I stop to pinch myself sometimes. It’s not always been easy but my boys are growing up to be the most wonderful, kind, hardworking and amazing human beings. You may say that I would say that as I’m their mum and yes, of course I would say that. But I do think that people who have just met them would say that too.

The older one is making a successful career in music, as a jazz pianist and teacher in London. He is extraordinarily creative, composing his own work, but also collaborating with others. Joe Lycett came to one of his gigs last week and Olly sent a selfie to me of them (love Joe Lycett!). His partner is similarly gifted as a jazz musician, currently touring with the youth jazz orchestra as their musical director, having arranged all of Amy Winehouse’s music for big band.

The younger one is director in my husband’s business and at the tender age of 25 has made such a massive contribution that the business has doubled its turnover in 2 lockdown years. Business associates often do not believe his age, he has a natural confidence and calm personality which people warm too. Oh by the way, he didn’t go to university either. He is about to buy his second property, a new house with his girlfriend who is a lovely, talented girl with tons of warmth. After a gruelling year of teacher training, she is now a primary school teacher and a doting auntie to her little niece.

They all get on so well together and in fact they are meeting today in London. The boys couldn’t be more different but have an incredibly close bond.

I love them all so much and I feel so blessed to be able to witness their interesting, exciting lives.

Sorry! I realise that this is a bit like a boasty round Robin Christmas card, just wanted to reflect on how lucky I am.

Grandchildren will of course be lovely, but there is plenty of time for that!

Have a lovely weekend everyone,

Wendy xx

This time of year is hard for a lot of us. The fun of Christmas has been and gone, spring and summer still seem a very long way away and it seems to take all our energy to just keep going in the cold and damp winter months.

I see a lot of clients who experience seasonal affective disorder or SAD. This is a very real illness which affects people mentally, physically and emotionally. Often people suffering with this disorder find that they have very little energy and enthusiasm to do the simplest things. Motivation can be affected and it’s often very common for the person to want to sleep a lot more and crave carbohydrates.

It is very important that we cut ourselves some slack and keep things as simple and stress free as we can when feeling this way. Rest as much as possible, but also take every opportunity to get some fresh air and daylight. Even though there may not be a lot of sun some days to provide us with vitamin D, this is still very important. Consider taking supplements such as Vitamin C and zinc for immunity, as well as B vitamins and magnesium for good mental health.

With regard to nutrition, make sure that you are eating lots of healthy protein as well as loads of veg. Keep fruit to a minimum as it tends to increase sugar levels and make you more hungry. Try to cut carbs down as much as you can, particularly the highly processed sugary ones as the more you eat of this type of food, the worse you will feel. Think about reducing your alcohol intake as it is a depressant and that initial good feeling will be followed by a downer.

Arrange to see people that give you a boost and limit contact with toxic folk, you know who they are.

Most of all take it easy, be kind to yourself and look forward to those little signs of spring. They will be here before you know it.

warmest wishes everyone,

Wendy xx

I was saddened to hear about the lady from Leeds who took her own life due to severe anxiety caused by the menopause. She had been with her dear husband for 41 years and had started to experience extreme anxiety in middle age. She was also overwhelmed by anxiety about covid and this drove her to commit suicide.

We already know that suicide is the biggest cause of death for young men between the ages of 18 and 30. What we may not be aware of is the high number of suicides for women between the ages of 45 and 55. Whilst there may be plenty of other factors at play here such as caring for elderly parents, worry about children, relationship issues, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to work out that this is the age when a lot of women are going through the peri menopause or the menopause itself.

Years ago this stage of a woman’s life was not widely talked about, discreetly referred to as ‘the change’, something to be pushed under the carpet or at best laughed about. The hot flushes coming out of nowhere! Yeah, they’re so funny, aren’t they?

As a woman of a certain age I am really thankful that the menopause is something we are now able to talk out, thanks in part to celebrities such as Davina McCall and Mariela Frostrup. A recent campaign has also led to a change in the law which means there is now a one off prescription charge for one year’s worth of HRT. This is excellent news.

We now know too that – due to faulty research from decades ago – that the risk of breast cancer from taking HRT is minimal. Also the new forms of body identical HRT are much safer and better for women. There is even the argument that it is risky NOT to take HRT as oestrogen supplementation prevents osteoporosis, heart disease and many age related illnesses.

If you are suffering with menopausal or peri menopausal symptoms, it is important to see your GP and consider taking HRT. Some doctors are still not clued up about the new data, so be persistent and even consider getting a second opinion.

Hypnotherapy can also help a great deal in dealing with the anxiety symptoms of the menopause. It has been my pleasure and privilege to have helped a number of women experiencing mood swings and extreme anxiety at this time in their lives. Together we can help to install feelings of calm and wellbeing, so that this can be a new, healthy and exciting chapter for them.

