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Welcome in ‘Wintering’.

Popularised by the author Katherine May in her beautiful book of the same name, ‘wintering’ is the art of living in rhythm with the seasons and weather. As the clocks have changed recently, how can we use the idea of wintering to enhance wellbeing when life outside is cold, dark and dreary?

Love it or loathe it, winter is on its way. And with it comes those colder, darker days when it can seem harder to muster up the energy required for everyday life. Let’s face it: traipsing to the shops or walking to work when it’s blowing a gale outside isn’t anyone’s idea of fun. 

However, much as we may want it to, life doesn’t simply pause when the clocks change.  While the trees are shedding their summer leaves and small animals are preparing to hibernate, many of us are gearing up for the busiest couple of months in our calendars (don’t worry, I won’t mention the C word just yet).

But what if I told you that it’s possible to boost your wellbeing by finding a balance between the chaos and the calm, by leaning into the season rather than fighting against it? The concept of wintering promises just this.

What is wintering? 

Popularised in Katherine May’s book of the same name, wintering refers to leaning into the restorative power of nature and the seasons. Rather than attempting to override our instinct to hunker down and rest at this time of year, wintering encourages us to make small lifestyle changes that can help us to thrive in the colder, darker days ahead.

“Wintering is a conscious retreat into a period of rest and introspection, often prompted by hardship, fatigue or the changing seasons,” says psychotherapist Karen Hartley. “It is a time to slow down, tend to one’s core needs and conserve energy – much like how nature lies dormant. This deliberate pause provides the essential quiet needed to heal and gather strength for a renewed beginning.”

Leaning into the idea doesn’t have to mean full-on hibernation. You can adapt the concept to suit you, such as reading a book, making time to do a jigsaw puzzle or simply sitting down with a hot cup of tea.

What are the benefits of wintering? 

We know: life is busy. But stopping for a while each day doesn’t mean you’ll fall behind. In fact, it might even make you more resilient and productive in the time when you are ‘on’.

“For many of us, especially women juggling multiple roles and responsibilities, the idea of slowing down can feel almost laughable,” says coach Becs Winterborn. “We’re in survival mode, operating on adrenaline and duty. But the gentle practice of wintering holds profound medicine for our overwhelmed nervous systems.

“As autumn arrives and the days shorten, we’re being invited to turn inward, to let go, to rest. This isn’t weakness; it’s wisdom. Your body knows this. It’s your conditioning that’s arguing. Wintering can help teach us that rest can be fruitful, and that small moments of beauty matter. Darkness has gifts if we stop fighting it.”

How to winter well 

How you choose to embrace the season is a personal, movable feast, but what works for one person may not work for another. That said, there are some rituals that are universally restorative, so if you’re not sure how to start, why not try these?

1. Consider your social commitments

While social connection is absolutely vital for wellbeing, perhaps three Christmas parties in one week isn’t the best idea.

“I embrace the art of slow living in winter,” says Hartley. “Contrary to popular belief, winter is not the time for packed social calendars or ambitious projects, as our biological capacity for activity is lower. The art of doing nothing isn’t laziness: it’s the conscious, guilt-free act of simply being – staring out the window, sipping tea without my phone or just sitting by the fire.”

Winterborn goes a step further, recommending that we all ring fence one afternoon each weekend for rest. “Protect one afternoon a week for genuine rest,” she tells Stylist. “Not productive rest, not ‘I should’ rest, but true restoration. Your inner people-pleaser will resist this because it feels selfish, but it’s not.”

2. Make time to cook 

While summer is made for whiling away long, lazy evenings picnicking with friends or simple BBQs, winter cries out for slow, nourishing dishes that simmer away on the stove. Is there anything more comforting than the thought of coming home to a warming pot on the slow cooker? We’ll wait.

“I batch cook nourishing foods, such as large pots of soup,” says Hartley. “Not only do I find this process meditative, but the result is physically warming and nutrient-dense, too.”

3. Create a candlelight ritual

There’s no denying that the nights can feel endless at this time of year, especially when the weather is dank and dreary. If keeping the lights on all day is getting you down, why not try creating a cosy candlelight ritual in a (safe) corner of your home?

