November Newsletter - Gathering Gratitude and Dreams

A Therapist’s Note: Embracing the Quiet Season -

As we move into November, I love how the natural world begins to rest - the trees letting go of their leaves, the days shortening, and the earth growing still. This turning toward darkness often mirrors our own inner need for rest, reflection, and release.

I’ve learned through many seasons of my life - through grief, big changes, and times of recovery from trauma - that healing rarely begins in the light. It begins quietly, in the dark and tender places where we finally allow ourselves to pause.

This month, I invite you to see stillness not as a void, but as a sacred space for renewal. You don’t need to fix yourself or strive toward perfection. The invitation is to allow what is within you to rest and to be met with gentleness.

The practices that follow are designed as an invitation to reconnect with your inner rhythm - through reflection, gratitude, creativity, and a touch of nature’s wisdom.

With warmth and care,
Amanda

The Season of Stillness: Going Within

As Autumn fades, November calls us inward. In a world that often rewards doing, this is an invitation to simply be. The invitation is to see this time of darkness as a protection - a natural pause that allows for repair, renewal, and preparation for what’s next.

The Healing Power of Darkness

In the darker seasons of life, we find space to listen to ourselves more deeply. Stillness can bring discomfort at first, yet within that quiet lies the possibility of transformation.

The invitation is to ask yourself:

• What am I ready to release or forgive?

• What is quietly asking to be nurtured within me?

• What brings me peace and joy, even in uncertainty?

Nature & Creative Connection: Gathering Gratitude and Dreams

Step 1 – Gather with Gratitude

Take a mindful walk or sit by a window and simply notice. The colour of the sky. The shape of a branch. The scent of the cold air. Gather a few small, natural objects that catch your eye - a leaf, stone, twig, or seed.

Back at home, write a few words of gratitude, wishes, or dreams for the months ahead. These can be single words, symbols, or sentences - whatever feels true. Write on recycled paper, natural fabric, or directly onto your found objects using eco-friendly ink.

Step 2 – Create Your Nature Altar or Eco Artwork

Arrange your objects and words together to create a small piece of eco art or a nature altar. Place it somewhere you’ll see it often - a shelf, a window ledge, a quiet corner. Let it remind you of your inner light and intentions as the days grow darker.

This artwork is not a task; it’s a living reflection of your process. Allow it to evolve as you do.

Journaling Prompts for November

• What am I grateful for that has carried me through this year?

• What do I wish to invite in as I move toward winter?

• What does rest mean to me right now?

Closing Reflection

As you rest in November’s stillness, may you remember that the dark is not empty. It is where the seeds of your next beginning are quietly growing.

Download your Newsletter for November HERE

Resources for You

• Book: The Wild Edge of Sorrow by Francis Weller

• Practice: “5-4-3-2-1” sensory grounding technique for anxious moments

• Meditation: Loving-kindness (Metta) meditation for self-compassion

Work with Me

If you’d like gentle, 1:1 support in navigating change, grief, or emotional renewal, I offer counselling and creative therapy sessions.
You can reach me via www.natureandsoul.co.uk book a free consultation HERE or email me at amanda@natureandsoul.co.uk to discuss how we can might work together.

Warm wishes,

Amanda