Best wishes to you all,

Wendy x

I am so glad that the world is opening up to travel once again, with today being the first day that travel to the USA can take place.

It seems like such a long time ago now but back in the spring of 2019 Mr Chalk and I flew to the big apple. I was so excited about this trip and New York did not disappoint in the slightest. We packed our week with all the usual touristy things, going up to the top of the Empire State Building, a trip on the Hudson, shopping in Macey’s as well as a sad but necessary visit to the 9/11 memorial. We also had to go to an iconic vintage jazz club, the Village Vanguard – with a jazz pianist son, this was a must on our list. We then topped it off with a Broadway Show starring the amazing Bryan Cranston.

We also had the delight of meeting up with my niece, who works in Manhattan. We dined in a fancy restaurant and even glimpsed Ben Stiller as we were waiting for our table.

Everything that they say about NYC is true and I would go back in a heart beat.

Those who know me well know that I adore travel, so the not being able to travel aspect of lockdown has been one of the more unwelcome aspects of this strange time for me.

I have also missed being able to help people who have a fear of flying. Over the years I have been fortunate enough to have helped many clients who have wanted to visit different places in the world but have been held back by an intense fear of going on a plane. This was one of the most enjoyable aspects of my practice and I loved receiving postcards from all sorts of far flung places from happy and anxiety free clients.

Maybe you are considering a trip abroad next year but you are fearful of flying? Hypnotherapy is brilliant at helping you feel relaxed and confident about getting on that plane.

Do get in touch if you would like to book a session.

Have a nice day!

Wendy x

Mr Chalk and myself had the pleasure of a long awaited theatre trip yesterday evening. Although it was not really Mr C’s cup of tea, I had booked for us to see the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical ‘Tell me on a Sunday’ at that beautiful gem of a theatre, the Theatre Royal in Bury St Edmunds.

It’s a one-person show and was performed by the amazing Jodie Prenger, you may remember her from winning a tv competition some years ago to play Nancy in the musical ‘Oliver’. She has the most wonderful voice and she played the part so beautifully.

I explained to Mr Chalk that this musical is quite literally a sound track to my life in the 80s, pre him. Not wishing to garner any sympathy but I did spend a large part of this wonderful decade being dumped, like the heroine in ‘Tell me on a Sunday’. I didn’t have such a glamorous New York existence, but the songs did remind me of a time when I lurched from one relationship to the next, always hoping that I would find ‘the one’. I was even quite ceremoniously dumped in our local night club, in front of all my friends. Whenever people mention the ‘Maltings’ now, it sends a shiver down my spine.

I despaired of ever finding someone who wanted to stay, but then I had a blind date with this quite lovely, funny and kind man. Dare I hope that he could be a keeper, at long last?

That blind date was 34 years ago and yes, dear reader, I am still with the lovely Mr Chalk. Perhaps it was necessary to kiss all those frogs, to then experience the joy of finding my man.

The sound track to ‘Tell me on a Sunday’ took me back to those unsettled, unsteady but it should be said, sometimes quite exciting times in the 80s. But then at the end of the performance I was quite happy to take Mr Chalk’s hand and walk back to the car, looking forward to a nice cup of tea back home.

So very grateful,

Wendy x

I was interested by a programme on TV last night which screened a live operation of someone having a rhinoplasty, more commonly known as a ‘nose job’. There were 4 young people in the studio watching on, all of them having considered this procedure for themselves. They were each joined by a friend or loved one, in some cases this other person was very much opposed to them having the procedure.

To me they all looked absolutely wonderful, good looking young folk. But I am not of the Instagram generation. One lad, an influencer, said that he actually apologised to his audience for his slightly crooked nose. Another girl, absolutely beautiful, felt self-conscious about her nose which she recognised as being like her father’s, very much an Indian nose.

This all seems incredibly sad to me. That people can be so adversely affected by what they see as ‘imperfections’, and have this desire to all look the same, without any inherited character traits. I was looking at my old school photo the other day (70s, a lot of hair!) and it struck me that we all looked very different, individual and somehow, characterful. These days there seems to be the ‘homogenised’ look, certainly for many young girls, the long blonde hair, thick eyebrows and plumped up lips. There almost seems to be a fear of somehow looking ‘different’. It reminds me in a sinister way of the film ‘The Stepford Wives’.

This programme was in sharp contrast to the one I had been watching previously, ‘the world’s fattest man’ where a compulsive eating disorder led Paul Mason to have a complete disregard for his body and health, to ultimately become a life threatening 80 stone. He had a gastric band fitted and initially lost a lot of this weight, but was sadly now putting the weight back on.

Both of these extremes seem to show a disrespect for the self and an inability to regard oneself with kindness and compassion.

It just goes to show that whatever medical procedure we resort to, it can only go so far in changing our perception of ourselves.

