The Wisdom of Winnie the Pooh

‘When you are a Bear of Very Little Brain you find sometimes that a thing which seemed very thing -ish inside you is quite different when it gets out into the open and has other people looking at it’

A.A Milne

What a lovely line. It’s simple, honest, and quietly profound, as only Winnie the Pooh can convey. AA Milne was a deeply perceptive observer of human behaviour, and the emotional undercurrents that shape each of us. Beneath Pooh’s gentle charm, we often find a character who is anxious, prone to overthinking, and perhaps even showing signs of ADHD and OCD. Yet, here he is describing something many of us know all too well: how thoughts can live inside us, as vague and ominous ‘things ish’, getting heavier the longer they stay hidden and unspoken.

For many of us it can be hard to reach out for help. Maybe you are used to being completely self-reliant. Maybe there is some shame around your thoughts. Perhaps you were raised to believe you should ‘keep ‘things’ in the family. But over time, the weight of the ‘thing’ can start to hold you back from living the life you want.

That’s where therapy can help.

A counsellor will help you look at the ‘thing ish’ They will let you talk about thoughts and feelings that you might have struggled to understand or even find language for. But they won’t rush you. They’ll sit with you, allowing you to find the words in your own time, without judgement, but always with curiosity and care. Sometimes just having someone with you in that space, is enough to begin a shift.

Being really seen and heard is powerful. And often, the ‘thing’ that once felt so sharp and immovable, maybe begins to soften, simply because you’re no longer carrying it alone.

As Pooh also says ‘You can’t stay in your corner of the Forest waiting for others to come to you. Sometimes you have to go to them.’

Perhaps we should let the Bear of Very Little Brain, but a great deal of heart and compassion, have the last word. After all the little guy is 100 years young next year…….

Written by Lynne McAllister, The Counselling Foundation Grief Counsellor