“Creating soft, warm lighting in your home as the evenings draw in is one of my favourite rituals at this time of year,” says Winterborn. “Denmark uses more candles per capita than any other country, and there’s profound wisdom in this. Candlelight naturally slows us down. It signals to our nervous system that it is time to rest and creates an atmosphere of calm that soothes our often overstimulated minds.

“Why not light a candle when you arrive home as a ritual that marks the transition from work mode to home mode. This simple act tells your body and mind: you’re safe now, you can soften.”

4. Cultivate a calming sleep routine

No, you’re not imagining it: we really do feel a little more tired in the winter.

“As daylight hours shorten, it’s common to feel a little more sluggish or notice your mood dip,” says Emma Morgan, a sleep expert and founder of All About Sleep. “That’s why winter is the perfect time to prioritise a consistent sleep routine and nurture your wellbeing. Start by transforming your bedroom into a calm, clutter-free sanctuary. Invest in cosy bedding and supportive pillows that make your bed a place you truly want to retreat to.

“In the evenings, consider setting a ‘bedtime alarm’ as a gentle reminder to switch off screens and avoid late-night scrolling or binge-watching. Establish soothing nightly rituals to help your body wind down: jotting down thoughts or worries, reading a few pages of a book, putting on a sleep mask, spritzing your pillow with a calming scent or practising deep breathing.”

While these are all habits that will benefit us all year round, when it’s dark and cold outside, we might just have more motivation to stick to them.

5. Accept, don’t resist 

We know that mindset can be a powerful tool, and never more so than in winter. While it’s tempting to complain about the dark/rain/wind, try flipping this on its head.

“Try shifting your mindset from resistance to acceptance,” advises Hartley. “Instead of saying. ‘I hate this weather,” reframe it with a mantra like, ‘This is a season for rest, not for hustle,’ or ‘The dark is my cue to turn inward.’

“Acceptance doesn’t mean I have to like the cold and dark; it just means I stop wasting energy railing against it.”

And who doesn’t want more energy right now?

 

The ritual of Mabon and the Autumn Equinox

As the golden hues of autumn begin to paint the landscape, we find ourselves in the midst of the Autumn Equinox—a sacred pause between the light and dark. This day, also called Mabon, marks a powerful seasonal shift, celebrated in the Celtic tradition as part of the Wheel of the Year. It’s a time of harvest, reflection, balance, and preparing for the quieter months ahead.

The Celtic Wheel of the Year
In ancient Celtic traditions, the Wheel of the Year divides the year into eight festivals, with each celebrating the cycle of life, death, and rebirth. These festivals honor the changing seasons and their connection to nature’s rhythm. Mabon, the Autumn Equinox, is one of these sacred days, falling between Lughnasadh (the first harvest) and Samhain (the start of the darker half of the year and the Celtic New Year).
At the Autumn Equinox, day and night are of equal length, symbolizing balance and harmony. This moment is the second harvest, focusing on fruits, grains, and vegetables, and the act of giving thanks for the abundance nature has provided. Mabon is the counterpart to the Spring Equinox (Ostara), and while Ostara celebrates new beginnings, Mabon invites us to reflect on our growth and achievements, gathering wisdom from what we’ve sown.

The Significance of Mabon
Mabon is named after a Welsh deity, Mabon ap Modron, the son of the Earth Mother goddess Modron, representing youth, renewal, and the cycle of life. In myth, Mabon is stolen from his mother at birth and held captive until he is rescued, symbolizing the loss and eventual return of light. This reflects the transition from the brightness of summer to the deepening shadows of fall and winter.
Mabon encourages us to take stock of our inner harvest—what have we achieved this year, and how can we nourish ourselves as we move into the darker months? It’s a time for gratitude, rest, and rebalancing the energies of work and play, light and dark, and giving and receiving.

I don’t know about you, but I never feel more refreshed, recharged and reset than straight after a holiday. Granted, my holidays don’t involve looking after small children so any break away, be it a mini break with friends or time in our tiny house in France with my husband, usually involves more sleep, more laughter, more new experiences – and a lot less thoughts about work – than regular life.

