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Lena Brailsford Therapy & Support, Cromford, Matlock (2025)

08/12/2025

When everything else feels like a no… what is still a yes?

This weekend, surrounded by family and football stories from across the world, I had a moment of clarity.

Even when school feels hard.
When behaviour bubbles.
When the world feels loud and overwhelming…
Sometimes there is still one YES.

For many children (my son included) football isn’t just a game.
It’s rhythm, regulation, routine, belonging.
Clear rules. Movement. Fresh air. Community. Release.
And in a world that feels like too much… that structure feels like safety.

After 20+ years supporting children — and now walking this path beside my own — I know this isn’t just about football.

It’s about the thing that anchors your child.
The thing that brings them back to themselves when everything else feels impossible.

Right now, I’m simply listening to children who are struggling with:
• overwhelm
• low-level school avoidance
• anxiety
• social withdrawal
• dysregulation

Not to label. Not to fix. Just to hear.

If your child (boy or girl) is finding school or social life hard right now, but still has one thing that lights a spark 🔥, I’d love to listen.

This isn’t a programme.
It’s the beginning of a journey.

Comment or message “VOICE” and I’ll reach out privately.

And to the children…
You are not lazy, naughty or broken.
You are responding intelligently to a world that doesn’t always fit.

And together, we can build something better.
Lena 💛

P.S. After a week of overwhelm, the one thing he never refused… was football. The screenshot says it all , the week ended in a high⚽️💖

02/12/2025

✨ Honouring the season when school starts to feel hard ✨

If your child is becoming more overwhelmed, anxious or resistant to school right now…
pause before you panic.
Winter is not a season of pushing.
It is a season of returning inward.
In nature, everything slows:
Trees release their leaves
Animals rest
The world goes quiet
Yet our children are expected to sit still, perform, socialise, process, achieve — in buildings full of noise, pressure and artificial light. And it all culminates and intensifies in December- changes to routines, bright lights, elves, sweets, non stop music activity .
Some children feel this disconnect more than others.
And their bodies respond by pulling back, shutting down or saying “I can’t”.
This isn’t failure.
It’s instinct.

Instead of fighting it, try to honour it.

🌿 Gentle invitations for your child and you to try perfect for this season
• Bake something together (no perfection needed)
• Create simple crafts (cutting, sticking, colouring, threading)
• Sit under a tree or walk without a destination
Creativity and nature regulate the nervous system in ways words never can.

🌿 And for you, the parent (because you matter too):
Regulation isn’t just a glass of wine at the end of the day (though that’s ok too 😉)
It’s in the small mindful moments:
• feeling warm water on your hands
• seeking and enjoying the colour of the sky, your jumper
• slow deep breaths
• singing loud and off key in the car to work after drop off
Your child doesn’t just learn from what you say.
They learn from the energy you inhabit.
Teach them that peace isn’t found out there…
It lives inside them.
Waiting to be remembered.

And that inner warmth?
That’s resilience ☀️
Text or Dm if you need a little TLC
With love and light always lena xx

28/11/2025

This morning started with a message from a friend.
She’d seen a post from someone clearly overwhelmed and instantly thought of me 🥰

I opened it wanting to help — that familiar “I can hold this” feeling —
but the comments were already flooded.
Advice. Noise. Pressure.

And I realised adding my voice would have been just another demand.
So I stepped back.

I’d already made some big decisions that morning — cancelling a Reiki share, giving myself space instead of holding it for others. Not easy for me at all.

After school drop-off, I sat in my car with a cold Ovaltine and a brioche — total granny comfort, but exactly what I needed.
It was the first still moment of the day.

And I felt this truth:

I could have been either person in that Facebook post —
the one needing support or the one offering it.

So many parents I work with feel the same.
Not failing — just exhausted.
Trying to make decisions from an empty cup.

Later, with a little more space, I messaged a small networking group I now had the space to attend and said:
“I don’t know what to do. Seeing you would be good medicine but i’m tired can someone choose for me?”

And they did.
Anna decided for me, and the rest softly echoed:
“Rest. We’ve got you.”

That’s exactly how I support families too —
not with pressure or long lists,
but with grounded presence and gentle next steps.

I sit with you in the car moments, the cold-Ovaltine moments, the ‘I can’t decide’ moments —
and help you find steady ground again.

