Positive Psychology Archives - TRC | London | Midlands | Edinburgh | Riyadh

Rest: The Reboot We Forget We Need

Sarah Childs — Fri, 18 Jul 2025 14:45:54 +0000

As a counselling psychologist, I’ve noticed a theme that often emerges around this time of year. By July, many of us have been running on autopilot, driven by deadlines, social obligations, and the unrelenting pace of modern life. Even when summer arrives, with its promise of longer days and warmer evenings, there’s a tendency to fill the space with more – more plans, more travel, more pressure to “make the most of it.”

How about if we approached July differently? It’s a month that, if we allow it, can teach us about the quiet, restorative power of rest.

Rest isn’t laziness. It’s not giving up. It’s a conscious act of self-care. Our minds and bodies were never designed to be in constant productivity mode. Just as nature follows cycles, we too need rhythm in our lives. Rest helps us recalibrate, process, and ultimately grow stronger.

In therapy, I often speak with clients who feel guilty when they’re not being “useful.” We explore how they have been so conditioned to measure their worth by what they produce or achieve that taking a break feels indulgent or even wrong. But what I remind them, and myself, is that rest is not a reward we have to earn. It’s a basic human need. Without it, we risk burnout, resentment, and disconnection from ourselves.

July can be an antidote to that. It’s a natural time to slow things down, and when you do you might notice that rest brings a quiet clarity. Problems that seemed overwhelming begin to feel more manageable. Creativity starts to flow again. Relationships feel easier when we’re not running on empty. In rest, we remember that we are human beings, not human doings.

So this July, I invite you to lean into rest. Not as something to “achieve,” but as something to experience. Cancel a plan if you need to. Read a book just for the joy of it. Sit in the sun with no agenda. Allow yourself to simply be.

Author: Sarah Childs

Chartered Counselling Psychologist

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Navigating Identity and Mental Health: Understanding the Connection

Paige Wilson — Tue, 01 Jul 2025 11:56:50 +0000

“Who even am I?”

It’s a big question — one that pops up regularly through the course of life, and there may be times where it feels like it’s on a constant loop in the background. Identity is about more than just labels or categories — it’s how we understand ourselves, how we relate to others, and how we find our place in the world.

But what happens when that sense of self feels confusing, fragile, or constantly shifting? There is an essential connection between identity and mental health, and here, we’ll explore that what identity really means, reminding ourselves that it’s okay not to have everything figured out, and how to begin navigating it all without getting totally overwhelmed.

What is Identity?

First, let’s break down what identity really means. Identity breaks down to the core building blocks of what makes you who you are. Essentially, it is your internal answer to the question: “Who am I?”

It might include things like:

Your gender and sexuality
Your culture, ethnicity or religion
How your brain works (neurodiversity, learning styles, mental health)
Your values, interests, passions — what really matters to you.

Certain parts of your identity are ever evolving, and exploration is key when thinking about finding our identity. However, if that exploration feels unsafe or unsupported, it can have a real impact on mental health. Feeling like you must hide parts of yourself, change to fit in, or carry shame for who you are can lead to anxiety, low

Mental Health and Identity:

Struggling with questions around our own identity can have meaningful impact on our mental health. By knowing the signs and feeling able to recognise when something feels “off”, it makes it easier to know when and how to reach out for support.

Everyone’s experience is different, but if you’re finding it hard to connect with who you are, it might show up in ways like:

Feeling disconnected from yourself or unsure what you enjoy anymore
Constantly comparing yourself to others or feeling like you don’t “measure up”
Changing how you act around different people just to fit in
Feeling low, anxious, irritable or empty without knowing exactly why
Worrying something is “wrong” with you for being different

When the World Makes It Harder:

Identity doesn’t form in a vacuum. We are always receiving messages from our environment that help shape us and our identities. These messages can come from family, school, culture, social media, and even friend groups. Sometimes, it can feel like our identity is being shaped for us, which can feel constricting and unhelpful as we try to navigate who we want to be.

You might be dealing with:

Pressure to conform or “pick a box” before you’re ready
Cultural or religious expectations that conflict with how you feel
Lack of representation – not seeing people like you in the media or around you
Discrimination or judgment, which can lead to shame or self-doubt

When those around you don’t reflect or accept who you are, it’s easy to start questioning your worth.