Psychotherapist Eloise Skinner says that, as well as the extra rest and relaxation, holidays usually allow us to step out of our everyday responsibilities and commitments, which can help us to adopt a different sense of identity. “We might have a sense of time slowing down or a feeling of being more present in our surroundings, especially if we’re exploring new locations, cultures and experiences,” she explains. “We can also gain fresh perspectives from new environments and individuals, helping us feel more creative and inspired.”

It’s no wonder I return home feeling like the best version of myself – with my energy stocks fully replenished, I feel ready to take on the world. But, only a couple of days later and the stresses of everyday life and work have taken their toll on my post-holiday energy high. Before I know it, I feel just as depleted of energy and motivation as I did before my holiday.

So, how can we cling onto that surge of energy for just a little bit longer? Here, Skinner shares five tips to help you prolong that post-holiday high and make the most of it while it lasts.

1. Get excited about your goals and ambitions

“While you’re still riding that post-holiday energy wave, take a few days when you return from your holiday to sit down with a planner or journal, and look at your personal and professional goals and objectives,” recommends Skinner. “The run-up to a holiday period can be a winding-down time, where you anticipate taking a break, but the return from a holiday is a great time to pause, reset and realign your goals with new energy and motivation.”

2. Break up your routine with holiday-inspired habits

“Consider small ways to bring your holiday feeling into everyday life,” Skinner suggests. “For example, structuring your mornings so you can take them at a slightly more leisurely pace, or taking the scenic route home from work. Switching up your routine – and incorporating holiday-inspired elements – can help protect some of your holiday energy.”

3. Capture your holiday inspiration

“Whatever it was you enjoyed about your holiday – the new experiences, the travel, the adventure, the relaxation – try to find a way to capture it in a physical format, so you can draw on that energy as you return to your routine,” she says. “This might be, for example, displaying a memento or postcard you bought while away or setting your phone’s lock screen background to a holiday photo. Seeing positive reminders of your time can help you to feel more energised and uplifted as you return to daily life. If you have creative hobbies, like painting or writing, you could also use your holiday inspiration as ways to explore your art.”

4. Make mini-holidays out of your weekends

“Even if you don’t have another holiday on the cards, try protecting your weekend time in order to engage with holiday-inspired activities,” says Skinner. “Plan a day trip, spend time in nature or explore a new type of activity or cuisine. You could set a ‘no work’ rule and avoid checking your emails or thinking about work issues. This normally requires a bit of planning in advance, but it can help keep your energy levels topped up by giving you a sense of the rest and relaxation you can find during a longer break.

5. Use home comforts to your advantage 

“We can often feel a sense of relaxation and comfort when returning home through sleeping in our own bed, setting our own agenda and eating familiar foods,” says Skinner. “Use these feelings to your advantage in order to benefit from a feeling of continued positive energy after your holiday by reminding yourself of all the good things you have to enjoy, the things you’re grateful for and the reasons you’re glad to be home.”

Summertime Sadness

August is the month that refuses to make sense. It’s not autumn yet — no crisp air, no fresh notebooks, no sharpened-pencil energy to anchor you. Instead, August sprawls across the calendar like a 31-day Sunday evening: hazy, restless and impossible to pin down. Days feel long but strangely empty. Evenings drift by without the urgency of June or July. It’s the season of “almosts” — almost done with summer, almost ready for change — and living in the “almost” can feel heavier than we admit.

If you’ve felt foggy, unmotivated, or vaguely guilty for not “making the most of it”, you’re not imagining it. This is the August slump. Your inbox confirms it with endless out-of-office replies. Social media rubs it in with split-screen lives: some friends flaunt glossy holiday snaps while others return sulky, already nostalgic for what’s gone. Meanwhile, you’re stuck in between, half longing for something to sweep you forward, half annoyed at yourself for not doing more. It feels like you should be living bigger, brighter, better but instead you’re treading water in a month that feels more like limbo than life.

And here’s the part most people don’t say out loud: there’s nothing wrong with you. The slump is normal. It’s seasonal, it’s psychological and it’s shared. Which means there’s comfort in it and even an opportunity, if you know how to lean into it instead of fighting it. Here’s what I find helps.

First, have self-compassion. You would never tell a child they’re useless or lazy because they were struggling to concentrate but we do it to ourselves all the time. August is not the moment for that voice. Try being your own ally. Remind yourself: this dip is seasonal, it’s not permanent.