Regulated parents create regulated homes.
And regulated homes help children shine. ✨

If you’re in one of those moments today… I get it.
I was there this morning.
And my door is open. 💛

The sun is on my face now, the sky is blue, and peace has found me again.
Namaste 🌸

📩 team@lenabrailsford.com
📱 text only: 07713318130

27/11/2025

✨ A Morning Ritual at Fig Coffee House ✨

Beginning next Thursday 4th December,at 9:30am, we invite you to start your morning with calm, nourishment, and a moment just for you. 🌞

Come in, take a deep breath, and allow yourself to simply be.
Place your order, settle into the stillness, and let the world soften around you. 🌿

As you wait, you’ll be guided into a gentle visualisation — a soft space to release, open, and welcome peace into your day.
During this moment, you’ll also discover the story behind the ingredients — and how they quietly support your mind, body, and heart, helping you ease into a deeper sense of presence. 🌸

This week’s offering is our organic cacao & chaga hot chocolate, sweetened with coconut nectar — grounding, heart-opening, and crafted with intention. As you sip, Lena will help you anchor the experience, turning it into a mindful ritual you can return to any time. 🍫💛

Each week, we’ll celebrate a new drink from our alternative menu — from turmeric chai to beetroot & ginger — each with its own warmth, story, and nourishing qualities. ✨

We close with a moment of gratitude, gently grounding you for the day ahead — held in love, presence, and peace.

✨ All included for the usual price of a hot drink.
Join us at Fig Coffee House, Matlock Bath — a place where you can just be. 💛

26/11/2025

✨ Tip of the Day: Calm for Your Child & Calm for YOU ✨

Supporting an anxious, overwhelmed, possibly neurodivergent child after school doesn’t start with talking or problem-solving.
It starts with regulation — for both of you.

Here are two small shifts that can change the whole evening 🌸

🌿For Your Child: A 10-Minute “Soft Start” After School
Before ANY questions or demands, give them space to gently unwind.
This could be:
🌱 a quiet snack
🌱 Lego or drawing
🌱 cuddling a pet
🌱 pacing, bouncing, swinging
🌱 something calming on the TV
🌱 or a warm shower
No “How was your day?” yet.
Their nervous system needs to downshift first.
Regulate first → talk later.

🌼 For YOU: A 2-Minute Parent Reset
You need decompression too.

Before supporting them:
✨ drop your shoulders
✨ slow your breathing
✨ exhale longer than you inhale
✨ let the day go

This tiny reset shifts your brain from react to respond.
And here’s the magic:
When you regulate, your child feels safer to regulate too.
Co-regulation begins with you — not pressure or perfection, just presence.

Small steps like these create calmer evenings, better communication, and a more connected home.

If you want help building routines that reduce overwhelm for you and your child,
I’m here. 💛

Ps- dont laugh- i know I rarely appear calm on the outside when im running into the playground late. 😂but my inner swan is perfectly calm 🤪 and i know my voice sounds funny - its my calm, peaceful voice lol

📩 team@lenabrailsford.com
📱text 07713318120
DM

25/11/2025

✨ Supporting Children Starts With Supporting YOU ✨

Why I Do This Work — And Why It Matters

My career has never been random.
Every step has been guided by one purpose:

To remove the barriers that stop a child from shining —
and to support the adults who hold them.

I learned early on that a child can only thrive when the adults around them are:
🌿 calm
🌿 regulated
🌿 confident
🌿 and not overwhelmed.

So my learning expanded beyond the classroom. I trained to understand and support:
✔ parents doing everything they can
✔ colleagues without the right tools
✔ families carrying exhaustion
✔ and myself — staying grounded and connected

At Barnardo’s, advocacy and family support helped me see the whole picture around each child.

My training in Reiki and complementary therapies wasn’t only for children — it was to help parents regulate their nervous systems too.

Across 20+ years as a Specialist Autism Teacher, one belief stayed constant:

Children and families thrive when they feel seen, understood and emotionally safe.
Connection and trust come before any strategy.

True learning happens when we’re calm, regulated and ready — when steps are gentle, clear and compassionate.

I’m not a standard professional.
My whole path has been about helping children thrive by supporting the adults who love them.

My work is like a bespoke sensory and emotional diet
for both the child and the parent.

Because lasting change doesn’t come from quick fixes —
it comes when the whole family feels safe, calm and connected.

