FSK: Minds Matter

05/01/2026

As many people return to work after the festive break, it can bring up very different feelings.

For some, it’s heavy. The alarm feels too loud, the pace too fast, and the body hasn’t quite caught up yet.

But for others, returning to work isn’t about pressure or performance — it’s about connection, familiarity, and routine.

It’s the comfort of the known.
The faces you recognise.
The rhythm that steadies your nervous system.
The sense of purpose that gently brings you back into yourself.

For some people, work is where regulation lives. Where things make sense again. Where the world feels a little less chaotic.

There’s no “right” way to feel as we step back into routine. Wherever you are with it — tired, relieved, grateful, resistant — it’s valid.

Be kind to yourself this week.
Your nervous system is doing its best. 💛

Eddie enjoying the snow after his first day back at work 🥰

31/12/2025

Sometimes regulation doesn’t come through words at all.
It comes through warmth, weight, rhythm… and presence 🐾

Regulating animals have an extraordinary way of helping our nervous systems settle. Their slow breathing, steady heartbeat, gentle pressure and non-judgemental companionship can help bring us out of fight-or-flight and back into a sense of safety.

For many people — especially those who have lived with trauma, anxiety or chronic stress — an animal nearby can:
• lower physiological arousal
• support grounding and co-regulation
• reduce feelings of isolation
• gently anchor the body in the present moment

There’s something deeply reparative about being chosen as a safe place to rest.

Regulation doesn’t always look like “doing” — sometimes it looks like being still, together 🤍

24/12/2025

🎙️ How Trauma Impacts Children and Food - Podcast

In this episode, trauma expert Sarah Dillon explains how early traumatic experiences deeply affect a child’s relationship with food.

Behaviours like stealing food, eating all the time, or only accepting certain foods aren’t “bad habits” — they’re survival responses.

🎧 Listen now for an eye-opening conversation that every parent needs to hear.
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1523869/episodes/8910614

22/12/2025

Love this

Sending a little extra love to anyone who isn’t feeling festive this season.

To those of you the ones who are tired of being strong, carrying too much, navigating change, healing and recovering. For those spending the holidays alone and maybe missing someone. For those who feel alone or don’t quite fit the “merry” mood everyone expects.

You don’t have to force joy to be worthy of love.

You don’t have to be something you’re not to prove you’re okay.

You don’t have to “be” anything. It’s enough to show up as you are.

As I always say - try to be kind and compassionate with yourself. Try to savour the small moments - a warm smile with a stranger, your favourite music, a film you love, a warm drink. Treat yourself with compassion and kindness. Take it one breath, one hour, one kind choice at a time.

With love
Fiona
www.earthmonk.guru

20/12/2025

Lately, I’ve noticed how many people are holding things together on the outside while feeling quietly overwhelmed on the inside.

Life doesn’t always fall apart in obvious ways. Sometimes it just becomes… heavy. Sleep gets lighter, patience shorter, bodies more tense. We tell ourselves we’re “fine” because nothing dramatic has happened and yet something doesn’t feel right.

Our nervous systems don’t wait for permission to struggle. They respond to accumulation: stress, uncertainty, old experiences resurfacing, too many demands with too little rest.

If this resonates, you’re not weak and you’re not failing. Your system may simply be asking for a pause, some care, and a bit of understanding.

Be gentle with yourself today. Small moments of kindness — to your body, your thoughts, your limits genuinely matter.

13/12/2025

This time of year can be especially tough for anyone who has struggled with alcohol and for the families who have walked every step of that journey beside them.

I have someone very close to me who is four years sober, and I’m incredibly proud of the strength and resolve that takes. But Christmas brings its own challenges… the parties, the expectations, the social pressure, the “go on, just one won’t hurt” comments from people who don’t fully understand.

Sobriety is a daily choice, and during this season it can take even more courage, grounding and self-protection than usual.

So this is a gentle reminder:

✨ If you’re sober whether it’s a few days, months or years you’re doing something incredibly hard and incredibly brave.
You deserve to feel safe, supported and proud of how far you’ve come.

✨ If you love someone who is sober, you know the ripple effect alcohol can have on families.
Behind every person in recovery is often a circle of people who have held their breath through the hard days, celebrated the good ones, and quietly carried their own wounds.

✨ Christmas can be joyful and triggering at the same time.
Both truths can exist together.

✨ Let’s be mindful of the pressure alcohol brings this season.
Not everyone wants a drink. Not everyone can have one. And not everyone finds this time easy.

To anyone staying sober this Christmas — and to the families who walk alongside them — I see you.
I’m proud of you.
And you’re not alone. 💛✨

29/11/2025

This time of year can be a strange mix of light and shadow.
Christmas brings sparkle, connection and moments of joy… but it can also bring pressure, grief, loneliness, overwhelm and old emotions that resurface when life gets busy.

So this is your gentle reminder:

✨ Take care of yourself over the coming weeks.
It’s okay to slow down, to say “no”, to rest, to step back, and to make space for your own wellbeing.

✨ You don’t have to be festive every moment.
Christmas can be complicated for so many different reasons, family dynamics, loss, finances, expectations, health, memories… please be kind to yourself if things feel harder than usual.

✨ Look for the little pockets of calm.
A quiet cup of tea, a walk, deep breaths, a moment of grounding… they all count.

✨ Check in on the people who may be finding this time of year tough.
And if that person is you, please know you’re not alone.

✨ Joy and difficulty can exist side by side.
Both are valid. Both deserve space.

Sending warmth to everyone navigating this season in whatever way feels right for you.
Be gentle with yourself. 💛✨

23/11/2025

Healthy Relationships Require Courage and Boundaries

We all want connection—but not at the cost of our well-being.
Sometimes that means saying no, stepping back, or speaking up when something feels off.

Healthy relationships allow space for both closeness and individuality.
They honour feelings without judgment and respect boundaries without resentment.

It takes courage to choose relationships that nurture you—and even more to let go of those that don’t.

Remember: You deserve relationships where you can be your whole self.

18/11/2025

Finding Yourself After Losing Yourself

Sometimes life asks us to lose who we thought we were—through change, trauma, or hardship.
It can feel disorienting, like you’re searching in the dark for a version of yourself you can’t find.

But identity is not fixed.
It’s a journey of rediscovery—of peeling back layers to find what truly feels like you.

Give yourself permission to explore, question, and grow.
You are more than your past or your roles.
You are evolving—and that’s a beautiful thing.

06/11/2025

Grief Isn’t Just Sadness, It’s Many Things

Grief shows up in countless ways, anger, confusion, relief, guilt, and even numbness.
It’s not just a feeling to “get through,” but a process that asks for our compassion and time.

Whether you’re grieving a loss, a dream, or a chapter of your life, it’s okay to hold space for all the emotions that come with it.

Grief changes us, but it also teaches us how deeply we have loved.