JustCounselling

 “I’m a spring leaf trembling in anticipation”.”Just like moons and like suns, With the certainty of tides, Just like hopes springing high, Still I’ll rise”. Quotes by the renaissance woman, artist, author, social activist, professor, director and film-maker. Ms Maya Angelou.

Photo by @Rose Robertson, 2025.

Variations of blue.

Viktor Frankl was born in Vienna (26.03.1905). He was a holocaust survivor and an eminent psychiatrist and neurologist. He founded logotherapy, the “Third Viennese School of Psychotherapy”. He died on September 2, 1997, aged 92.  Man’s Search for Meaning was named one of the 10 most influential books in the US. Viktor Frankl’s books have achieved over 16 million copies in sales to date and had been translated into 50 languages.

“We must never forget that we may also find meaning in life even when confronted with a hopeless

situation, when facing a fate that cannot be changed. For what then matters is to bear witness to the

uniquely human potential at its best, which is to transform a personal tragedy into a triumph, to turn

one’s predicament into a human achievement. When we are no longer able to change a situation-just

think of an incurable disease such as inoperable cancer-we are challenged to change ourselves”.

Viktor E. Frankl

• On Choice: “Everything can be taken from a person but one thing: the last of human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances”.
• On Suffering: “In some way, suffering ceases to be suffering at the moment it finds a meaning, such as the meaning of a sacrifice”.
• On Life’s Question: “We needed to stop asking about the meaning of life, and instead to think of ourselves as those who were being questioned by life—daily and hourly”.
• On Purpose: “The more one forgets himself—by giving himself to a cause to serve or another person to love—the more human he is and the more he actualizes himself”.
• On Action: “Life ultimately means taking the responsibility to find the right answer to its problems and to fulfill the tasks which it constantly sets for each individual”.
• On Love: “The truth—that love is the ultimate and highest goal to which man can aspire”.

Photo by @ESR March 2026

Reaching the pinnacle and appreciating the perspectives! 🙂

Pioneered by Carter G Woodson

Noted Luminaries born in February include Audre Lord – An American writer, feminist and civil rights activist. Langston Hughes, an Americann writer, poet and political activist. The Greensboro Four: Franklion McCain, Jibreel Khazan (Ezell Blair Jr), and Joseph McNeil sat at the “Whites only” counter and sat in peaceful protest against segregation and started a movement across the South. More students joined in and they boycotted the lunch counters which powerfully impacted the economic profits which led to a downturn.The protest began on the 1st of February in 1960 in North Carolina, it took four years to pass legislation which were enacted which banned segregation in public spaces. The Civil Rights Act 1964. This law made it illegal to discriminate against people of colour in schools, hospitals, and access to work or work spaces amongst others. I highly recommend the books of David Olusoga, an incredible historian, author and broadcaster. The reference for these names are in his book “Black History For Everyday of The Year”. Published in 2024.

“When we see ourselves as we truly are and accept ourselves, we build the necessary foundation for self-love”. Bell Hooks.

“Love is a combination of care, commitment, knowledge, responsibility, respect and trust”. 

“Love is an action, never simply a feeling”.

“One of the best guides to how to be self-loving is to give ourselves the love we are often dreaming about receiving from others. There was a time when I felt lousy about my over-forty body, saw myself as too fat, too this, or too that. Yet I fantasized about finding a lover who would give me the gift of being loved as I am. It is silly, isn’t it, that I would dream of someone else offering to me the acceptance and affirmation I was withholding from myself. This was a moment when the maxim “You can never love anybody if you are unable to love yourself” made clear sense. And I add, “Do not expect to receive the love from someone else you do not give yourself.”
― Bell Hooks, All About Love: New Visions

Memories of Bukit Batok Park@Rose Robertson photo, 2023.

Photo by @Rose Robertson 2023 in Singapore Bukit Timah.

“If you are irritated by every rub, how will your mirror be polished”. by Rumi, 13th century Persian poet of wisdom.

I heard this beautifiul quote by Anita Rani (broadcster)as I was listening to Pause for thought today on “The Scott Mills show “on Radio 2. It was a gentle reminder that powerful fears of failing can be an opportunity if we choose bravery. Failure can sometimes hold us back from a life of adventure. Our inner dialogue can sometimes bind us and trap us from fulfilling our potential. The language may originate from a person or event, painful experiences, memories or significant adversities.

Change is possible if there is a willingness to ask for some support. We can be curious about it.

The gentle reminder here is that you are human, our growth and self-knowledge can arise from mistakes. The thoughts do not define you, you are not alone and you are worthy of love and care. I am here and I am open to listening. Take care. Rose

Ida B. Wells was born on 16th of July 1862 in Holly Springs Mississippi, she went to her rest on the 25th of March 1931 in Chicago, Illinois. She was a celebrated social activist, teacher, speaker, editor and part-owner of a newspaper called “Free Speech”. She was a courageous woman. She risked her life to challenge systematic racism and document lynching through interviews and collected statistics in the American South. She travelled to London and Newcastle touring and reporting on what she had witnessed and experienced. She was an anti-lynching campaigner and published many stories on what she had seen. An advocate and pioneer, she will be always remembered.

Jay Shetty shared this beautiful quote from Muhammed Ali.

“The service you do for others is the rent you pay for your room here on Earth”. I wonder if you have any special gifts or skills that you can share to help any organisations that have a need, it would be a beautiful thing to share them. Is there a neighbour that may not be able to go out much, can you check in or send a note to let them know that they matter.

If you enjoy singing for example or creating, would it be possible to offer a small moment of your time once a month, not only will it enhance the life of others but also research has shown that it increases feelings of gratitude and self-esteem.

Around two-thirds of volunteers (68%) agreed their volunteering had helped them feel less isolated (Figure 43). This was highest among 18–24 year-olds (77% agree) and 25–34 year-olds (76%). Previous research in this area has focused on the impact volunteering can have on reducing loneliness and isolation among older people.

Over three-quarters of volunteers (77%) reported that volunteering improved their mental health and wellbeing. This benefit was more widespread than physical health benefits (53%).