Tips for Exploring Your Identity Safely:

If you’re feeling curious about your identity but unsure where to start, remember, you don’t need all the answers right now. Identity can shift and evolve throughout your life. But here are some ways to gently explore and support your sense of self:

Write about it – journaling can help you process thoughts and feelings that feel tangled in your head
Engage in creative expression – music, art, fashion, or writing can give you space to express parts of yourself that don’t fit into words
Talk to someone who feels safe – a trusted adult, therapist or friend can offer perspective and validation
Find community – online spaces, support groups or clubs where people “get it” can help you feel less alone
Unfollow pressure – curate your social media to include more voices that make you feel seen, not scrutinised

Final Thoughts:

At TRC, our team of therapists are here to support you with whatever you’re carrying — whether it’s questions about identity, struggles with your mental health, or just wanting to feel a bit more you. You’re allowed to take up space exactly as you are, even if you’re still figuring that out.

Author: Paige Wilson

Psychotherapist

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Raising a child with ADHD (podcast)

Sol Matossian — Tue, 06 Dec 2022 10:36:46 +0000

TRC Psychotherapist Sol Matossian joined Sheer Luxe’s Founder Georgie Coleridge Cole and Stephanie Farrario to talk about raising children with ADHD.

Topics include: what symptoms to look out for, at what age should you get a diagnosis, what support your child can get and how you can help at home.

Please click here to watch: podcast link

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How do we best support school-aged children with their mental health? (Webinar)

Robert Batt — Wed, 07 Apr 2021 17:24:45 +0000

Robert was invited to speak to parents at Keystone Tutors on supporting children with their mental health.

Topics include: what issues and needs children are facing, schools, how children should be encouraged to understand their mental health, what parents can do to promote wellbeing and what to do if your child is struggling.

Please click here to watch: webinar link

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Positive Psychology 1/3

Robert Batt — Wed, 15 Jul 2020 08:23:51 +0000

Robert Batt, TRC London, introduces the practice of Positive Psychology in the first of series of posts. How can we train our minds into optimism? In doing so, can we open ourselves to new opportunities and experiences?

Sigmund Freud is considered to be at the forefront of the discovery and evolution of psychotherapy. Since his development of the science of psychoanalysis 120 years ago, the focus of ‘therapy’ has been on alleviating or curing the symptoms of mental ill-health.

This is rather like a gardener who treats their plants against the pests and diseases that can occur in any garden. However, why should the gardener’s care stop there? What about nourishing and caring for the plants once they are healthy again?

Surviving vs Flourishing

Positive Psychology suggests that there are a series of factors that can help us to “flourish”, as opposed to just surviving.

Traditional therapy has focused on the minus side of the psychological equation. A client comes to therapy with symptoms of psychological ill-health, such as depression, trauma or anxiety. Let’s score this as minus 8.

When the symptoms have been alleviated the client’s psychological score might now be somewhere around zero. The therapy has been successful, and the client has been cured of their symptoms.

Over the last 20 years Positive Psychologists have been asking “why stop at zero? Why don’t we aim for plus 8 rather than zero?”

Learning Optimism

Positive Psychology is the scientific study of what helps us to FLOURISH. What interventions, habits and insights can lift us from surviving to flourishing, and importantly, what can immunise us against tipping back into the negative side of the equation?

This idea was considered to have been so important that 1.1 million U.S. servicemen were trained in Positive Psychology techniques by the Pentagon, in order to protect them from mental ill-health that might be generated by the stress of combat situations.

One example of a Positive Psychology concept is the Gratitude List. Anyone who has been to TRC’s London Clinic will have seen the Gratitude Book that has been kept in the Drawing Room .

Gratitude List

Try writing 3 things your grateful for today

We have discovered that the habit of writing down 3 things that we are grateful for has immediate, and longer-term, benefits. Not only does it generate an “attitude of gratitude”, but the feeling of thankfulness can help to protect us from the risk of falling back into a more negative mindset.

Author: Robert Batt

CEO, Founder & Clinical Director, Honorary Professor MSc NCAC (Ref MBACP, FDAP Accred)

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