Articles from Susan Leigh | Hypnotherapist, Counsellor, Writer & Media Contributor

26/05/2021: Do You Prefer to Be Alone or With Others?

The last twelve months of being in lockdown has taught us a great deal about ourselves and nudged many of us into reviewing what we value most in life. For many of us our priorities have changed. It's also bee

18/05/2021: When a Good Friend Treats You Badly

There are no guarantees in life that everyone in our inner circle will continue to like us and yet it can be a tough realisation when a good friend, a longstanding relationship, is discovered to be harbouring

17/05/2021: Why Say You're Fine When You're Not!

Many of us enjoy exchanging pleasantries as we pass each other whilst taking our walk in the countryside, or nod and share a few friendly words in a familiar work or social setting. There's often a smile as we

05/05/2021: Let's Not Forget the New Fathers

When a new baby first arrives the focus is on the new mother and child, fussing over them, caring for their needs. And that's understandable. Everyone wants to see and hold a new baby, check in on the new mum

09/04/2021: When It's Time to Return to Work

Many of us have seen first hand how quickly our children have become disenchanted with getting up and dressed for school each day, how demotivated they've become about learning and education. But that los

07/04/2021: How Can I Ever Thank You?

Many of us have found increased reasons to be grateful and appreciative this last twelve months or so, perhaps due to the change of pace. These unprecedented times have led many of us to realise how much our c

02/04/2021: Moving Forward From Redundancy

Some of us may remember the concept of a job for life, where you worked for a large blue-chip company or solid family business and received opportunities for training, promotion, travel and even relocation, le

01/04/2021: Do You Have FOGO, the Fear of Going Out?

Over the past few months we've been besieged with constant news updates, orders, commands and admonishments about the dangers of going out due to the global pandemic. We've seen outrage at pictures of lar

28/03/2021: Who Looks After You?

Are you one of those people who everyone turns to in a crisis? You're calm, confident, together and never seem to flap under pressure. People trust that when they turn to you for answers you'll be there for th

17/03/2021: What Needs to Happen for Women to Feel Safe?

The recent kidnapping and murder of Sarah Everard has again called into question the issue of women and their safety. A young woman walking home at 9pm, after visiting a friend, to then be savagely attacked an

13/03/2021: Do You Think That's Funny?

We all enjoy a good laugh on occasion, and indeed humour can be a very effective way of easing areas of tension or breaking the ice in a new relationship. But one thing to remember when using humour is that we

23/02/2021: What Would They Think?

Have you ever dressed for an evening out, only to then go and change your clothes, suddenly doubting their suitability, concerned at what others might think? Or rejigged the tone of a presentation due to

22/02/2021: It's the Little Things in Life That Count!

In life it's the little things that count and make all the difference. Something big, like a major insult or offence, or, conversely a grand positive gesture, would be acknowledged and dealt with openly and im

13/02/2021: When Will I See You Again?

Many people frequently express their distress at not being able to see their close family and friends during the global pandemic and, indeed, this lack of contact has caused serious emotional and mental hardsh

06/02/2021: Do You Like to Lie In?

Many of us like to lie-in and spend extra time in bed at weekends, enjoying a much-anticipated break. We maybe have breakfast in bed, read the papers, intermittently doze, catch up on our sleep, get cosy with

01/02/2021: Five Top Tips to Help You Deal With Disagreement

We all at times have occasion to disagree with someone. It may be in a personal relationship, in a business situation, with a family member, friend or colleague. How serious that disagreement becomes can be de

01/02/2021: 8 Top Tips for Better Sleep

Sleep and sleep-related habits are frequently scrutinised in the media, with statistics highlighting how important quality sleep is, and how few of us seem to be getting it. 90% adults report not getting enoug

31/01/2021: What Are You Like & Is That Okay!

How often do we see the people who know us well shrugging their shoulders or stifling a shriek at the things we've said or done with a, 'what are you like!' How often do we find ourselves in stressful situatio

30/01/2021: What If They Don't Forgive You?

Throughout our lives we may well have experienced hurt, bullying or bad treatment from some of the people in our sphere. It may have started years ago, with the original negative experiences being reinforced o

27/01/2021: Single & Alone - How's That Working Out for You?

