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Pink Corner

Health


I am a qualified integrative counsellor with over 6 years experience and founder of New Beginnings Counselling. I also have a BA (hons) degree in Sociology and Social Policy. I believe we are all capable of creating a change in our lives that lead to personal growth and development and sometimes we need a helping hand in making this change. Counselling and psychotherapy can support you, in any area of your life that you may be struggling with or with feelings of anxiety, depression, grief, trauma, anger or stress. It can also help you through major life transitions such as motherhood, a change in living situations or in relationships. By guiding you to reconnect with your authentic self, your values and identity. Improving your confidence and self-worth.  Psychotherapy and counselling are closely linked, however counselling will often focus on the problems and parts of ourselves that we are already aware of. Psychotherapy will go deeper, uncovering things that may be hidden to us or that we are not consciously aware of.  My approach to therapy is a non-clinical and therapeutic approach. My aim is to help decrease negative stigma surrounding mental health and normalising it within our society. We all have mental health and it is our responsibility to care for it, just as we care for our physical health. I also believe in mental health education and I share information, strategies and techniques on how we can best care for our mental health and well-being, through my client work, workshops and in the articles I write. I offer my clients a safe space to talk, to be heard and understood without judgement. Therapy is different for everyone as we are all unique with our own world view. However it often focuses on helping clients to resolve problems, understand their thought patterns, gain new perspectives, learn how to catch, challenge and change cognitive distortions, improve their self-worth and sense of self and build a toolkit full of positive coping mechanisms. Therapy offers you the opportunity to resolve, process and let go of pain and worries that you have been carrying. It helps you to live authentically and with purpose. Prioritise yourself as you are the most important person to you.

Toxic Positivity 4 years ago

Toxic Positivity

By  •  Health

Toxic positivity is the assumption, that despite a person’s emotional or mental pain or the difficult situation they may be in, they should only have a positive mindset and outlook. …
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It’s time to make time for YOU 4 years ago

It’s time to make time for YOU

By  •  Health

Happy International Women’s day ladies. 

Here’s to all the strong women that are looking after everyone else during the times we are in. 

But, today, I’m going to talk about …
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How to combat comfort food cravings 4 years ago

How to combat comfort food cravings

By  •  Health

For some people, cravings for certain types of food seem to arise when they are in a place emotionally, where they are vulnerable. 

It may happen consciously or unconsciously, but …
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Local family donates tablets to LUH after father overcomes ICU experience 4 years ago

Local family donates tablets to LUH after father overcomes ICU experience

By  •  Health

A very generous young Lifford woman and her family have raised €1,100 for The Friends of Letterkenny University Hospital cause.

The Friends of LUH committee wish to thank Rachel Doherty …
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BreastCheck routine screening to resume in Donegal 4 years ago

BreastCheck routine screening to resume in Donegal

BreastCheck routine screening is to resume at a reduced capacity in Donegal this week.

Invites are being sent out to eligible women for screening appointments dated from 08 March 2021.


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Three healthy recipes for a flipping good Pancake Tuesday feast 4 years ago

Three healthy recipes for a flipping good Pancake Tuesday feast

By  •  Food, Health

I have three Pancake Tuesday recipes coming at you today.

They range from the very simple, up to one that is for those who like to get all “Great British …
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Share the love and support LUH this Valentine’s Day 4 years ago

Share the love and support LUH this Valentine’s Day

A special fundraiser aims to raise support for The Friends of Letterkenny University Hospital this Valentine’s Day.

The ‘Rushe to Raise’ event challenges people to complete a virtual 5K wherever …
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Donegal students aim to put a stop to period stigma 4 years ago

Donegal students aim to put a stop to period stigma

A team of Transition Year students at Rosses Community School Dungloe are this year advancing a project called “Power of Periods”.

YSI Team leading the Power of Periods project at …
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Why you shouldn’t weigh yourself 4 years ago

Why you shouldn’t weigh yourself

By  •  Health

This is a follow on from last week’s blog on scale weight. 

I’ve had loads of messages from females saying that they were glad to see the article, but they …
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Christmas: You haven’t gained as much weight as you think 4 years ago

Christmas: You haven’t gained as much weight as you think

By  •  Fitness, Health

This past week, I ran a little experiment with myself to see just how much ‘weight’ I had actually gained from all the Christmas drinking and eating I had done. 


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Managing Stress and Anxiety: A course to build your own wellness toolbox 4 years ago

Managing Stress and Anxiety: A course to build your own wellness toolbox

By  •  Health, Life

Our next “Managing Stress and Anxiety; Your Guide to Well-being” will be taking place on Saturday 16th January, from 10am to 1pm via zoom.

The aim of the workshop is …
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Routine breast screening delayed due to pandemic 4 years ago

Routine breast screening delayed due to pandemic

Local BreastCheck services have been reduced due to the large number of Covid-19 cases in communities and pressure on hospitals.

The National Screening Service has revealed that routine screening will …
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Food for Thought: Minding our bodies and minds 4 years ago

Food for Thought: Minding our bodies and minds

Killybegs restaurant duo Garry and Mairead Anderson are going to be helping the nation eat well with feel-good food as they feature on RTE’s Operation Transformation.

