Matthew Ritchie Counselling

27/02/2026

“Healing isn't a straight line. It's messy. It's two steps forward and three steps back. It's good days and terrible days and days where you don't know which one it is. It's progress that's invisible. It's growth you can't measure. It's showing up even when you don't want to.
You'll have a breakthrough and then a breakdown. You'll feel strong and then completely fall apart. You'll think you're healed and then get triggered by something small. And you'll wonder if you're even making progress at all.

But you are. Healing isn't about never being triggered. It's about recovering faster when you are. It's not about never having hard days. It's about handling them differently than you used to. It's not about being perfect. It's about being a little bit better than you were yesterday. Or last week. Or last year.

So stop measuring your healing by how "over it" you are.

Measure it by how you're showing up. By the boundaries you're setting. By the patterns you're breaking. By the grace you're giving yourself. That's healing. Even when it doesn't feel like it.”

~ Jacqueline Whitney

25/02/2026

Breath is a direct pathway to our autonomic nervous system, making it both a regulating resource and an activator of our survival states.

-Deb Dana, LSW

23/02/2026

Smiling can activate the vagus nerve, the longest nerve in the body, sending calming signals to the brain that help shift the nervous system into a more relaxed, safe, and connected state.

23/02/2026

The jaw is a nervous system switch.
Clench it and the brain hears danger, breath shortens, the body braces, emotions tighten, regulation drops.

Relax the jaw and the whole neevous system exhales, posture shifts, breathing deepens, safety returns. This is why jaw tension, grinding, mouth breathing, and chewing issues are never just oral problems.

18/02/2026

When you cry you release stress and suppressed emotions. Crying releases oxytocin and endogenous opioids, also known as endorphins. These feel good chemicals help ease both physical and emotional pain. Suppressed emotions cause anxiety, depression and overthinking. When we are stressed out, our immune system goes down, because we are in survival mode….. Fight-Flight-Freeze. There’s a few others….Flop, Faint and Fawn. It’s OK to cry.

13/02/2026

When distress is met with dismissal or control, the nervous system learns that expressing need is dangerous and that self suppression is required for survival.

13/02/2026

Imagine if scientists discovered a toxic substance that increased the risks of cancer, diabetes and heart, lung and liver disease for millions of people! Something that also increased one’s risks for smoking, drug abuse, su***de, teen pregnancy, sexually transmitted disease, domestic violence and depression — and simultaneously reduced the chances of succeeding in school, performing well on a job and maintaining stable relationships? It would be comparable to hazards like lead paint, to***co smoke and mercury. We would do everything in our power to contain it and keep it far away from children. Right?

Well, there is such a thing, but it’s not a substance. It’s been called “toxic stress.” For more than a decade, researchers have understood that frequent or continual stress on young children who lack adequate protection and support from adults, is strongly associated with increases in the risks of lifelong health and social problems, including all those listed above.

https://archive.nytimes.com/opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/10/30/protecting-children-from-toxic-stress/?fbclid=IwdGRleAP72WdleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEeVHYXYQJYwwn8ZXUrr4i-mGmxaRFsCaCk_X6Qds9A77ZxAQtraq7DqXske9g_aem_cjZ8zlCCNKQxig7UqwErwQ

We know that trauma in the lives of children can impair mental and physical health in adulthood. We also know how to prevent it.

12/02/2026

The left nostril is connected with the parasympathetic nervous system. Covering the right nostril and breathing through the left nostril will calm your body down and relax you (parasympathetic). Use this technique when you are feeling anxious, stressed or overwhelmed. Practice for 1–2 minutes for best results.

11/02/2026

Every time you replace ‘I'm overwhelmed’ with
‘I need to decide what matters most and go slow,’ your brain stops firing alarm signals and starts organising information again.

09/02/2026

Light doesn’t just help us see, it sets the rhythm of the brain. The moment light hits the eyes, specialised receptors send a signal straight to the brain’s master clock (the SCN), telling the nervous system whether it’s time to be alert or to wind down. Morning light switches on focus, mood, digestion and movement readiness, darkness allows melatonin to rise so the brain can repair, regulate and reset. Too much artificial light at night, not enough sunlight in the morning, or irregular routines confuse this system, and when the clock is confused, everything downstream feels it, sleep, behaviour, attention, hormones, emotional regulation and even motor control. This is why circadian rhythm isn’t just about sleep, it’s about how organised the nervous system is, all day long.

- JG

09/02/2026

It’s all about HEALTHY relationships…….

It’s Monday, and it’s the beginning of a working week for many. This will bring many of us into contact with people. That’s when we get the chance to reach out and connect to others in a way that can be life changing.

We only need to connect on a basic level to make a difference. We don’t need to pathologise or medicalise this. We don’t need permission to make a difference. We don’t need to join a group for guidance. We just need to be curious, connect and listen. We can all do that. Every member of every community can do that. You don’t even need training. You just have to show a bit of interest, kindness, compassion, and care. Not rocket science, is it? We are all the first line of defence in buffering the worst effects of compromised mental health. You can begin by asking, ‘Are you ok? Then follow it up by asking, ‘ARE you ok?

If you need to speak to someone about your mental health you can contact:

MIND - 0300 102 1234 (Open 9am-6pm weekdays)

Samaritans - 116 123 (Always open)

Campaign Against Living Miserably - 0800 58 58 58 (Open 5pm - midnight)

NHS 111, press option 2 (Always open)

PAPYRUS (If you're under 35) - 0800 068 4141 or text 88247 (Always open)

08/02/2026

Doing things together in counselling means both client and counsellor can assess whether the therapeutic relationship will ultimately benefit the client. This is always the case at Matthew Ritchie Counselling.

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