November Newsletter: Seasonal Sadness: A Guide to Staying Steady in Winter

Winter often brings a natural shift in mood. As the light decreases and days shorten, the body and nervous system adjust. Many people notice lower energy, heavier emotions, and a slower pace during this time. These can be very natural nervous system responses to the season. This time of year can also bring social pressure to feel joyful, motivated, and reflective. If life feels uncertain or tender, that contrast can feel uncomfortable. Feeling sad or flat in winter is not necessarily a sign that something is wrong, it can be a natural human response to less light, more stillness, and the internal changes that come with colder months.

Why winter can feel heavier

There are real biological and psychological shifts that occur, including:

• Changes in serotonin and melatonin

• Altered sleep patterns

• Fluctuations in motivation and energy

• A natural pull toward lower activity levels

Winter naturally invites more introspection. Slower pace and quiet can bring emotions forward that were easier to manage or ignore during brighter, busier months. This is not always comfortable, yet it is a normal seasonal rhythm for many people.

Seasonal sadness vs depression

Seasonal sadness may look like:

• Moving or thinking more slowly

• Mild irritability or emotional sensitivity

• Wanting more rest and comfort

• Reduced motivation or enthusiasm

Depression looks and feels different. If you notice persistent hopelessness, losing interest in activities you normally care about, significant changes in appetite or sleep, or thoughts of harming yourself, it is important to reach out for support. Therapy and medical care are there for a reason, and seeking help is an act of care, not failure.

For most people experiencing winter sadness, what is happening is a seasonal adjustment of mood and energy.

What can help

There are practical, supportive steps that can help regulate mood and maintain steadiness:

• Gentle daily movement or walking

• Keeping regular mealtimes and balanced nutrition

• Maintaining consistent but manageable social connection

• A simple daily rhythm or structure

• Talking about how you feel rather than carrying it alone

• Rest that is intentional and restorative

The goal is not high productivity or forced positivity but rather to aim for stable routine, steady energy, and self-support.

Staying steady as the season changes

Winter does not always feel bright or inspired, and that is okay. Seasonal mood shifts are a common response to environmental change. You can support yourself by creating a rhythm that accommodates what your body needs rather than fighting it.

This can look like:

• Building in pockets of rest across the week

• Incorporating gentle sensory comfort such as warmth, soft textures, calming sounds, or grounding scents

• Keeping warm and dressing in a way that feels supportive

• Choosing nourishing meals that feel soothing and stabilising

• Allowing comfort while still engaging in daily tasks

• Giving yourself permission to slow down without disconnecting from life completely

The focus is steadiness, not perfection. Respond to your needs with intention. Hold yourself with care while still moving through the essentials of your day. Winter is a season that invites softer pacing, and honouring that can help you stay grounded and supported.

With care

Preeti

The Healing Practice

October Newsletter: The Body Remembers: Emotions, Energy & the Healing Within

There’s a quiet intelligence in the body, one that doesn’t speak in words but in sensations, symptoms, and stillness.

Many of us have been taught to understand emotions as thoughts or moods but in truth, our emotions live deeper than that, they live in the body. We store what we don’t express. We carry what we weren’t allowed to release and over time, our bodies become archives of unspoken stories; ones we may not even realise we’re still holding.

✧ The Emotional Body: A Felt Sense of Self

The emotional body isn’t a separate part of us it’s the felt experience of being alive. It’s how we know we’re hurt before we have the words. It’s the tight chest before a panic attack, the shaky hands when we’re afraid, the heaviness in our belly when something doesn’t feel right. These aren’t random symptoms, they are messages as our bodies remember what the mind tries to forget. Deep healing begins when we learn to listen to both the mind and the body.

✧ Where Do Emotions Live?