Would you agree that there are few places lonelier than being in a loveless relationship? Spending time with someone who's clearly bored, disinterested, perhaps even angry at your mere presence slowly destroys

25/01/2021: Starting Again, But Where Are My Friends?

Have you ever changed school, moved home, left one job for another and realised that by doing so you're starting again and leaving all your friends behind? Going away to university, getting divorced, moving on

22/01/2021: Start by Prioritising Your Happiness

Some people treat happiness as their main goal. When you ask them what they want in life they say, 'to be happy'. But happiness can be elusive. It creeps up on us when we least expect it, when we find ourselve

22/01/2021: Make Every Day Valentine's Day

Valentine’s Day is treated as the special day for love, where we may look forward to receiving flowers, cards and declarations from our special one. Whilst others are cynical of Valentine’s Day, viewing it as a

20/01/2021: Sometimes You've Just Got to Say 'No'!

Many people find that it’s their automatic default to say ‘yes’ whenever something is asked of them. They may have learned to respond without even thinking about it, maybe regard others’ needs as more imp

16/01/2021: Sex and Your Ex

Most of us will have at least one ex. We may even have to see them from time to time, perhaps because of children, work or a shared social circle. At times it might be painful, awkward or embarrassing, especia

13/01/2021: Planning Your Lockdown Days

Many of us are finding ourselves 'locked down' at home, with no discernible end date in sight. What at first may have been viewed as a short-term opportunity to focus on other areas of our lives has, for many,

01/01/2021: Is It Time to End Our Relationship?

Recognising the time has come to end an important relationship is often especially stressful. We may have shared many good and bad times together, grown up with them, certainly loved them for a time. We m

01/01/2021: How Much Should We Tell Our Ex?

I recently had an interesting conversation with a friend. She'd seen photographs on social media that looked as if her ex had remarried. Whilst they'd not met up for a while she felt disappointed that he'd not

01/01/2021: Are There Good Reasons to Stay Friends With Your Ex?

A breakup is always a challenging time. Often both parties are in very different stages of readiness; one may have been waiting years for the right time to walk away, whilst the other may have felt that things

22/12/2020: Fit, Elderly & Living Alone in a Global Pandemic

Joan was almost 80 when her husband died. They'd been together over 50 years, spending their adult lives doing everything together. They raised a family, pulled through times of financial hardship, dealt with

20/12/2020: Are You Too Keen to Fall in Love?

I suspect we all know people who simply have to be in a relationship. If one relationship ends they're immediately on the alert, desperately on the look out for the next person to fill the vacancy in their lif

06/12/2020: Bring on a Positive 2021!

If 2020 has taught us anything it's that life can be unpredictable and we can't take anything for granted. Of course, the high street and many businesses were already facing some tough struggles before coronav

05/12/2020: 10 Ways to Be the Best Version of Yourself

How important are you? Do you feature on your own list of priorities? If you're a mum you no doubt regard your children as your number one priority. If you work as a manager or business owner with staff

04/12/2020: What Does Resilience Mean to You?

Certain words seem to be popular at different times. They're used as buzz words, meant to encourage us to focus on specific aspects of our health, wellbeing and performance. Resilience is the latest of these w

04/12/2020: How Does Your Past Affect You?

Keep on doing what you're doing and you'll keep on getting what you're getting! Yet how often does that realisation surprise us! Granted, there are certain things we cannot change. How many of us fully appreci

03/12/2020: When You Need a Good Night's Sleep

Sleep-related issues impact on every area of our lives. A poor night's sleep can cause cracks to appear in our relationships; we become irritable, less calm, more prone to feeling vulnerable and can take thing

02/12/2020: Deal With Your Anger Issues

Have you ever seen a child eagerly awaiting their absentee parent who's coming to take them for a play date? When faced with the dawning realisation that the parent is not coming the child may become defensive

01/12/2020: What's Happened to This Year's Resolutions?

How are you getting on with your New Year's resolutions? If you decided to make some this year chances are they're a long distant memory by now. Why do you think that is, why do so many fail within the first m

29/11/2020: Do You Walk the Walk or Just Talk the Talk?