I see many young people in my practice and it has been truly wonderful to see how hypnotherapy can help them to see themselves as amazing, even with (or should that be especially with) all their imperfections.

Wendy xx

It’s a little bit odd (or maybe not?) but I tend to see a pattern in the issues that my lovely clients present with. Sometimes, like buses, you don’t see a particular issue for ages, then several come along at once.

Just of late I have been helping a lot of people who would like to reduce – or even eliminate – their alcohol intake. It maybe that throughout lockdown and beyond they have got into a habit of drinking more and cannot find a way to stop. With some folk, they have reached the conclusion that it is actually best to stop drinking completely.

Alcohol is still very much accepted, perhaps even encouraged, in today’s society. We do not tend to see it as a substance which causes harm, except in huge amounts. Smoking is the real baddie, isn’t it? However, recent studies have linked even moderate amounts of alcohol with health issues such as Alzheimer’s, cancer and heart disease. It can also be linked to a number of mental health issues. With that in mind, it is important to consider reducing it, at the very least.

With some of my clients I actually suggest giving up alcohol completely as this sometimes is easier than cutting down. If the person has an addictive personality, then giving it up is the only way to be honest.

Hypnotherapy treatment to reduce or stop drinking alcohol can be really effective, as it works with the sub-conscious mind in order to manage any withdrawal issues, helping you to feel calm and relaxed.

If you feel that you would like to address a problematic drinking habit, do get in touch. I would be happy to help.

Wendy x

This may sound a bit strange but I have a peculiar guilty secret. I have become addicted to a programme called ‘Inside the Ambulance’. It is not the gruelling one on BBC which focuses on the emergency call room, but instead the one which follows teams in the UK as they go about their daily work.

The crew have cameras fixed to their uniforms so you have a direct view of what they are doing, from attending little children with fevers or elderly folk who have had a fall, to suspected cardiac patients. It also gives an eye view of the lovely working relationships the paramedic teams seem to have.

It is evident that they carry out their work with the utmost professionalism and efficiency but what is most obvious is the kindness and care the paramedics show to the patients. Many of the call outs are to people with mental health issues and they seem to know exactly how to speak to these people, treating them with deep respect and kindness. Sometimes all a person needs is a listening ear and some gentle guidance, and this gives them a massive boost. Very often the crews are called out to people who are terribly lonely and just need to speak to someone.

Changing the subject a little bit here, we are all aware that provision of mental health support in the UK is poor, but I do not think it needs to be complicated.

Here’s a suggestion.

At the moment there are many people who are waiting months just to see a CBT counsellor and sometimes this is not even face to face. I think paramedics are brilliant at talking to people with mental health problems, so wouldn’t it be a great idea if there could be a paramedic available in GP surgeries at all times for brief immediate help/counselling?

But maybe I’m being unrealistic? After all, many GP surgeries are still only available on the phone or on zoom. Don’t get me started.

I’m off to watch another episode.

Wendy x

Apart from addressing specific issues, such as anxiety, addictive behaviours, as well as all sorts of fears and phobias, hypnotherapy is a deeply relaxing experience on its own.

Sometimes I liken it to a ‘mental massage’ in that the hypnotic voice is compared to the hands of a masseur, gently soothing and comforting, easing away tension and stress. My lovely clients often say that they feel wonderful after a session, lighter and as if they have had a total clear out of the mind. Sometimes people liken it to having had a ‘reboot’.

Many of us are completely frazzled by work, life, family and all the nonsense of the past 18 months, so if this sounds like you, please do get in touch and book your own personal ‘mental massage’.

I look forward to seeing you soon.

Wendy x

We are all beginning to take tentative steps out into the world after a long, long time of strangeness. This is inevitably leading to bouts of anxiety and panic, for some people at least.

There may be those gregarious souls who are revelling in the fact that they can party once again but equally there are those who have actually grown quite used to being tucked away and have very little desire to come out of the woodwork.

There could be a number of reasons for this anxiety about returning to ‘normal’ life again. For some there is a hesitancy about socialising with others, a fear that they have lost their old social skills and will not be able to converse or mix easily with people. For others, there may be a fear of catching covid (all too real) or indeed the other nasties that are more easily caught now we are doing without masks or social distancing. This type of health anxiety is very common.

Or maybe for some, they have found that they have simply enjoyed being at home with their own company and really have no desire to go out at all, even though they can. If this carries on it can lead to a sense of isolation or even agoraphobia, where the person has an extreme fear of going outside their own house.

All of these fears and anxieties are quite natural, bearing in mind what has happened over the last 18 months. But, with covid figures coming down daily, this does seem to indicate that we can begin to resume our lives in a normal way.

Hypnotherapy can help enormously to overcome these fears and anxieties and tends to be very quick and effective compared to standard counselling treatments. By working with the sub-conscious mind, we can allow you to feel calmer, more confident and happy about stepping into the world again.

Wendy x