Then, embrace the shift. Rather than fighting to keep summer alive, think about leaning into autumn’s promise. September is a natural reset point. It brings harvest, reflection and preparation. There’s real charm in what’s ahead: cooler mornings, shifting colours, the steadiness of routines returning.

Creating small anchors can be helpful. Summer scatters our rhythms: late nights, travel, disrupted schedules. A gentle framework can steady you again. It doesn’t have to be rigid: set working hours, carve out time for exercise, allow space for rest. Add in activities that act as your glimmers, micro-moments that lift you such as reading, cooking, creativity, or reconnecting with friends you’ve missed.

Forget “reinventing your life”. Think “micro” goals. One drawer decluttered. One extra glass of water. One phone-free morning. These little markers remind your brain that you are, in fact, moving forward.

I know I sound like a broken record but nature really does work. Even a short walk, a breath of evening air, the crunch of the first leaves underfoot — it resets your nervous system. Pop on a podcast, enjoy the last of the summer evenings and remember autumn brings its own gifts too: crisp air, glowing skies and the quiet beauty of change.

Finally, try talking about it. Text someone. Share it out loud. It’s astonishing how quickly “me” turns into “we”. You’ll discover many people are feeling it too — just less willing to admit it.

Here’s my take: August isn’t meant to make sense. It’s slightly awkward by design — a pause between chapters, a holding bay before September’s fresh start. It’s not asking you for resolutions or perfect productivity. It’s giving you permission to be a little slower, a little unsure, a little human.

September will come, with its sharpened-pencil energy and illusion of new beginnings. But until then, August invites you to rest, reflect and gently muddle through. And maybe that’s the real beauty of it.

Travel broadens the mind.

A wise person once said that travel broadens the mind. They were clearly travelling before passport control, airport queues and small children! Let’s face it, travel can be stressful. Routines dissolve, your sleep gets thrown off, and even the most basic habits – like staying hydrated or moving your body – can become more challenging. The body thrives on rhythm and predictability, so any disruption can activate a physiological stress response. And yet, this very disruption is also what makes travel such a powerful opportunity.
New environments shake us out of autopilot. From a neurological perspective, novelty increases dopamine activity and stimulates areas of the brain responsible for motivation, focus and learning. This makes it easier to form new habits because your brain is already primed for adaptation. In fact, studies in behavioural neuroscience show that being in a new place can enhance neuroplasticity – your brain’s ability to rewire itself in response to new experiences.
So, rather than seeing travel as a break from routine, we can flip the narrative: it’s a chance to build a better one. Here’s how to do that with both intention and science on your side.

1. Start with a Nervous System Reset

When you arrive in a new place, especially after a period of stress, your nervous system may still be stuck in “fight or flight” mode. You may feel restless, disoriented, or wired but tired.
That’s because changes in environment can temporarily heighten sympathetic nervous systemactivity, increasing cortisol (your longer lasting stress hormone) and adrenaline (quick fire but short lived stress hormone) levels. What helps? Pause. Slow down. Prioritise activities that shift you into the parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) state: gentle movement, deep breathing, and grounding practices like walking barefoot or spending time in nature. Even 5–10 minutes of diaphragmatic breathing can increase vagal tone, a marker of nervous system resilience.

2. Anchor Your Days with Light and Movement

Your circadian rhythm (the internal clock that governs your sleep-wake cycle, digestion, hormone release and more) is strongly influenced by light exposure. In a new time zone or unfamiliar environment, one of the best ways to recalibrate is to get outside within 30 minutes of waking. Natural light in the morning helps stabilise cortisol rhythms and supports the production of melatonin later that evening.
Pairing this with movement (even a short walk) further boosts brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) – a protein involved in neuroplasticity, mood regulation, and cognitive function.

3. Redesign Your Routine from the Ground Up

When you’re out of your usual context, your triggers and habits are no longer automatic. This is great, because it gives you a unique “blank slate” moment. Behavioural psychology refers to this as the fresh start effect, a psychological window when motivation is heightened, making us more likely to adopt and stick to new behaviours.
You don’t need to overhaul your life. And if you’re on holiday it’s actually about taking a pause from your usual routine. Enjoy that space and see how it feels to be less frantic, you might try journalling each morning, or doing a 10-minute stretch routine outside in the morning light, going for a gentle walk then having breakfast rather than racing out the door to a frantic gym session. See how those little things land and how different your body’s response is to them. Then you can take grains back with you to slot into your regular routine.

