Gemma Hunt Therapy

Emotionally Held

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I get overwhelmed too, and it’s ok

Gemma Hunt

Aug 30
3 min

I get overwhelmed too, and it’s ok

We are no different Things can feel too much for me at times I laugh, get anxious, cry and rage Because they are normal emotions and reactions to difficulty There is maybe a difference in how I respond to this though I have learnt (through trial and error) that external things and other people don’t make me feel better for long, if at all. Sorry I know that it would be so much easier if we could rely on stuff and others to change our mood. There are two ways I have learnt per

The most asked questions about Emotional therapy

Gemma Hunt

Jul 21
3 min

The most asked questions about Emotional therapy

Here are my thoughts on the questions I am asked most, but also the questions that are googled because we don’t want to actually ask them. What is the best therapy and how do I choose a therapist? There are so many therapies out there that it can be hard to know which is best and I’m afraid it’s not a clean-cut answer, there is no best overall, but there are the ones that feel right for us. So, to give some practical advice here I would say have a chat with a few therapists o

If all behaviour is communication, what are you communicating?

Gemma Hunt

Jun 17
3 min

If all behaviour is communication, what are you communicating?

I first came across the term ‘All behaviour is communication’ in the context of children and understanding their sometimes inconvenient behaviour. However, as an adult therapist it got me thinking, does this also apply to adults? Is our behaviour also communicating what’s going on in our inner world, I think yes, which can be interesting when observing others but even more so ourselves. Perhaps we know the traits of others around us when they are struggling, they drink or eat

Can you give yourself permission to ditch your own expectations?

Gemma Hunt

May 19
3 min

Can you give yourself permission to ditch your own expectations?

Do you find that your expectations are too high to consistently, or ever achieve? Are you always falling short of where you planned to be and frustrated with yourself or the things that get in the way? Chances are that you like so many others have unrealistic expectations of yourself, are setting yourself up to fail and/or are unable to flex the plan when stuff comes up. For some this could relate to things like work, life admin, cooking aspirations, chores, fitness plans or

Why positivity isn’t always good for the soul

Gemma Hunt

Apr 22
3 min

Why positivity isn’t always good for the soul

There is a lot of talk and hype around positive thinking, and while it can be helpful at times, I have to say that I’m not a fan of how it is regularly used. Sound a bit controversial? How can a therapist not be into positive thinking? Let me explain… The way I often see positive thinking used is as a way to disallow and shame how we feel about things that are happening or have happened in our lives. I regularly have clients who have been through or are going through seriousl

I’m struggling with …. and I’m ashamed

Gemma Hunt

Apr 7
3 min

I’m struggling with …. and I’m ashamed

When this post first came to me as an idea it was around being a new parent (well of course it was, and yes I sometimes struggle with it). But then I reflected that many of us, if not all of us are struggling with some aspect of our lives, from kids, to jobs or anything in between so I wanted to make this more inclusive. So whether we struggle with being a new or not so new parent, our job, our relationship, our family, our past, all of the above or something different, I won

What if the problem isn’t depression, but how we respond to it?

Gemma Hunt

Dec 23, 2021
2 min

What if the problem isn’t depression, but how we respond to it?

Over recent years there have been many studies and debates around depression, what it is and why it happens. More and more researchers are questioning whether it is a mental health disorder or whether it is in fact a healthy response to adversity. When we face adversity we have three main reactions which are fight, flight or freeze. When there is threat or difficulty that is not life threatening or traumatic our first responses are fight or flight which are often felt as anxi

I’m failing! ...or am I?

Gemma Hunt

Aug 30, 2019
2 min

I’m failing! ...or am I?

It’s been a while since my last blog post and todays is a short one. I know, what a fail! Or is it? It’s been a busy month and I chose to prioritise myself and my clients and let the blog sit for a few weeks. So is that a fail? I haven’t achieved all that I set out to do, but life happens, things come up that throw us off track and being able to flex ourselves and our plans with this is paramount to staying well (mentally and physically). One of the things that can stand in t

Self love...oh cringe!

Gemma Hunt

Aug 6, 2019
4 min

Self love...oh cringe!

