Home-Start Offers SupporHome-Start Offers Support to Struggling Young Families.t to Struggling Young Families.

If you are a busy person, with others to care for, you probably feel you don’t have the time to look after yourself and do the things you enjoy. But introducing a self-care routine can have unexpected benefits, as counsellor Laura Sollis explains. 

These are strange times; we are living with confusion, a lack of clarity and a barrage of information and mis-information. But could the uncertainty created by Covid actually provide an opportunity for us to reconsider what is really important to us? Could we use this time to make positive changes in our lives? Facilitator and story artist Fiona MacBeth thinks we can and she is using storytelling and writing workshops to help people to do this. 

Since the start of Covid 19, many counsellors have transferred to online or telephone consultations. Whilst some are slowly going back to seeing clients face to face, it would certainly seem that remote therapy is here to stay and might well play a bigger role in the future. Local counsellor Laura Sollis suggests some questions to ask when considering remote counselling.

Our relationships with others can be supportive and rewarding. But some can be the opposite. Counsellor Laura Sollis explains how to recognise passive aggressive behaviour and how we should deal with it.

Throughout the lockdown counsellor Laura Sollis has been reflecting on the effects on people's mental wellbeing, especially those with social anxiety. Here she explains the flight or fight response that can help us deal with threatening situations, but can also become a curse.

If you are young, stuck at home with an uncertain future, it’s quite likely your mental health is suffering. Jake Cole is a wellbeing advisor at Exeter College and is well aware of the challenges facing young people. He advises students to research and reach out. 

Running has become popular during this time for all the obvious reasons: it is free, you can do it nearly anywhere, the kit is minimal and the government even sanctioned it as a suitable form of outdoor exercise during lockdown. Nancy Dowling of the Crediton Running Network explains why she loves running and shares her tips for those new to the sport.