4. Choose Foods That Regulate Energy and Mood

Travel often means eating out more, and that’s absolutely fine. But the key to feeling well is supporting your glycaemic balance and neurotransmitter production through steady nutrition.
Aim to eat some form of protein every 4–6 hours to maintain blood sugar stability, which helps avoid energy crashes and mood dips. Incorporating cooked vegetables (rich in prebiotic fibre) supports your gut microbiome – closely linked to both digestion and mental wellbeing. And when you’re in a place rich with local produce and traditional ingredients? Even better. A diet that’s diverse, colourful, and minimally processed naturally nourishes the body’s systems of repair.
My suggestion is always to start the day well – a nice protein rich breakfast, perhaps with the addition of a pastry or something you wouldn’t usually have at home. But pop that after the eggs/fish/bacon/sausages/yoghurt and a slow release carbohydrate like oats or toast. Enjoy a portion that feels satisfying, that could be a whole croissant or it might be half that you share with someone else. But you will have set the tone for the day. Then if you fancy an afternoon ice cream go right ahead – your blood sugar is far less reactive by mid-afternoon + your overall stress state will be lower so you won’t have an appetite distorting response as you would do if you started the day on a croissant, jam, coffee and fruit.

5. Hydrate for Resilience

Travel (especially air travel) can leave you mildly dehydrated, which negatively affects mood, cognition, and digestion. Hydration isn’t just about water; it’s also about electrolyte balance (sodium, potassium, magnesium, etc.), which helps regulate nerve function and cellular energy.
Bring electrolytes (I like Artah) with you to add to your water in the mornings, and aim for steady hydration throughout the day – even mild dehydration can increase your perception of fatigue and stress. If you drink alcohol, make sure to buffer with extra fluids.

To Sum Up…
Travel removes us from our comfort zone – but that’s exactly what gives it the power to shift patterns that no longer serve us. It’s not about rigid structure or restriction, but about tuning into what your body truly needs in a new context.
When approached with intention, travel becomes not just an adventure, but a reset button for the body, brain, and nervous system.

We’re all going on a summer holiday…help!!!

My husband absolutely loves travelling. I, on the other hand, do not. This is most unfortunate for him, as he sends me 10 reels a night of sparkling blue seas in the hopes that it’ll ignite my sense of wanderlust. It does for a second, but then I think about the logistics, and it’s gone as swiftly as it arrived.

Instead, all I can think about is a tornado of what-ifs and potential problems: who will water my houseplants? What if I forget to pack something vital? What if we don’t get to the airport on time? Will my ears hurt on the plane? What if I leave something precious at the hotel? Can we afford it? What if we get there and all we do is worry about money? What if we don’t have fun?

The questions endlessly bob about in my brain until the thought of a holiday no longer feels appealing or worthwhile. I’d rather just stay at home, safely on the sofa, travelling vicariously through TV reality shows.

I know this might seem odd, and I think it’s probably because I have anxiety, and I like things to be within my control. So, I’ve tried to put mechanisms in place. My partner takes care of all of the logistics because he knows they stress me out, and I can’t sort them without catastrophising or freezing. He sorts the the booking, transport, money and everything else you can possibly think of. All I have to do is show up with my passport and suncream, so why do I still find it so anxiety-inducing?

When people ask me if I’m looking forward to an upcoming holiday, my answer is always the same: “Um, I think I’ll feel more excited once I’m there.” Let’s be real, the actual being on holiday part is lovely, but it’s bookended by so much stress and uncertainty in my mind that it dampens my desire to travel entirely. I simply cannot fathom how those who constantly travel, bouncing from place to place, manage to hold themselves together.

“This cascade of pre-travel anxiety is absolutely something I recognise,” says Charlotte Fox Weber psychotherapist and author. “It’s almost as if the anticipation becomes so loaded with potential catastrophe that the [holiday] feels secondary to managing the mental siege beforehand.”

