The Pause Room

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The Pause Room - Menopause & Skin Support
Skin, soul, sanity support for peri/menopausal women
Holistic facials, reflex +massage rituals
Calm for skin, stress & midlife WTF

17/03/2026

As you may know, my partner has been waiting for surgery.
It should have happened yesterday but was cancelled last minute. Rebooked for Wednesday… and then a message this morning to say it’s happening this afternoon.

Cue panic. Anxiety. That horrible can’t-move feeling… followed by me tearing round the house like a whirling dervish.

Harry Styles is currently blasting in the background – this album is now firmly tied to this whole period whether I like it or not.

Music usually helps, but I could feel everything building. And then I had a bit of a “practice what you preach” moment 🤦🏼‍♀️
I’d already worked one hand, then thought I’d film the other so you can see what I do when I’m anxious, overwhelmed, and hanging on by a thread.

Solar Plexus. Diaphragm. Adrenals.
Inhale on the push, exhale on the release (ignore the dodgy breathing).

The knot in my chest is still there… but the alka seltzer fizz has calmed down, and I’m no longer spinning round the house.

I’ll keep coming back to this through the day.

Just waiting for my lift to the hospital now.
Third times the charm 🤞

15/03/2026

Mother’s Day can look very different depending on where you’re standing.

For some it’s cards, flowers and noisy family lunches.
For others it’s remembering, missing, wondering… or quietly making peace with the way life unfolded.

However this day feels for you - joy, grief, relief, gratitude, complicated, all of the above - you’re seen here.

Sending a little love your way today ❤️

10/03/2026

I’ve been spending quite a bit of time sitting in hospital chairs lately.

Waiting around does funny things to your body. You forget to eat properly, your digestion is a bit off, and stress sits fizzing in your chest like an alka seltzer.

So this is what I’ve been doing with my hands.

Three reflexology points I have started to regularly use because they’re easy to do wherever I am - car park, sofa, work, hospital chair. I spend no more than 3-5 minutes working them and am aiming for 2-3 times a day.

The solar plexus point 🟠 is the one I go to first, just of centre of the palm. A firm press and slow circles with the thumb while I take a couple of proper breaths. It helps take the edge off that tight feeling in my chest.

I’ve also been working the liver/gallbladder area 🟢 on the outer edge of the right palm. I don’t have a gallbladder anymore and eating on the go hasn’t exactly helped digestion. Spending a minute or two massaging that spot seems to help things settle.

And then the adrenal point ⚪️ (ssh! Couldn’t find a pink circle!) near the base of the thumb. Pinch, hold for a moment, release, repeat. A useful one when my energy feels heavy.

Nothing complicated. Just a few pressure points that can be done discreetly wherever I am and whenever I need them.

(The solar plexus and adrenals are the same spot on both hands - the gallbladder point is only on the right hand.)

If you think these may be useful for yourself, or a friend, save and send.

07/03/2026

Life can change in the blink of an eye.

My partner has been in hospital for a little while and is currently waiting for surgery. We don’t have a date for that yet, so the next few weeks are a little uncertain.

I’ll still be working where I can, but there may be times over the next 6-8 weeks where appointments need to move or be cancelled at short notice, and my availability may be a little more limited.

I know that can be inconvenient and I truly appreciate the patience and understanding so many of you have already shown. I’ll always give as much notice as possible if plans need to change.

I’ll still be checking emails and messages and will reply when I can, but there may be delays while I focus on supporting my partner and our families.

One thing this experience has reinforced for me is how important it is to create a little space in life - space for your nervous system to rest, space to process things properly, and space to adapt when life throws a curveball.

Little steps. Sometimes two forward, one back.
The important thing is you keep going - pull up your big girl pants 😉 and adapt.

19/02/2026

A client bought me this mug one Christmas.
My old logo. My old salon.

Over 17 years of my life.

It was a happy time. Stressful, yes, but also busy, purposeful… and mine. It was MY retreat - my safe space.

Now when I think about it, I don’t feel sad it’s not mine anymore. I feel proud. Really bloody proud.

