Diane Jones Counselling

06/03/2026

This week I learned about the death of someone who was once important in my life.
We hadn’t been in contact for many years and although I didn’t feel the usual devastation of grief, what I did feel was sadness and reflective of the many memories we had shared together.

Alongside this processing, I noticed I was strangely unsure whether I was “allowed” to feel anything at all due to the absence in each other’s lives.
I wonder if this might be something many of us experience when someone from our past dies….
an old friend, an estranged family member, a former partner. The relationship had already ended, yet the loss still lands.

This kind of grief often goes unspoken.
There is no clear role, no obvious permission, no socially accepted script and we can often feel like a fraud for feeling anything.
But I realised while processing this news, that grief isn’t about proximity or recent contact but can also be about meaning and those shared many chapters that actually still matter, even when they’ve been closed for some time.

I am curious if there a relationship from your past that still lives quietly inside you…..
not with pain, but with meaning?
And can you give yourself permission to acknowledge it, just as it was 🤍🦋

28/02/2026

One of those small dilemmas today…
stay wrapped up here with a cup of hot hot water, or head out to the yoga class I’ve booked 🤔

What would you choose today ✨

When you are torn like this, what usually guides your choice….
your body, your mood, or your commitments 🦋

26/02/2026

What if that self-doubt you are feeling, isn’t a sign to stop but actually a sign you are learning and growing 💭

People always say how confident I look and yet I recognise now that I have been there so many time….
Doubting myself
Unsure
Questioning
Wondering if I was enough

And yet, the clients came and my gorgeous little cabin is full of meaningful, heart-led work

Do I still have those doubting days…. Absolutely! But I notice them now and have tools to turn it around quicker

So I offer you to take this today…..
Keep taking baby steps
Keep being you
And remember YOU are uniquely perfect ✨

👉 Save this if it resonates
👉 Share with someone who’s doubting themselves
🤍🙏🦋

22/02/2026

💭 What is one thing you might allow yourself to do if fear of judgement wasn’t in the way?

Sounds crazy now but I never realised I had a fear of judgement until it sneakily nearly held me back from taking the next step to in becoming a counsellor.

Judgement from others, or from ourselves, can limit our growth, confidence, and opportunities.
So be curious whether fear of being judged, you are struggling with self-doubt or imposter syndrome are holding you back in your own life…..
And what might be possible if you approached those fears with compassion rather than criticism 🤍🙏🦋

https://youtu.be/MHEFmQX4H3c?si=EjhLBKXVFTWTbtTB

Fear of judgement can quietly hold us back from reaching our potential. As a qualified counsellor, I share here a personal story about nearly not pursuing m...

21/02/2026

Have you ever stood on the edge of something new and been tormented with thoughts of…… “Am I really enough?”

When I first stepped into private practice, those doubts were so familiar to me.
Even with my 4 years training, experience, and deep desire to help, there were many moments I questioned myself.
Would clients come?
Would I be able to truly make a difference?
Was I enough as a counsellor?

Clients trickled in nice and slowly, which settled something in me and then there was a shift which I felt ready for.
My therapy room has been full for sometime now…….Not just with people but with stories, courage, tears, breakthroughs, and real, meaningful work.
Work that reminds me daily why I chose this path.

I’ve learned that:
🦋You don’t need to feel fully confident to begin
🦋You don’t need to have it all figured out.
🦋You just need to be willing to show up authentically

I offer you to take this with you today…
If you are doubting yourself, it doesn’t mean you’re not capable. It often means you are growing.
Trust the process.
Trust your values.
Trust that what’s meant for you often builds quietly before it becomes visible.

And know that you are not alone on this journey 🦋🤍🙏

15/02/2026

So many of us feel we have to stay available, responsive, productive… even when we’re exhausted.

As a counsellor, I believe rest isn’t a reward, it’s a necessity for emotional wellbeing.

You don’t have to disappear for a week to benefit either.
Sometimes it’s one quiet walk, one early night, one boundary or one moment of stillness

If you’ve been feeling stretched lately, this is your reminder:
You’re allowed to pause 🦋🤍

14/02/2026

My Valentine’s Day Thoughts…..
I woke up to flowers from my husband this morning which felt like a thoughtful gesture that I truly appreciate 💐

But Valentine’s Day hasn’t always looked like this for me.
For many years I was a single mum raising three children, and this day passed quietly, unacknowledged which was some years okay and other years challenging

Valentine’s Day can bring joy, but it can also stir loneliness, grief, comparison, or old wounds.
So today, whatever your relationship status….
partnered, single, grieving, healing, or simply surviving, know that you matter.

Love shows up in many forms… and sometimes the most important one is how we treat ourselves.
So be gentle with yourself today. That counts as love too 🤍🦋🙏

11/02/2026

I’ve just returned from a week in the very chilly but stunning North Yorkshire and Northumberland.
No internet as we were in a tiny Hamlet in the middle of deep valleys.
We had just a few plans each day of long walks, visit castles, emerse ourselves in nature, and give ourselves time to simply just be.

What I noticed was how quickly my nervous system slowed and how naturally nature regulates us in ways we don’t always notice.
Walking along the coast, watching the birds or just sitting quietly, my body responded before my mind had time to analyse anything.
My breathing slowed naturally.
That monkey brain I get sometimes, softened.

As a therapist, I’m often reminding clients that regulation doesn’t always come from doing more work on ourselves… sometimes it comes from doing less.
Stepping back, slowing down, and allowing space can be incredibly healing.

A gentle question this week -
Where could you allow yourself a little more space to breathe?

29/01/2026

Don’t know about you but there have been many times when I’ve felt completely overwhelmed and not sure what job to do first ?

Felt important today to share how Ive learnt to calm that noisy brain and personally build this into my busy life.
So here is where I take you on a gentle walk while exploring how small, consistent pauses can support your mental health, reduce stress, and bring your body out of survival mode

Being a therapist doesn’t mean I have all the answers but I like sharing what helps me and my clients so this is a simple, realistic nervous system reset for busy people with no complicated techniques, no pressure, just awareness and kindness to your body.

Lets open up this conversation and see how many of you struggle to find 5 minutes or maybe how you find a little time for yourself 🙏🤍🦋

21/01/2026

A common struggle I hear often is:
“I shouldn’t still feel like this.”

From my personal experience and my work as a counsellor, I can say with certainty……. Grief doesn’t move in straight lines, and it doesn’t respond well to pressure.

It can change shape, it comes and goes, and may often resurface when we least expect it.
There is no timeline you’ve failed to meet.
Only a process that asks for patience and compassion.

So it might help, instead of asking “Why am I still sad?”
to gently ask, “What does this part of me need right now?”

If this speaks to where you are right now, know that you don’t have to carry it on your own.
Reaching out can be a gentle first step 🤍🦋

18/01/2026

Is it just me or have any of you found it hard to slip back into good habits after Christmas?
The darker mornings and shorter days don’t help me, and I’ve come to recognise over the years that I struggle a little with seasonal low mood (SAD).

Even though I know eating better and getting out for a walk will lift me, my mind is very good at telling me that other jobs are more important… emails, tidying, “just one more thing”.

Over the years I’ve realised that starting small has been a help.
Not a full routine overhaul.
Not perfection.
Just one small choice at a time……a short walk, one nourishing meal, a gentle nudge rather than a push.

So I’ve made many small choices this week and today I’m feeling pleased that I’ve ditched the sausage sandwich and got out in the cold for a longer walk.

If you are finding this time of year tough, you’re not alone.
✨ What’s one small thing that helps you feel a little better on heavy days?