The health programme returns …
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The 10K a day challenge! 4 years ago

The 10K a day challenge!

By  •  Fitness, Health

This isn’t the post I thought I’d be writing as the first one of 2021, but here we are again. 

Yes, we are back in Lockdown. 

No, it is not …
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Prioritising your wellbeing in 2021 4 years ago

Prioritising your wellbeing in 2021

By  •  Health, Life

The past 12 months have been like no other in living memory and it is important that we take a compassionate look at our self-development and mental health in 2021.


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How to plan 2021 the right way 4 years ago

How to plan 2021 the right way

By  •  Fitness, Health

January is just around the corner, and 2021 is fast approaching.How are you planning to start the New Year?

2020 didn’t go as we may have planned, but that doesn’t …
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Could you manage the 12 rounds of Christmas? 4 years ago

Could you manage the 12 rounds of Christmas?

By  •  Health

It is officially the season to be jolly. 

All the Grinches, Scrooges and Bah Humbuggers can suck it up, because Santa Claus brought his cheer to town!

Maybe I came …
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The unseen impact of having a baby in a pandemic 4 years ago

The unseen impact of having a baby in a pandemic

By  •  Health

Having a new baby during Covid-19 is not an ideal situation for any mother. Feelings of loneliness and isolation that some mums feel as they transition into the role of …
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Sugar and Spice: Four delicious Christmas recipes 4 years ago

Sugar and Spice: Four delicious Christmas recipes

By  •  Health, Life

This week I am going to give you four Christmas themed recipes that you can use over the holiday period.

One is a starter, one is a side, one is …
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What to prepare for on your first day back at the gym 4 years ago

What to prepare for on your first day back at the gym

By  •  Fitness, Health

Today saw the welcome reopening of gyms and fitness facilities across Donegal.

My own gym Rushe Fitness here in Letterkenny opened at 6am and we had our 1st full day …
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Donegal speakers to deliver free wellbeing talks online 4 years ago

Donegal speakers to deliver free wellbeing talks online

Donegal County Council has teamed up with Mental Health Ireland to host a series of talks on the Five Ways to Wellbeing during tough times.

These online talks, as …
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You better watch out… for the 5 Christmas coffees with the highest calories 4 years ago

You better watch out… for the 5 Christmas coffees with the highest calories

One thing that is very popular at this time of year is the Christmas themed coffees. 

These usually are coffees at all and are Christmas flavoured Hot Chocolates that people …
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Scenic photo to snap up vital funds for breast cancer research 4 years ago

Scenic photo to snap up vital funds for breast cancer research

A stunning photo of Glenveagh National Park is set to be the sole item for auction at this year’s virtual North West Breast Cancer Charity Ball.

The 11th annual North …
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How to look and feel your best this Christmas 4 years ago

How to look and feel your best this Christmas

The goal for most, at this time of year is to get in shape for the Christmas party season. 

While the party season may not be happening this year, that …
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Anger over mother’s delayed cancer diagnosis at Letterkenny Hospital 4 years ago

Anger over mother’s delayed cancer diagnosis at Letterkenny Hospital

By  •  Health

Three more cases of delayed cancer diagnosis have been reported at Letterkenny University Hospital.

It brings to a total of 41 the number of cases of late diagnosis at the …
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BreastCheck restart date confirmed as 5,110 Donegal women wait for tests 4 years ago

BreastCheck restart date confirmed as 5,110 Donegal women wait for tests

By  •  Health

BreastCheck screening services are to resume in Donegal next week, it has been confirmed.

There are 5,110 women waiting for screening in Donegal since the programme was suspended in March …
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3 daily tips to help grow your confidence 4 years ago

3 daily tips to help grow your confidence

By  •  Health

Sometimes we view confidence as something that is so unattainable, but it isn’t really. Confidence can be learned, it is a habit that we can reinforce by repeating certain actions …
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Watch: Donegal mum opens up about shock MS diagnosis 4 years ago

Watch: Donegal mum opens up about shock MS diagnosis

By  •  Health, Life

Life has changed a lot recently for Donegal mum and teacher Maggie Green, but this month she is focusing on helping others in a special way.

Maggie is encouraging people …
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BreastCheck programme to resume next week 4 years ago

BreastCheck programme to resume next week

By  •  Health

The HSE’s breast screening programme will resume on Tuesday 27th October, it has been confirmed.

The screening programme was paused seven months ago due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

BreastCheck units …
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Why this is the right time to set a new health routine 4 years ago

Why this is the right time to set a new health routine

By  •  Health

We are all back in uncertain times. 

Yet again we are back in a situation where so many of us are out of work and confined to our homes.

We …
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Women and partners ‘still waiting’ for maternity visiting rights 4 years ago

Women and partners ‘still waiting’ for maternity visiting rights

By  •  Health, Mammy

The Government is being called on to ensure Covid-19 restrictions are adjusted to allow partners to be present in delivery rooms and during scans.