We’re allowed to miss parts of our past without wanting to go back there.

If things feel overwhelming right now - if you’re feeling a bit lost, different, or not quite as certain as you once did, it doesn’t mean the best bits are behind you.

Menopause is not the end.

Life keeps moving and so can we.

The past can shape you without defining you. And whatever comes next is under your control - it’s something you get to influence, quietly (or not - I like my slightly feral side 😁), in your own way and in your own time.

Sherry x

18/02/2026

Gut Vitality Boost

Bloating, sluggish digestion - that heavy uncomfortable feeling that makes you unbutton your jeans the second you get home and consider filling your wardrobe with joggers!

The Menopause hormonal rollercoaster can slow digestion, and stress adds another layer. When your systems aren’t moving as they should, it doesn’t just sit in your stomach - it affects your energy, your skin and your mood. It all just feels a bit “bleurgh”.

Gut Vitality Boost brings together focused abdominal (colon) massage, digestive reflex work through your feet, gentle pressure point work, and neck, shoulder and scalp massage to gently encourage those systems to do what they should be doing.

Working in this way supports both your gut AND nervous system, easing bloating, boosting circulation and helping you feel lighter, clearer and more comfortable as well as helping boost your energy levels.

I’ve also added a 15-minute abdominal massage only add-on if you’d like to include a shorter version within another treatment. (It will pop up once you have selected your main treatment).

So, if you’ve been missing wearing your favourite jeans lately, this might be worth a look 😉

📍 Available at both Wotton and Charfield locations
📆 You can get on my schedule via the link in my bio

Skin•Soul•Sanity

15/02/2026

Our brains are relentless processors. We can have tens of thousands of thoughts a day, most of them passing through unnoticed with the mind filtering what it thinks matters.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t always get it right.

When we’re stressed, exhausted and hormonally overwhelmed, the brain can loop automatic negative thoughts that feel like facts:

I’m a bad person because my moods are all over the place.
I’ll always feel like this.
This is never going to end.
I can’t cope like I used to.
I'm a mess.
My partner is going to leave me.
There's something wrong with me.

In menopause, when fatigue feels bone-deep and our resilience is low, those thoughts can get even louder where we don't seem to be able to think of anything else.

Left unchecked, these thoughts shape how we behave. We withdraw, snap, and apologise for existing.

But a thought isn’t a truth. It’s a mental event.

We can’t stop every negative thought appearing, but we can learn not to believe every single one.

That’s where giving yourself space matters - along with awareness, support, rest, proper nervous system regulation and real conversations.

And sometimes, time on the treatment bed.

When the body is given space to settle and calm, the mind often follows. In that quiet space, you can notice the thought… and choose not to run with it.

You need room to breathe - and a reminder that your brain, clever as it is, isn’t always right.

Save, tag a friend who needs to hear this - or send it to them.

Skin Soul Sanity

11/02/2026

HRT is a prescribed hormone therapy. It’s measured, adjusted, monitored. There’s science behind the dose and how it’s delivered to best suit you.

So when we start adding things on top because they’re labelled “natural” or “hormone balancing,” it’s worth stopping for a second. A lot of these supplements aren’t passive. They can influence how your body processes oestrogen, nudge progesterone pathways, or interfere with liver enzymes that are already working hard. That doesn’t mean they’re dangerous or you shouldn’t take them. It just means they’re active - and active things interact with what’s already in your system.

The tricky part? If you change five variables (adding HRT and multiple supplements) at once and then start feeling weird; bloated, anxious, headachy, or notice spotting, you’ve no idea what’s caused it. Was it the HRT dose? The supplement? The combination? It becomes guesswork, and hormones don’t respond well to guesswork.

And while I fully appreciate that it worked wonders for your sister’s boyfriend’s aunt’s dog walker… that still isn’t clinical guidance.

Keep it simple. Add one thing at a time and run it past your GP or menopause specialist first. Your hormones are complex enough without turning your body into an experiment.

Skin•Soul•Sanity

Address

Wotton-under-Edge

Telephone

+447902799570

Website

http://www.thepauseroom.co.uk/

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