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Pink Corner

sarah barr


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.

Minding yourself through grief this Christmas 3 years ago

Minding yourself through grief this Christmas

By  •  Health

Any special occasion, like Christmas or any ‘first’ can be so difficult when you are bereaved, with each occasion such as a birthday, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day or Christmas bringing …
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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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Knowing Yourself

By  •  Life

We can spend a lot of time worrying about our relationships with other people and what they think of us. Yet one of the most important relationships in our lives …
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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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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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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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Could it be burnout? 4 years ago

Could it be burnout?

By  •  News

If you are feeling constantly stressed you might also be feeling helpless, disillusioned, and completely exhausted and on the road to burnout.

What is burnout? Burnout is a state of …
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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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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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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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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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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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Post-lockdown anxiety: What happens now? 4 years ago

Post-lockdown anxiety: What happens now?

By  •  Health

If you live with an anxiety disorder, or if you have experienced anxiety for the first time due to the pandemic, there are things you can do to help you …
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Don’t Be So Hard on Yourself: How to help boost your self-worth 4 years ago

Don’t Be So Hard on Yourself: How to help boost your self-worth

By  •  Health

When it comes to your self-worth, only one opinion really matters — your own.

Yet we should be very gentle with ourselves as we tend to be our own worst …
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Caring for yourself and your family during lockdown 4 years ago

Caring for yourself and your family during lockdown

By  •  Health, Kids

The coronavirus outbreak has affected our daily lives. It can be a big adjustment, as we create a new routine at home, with home-schooling and working from home. Tensions might …
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Living through isolation 5 years ago

Living through isolation

By  •  Health

This is a really challenging time for everyone. We have our good days, and our not so good days. Many people will be feeling lonely, isolated and disconnected from the …
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5 ways to create a new routine for your wellness at this time 5 years ago

5 ways to create a new routine for your wellness at this time

By  •  Health

Without a routine, our life can feel stressful and unpredictable. If you have a mental health condition, this unpredictability and lack of structure can cause you extra stress, worry, as …
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15 wellness tips for self-isolation 5 years ago

15 wellness tips for self-isolation

By  •  Health

The main focus at the minute with my clients, myself, my friends, my family and probably the majority of people is how can we care for our emotional and mental …
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How to create a vision board 5 years ago

How to create a vision board

By  •  Health

I love vision boards, for me they’re an opportunity to think about what you would like in your life, big or small. They are one of the best visualisation tools.


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5 ways to bring positivity into your life 5 years ago

5 ways to bring positivity into your life

By  •  Health

Being positive will impact your life in so many ways. Your relationships with others will improve as people are drawn to positive people and your stress levels will decrease helping …
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Facing social anxiety 5 years ago

Facing social anxiety

By  •  Health

Social anxiety, put simply, is the fear of social situations.

Living with social anxiety can be frustrating and overwhelming. Your mind is constantly jumping to the worst case scenario. …
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Managing your negative thoughts 5 years ago

Managing your negative thoughts

By  •  Health

Negative thoughts can spontaneously pop into our heads, sometimes in an intrusive and critical way.

It can happen whilst you’re having a coffee with a friend. When suddenly a negative …
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Saying No 5 years ago

Saying No

By  •  Health

Why is it so difficult to say “no”?

Having people think negatively of you is the ultimate rejection. This is a reason many people find it difficult to say “no”. …
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Your future is not defined by your Leaving Cert results 5 years ago

Your future is not defined by your Leaving Cert results

By  •  Health

If you received your Leaving Cert results today, please do not let them dictate your future and the person who you are.

I cried when I received mine, and not …
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Tidy House = Tidy Mind? 5 years ago

Tidy House = Tidy Mind?

By  •  Health

The benefits of a tidy and organised home are obvious.

Cleaning can be an outlet for energy and negative emotions. Removing dust, dirt and clutter from our environment provides you …
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Why ‘Me’ time is a necessity, not a luxury 5 years ago

Why ‘Me’ time is a necessity, not a luxury

By  •  Health

Life can be hectic, chaotic, noisy…

It is so easy to feel overwhelmed by it all, no matter who you are or what your social media feed or stories say.


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5 ways to manage social anxiety this summer 5 years ago

5 ways to manage social anxiety this summer

By  •  Health

Social anxiety can impact on people in different ways. Some people will find that all social situations are stressful, while others will only feel the fear when they have to …
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How you can help care for a new mum 5 years ago

How you can help care for a new mum

By  •  Health

Statistics often say one thing about postpartum mood disorders and social media says another. Many new mums feel like they can’t identify with the happy messages being shared on social …
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Identity: Learning to like who you are 5 years ago

Identity: Learning to like who you are

By  •  Health

Your self-talk is one of the major factors in helping to shape your identity.

Studies show that self-talk can improve your memory, confidence and focus.