The body often speaks in patterns. You might notice:

• A lump in your throat when you want to cry or speak your truth but feel like you can’t

• Tension in your shoulders from years of carrying responsibility or trying to hold it all together

• Tightness in your chest when you’re anxious or heartbroken

• Belly bloating or pain during periods of stress, fear, or shame

• Heavy hips when grief or trauma hasn’t been processed — especially ancestral or emotional weight

These areas don’t hold emotion as punishment, they hold it as protection, doing best to keep you safe. Over time, if we hold these emotions without processing and releasing them, they become stuck. That’s where awareness, breath, movement, and rest can help restore flow.

✧ Emotions are Energy in Motion

One of the simplest truths I’ve come to trust in my own healing journey is this:

Emotions are energy and energy needs to move.

When we suppress how we feel, either because it wasn’t safe to feel, or because we didn’t have the tools the energy doesn’t disappear. It simply burrows in deeper.

But when we allow ourselves to gently feel…

To breathe into a space.

To stretch, to cry, to journal, to dance, to rest —

We’re letting that energy move again and in that movement, everything begins to soften. Suddenly the things that once felt so heavy, simply don’t over time.

You don’t have to fix everything overnight, but simply recognising that your symptoms may be your body’s way of asking for presence can be the first step to deep healing.

✧ The Nervous System and Gentle Release

In the work of therapy, feeling your emotions is one of the bravest things you can do. Giving your body the time and space especially in a world that often prioritises performance over presence is an act of quiet rebellion.

Sometimes, it’s as simple and as sacred as sitting still.

Letting your body know:

You’re allowed to feel. You’re safe now. You don’t have to hold it all.

When we create a safe space to just sit, accept, and listen, the body begins to communicate naturally. It softens. It starts to share what it’s been holding and with time, your nervous system learns that it is safe to feel and process what is naturally coming up for it.

This is why breathwork, body-based healing, and trauma-informed care matter so deeply. They don’t just support your mind. They create a bridge back to the wisdom of your body, where healing truly begins.

✧ A Loving Invitation

Just take a moment to sit in a position that feels comfortable for you.

Breathe.

And gently ask your body:

“What do you need right now?”

You don’t need to force an answer.

Just notice.

Perhaps a stretch.

A yawn.

A soft sigh.

A shift in posture.

A tear.

Or stillness.

Whatever comes let that be enough.

Your body is wise. It remembers. And when you listen, it heals.

With care

Preeti

The Healing Practice

September Newsletter: Practicing who you are becoming

“The good life is a process, not a state of being. It is a direction, not a destination.” — Carl Rogers

How often do you practice being a version of yourself that brings you peace?

In a world that constantly conditions us to chase outcomes, achievements, and appearances, it’s easy to forget that who we are is not something we arrive at it’s something we practice.

Carl Rogers called this the authentic self, the version of us that feels aligned, congruent, real. Yet many of us spend our days performing a version of ourselves that we believe will be approved of, accepted, or loved.

Transformation can feel confusing, because we often attach our identity to our behaviours. If we are used to people-pleasing, hustling, or performing, it feels strange to lay those patterns down. But here’s the truth: much of what we call “self” is simply programming, old conditioning, stories we’ve inherited, or masks we’ve worn to feel safe.

The gift is this: every single day, from the moment we wake to the moment we fall asleep, we have the choice to practice who we want to become.

This isn’t about intellectualising or endlessly analysing “why.” It’s about practice.

• If you want to embody kindness; practice one small act of kindness today.

• If you want to embody health; practice one nourishing choice today.

• If you want to embody spirituality; practice one moment of connection today.

• If you want to embody joy; practice one thing that makes you smile today.

These are not grand gestures. They are quiet repetitions and just like muscles, who you are becoming grows stronger each time you practice. As they say small progress is better than no progress, one act, even for 5 minutes a day is still movement in the right direction.

This month, you are invited to focus on intention rather than outcome.

Instead of asking: “Have I become the person I want to be yet?”

Try asking: “Am I practicing the qualities that align with the version of me that’s at peace?”

You may be surprised at how quickly the outer world begins to shift when the inner practice becomes consistent.