Talking about self love can bring up many different responses in people, for some it’s cringy and uncomfortable, for others its shameful and some think its self-indulgent. It’s much more socially acceptable to criticise ourselves than it is to say something complimentary about ourselves. There’s a perception that if we love ourselves we are big headed and egotistical. Many of us will play it down when we are complimented rather than saying 'thank you', some people feel guilt

You don't need fixing

Gemma Hunt

Jul 26, 2019
4 min

You don't need fixing

What are the qualities we imagine when we think of someone who is emotionally sorted? Calm Doesn’t get angry Doesn’t cry Doesn’t react to things This sounds more like a robot than a human being! But its funny this is often what is thought of when people are asked what they view as good mental health. I hear many people labelling their emotions as bad and wrong and that having them makes them mentally unwell. We often think if we could be unemotional we would be much happier.

Self care?!? I’m too busy caring for everyone else!

Gemma Hunt

Jul 9, 2019
4 min

Self care?!? I’m too busy caring for everyone else!

Anyone feel like they constantly seem to be doing things for others and have no time for themselves? That your needs are always pushed aside? This can be exhausting! I work with many people saying just these things and that it’s always been their role in the family or friendship group to be there for everyone, to listen to everyone’s problems and do things for them. This can be the case for so many people in their families, at work and with friends. Please don’t think I’m say

I’ll be happy when……

Gemma Hunt

Jun 25, 2019
3 min

I’ll be happy when……

How many of us use this phrase or one like it? “I’ll be happy / start dating / get well / move house / loose the weight / leave my job when I loose the weight / I get the job / I’m married / I have kids / the kids move out / I’m well / I can buy the house / I’m divorced” The lists are endless! By doing this we are always postponing our happiness and when we get these things there always seems to be something else. So do we ever end up actually being happy? What if we could a

Gratitude, is it just another fad?!?

Gemma Hunt

Jun 11, 2019
3 min

Gratitude, is it just another fad?!?

There's a lot of focus on gratitude these days, with many shops selling gratitude journals and books, but surely it has to be a fad, how can saying you’re grateful for things every day really change how you feel? That was my opinion when the practitioner I was working with to recover from ME/CFS suggested it, but I was desperate, I had lost any sense of there being anything good in my life and I couldn’t see a way out, so I tried it. I have to admit at first it was hard to th

Numbing out or feeling, which is more painful?!?

Gemma Hunt

May 28, 2019
3 min

Numbing out or feeling, which is more painful?!?

Last week I talked about breaking the pattern of needing to do by being present and experiencing life's joys. Sometimes however we have been staying busy for very good reasons, because if we stop we start to feel and that can be an uncomfortable place to be. But staying busy and pushing these unwanted emotions away doesn’t work for long, they just push back at another time because they are there for a reason. For example, fear can let us know that we do not feel safe and stee

On the achieving treadmill, is it ever enough?!?

Gemma Hunt

May 21, 2019
3 min

On the achieving treadmill, is it ever enough?!?

How many of us feel like we achieve one thing, barely stop for a breath never mind to actually reflect on what we’ve accomplished and then are on to the next thing? We rarely take time to celebrate our successes, that achievement be it big or small that has taken effort or time or courage becomes worthless once we’ve done it because there is always more to do or achieve. I’m guilty of this and recently had a very timely reminder from a friend to step back and look at all I’ve

Mental Health Awareness Week; a different take on awareness

Gemma Hunt

May 14, 2019
3 min

Mental Health Awareness Week; a different take on awareness

Its Mental Health Awareness week and so I started reflecting on the purpose of raising awareness. Of course its important culturally so help is more readily available, doors are open to having necessary conversations with people like our employers and it also sets the foundations for more meaningful things such as understanding and acceptance. In our personal lives this doesn’t seem quite as simple, I often hear peoples discontent at not being understood by partners, parents,

Who would be interested in what I have to say?!?

Gemma Hunt

May 7, 2019
3 min

Who would be interested in what I have to say?!?

How often do we speak to ourselves in this way? Question our self worth, talk ourselves out of our ideas and aspirations? For the vast majority of us this style of speaking to ourselves is common place, there can be this constant voice telling us were not good enough, we cant do this or that. I had just this voice come up when I thought about starting my blog, it was trying to talk me out of it, trying to protect me from making my self vulnerable to others scrutiny. As a ther