hope these words offer grounding.

Read the full article: https://wishing-you-well.co.uk/resources/f/when-understanding-feels-heavy-sitting-with-empathy

A counsellor’s reflection on connection, compassion, and the quiet work of being human

26/01/2026

So many people move through life with a quiet question in their chest: “Where do I fit?”
Not because they’re doing anything wrong, but because their natural way of being doesn’t always match the pace or expectations of the world around them.

If you’re someone who:
- feels deeply
- thinks slowly and carefully
- values meaning over noise
- notices what others miss
- prefers authenticity to performance
- moves at a gentler rhythm
…it’s easy to feel like you’re out of place.

You might have learned to adapt - to be louder, quicker, more “on,” more agreeable - just to feel like you belong. But belonging built on self‑abandonment never feels real. It leaves you exhausted, disconnected, and unsure of who you are.

True belonging isn’t about fitting in. It’s not about reshaping yourself to match the room. It’s not about being louder, brighter, or more impressive. True belonging happens when you are welcomed as you are - without shrinking, stretching, or performing.
It’s the feeling of:
- being understood without over‑explaining
- being valued for your depth, not your volume
- being seen gently, not scrutinised
- being able to exhale because you don’t have to pretend

Counselling can be one of the first places where this kind of belonging is felt - a space where your pace, your sensitivity, your quiet strengths, and your inner world are met with warmth and respect.

See www.wishing-you-well.co.uk or https://www.bacp.co.uk/therapists/406729/sabrina-evans/ for more information.