📖 Book Recommendation

Understanding the concept of self through a different lens:

‘The Untethered Soul’ by Michael A Singer

With Care

Preeti

The Healing Practice

August Newsletter: Pockets of Play: Why Hobbies Matter

“The opposite of play is not work. It’s depression.”

— Dr. Stuart Brown

When was the last time you did something just because it brought you joy?

Not to be productive.

Not to perform.

Not to “heal.”

Just for fun.

In a world that constantly encourages us to optimise, upgrade, and improve hobbies can feel… frivolous. When in reality, they’re essential. Engaging in activities that bring genuine enjoyment — no matter how small — is one of the simplest ways to connect to your authentic self and restore your nervous system.

Every time you enter a state of calm presence, your parasympathetic nervous system switches on, this is the part of your autonomic nervous system responsible for rest, digestion, and repair. It counterbalances the “fight-or-flight” state by helping your body soften, regulate, and return to safety.

The benefits of this system include:

• Improved sleep

• Better digestion

• Lower blood pressure

• Enhanced immune function

• Clearer thinking and emotional balance

You can support this system in small, gentle ways:

• Breathing deeply

• Laughing

• Creating something with your hands

• Moving slowly

• Spending time in nature

• Engaging in hobbies you love

Whether it’s painting, gardening, baking, journaling, building LEGO, reading fan fiction, or walking without your phone, the act of doing something just because can rewire the brain for calm, contentment, and connection.

This month, you’re invited to prioritise your joy.

⸻

✍️ August Commitment Note to Self

There are so many “challenges” out there and while they can be inspiring, this isn’t about proving anything.

Instead, here’s a gentle note you can write to yourself and stick somewhere visible:

“This August, I commit to making time for what brings me joy.

I give myself permission to rest, create, and play.

My hobbies are not a luxury — they are a part of my wellbeing.”

You can write your own version. You can make it messy. You can change your mind. But most importantly you get to have fun again. Even in small pockets.

⸻

Wishing you a playful August. 🎨✨

May Newsletter: Glimmers and Gentle Growth

May Newsletter – Gentle Growth & Glimmers

Welcome to May; a month where tiny glimmers, small shifts, and soft growth are enough.

There is no rush here, only a space to remember your own rhythm.

Glimmers: A New Lens of Healing

This month, we’re focusing on glimmers. Those quiet, restorative moments that gently return us to a sense of safety and presence.

Where triggers activate our nervous system into defence, glimmers remind us that the world can be soft. They are the opposite of danger; cues of goodness, beauty, and calm.

A glimmer can be:

• sunlight warming your skin,

• the smell of your favourite meal,

• a kind word or smile,

• finishing work early,

• or simply a moment where your breath deepens and the world softens.

The more we notice glimmers, the more our mind and body learn to trust again.

This month, may you seek glimmers not as a task, but as a quiet remembering: life is still full of light.

What’s Resonating with me: This months choice is ‘And How Does That Make You Feel?’ by Joshua Fletcher.

This month I’ve been reading ‘And How Does That Make You Feel?’ a raw, warm exploration of therapy, growth, and the quiet power of being witnessed.

One reflection that’s stayed with me:

Healing is not a destination — it’s a conversation. A conversation you keep coming back to.

I invite you to see your healing not as a project to fix or perform, but as a gentle conversation with yourself — one you return to with curiosity and care.

Featured Blog Post: What Makes Good Therapy

If you’re wondering what makes a therapeutic space feel safe, real, and empowering, I’ve written a full post exploring exactly that.

Read the blog post here →

Gentle Practice for May: A Glimmer Log

This month’s practice is soft and simple:

A printable “Glimmer Log” to help you gently track moments that bring you warmth, ease, or safety.

There are no goals here, only space to notice what nourishes you.

The Glimmer Log is available exclusively to newsletter subscribers.

If you’ve already subscribed, you’ll receive your download link in your inbox.

Your Reflection Resource:

May you move gently,

notice what’s soft and true,

follow the glimmers,

and trust that you are exactly where you’re meant to be.

