Fiona Goodacre Counselling in SW18

04/12/2022

How lucky and privileged are we to share the celebration of my lovely friend Eric’s birthday bash at Claridges this weekend. Much fun in this year’s Jimmy Choo’s Christmas tree! 🎄🎄🎄What an amazing hotel!

21/01/2021

Lockdown Lethargy and Working from Home

Have you noticed you are increasingly struggling to feel motivation and enthusiasm for work if you have been working from home since the beginning of the pandemic lockdown in March?

Here’s a few tips to help you maintain motivation:

1. Resist the temptation to fall out of bed 10 minutes before you are due to log on to your computer. Get a morning routine that allows a sufficient amount of “you” time; shower, breakfast, exercise, etc.

2. Resist the temptation to wear your favourite slouch clothes or pyjamas all day - dress as if you were going to the office or at least day wear which makes you look and feel good.(wearing a suit may be excessive!)

3. Are you regularly working through your lunch break? DON’T! Take a regular break preferably in a different room and even better, try to take a quick walk outside if you can. Daylight for Vitamin D is essential at this time of year.

4. Set clear boundaries for working hours - turn your laptop off, don’t look at emails outside of your working hours unless there’s something absolutely urgent that comes up. Differentiate weekends from weekdays in the same way.

5. If you are working in the same room that you use for relaxation hours or working in your bedroom try to remove all working equipment (if it is of course, practical to do so) out of your vision so that your room transforms into your living room or bedroom with no glaring reminders of work.

6. Think about your past achievements at work, the colleagues you like and care for. Think of you value at work. Are there advantages of working from home ? Will this period allow more long-term flexibility when life does return to normal?

7. Remind yourself that this pandemic and the current restriction are temporary. They won’t last forever!

16/05/2020

Low mood and anxiety as a result of lockdown is a very real issue. Not everyone finds this situation easy and the experience of lethargy, anxiety, isolation, loneliness, boredom, a sense of hopelessness, inability to concentrate or focus, fear of the future, even a fear of returning “back to normal”. are all real and valid feelings. To help combat these feelings;

1. Try to maintain a routine

2. Try and get up around the same time every day during the week.

3. Get dressed, don’t stay all day in your nightwear

4. Dress up sometimes - it can make you feel good about yourself

5. Allow yourself some time to feel negative emotions and know they are valid

6. Excersise regularly - walking is just as good an exercise as any

7. Visit green spaces and focus on your surrounds and nature

8. Write a list of things that you can be thankful for and look at it every day and when you are feeling down

9. Speak to friends and family

10. Set yourself small achievable goals on a daily/weekly basis

11. If you are working from home and find it difficult focus take short, regular breaks.

12. Put your work things away if you have to use the same room to relax in, once you have finished work.

13. Try and stick to time boundaries and differentiate your working hours to leisure hours

14. Be kind to yourself

21/06/2017

Any therapists looking for regular supervision? I have a couple of vacancies for supervisees!

10/03/2017

13/11/2015

'Change occurs when one becomes what he is, not when he tries to become what he is not' - (Bessier 1970)

03/11/2015

More examinations to be introduced for children at Primary school level? No wonder our young nation is suffering from an epidemic of anxiety, depression and stress!

15/10/2015

'Sometimes we have to let go of the idea of a better past' -Cato
Work on acceptance or forgiveness or even both if possible - that's the goal for a better future .

12/05/2015

As an act of kindness, consider your own expectations of yourself and recognise that sometimes "Good Enough" will do perfectly.

29/04/2015

Believe it. Feel it . Like it ,Love it : Life and all it's expectations and disappointments

18/04/2015

'Advice is what we ask for when we already know the answer but wish we didn't' Erica Jong 1942