Blog

Yesterday, feeling tired, tense and distracted, I decided I needed time to “switch off”. I found my headphones, randomly picked a piece of music that I hadn’t listened to for a while, pressed play and closed my eyes. I was immediately transported to a time when I had been singing in a choir to this very piece of music a few years ago. I lost myself in the pleasure of being back in that moment, and found a smile forming as I remembered more details about the specific day and who I was with. Then something else happened. Alongside the joy, I simultaneously felt sadness for how far away and alien that time was compared to life now – a different world, out of reach and, like all past experiences, gone forever. But it didn’t stop there. As rapidly as the joy and the sadness had come, I had an overwhelming realisation that soon I will once again be able to experience the joy of singing...

I want to talk a little bit about putting on a mask. But not the type of mask we’ve been used to discussing recently. I’m talking about the “brave face” mask. I know that many of you have sometimes felt the need to “put on a brave face” in order to convince other people that everything’s fine, or to reassure or protect yourself in some way. In some ways, it can feel easier to do this rather than consider an alternative. Sound familiar? You’re not alone – I’ve done the same thing too. We can feel that we don’t want to bother other people with our stuff… even if it’s really bothering us. Which is understandable, and of course there’s a good reason that we don’t necessarily want to share everything with everyone! However, it’s also good to recognise when it’s time to let go of the mask and talk about what’s really going on. When people come to me for counselling, I offer a confidential space to...