Apparently, I have a tendency to transform ‘expansion into contraction’, which basically means, instead of holidays opening up possibilities for me, “anxiety narrows everything down to a series of logistical tripwires”, according to Fox Weber. I’m essentially living through multiple versions of the holiday before I’ve even left, and most of them are disasters.

Why do I feel so stressed?

“I’ve noticed this pattern tends to affect people who are naturally conscientious or who’ve had their sense of control challenged before,” Fox Weber explains. “The holiday represents a temporary abdication of your familiar systems, and anxiety rushes in to fill that void with hypervigilance.”

There’s also something to be said about the cultural pressure surrounding holidays.  Thanks to our ever-online lives, there’s an expectation to have the most transformative, restorative, investment-worthy, aesthetically pleasing time, and Fox Weber says this can make the stakes feel impossibly high.

 Chance Marshall, a psychotherapist and co-founder of Self Space says much the same thing: “We went on our first holiday with our little boy post-pandemic, and we were sat at the airport and we just thought, Wow, there’s so much pressure to make this the perfect trip! But actually, it’s OK to let it be a bit rubbish. It’s OK if we don’t visit every restaurant. I wrote five pages of pre-holiday research because there was so much intensity to get it ‘right’, but in the end, we spent the first few hours sleeping, and I’m glad we did. It didn’t need planning, and once we took the pressure off, we ended up discovering things we might not have otherwise. I think there’s so much pressure to do everything that we sometimes don’t come back from a holiday feeling rested, which is the whole point.”

Social dynamics can also be a source of holiday anxiety, Fox Weber adds, as you might feel vulnerable in an unfamiliar place, even when with people you generally feel comfortable with. “The vulnerability of being in unfamiliar places where you can’t predict how things work, leads to this feeling of ‘peak experience pressure’, [where you feel like] you have to optimise every moment because you’ve spent so much to be there.”

How can I stop feeling anxious?

For the spiralling thoughts, Fox Weber suggests holding a series of ‘anxiety appointments’ with yourself. “Give yourself a designated 15 minutes each day to mentally rehearse the worst-case scenarios, then firmly close that mental door until the next appointment. While it sounds counterintuitive, it often defuses the background hum of worry.”

The practical side matters too, she says, “Create detailed but flexible lists, book things in advance that can be booked and have a ‘good enough’ standard rather than seeking perfection. Sometimes the antidote to anxiety is simply lowering the bar for what constitutes success.”​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Finally, Fox Weber says her most “essential” piece of advice is to “internally permit yourself to enjoy a moment, wherever possible. Because the world won’t do it for you.”

TODAY IS THE FIRST DAY OF THE REST OF YOUR LIFE

Reading about ways to foster joy last week (I know, most of us would settle for waking without lingering dread, but why not dream big occasionally?), I was captivated by the memoirist and cancer survivor Suleika Jaouad’s suggestion: live each day like it’s your first. When Jaouad’s leukaemia returned last year, well-wishers urged her to live each day like it was her last, but the pressure to carpe each second of every damn diem left her feeling panicked and exhausted. Instead, she cultivated a sense of freshly hatched curiosity and playfulness, which she says helped.

I loved this, but doubted the feasibility – can you really convince your tired, cynical self to feel joyful astonishment? I tried living yesterday as if it were my first; not like an actual newborn (red-faced, frequently crying, utterly incompetent – I’m all that already), but with childlike wonder. I had some success being captivated by my breakfast banana – great design and colour – and even more with the magical elixir that makes me not hate everyone (coffee).

Then I opened the postbox with Christmas-stocking levels of anticipation: a window cleaner’s card and an HMRC letter about Making Tax Digital! After lunch, confronted with our dishwasher’s habit of popping open whenever I try to shut it, I attempted to cultivate curiosity rather than rage: surely this helpful marvel has its reasons? What might they be? I was left no wiser but marginally calmer.

Living a dental hygienist appointment as if it were my first proved more challenging: my body remembered this was not my first scratchy hook and humiliation rodeo, whatever my brain tried to tell it. But a sense of playful discovery did help, sort of. I distracted myself beforehand, flicking in wide-eyed amazement through tooth makeovers in the waiting room brochure. Then, in the chair, I surrendered, childlike, to the transporting strangeness of cold gritty stuff blasting my molars, my tongue getting accidentally sucked into the spit-hoover and what I chose to tell myself was the “intensely interesting sensation” of manual plaque removal.
I wouldn’t call it a joy, exactly, but it was absolutely less of an ordeal. Jaouad is right: a sense of wonder can be, well, wonderful.

