Natalie Rogers, Carl Rogers' daughter, took his person-centred ideas about creativity and developed them further. Being creative is an ideal way of exploring feelings - our emotions can be an excellent source of creative expression. We create to discover our inner essence. Expressing strong feelings can be part of the process so we give ourselves permission to look after ourselves.

There have been a number of studies now in how writing affects the mind and mood – in all sorts of settings and genres. Poetry classes, writing in prisons, in hospitals and hospices, writing in rehab, bibliotherapy sessions – writing is finally being recognised as a creative therapy, alongside dance, drama, crafts and music. One significant piece of research in this field was undertaken by psychologist James Pennebaker. He asked a group of people to spend 20 minutes a day writing expressively. By expressive, he meant they had to write about something that evoked an emotional response, usually something traumatic or upsetting. He also had a control group who wrote about things they had no connection to. The result? Those writing about non-emotional subjects experienced no difference, but those who wrote expressively visited the doctors less – they literally felt better. I’m sure many of us have had the experience of release when we finally express something we’ve been holding on to whether in a screaming match, therapy session or on the page. When we let go of the things that are holding us back, when we are free to express how we feel, we feel better.

When someone asks you where you're from … do you sometimes not know how to answer? This marvellous, thought provoking TED talk was introduced to me as part of my work on my MSc Creative Writing for Therapeutic Purposes. Writer Taiye Selasi speaks on behalf of "multi-local" people, who feel at home in the town where they grew up, the city they live now and maybe another place or two. "How can I come from a country?" she asks. "How can a human being come from a concept?" What are your thoughts? Where do you feel local?

Since commencing the MSc in Creative Writing for Therapeutic Purposes course at the Metanoia Institute, I have acquired a number of Gillie Bolton's books and have become familiar with her excellent, ground breaking work. Dr Gillie Bolton is a renowned therapeutic writing practitioner and author of many Jessica Kingsley Publishing books, including 'Write Yourself: Creative Writing and Personal Development'. In this interview, Dr Bolton discusses her book - in the Writing for Therapy or Personal Development series, of which she is also the series Editor - and shares some of the experiences that brought her to the growing field of therapeutic writing. She also shares some of the writing exercises that she returns to again and again for her own personal development and talks about the importance of hearing your own internal mentor. If you would like to have a go, try starting with a sentence stem. A simple one might be 'Today.' Begin every line with Today and just see where it take you. My offering is: Today is bright with light and energy. Today offers opportunity. Today is a cake making day. Today started slowly. Today my eyes are tired. Today I need kindness. Today is a bread, butter and jam day. Don't forget afterwards to read through your writing asking yourself 'what do I notice?' and 'when I read this how do I feel?' Give it a go!

I had the pleasure of chatting to Dr Leonhardt recently. In this video Diane Danzebrink talks with GP and Menopause Specialist Dr Mandy Leonhardt about hormones, lifestyle, stress and the part they can all play during peri menopause and menopause. They also discuss some of the things that we can do to help ourselves. Even the word 'menopause' often causes confusion so watch, learn and get the support you need. Changes to women’s moods and emotions during the perimenopause and menopause are extremely common; it is often the main reason menopausal women first go to see their GP. Is low mood during the perimenopause and menopause the same as depression? Can taking antidepressants help this type of low mood and/or treat other menopausal symptoms as well? Feeling down, sad, and upset can be very common symptoms of the menopause and perimenopause. Other psychological symptoms include a drop in self­-esteem, less motivation or interest in things, anxiety and panic attacks, irritability and mood swings. It is easy to see why these feelings could be mistaken for depression, therefore, understandable why a doctor might prescribe antidepressants. In the same way that women experience premenstrual syndrome or postnatal depression, significant shifts in your hormone levels, particularly estrogen, can cause marked changes to how you feel. Some studies have shown it is the reduction in estrogen that leads to a lowering of mood, other studies have shown it is the fluctuations in hormone levels that cause the problem. Estrogen helps regulate several hormones, which may have mood­ boosting properties e.g. serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine. Estrogen also helps to support the sharpness of your thinking skills and when levels reduce, it can lead to forgetfulness or brain fog – which can in turn lower your mood. Testosterone is another important hormone produced by the ovaries and it can also have important effects on the brain. Some pre-­existing conditions may put women at greater risk of developing mood changes during the menopause, these include a history of premenstrual syndrome or postnatal depression, high levels of stress, and poor physical health. Research suggests that more than half of all perimenopausal women report an increase in depressive symptoms. It is therefore important that GPs have an awareness of these symptoms in women from this age group and the possible underlying causes, in particular, hormonal causes. Healthcare professionals may not think of hormones as the primary cause of symptoms for women in their late 30’s or early 40’s for example, but it is not unusual for menopausal symptoms to start as early as this, for some women. Menopause guidelines are clear that antidepressants should not be used as first ­line treatment for the low mood associated with the perimenopause and menopause. This is because there is no evidence that they actually help psychological symptoms of the menopause. References: https://hormoneequilibrium.co.uk/what-i-treat/ https://www.menopausedoctor.co.uk/menopause/topics/symptoms SHOW LESS

While menopause is a normal, natural event for all women who live long enough, there is no universal menopause experience. However, for all women, menopause can mark the start of an exciting and liberated new time of life. There is more reason than ever to abandon old notions about menopause as the end of life as you knew it. As our society’s views of aging change—did someone say 50 is the new 30?—and as our understanding of sexuality and aging expands, there is more reason than ever before to abandon old ideas about the menopause as the end of life as you knew it. If you keep your body as active and healthy as you can, there’s no reason why you can’t enjoy satisfying sex and a good relationship well into old age. If bumps in the road come along—like vaginal atrophy or dwindling desire—remember that many treatments are out there if you ask. If you’re not yet as healthy and active as you could be, look at this time as the beginning of a programme of healthier eating, more exercise or better sleep habits. The benefits will pay off over the rest of your life and can extend beyond the bedroom. If your sex life has suffered some neglect in recent years, what better time to revive it than when you no longer need to worry about birth control or whether your period’s about to start? This time of life might also bring other changes, such as more privacy or a bit more free time, that you might use to devote to (or even redefine) your health, your relationship and your sex life. Menopause can mean new opportunities. What else do you want to do with this new freedom?