With care,

Preeti

The Healing Practice

June Newsletter: The quiet strength of healing.

As i reflect on my practice over the last few weeks, I have realised that there’s a kind of strength that rarely gets acknowledged; the strength it takes to keep healing even when it feels messy, slow, or invisible.

Naturally, we all have expectations when it comes to doing ‘healing work’, often this is portrayed as lots of light bulb moments, manageable crying, and everything is done on a relatively quick timeline. Anyone that has been to therapy will tell you, it often looks very different. Healing, which can be described as the process of learning and unlearning, is never a linear process, its cyclical, which means it can be exhausting at times by nature. You return to points that the logical mind responds to by saying ‘i’ve done this already’, ‘i’ve been here before?", ‘when will this stop?’. Sometimes healing isn’t peaceful, it’s actually a combination of very heavy and messy emotions, that can look like some of the following:

Grieving a timeline that never happened.

Waking up anxious and still showing up to work.

Having very little hope that things will change for the better, but still showing up and doing things you know are good for you.

It’s having the courage to say: “I’m angry today” and staying with your body when everything in you wants to leave it.

We often assume healing means being soft, calm, and graceful but real healing often looks like feeling stuck and still choosing not to give up.

If you’re doing this work, the real, raw, tender work of feeling, releasing, and trying again, you’re doing something extraordinary. Even if no one sees it. Even if it doesn’t feel like progress.

🌿 Reminder:

If you are feeling it, you are healing it.

You don’t need to subscribe to an aesthetic of what healed looks like to be healing.

Your healing doesn’t need to look like anyone else’s, it only needs to be yours.

🌬️ A Gentle Breath to Support You

To support your nervous system as you move through the deeper layers of healing, I’ve created a free breath work guide for you; a soft, accessible practice based on coherent breathing.

🌀 [Click here to download the guide]

This breath helps calm your body, regulate your emotions, and return you to a place of quiet inner safety. No timers. No pressure. Just soft presence.

If you are interested in breath work, please do reach out for more information on in person and online classes.

As always take what you need from this and leave the rest.

You’re already healing, even on the days that feel heavy.

And you’re already enough, even in the in-between.

With care,

Preeti

The Healing Practice

July Newsletter: Balancing Focus & Flow

Mid-Year Reset:

As we arrive at the midpoint of the year, there’s a quiet but powerful opportunity emerging, not to push forward with urgency, but to gently pause, reflect, and reconnect.

Often, we imagine growth as dramatic or fast-moving. But real, embodied change often feels like subtle shifts beneath the surface like rest, stillness, or even moments of boredom. On the days where it feels like nothing is happening, I invite you to reflect on how accurate that is, just because nothing ‘big’ is happening, it doesn’t mean new patterns aren’t settling in, and new habits aren’t becoming more familiar.

 This month is not about reinvention, it’s about remembrance.

• Remembering the work you’ve already done.

• The ways you’ve already changed.

• The direction your inner compass is already pointing toward.

✍🏽 A Few Mid-Year Reflection Prompts:

• What’s quietly working in my life right now, even if I haven’t celebrated it yet?

• Where have I been over-efforting when I could allow more ease?

• What would it feel like to trust that progress can be gentle?

🌬️ A Simple Grounding Breath for July

 When you feel unmotivated, uncertain, or tempted to rush:

1. Inhale slowly through your nose (4 seconds)
   “I trust where I am.”

2. Hold the breath lightly (2 seconds)
   “I let myself land.”

3. Exhale gently through your mouth (6 seconds)
   “I allow it to unfold.”

Repeat 3–4 rounds to return to clarity and calm.

💬 Final Words

This season is a reminder that alignment doesn’t always come with noise or fireworks.

Sometimes, it feels like deep calm.

If you’re feeling flat, uncertain, or in transition, you are not off path. You may simply be integrating the deep work you’ve already done. You’re further along than you think.

With care,

Preeti

The Healing Practice