Visitor restrictions are varied across Irish …
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One in four women had ‘fair to poor’ maternity experience in Letterkenny – Report 4 years ago

One in four women had ‘fair to poor’ maternity experience in Letterkenny – Report

By  •  Health

A new report has ranked Letterkenny University Hospital in joint-last place for maternity experiences.

The first National Maternity Experience Survey, published today, found that 26% of women had a ‘fair or …
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Demand for HSE’s breastfeeding experts rises due to pandemic 4 years ago

Demand for HSE’s breastfeeding experts rises due to pandemic

By  •  Health, Mammy

Parents of newborns in 2020 have been turning to online experts for guidance on breastfeeding.

The HSE’s recorded a 57% increase in demand for their ‘Ask Our Breastfeeding Expert’ online …
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Why it is important to celebrate your small wins 4 years ago

Why it is important to celebrate your small wins

By  •  Health

So many of us can go through the day completely disqualifying any positives that may have happened. We don’t always recognise what we have accomplished and if we do, we …
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Boost your confidence by showing yourself some self-compassion 4 years ago

Boost your confidence by showing yourself some self-compassion

By  •  Health

We all have that annoying, negative voice in our heads. The voice that criticises, doubts and generally puts you down. Destroying your confidence and feeding your anxiety.

Sometimes we …
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It’s Love Donegal Day! 4 years ago

It’s Love Donegal Day!

By  •  Health, Life

Today sees the return of the #LoveDonegal day campaign to showcase Donegal to a worldwide audience.

Taking part is easy and all you have to do is include the hashtag …
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Good news for expecting parents as maternity visiting hours change at Letterkenny Hospital 4 years ago

Good news for expecting parents as maternity visiting hours change at Letterkenny Hospital

By  •  Health

New visiting times have been introduced at Letterkenny University Hospital to allow birth partners to visit the maternity ward after a baby has been delivered.

From Monday 31st August, the …
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Meet Karen! 4 years ago

Meet Karen!

By  •  Health

Each year I usually to do a post about ‘Jenny’.

Around certain times of year, ‘Jenny’ seems to voice her opinion about what people do in their health and fitness …
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Serious failures with gynae services in Letterkenny uncovered in damning report 4 years ago

Serious failures with gynae services in Letterkenny uncovered in damning report

By  •  Health

A REVIEW into gynaecological services at Letterkenny University Hospital has delivered a damning verdict.

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The top 5 reasons you are not losing weight 4 years ago

The top 5 reasons you are not losing weight

By  •  Health

Weight loss isn’t always easy.

The premise of it is easy.  Create a calorie deficit and you will lose weight.

The execution of this, however, doesn’t always go according to …
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Meet the young couple facing cancer in style 4 years ago

Meet the young couple facing cancer in style

A young Donegal man and his wife are giving the middle finger to cancer with their punchy accessories company.

Luke Skinnader (aged 28) from Ramelton and Amelia Page (31) from …
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Three reasons to surround yourself with positive people 4 years ago

Three reasons to surround yourself with positive people

By  •  Health

The people who you spend the most time with can influence or change your mood and how you view yourself and your abilities.

When you are surrounded by positive people …
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Five high protein breakfast recipes 4 years ago

Five high protein breakfast recipes

By  •  Health

Breakfast doesn’t have to be difficult, especially when you are trying to get your morning protein in.

One question that I get most from our Rushe Fitness members, ALWAYS …
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Mental Strength 4 years ago

Mental Strength

By  •  Health

We still live in a society that somewhat values the “get up and at it” and “pull yourself together” mentality.

For years, anyone who was living with depression, anxiety or …
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Seven habits for success 4 years ago

Seven habits for success

By  •  Health

Building new habits into your daily routine is a great way to help you to get success with your goals.

Usually it takes anywhere between 14-28 days for something …
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Re-entry anxiety: How to adjust to life after lockdown 4 years ago

Re-entry anxiety: How to adjust to life after lockdown

By  •  Health

The lockdown cloud is slowly starting to lift and whilst some of us are eager to feel a sense of normality again in our lives, the prospect of a ‘new …
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Welcome news as Cervical screening resumes in July 4 years ago

Welcome news as Cervical screening resumes in July

By  •  Health

CervicalCheck screening tests are set to resume in early July.

The HSE is planning to begin testing from 6th July as it works on the backlog of suspended tests due …
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Three ways to boost your confidence 4 years ago

Three ways to boost your confidence

By  •  Health

Self-confidence is about trusting your abilities, qualities and judgment.

When you believe in yourself, you’ll be more willing to try new things. Whether you apply for a promotion or sign …
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Men’s Mental Health: What you can do to support a loved one 4 years ago

Men’s Mental Health: What you can do to support a loved one

By  •  Health

International Men’s Health Week runs each year from June 15th to 21st.

This year’s theme is ‘Restoring the Balance’ and everyone is asked to ‘part of the solution’ and do …
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Gráinne Gallanagh launches Colour Dash Family 5k 5 years ago

Gráinne Gallanagh launches Colour Dash Family 5k

By  •  Health, News

The Dancing With The Stars finalist from Donegal, who returned to work as a nurse, has backed the new venture, which is sponsored by Aldi Ireland.

The new event replaces …
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