A season of tending
As autumn approaches, I find myself reflecting on the summer now gone — a season spent outdoors in nature and re-potting house plants. My plants had taken root and were in need of tending with some fresh soil and space to thrive. One cutting from last year has grown almost the same size as the original plant in my office, and the wildflower seeds grew happily in the balcony pots, attracting bees and butterflies.
Feeling rooted
Tending to the plants reminded me of feeling rooted and grounded in life. I imagine many of us feel this pull at different points — to notice what’s keeping us steady. Life is rarely static; the seasons of our lives inevitably change, and what once was is no longer, while what’s next is still unfolding.
What has taken root?
The deeper question I keep coming back to, though, is: what has taken root? Sometimes we don’t know until we find ourselves stumbling over the same thing again and again. It’s usually in these moments that we realise something in our life needs tending to.
Counselling as tending, together
Reflecting on what has taken root, I’m brought back to my work as a therapeutic counsellor. In my experience, this noticing is often where the real tending begins — someone senses what’s quietly calling for their attention, and together, we begin to explore it. What surfaces will look different for each of us, depending on our history, what was nurtured or missing, and what needs care right now.
Together we look
What has taken root doesn’t exist on its own — it sits within a much larger landscape. We start to take in this emotional landscape, slowly wandering and familiarising ourselves with its shape — noticing some plants and trees thriving, while others droop heavily and lose their leaves.
Turning the soil
In tending to this landscape, we begin to gently turn the soil, exploring what lies beneath. In this process, you might begin to notice what’s calling for your attention — parts of your life that have been overlooked, or simply left too long.
The changing seasons of life
How does something get left for so long without our noticing? Perhaps because, like
nature’s seasons, we too move through seasons of our own. We expect autumn’s vibrant colours to fade into shades of orange and brown, and the trees to let go of their leaves. But when we’ve been in one season for too long, we might not notice that vibrancy has faded, or see the path ahead as it’s become too overwhelming.
What does your landscape reveal?
Pausing to notice your inner emotional landscape, what might it reveal right now? Is there anything that perhaps needs tending to? Together we can explore what has taken root, whether it still belongs, and what’s ready to grow next.
Finding support
Whatever this brings up for you, counselling can offer a space to hold it with care. Perhaps there are parts of your life that have been overlooked, feel overwhelming, or are simply overdue for attention — whatever it is, we can tend to it side by side.
If any of this resonates, you’re welcome to get in touch for an initial conversation about what you’d like support with and to see if counselling with me feels like a good fit.
I offer one-to-one counselling for adults, with sessions taking place online across the UK.