Anna Coscia Somatic Coach

I’m Anna – a former advertising strategist turned somatic coach.
For years, I had a successful career, but I felt disconnected and unfulfilled. Coaching started as a side passion, something that lit me up.
Over time, it became clear this was the path I was meant to follow.
As I trained and worked as a coach, I increasingly noticed that understanding a problem in my head wasn’t enough to change it. I could see the patterns, name the stories I was telling myself, even know what I should do differently. But I kept getting stuck.

It was as if I knew something in my head, but it didn’t feel right in my body. And my body always won.

That’s what led me to somatic coaching: a powerful, body-centred approach to change.

Somatic coaching goes deeper than mindset. It recognizes that our emotions, habits, and stress responses live not just in our thoughts, but also in our bodies. When we include the body in the process, we unlock new insight, healing, and possibility.

Somatic coaching helps you:
• Drop below the noise of over-thinking
• Tune into your body’s signals and inner knowing
• Release emotional and physical patterns that keep you stuck
• Build confidence, resilience, and a deeper sense of ease
• Make decisions that feel truly aligned with who you are

If you’re feeling stuck, disconnected, or unsure of what’s next, somatic coaching can help you come home to yourself—and move forward with clarity and confidence.

For more information:
– Email: annacosciacoaching@gmail.com
– Website: www.annacoscia.com)
– LinkedIn profile: www.linkedin.com/anna-coscia-89a0287

GUEST BLOG – Sarah Barelli HOLISTIC HEALING

Hello, I’m Sarah, I offer 1:1 healing sessions and small training workshops from my gorgeous log cabin in West Wellow, on the edge of the New Forest. My healing path started over 20 years ago when I received my Level 1 Reiki attunement. Several years of travelling followed, with a lot of time spent in wonderful places such as Egypt and India. I then came back to my Reiki pathway and completed my Teacher training in Usui Reiki. Since then I have added Angelic Reiki, Crystal Healing and Sound Healing to my sessions for clients and I am delighted to offer training courses in these areas too as well as the wonderful Lotus Chakra course. I also love seeing clients for individual healing sessions and I am always honoured to help someone lift emotional blocks, help to relieve physical pain and let go of burdens through the power of Reiki or sound healing. As well as individual sessions, I run regular sound baths in Wellow and the surrounding villages, where you can attend for an hour and let all your troubles slip away whilst listening to the mesmerising sound of Tibetan singing bowls. More information can be found on my Facebook page below or feel free to email me. Sarahsholistichealing@outlook.com.
I hope to see you soon! Sarah x

Emotional Wellness with Flotsam Holistics

“The mind tells stories, the body speaks the truth”  Dr Luke Sniewski.

Hello, I’m Michelle, I offer 1:1 Emotional Release Guidance for Mind and Body wellness both online via Zoom and In-person from my treatment space in Stockbridge, Hampshire.  I work intuitively with the modalities of Root Cause Enquiry, Reiki Healing and Emotional Freedom Technique, either alone or in combination to allow you to release the suppressed emotions that have been holding you back from fulfilling your true potential.  Whether that be physically (you have been suffering pain, illness or disease), mentally and spiritually (you feel disconnected from life, stuck and unable to move forward) or emotionally (you’re finding yourself easily triggered emotionally, angry, sad or depressed). Together we can gently allow the body to process and release what has been holding you back from fulfilling your true potential.  My approach is to be your guide and empower you to connect back to your intuitive wisdom within.

 I also offer in-person Sound Healing in the form of Vibroacoustic massage using the healing frequencies Tibetan Singing bowls. This is a deeply relaxing treatment where the singing bowl is placed on the body, allowing the rich vibrations and tones to soothe and stimulate the body to release and heal.

Please see my website via the link below to find out more about each healing modality and to arrange a free 20 minute connection call if you have any questions.  Alternatively, you can book straight in via the links.

Michelle x

michelle@flotsamholistics.com