suzanne – Suzanne Alderson

Jun

What going vegetarian reminded me about parenting

1 June 2020suzanneUncategorised

I watched the Netflix documentary Game Changers last year and, in the hope of a speedier recovery from Achilles surgery, removed meat from my diet and turned to the green side – vegetarianism. The first few weeks were spent trawling the online supermarket aisles trying to find substitutes for meat, and to be fair, there...

Apr

How to get out of the moment, positively

14 April 2020suzanneUncategorised

Yesterday I went to the gym for the first PT session in 2 weeks. I’d tweaked my back and am having issues with my Achilles after running ( what a foolish idea!) and I’ll be honest: I wasn’t looking forward to it. 60 minutes of lunging, lifting, and all round challenging my body and a...

Mar

Your child is a garden

21 March 2020suzanneUncategorised

You’ve inherited a garden and been told to watch it for a full season before doing anything to it. It’s that time of year when everything is dying off. There are unturned beds and overgrown bushes (no sniggers!) You can’t believe that this space will ever be home to anything but weeds and worms. And...

Mar

What keeps you safe?

7 March 2020suzanneUncategorised

I had an epiphany yesterday and I’d like to to share. It’s been brewing for a while, but yesterday, a truth to help me came into clear focus. No angels sang or shafts of golden light embraced me, but I felt a weight lifting as I leaned into it fully. I won’t bore you with...

Jan

Trusting yourself

30 January 2020suzanneUncategorised

I spent the good chunk of a meeting yesterday listening to a woman explain that she has a new habit: leaving the gas cooker on in her kitchen. She has done it several times in the last fortnight, and her morning routine now has an additional phase – sitting on the train, second guessing herself...

Dec

You have been planted

20 December 2019suzanneUncategorised

What is it about last minute projects that come in at Christmas?! Yesterday I spent the afternoon unravelling, cajoling, and managing clients and I had quite a lot of time waiting around at my laptop. So I decided to reduce the draft email box from 150+ to a more manageable 20. While doing this, I...

Aug

Letting go and holding on

24 August 2019suzanneUncategorised

Hello! I’m writing to you from the coolness of my garden. I woke to a morning literally bursting with the beauty and potential of the day ahead, so I thought I’d come outside and make the most of the sunshine and stillness before the day begins – and I’m grateful for the opportunity. Being grateful...

May

The stories we tell ourselves

26 May 2019suzanneUncategorised

The last PMH #SelfCareSaturday was a wonderful day. It was so lovely to meet new friends and catch up with those I’d met before. One of the conversations we had yesterday was around what people got from the PMH community, and I think the word connection sums it up. Yet, whilst we seek and crave...

May

Songs that take us to different places

6 May 2019suzanneUncategorised

This weekend we went to the Cheltenham Jazz Festival. Ross loves jazz, and I don’t mind (some of) it! We went to see Rymden, a Norwegian jazz trio. They are virtuoso musicians, but boy was it hard work! Nails down a blackboard would be sweet compared ( IMHO!) The seats were so tightly packed we...

Mar

Having a child with mental illness can be a bit like watching a tree

24 March 2019suzanneUncategorised

When I get up each morning, I have a ritual. I feed the cat and then I go and look at my tree while the kettle boils. It’s a minute or so’s contemplation about how I’m feeling and the day ahead. The tree isn’t actually mine, but it feels like it is. A majestic oak,...

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