We've all no doubt had experience of people who 'know it all', who claim to be skilled and proficient in many areas, who are full-on, keen to be involved and who make very impressive statements about their exp

22/11/2020: Ways to Support Your Mental Health After Your Divorce

Divorce is an all too familiar part of modern-day life, but that unfortunate reality doesn't make it any less distressing when it happens to you. No one gets married anticipating their relationship will end in

21/11/2020: Let's Give Thanks for the Rebels!

Do you ever find yourself tutting in annoyance at protestors, irritated by the conspiracy theorists, wishing that they'd obey the rules, stop diverting attention away from the main issues and be less unru

20/11/2020: The Joy of Spending Time in Nature

These past few weeks and months have provided many of us with the unexpected opportunity to spend more time in the great outdoors. Unable to work or go outside unless for essential reasons, like shopping or ex

19/11/2020: How Do You Do So Much?

I'm sure we've all had occasions when we've looked on in awe and wondered, perhaps out loud, how someone's able to fit in as much as they do. While we're still pondering tonight's dinner menu they may well hav

30/10/2020: Why Would You Choose to Say 'No'?

We can all choose to say 'no', to things; a slice of cake, cup of tea, a date or job offer. We have the option to go or not go, accept or not accept. On the face of it anyway. For some saying 'no', is their au

29/10/2020: Happy Lockdown Birthday!

I'm guessing that by now many of us will have had some experience of a lockdown birthday due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Whilst it may not have been a special decade birthday or one which warranted especial

11/10/2020: Reflections on 2020

I'm sure that many of us started this year toasting the new decade, excited and full of enthusiasm. This was going to be 'our time', full of promise and potential. Well, that certainly didn't work out as antic

05/10/2020: Would You Rather Be With Your Friends or Family?

The saying, we choose our friends but not our family, often causes a wry laugh. But, on reflection, those relationships are rather different. Do our friends typically see us having a 'bad hair day' or have to

05/10/2020: Ever Ask Yourself If You're Good Enough?

How often do you berate yourself, feel that you've fallen short, not achieved what you set out to do or done as much as others in your orbit? A 2020 survey of 2000 adults by a weight loss company has found tha

01/10/2020: Are You Managing Well on Less?

During these past few months many of us have had to manage on less income, some on substantially less. Yet whilst we may have been earning less we may have also found that we're spending less due to reduced op

16/09/2020: Finish Your Sentences in a Positive Way

I've been reflecting on how we process our thoughts and feelings, the way we ultimately allow our sentences to finish. How often do we close with, 'it's not fair', 'I'm fed up', 'why does it keep happening to

06/09/2020: Have You Ever Felt Judged?

I'm sure there have been times when you've been walking towards someone and you've felt their eyes quickly scanning you up and down. It's disconcerting, isn't it! Are they checking out your clothes, your dress

05/09/2020: How Are the Men in Your Life?

'It's not the men in your life that counts. It's the life in your men." When actress Mae West made that comment it was meant to be a saucy innuendo, designed to raise a laugh. Today I'm turning that somewhat r

10/08/2020: Struggling to Sleep in the Heat?

Almost a third of people (62%) say they struggle to sleep in very hot weather. Even if they use a fan it appears to make very little difference, simply circulating the warm air around. Here are some tips to hel

09/08/2020: Do Your Friends Know What's Best for Your Divorce?

Divorce is so commonplace that many of us will know someone who's been divorced, maybe more than once! And yet, when it happens to us it's devastating. Our plans, dreams and normal routine are smashed to smith

07/08/2020: Tempted to Overshare Your Personal Stuff?

Many of us will have had times when we've overshared too much personal stuff, been over-zealous about expressing our thoughts, feelings and experiences, only to regret it upon reflection later on. At the

04/08/2020: Is It Time to Venture Outdoors?

After several weeks of lockdown and social isolation it's fair to say that there are many diverse reactions to the easing of restrictions. Now that it's coming time to venture more outdoors some people can har

03/08/2020: What's the Best Part of Your Day?

When's your favourite time, the best part of your day? When so many of us live full-on, busy lives, reaching our favourite, best part of the day can be akin to arriving at an oasis in the middle of the desert.