If you want support that honours both you and your child,
my door is open. 💛

📩 team@lenabrailsford.com
📱07713318120 (text initially)
Or DM

10/11/2025

🌺please help
I’ve done it again , had a great idea - offered it then realised oh crikey - now i have to do it with very little time arggghhh🤦🏾‍♀️
🌺So please , please share , book a treatment or just donate (once i know how to do this professionally), money will be going to “Stand To” a veterans charity/ service based in chesterfield.
🤞🏾
See my fb post on lena brailsford for more details n images. I don’t have the brain space to fight with canva and resize all my images 🤪
✨DM or text, 🌺no calls unless i already have your number ( my quest to avoid nuisance calls continues)🪽💖

09/11/2025

🌺 A Reflection for Remembrance Sunday: Finding Hope On this Remembrance Sunday, I’m reminded of the power of hope — because wherever there’s hope, there’s light: light for peace, serenity, love, and life itself. Hope helps us live in the now and look forward to a brighter future.

For me, Hope holds a deeply personal meaning — it’s the name of my baby girl who I miscarried. In that time of deep grief, I lost hope on so many levels. Yet, through that pain, she came back to me in spirit and gave me strength. Through her, I was blessed with my two beautiful children.

It was through Hope that my path was cleared, my heart healed, and I could finally celebrate joy again. When I became pregnant with Rowan, I chose to celebrate every single moment — no waiting, no fear, no “don’t tell anyone yet.” I decided to live fully in the now and embrace every heartbeat of that journey.

That’s why Remembrance Sunday — and the 11th of November — is always extra special. It’s not only a day to honour those who sacrificed for our freedom, but also the birthday of my peace baby, Rowan, born in the legacy of Hope. This year, Rowan turns 11. Time has softened the pain, but Hope is always remembered, especially on these reflective days.

If Hope lit the way, then Rowan brought Peace. With his quiet strength, sense of justice, and warrior’s heart, he embodies the courage of those we honour today, carrying his emotions close to his chest, like so many soldiers. And then came Rosa, my last child — open, innocent, radiant with love and compassion. Together, the three of them form a trinity: Hope, Peace, and Love — the very qualities our soldiers fought for and the virtues we strive to nurture in the world around us.

To truly honour those who came before us is to live with that same hope, peace, and love — to build a kinder world for future generations. So today, amidst the silence and the poppies, I hold my hand on my heart and remember — with gratitude, with love, and always, with Hope. 🌹

DM or Text 07713318130 ( no calls please)

03/11/2025

🌺This November, as we take time to remember and honour those who have served, I’m offering gentle support for anyone navigating grief, loss, trauma, or emotional distress.🌺

Through a range of complementary therapies — including Reiki, massage, and crystal healing — I provide a safe, calming space to help you find peace, balance, and comfort for the heart and mind. 💫

In recognition of those who have given so much, a portion of all profits this November will be donated to Stand To — a Chesterfield-based service offering practical and emotional support for veterans and their families. 🇬🇧

If you or someone you know could use a little healing or calm this season, please reach out or share this post.
Let’s remember, reflect, and heal — together. 💖

✨ Gentle support for the soul — available all year round. Cromford , Matlock and surrounding areas.
To book DM or text Lena on 07713318120

03/11/2025

🍂✨Lovely walk with the family yesterday 💚

I’m so proud of Rosa. She’s always been scared of caves, the dark, and getting lost — proper fear, sometimes to the point of tears. But yesterday she blew me away. She walked into a cave with no lights, and when I asked her to lead us back to the car, she did it!

I’d made little memory stops along the way to help her remember the route, and it worked. She was chatting away, recalling each thing we’d done as we walked. Seeing her face when she realised she could do it was just amazing.

We also found this lovely little spot that looks like it’s been used for forest school — a swing, walkway across the water, fire pit, and woods perfect for dens. Rowan had a great time making his own parkour route, climbing trees, scrambling up waterfalls, and even practicing his photography along the way. 📸

I found some perfect quiet spots by the water too — just sitting, watching the colours of the trees, feeling completely at peace. 🍂

It was one of those days that just felt right. Exactly what we all needed. ❤️

Lena Brailsford Therapy & Support

08/12/2025

02/12/2025

28/11/2025

27/11/2025

26/11/2025

25/11/2025

10/11/2025

09/11/2025

03/11/2025

03/11/2025

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