Summer is often painted as a time of joy, rest, and freedom — but for many, it quietly brings comparison, disconnection, and emotional overwhelm. In this blog, I share the side of summer we don’t often talk about: the weight of lost routines, the pressure to feel good, and the loneliness of being the one who didn’t go away. If you’re feeling out of step with the season, this is for you. Therapy can offer a soft landing — a space where you don’t have to pretend it’s all sunshine.

Last night, as photos of smiling teens in prom dresses and suits filled my feed, my heart ached—for the ones who weren’t in any of them. As a mum, I know what it’s like to watch your child feel different. As a counsellor, I’ve sat with the quiet ones—the ones who stayed home, who felt invisible, who didn’t quite fit the prom fairytale. This post is for them. For you. A love letter to the ones who didn’t go, who didn’t feel seen, and who are still so deeply worthy of celebration.

When therapy ends without acknowledgment, it can feel like emotional whiplash. For the client, it might reinforce painful core beliefs: I’m too much. I’m not worth the time. People always leave. For the therapist, it can evoke worry, sadness, or a sense of unfinished care. It breaks something that was carefully and compassionately built—and we both feel it.

Today, I want to invite you to join me in reflecting on something deeply personal and often overlooked: our boundaries. So, pour yourself a warm cup of tea, get comfortable, and let’s have an honest chat.

For too long, being too nice has been mistaken for being good. But the truth is, niceness often comes at a cost. It can slowly erode your sense of self, pushing your dreams, voice, and energy into the background—all for the sake of keeping the peace or making others happy.

If you’re someone who always puts others first, it may stem from past experiences, trauma, or just long-standing habits. I get it—I’m a recovering people-pleaser myself. And I want you to know: there’s another way. A kinder way—one that includes you.

I know how hard it can be. We’re often raised to “be strong” or “be brave,” but rarely are we shown how to do that in real life—when our hearts ache, when our confidence is low, when shame whispers that we’re not good enough. And how can we step outside our comfort zone if we don’t even feel safe inside of it?

Many of us are walking through the world carrying an invisible weight—of fear, of rejection, of failure, of not being enough. And sometimes, that fear gets so loud that it stops us before we even begin.

But I want to tell you something I’ve learned—not just as a therapist, but as a human being who’s been through a lot:

Courage is not the absence of fear. It’s the decision to go on, anyway.

As a counsellor, I often sit with people who are carrying things they’ve never spoken out loud. Words can be hard to find—especially when you’ve been silenced, hurt, or stuck in survival mode for so long. That’s why I use creative tools in my practice, not to fix anything, but to help clients express what their body, soul, or inner child already knows.

You don’t need to be an artist. In fact, the less you try to “make it pretty,” the more powerful the process becomes.

Whether it’s through drawing, movement, meditation, or poetry, creative counselling helps you connect with yourself in ways that feel gentle, natural, and deeply human.