This is from April 2015. In the light of the recent shocking kidnap and murder of Sarah Everard, I wanted to revisit this video. I actually wanted to share Chris Hemmings excellent interview on the BBC News Channel but it appears that the BBC did not want him to upload it (why?). Back to this video - When Jackson Katz asks a room full of women what they do to avoid sexual assault, the list of answers he receives is endless. Some women have 911 on speed dial. Others check the backseat of their cars before opening the car door. Some use a male voice on their outgoing voicemail message or have mace attached to their keychains. When Katz poses this same question to men, the room, unsurprisingly, remains silent. Katz sat down with Mike Walters to offer a unique perspective on the fight for women’s rights through a male prism. It appears, as so many of us believe, it is NOT a female problem but a male one...how can men help other men to stop violence against women?

Social media has been full of the appalling case of Sarah Everard. Many of us recognise this violence could have happened to our sister, our daughter, our colleague or our friend. We have spent years being taught what we, as women, should do to keep ourselves safe. As young girls, we were given advice on how to avoid attack. I remember being taught to carry a key poking out of my fist as I walk home, to sit near the bus driver, to choose brightly lit streets, never take a short cut, even cross the road if a 'dodgy' man appeared. I have been given a rape alarm. I've carried mace. Haven't yet heard of any boys receiving all this. These are messages about personal safety that are often passed from woman to woman. They are well-intended and come from a place of care and love, but why is it still so widely accepted that it is a woman’s responsibility to prevent an attack? I never questioned this as I grew up. It's what we girls learnt. Yet I went on to experience groping in nightclubs, a man trying to get into my car then trying to stop my car, frequent sexual comments then verbal agression on nights out, even more recently, a man running at me late at night... In the UK, one in four women will experience domestic abuse and one in five will experience sexual assault during her lifetime. The number of rape prosecutions is falling year-on-year despite a much greater rise in the number of cases being reported, according to the Rape Monitoring Group. While we teach women to adapt their lives to keep safe, there appears to be little work being done to educate men against chauvinistic attitudes or aggressions, such as wolf-whistling, that make so many environments hostile for women. Ask your teenage girl what it is like at school. It begins young! We really do need as a society, rather than teach women to live in fear, address the attitudes, behaviour and violence that lie at the root of it. What happened to Sarah may be a rare event but that is cold comfort. It should not be luck that we make it home from a walk. Thank you to Emma Burke and her heartfelt letter in the Guardian. Friday 12 March 2021

Peter Levine has spent much of his life working with trauma and traumatised people, and has developed an approach called Somatic Experiencing® that focuses on including, and putting emphasis, on the physiological aspects of trauma. He believes that working with the trauma through the body is necessary to any trauma resolution and a required step before addressing emotional and cognitive issues. That is because trauma is experienced in the body - see the video on the limbic system. If we are are still in this hyperarousal mode of being then we cannot access our language or problem solving area of the brain so easily so we have to work through this to be able to access feelings and the words to describe them. What is good today, is we know we can do much more to help ourselves if and when we experience trauma. More about this later when I look at Stephen Porges' polyvagal theory in more detail.

Oh, John Steinbeck, I do agree with you. When I am stomping my way round the village clapping my hands together to keep warm, I just keep reminding myself that spring is right around the corner. Although I do my best to be in the present, noticing the frost on the trees and the icy patches on the pavements, I cannot help but let my mind wander to all of the outdoor adventures I have planned when the weather is warm again! This is what I am looking forward to: walking miles, picnics, parks, hot summer nights, the seaside, sandals, a cool beer, getting a tan, beaches, flowers, reading in the sunshine, festivals, ice-cream, al fresco eating, the countryside, camping, laying in the grass, t-shirts and shorts, maxi skirts …….

Why do you want to live a quiet life? Try making a list of reasons why a quieter life is appealing to you. Maybe you live in a noisy town or city and want to experience a calmer lifestyle or it could be that you find yourself spending too much time on social media and want to be more focused on in the present moment. Try creating a quiet room - no phones, no television, no laptops. Use it to meditate - just sit quietly, focussing on your breath or your body sensations. Or maybe connect with the present by noticing what sounds can be heard.

Here the fabulous School of Life introduce us to the joy of a quiet life. Quiet lives feel nowadays like lives of failure and resignation, but they may be no such thing: true ambition can lie in learning how to minimise stress and divert energy to properly important projects. 3 possible ways to consider: 1. Adjust your lifestyle - slow down, reduce your commitments, eliminate unnecessary extras and declutter. 2. Reprioritise your life - live according to your values, make realistic plans, live in the present, keep a gratitude diary, practice self-compassion and empathy, and challenge resentment with gratitude. 3. Change your world - move house, change transportation, change careers, practice well-being and take responsibility for your own happiness. Namaste!