28/07/2020: Tell Me, What Do You Do?

'What do you do' is often an opening gambit when meeting a stranger. It's deemed to be a safe, fairly neutral way of starting a conversation and getting to know someone. But how influenced are we by someone's

23/07/2020: Do You Wind Down Before Bed?

Sleep has long been an issue. Even before coronavirus 90% of adults said they didn't get enough sleep and in 2018 a survey found that stress and sleep-related issues cost UK businesses £40 billion. 25% ad

11/07/2020: Does Someone Always Have to Win?

The words sound inviting enough. 'Darling, it's a lovely day, let's go for a bike ride in the country'. But what starts out as a pleasant few hours together may all too quickly turn sour if one person can't be

15/06/2020: Should We Make More Effort to Keep the Romance Alive?

A few of us went out for dinner on Valentine's Day, instigated by a friend who's in a long-distance relationship. They've been together for several years but at the moment, due to work commitments, are only ab

07/06/2020: When You Need to Take a Break

These past few months have been an exhausting, emotionally draining time for many of us. Whether we’re working longer hours, worried because we’re not working, uncertain about the future, staying indoors with f

03/06/2020: Beware of the Pitfalls of Working From Home

Working from home can seem like a perfect scenario for both employers, employees and sole traders. After all, it minimises overheads, reduces the need for office premises and allows for greater flexibility, wi

01/06/2020: It's Okay Not to Be Liked

We all want to be liked. As children we understand the importance of fitting in and being with the popular kids. On a primitive level we recognise that the animals who are not part of the herd become vulnerabl

01/06/2020: Are Friends Bad for You?

How many of us refer to practically everyone we know as friends? We may thrive on being popular, enthusiastically accumulate lots of introductions, have hundreds of contacts on our phones and network voraciousl

15/05/2020: Starting Again As Lockdown Restrictions Lift

As lockdown restrictions start to lift it's becoming increasingly apparent that there are distinct differences in our attitudes towards moving forward. Some businesses have continued trading throughout and man

11/05/2020: How Are You Coping As Lockdown Restrictions Ease?

How have you found these past few weeks of lockdown? It may be that the weeks have seemed like a lifetime and many of us have been finding the loneliness and isolation a real struggle. Without our normal

27/04/2020: Spending Lockdown With Someone You Want to Divorce

I daresay there are quite a few of us confined to our homes with someone we don't like or have fallen out of love with. This may be because they've had an affair or because something's changed and they're not

19/04/2020: Help Your Relationship Survive COVID-19

Was it really a surprise to learn that over 80 couples filed for divorce immediately upon leaving lockdown in China? Being together 24/7 is something we rarely experience for any significant period of time, pe

12/04/2020: Are You Experiencing Weird Dreams?

Many people have reported disturbed sleeping patterns and weird dreams during the COVID-19 pandemic. It's hardly surprising that during times of disruption, disturbance and crisis people struggle to calm

11/04/2020: Top Tips to Manage Your Time in Isolation

We’re living in unprecedented times. From our health, income, education, ability to travel, no one has been exempt from the impact of this global pandemic. So excuse yourself if you have an occasional melt down

08/04/2020: How Real Are You?

How many of us actually walk the walk? We may talk the talk, and some circumstances do require us to present ourselves in a particular way. In order to feel confident and step effectively into the role of boss

07/04/2020: Is There Life After 50?

Certain birthdays have always held especial significance. When we reach double figures, become a teenager, reach 21, these are all markers of our journey through life, of our progression as we become an adult a

24/03/2020: Where Do You Find Recognition?

Where do you find Recognition? Just a thought on the 'bigger picture', and how much we’ve come to value our NHS & frontline services, especially during these exceptionally testing times. There’s no doubt th

09/03/2020: Grief and the Single Parent

How do you heal and recover from the loss of a much-loved partner, especially if there are young children to consider? Even if someone's been ill for a while and it could be argued that there's been time to pr

Recent News

26/05/2021: Do You Prefer to Be Alone or With Others?

18/05/2021: When a Good Friend Treats You Badly

17/05/2021: Why Say You're Fine When You're Not!