Show yourself some kindness


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Motherhood Unplugged – Why we need Maternal Mental Health Day 6 years ago

Motherhood Unplugged – Why we need Maternal Mental Health Day

By  •  Health, Mammy

Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week starts April 29th – May 3rd. Maternal Mental Health Day is May 1st.

As many as 1 in 5 mothers experience some type of perinatal …
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Taking the first step into counselling 6 years ago

Taking the first step into counselling

By  •  Health

Visiting a counsellor for the first time is incredibly daunting and it can be really difficult. Many people will often think about making that first appointment for months before they …
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Have you seen my confidence? 6 years ago

Have you seen my confidence?

By  •  Health

Confidence is something that (mostly) everyone will struggle with, at least once in their lives. Whether it is your confidence in work, in college, as a mum, as a …
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Why social anxiety is more than just being shy 6 years ago

Why social anxiety is more than just being shy

By  •  Health

Social anxiety is more than just being shy.

• Social anxiety is all-consuming, slowly stealing your confidence and identity.

It is making you feel lost, unsure of …
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Don’t forget to love yourself this Valentine’s Day 6 years ago

Don’t forget to love yourself this Valentine’s Day

By  •  Health, Life

Valentine’s Day puts the emphasis on love for someone special in your life.

Yet YOU are the most important person in your life.

Why not make this day about loving yourself?


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Naming Your Anxiety 6 years ago

Naming Your Anxiety

By  •  Health

Whether you get physical panic attacks or mental mayhem, heart palpitations or cognitive chaos. If you feel isolated or watched,  terrified of a crowd or of interacting with one person …
Read More

Caring for yourself this New Year 6 years ago

Caring for yourself this New Year

By  •  Health

Living with a mental illness this time of year can be hard. There is so much pressure pouring in from social media, society etc to “start over” or change how …
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How to create new positive habits 6 years ago

How to create new positive habits

By  •  Health

Habits, we all have them, good ones and bad ones.

Firstly let’s define habits. Habits are the small decisions you make and actions you perform every day. According to research …
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Motherhood and Me 6 years ago

Motherhood and Me

By  •  Health, Mammy

Being a mum in today’s world is no easy task, as amazing as it is, it is hard. With all the ‘normal’ duties of motherhood, mums today also have to …
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5 ways to manage social anxiety 6 years ago

5 ways to manage social anxiety

By  •  Health

Anxiety is a part of everyday life for many people. Yet you may be completely unaware, as so many people put in a lot of energy and time in hiding …
Read More

How counselling can help treat Obsessive Compulsive Disorder 6 years ago

How counselling can help treat Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

By  •  Health

What is OCD?

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is a mental illness that creates negative thoughts. These thoughts lead you to believe that if you do not carry out a certain …
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5 signs you are suffering from workplace burnout 6 years ago

5 signs you are suffering from workplace burnout

By  •  Health

Working in a stressful, high-pressured or demanding job can negatively impact on your mental health. This, coupled with issues at home, arranging child care throughout the summer holidays …
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Are you stressed? 6 years ago

Are you stressed?

By  •  Health

We all know how important self-care is for our mind and body. However it is very difficult to practice self-care if we are stressed and do not recognise that we …
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How to calm your anxious thoughts 6 years ago

How to calm your anxious thoughts

By  •  Health

We all have anxious thoughts from time to time but sometimes these thoughts can be all we think about. They are intrusive, frightening, repetitive and hard to stop.

It …
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Let’s start the conversation Donegal Mammies – World Maternal Mental Health Day 7 years ago

Let’s start the conversation Donegal Mammies – World Maternal Mental Health Day

By  •  Health

Today is World Maternal Mental Health Day, May is Maternal Mental Health Month.

This is a serious health matter, that needs more awareness and acceptance. We need to be …
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How to stop letting other people control how you feel 7 years ago

How to stop letting other people control how you feel

By  •  Health

By personalising other people’s negative thoughts or opinions we are allowing them to control how we feel.

Q. So how can we stop this?

A. By changing the way we …
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Labels – For Jars or People? 7 years ago

Labels – For Jars or People?

By  •  Health

We grow up with labels that are used to define us. These labels can be attached by other people and even by ourself at times. Society, family, social media, work …
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5 ways to deal with rejection when feeling anxious 7 years ago

5 ways to deal with rejection when feeling anxious

By  •  Health

Rejection is hard for most people. Since childhood, we have looked for acceptance from our friends in school to our parents at home. Sometimes doing whatever we can and …
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Be kind to yourself 7 years ago

Be kind to yourself

By  •  Health

“You will never speak to anyone more than you speak to yourself in your head, be kind to yourself”

When we are living with low self-esteem, it …
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Don’t think about the Pink Elephant 7 years ago

Don’t think about the Pink Elephant

By  •  Health

Let’s do a thought experiment:

  • Close your eyes.
  • Imagine a pink elephant
  • What shade of pink is it?
  • Is it happy/sad/indifferent?
  • Think about the pink elephant for 60 …
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