Instagram story viewer> @moodlifterpt> Posts

Sarah Meharg

@moodlifterpt

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

After a hectic year I have been winding down in preparation for a holiday to Devon. When I return I want to make sure that my groups will reach the people that will benefit from them so please spread the word. I also have three rare openings for 1:1 slots. 2 on a Sunday available and 1 on a weekday. Of you think I might be a good fit for you get in touch for a free video consultation so you can get your preferred time.

#personaltrainer #occupationaltherapy #solihull #coventry #allesley @silverbackfitnesscov by @moodlifterpt

21

1

5 years ago

On Friday we presented at the North East Autism Society Acceptance Matters conference, talking about reasonable adjustments.

We’re hoping that, as part of our work this year, we can get funding to deliver self advocacy workshops, and what happened on Friday really reinforced our motivation to make this happen.

The chat and comments were filled with people whose needs have been overlooked, dismissed, denied, and in some cases mocked. At the end, Kerry Murphy said, “this shows that we are still a long way from equity.” Those words hurt, because she’s right. And equity isn’t just about access, it’s about belonging.

At the end of the day, we also had the privilege of Tristan (Stak Life) sharing his vulnerability about the suffering and loss he has experienced. That loss came from a lack of belonging and being othered.

One of the main determinants of mental health is connection.

Adjustments can easily become about process, but we are determined to bring it back to human belonging.

Image description: A simple text-based image with the quote, “Adjustments can easily become about process, but we are determined to bring it back to human belonging.” followed by “www.neuroflect.co.uk”.

#Neurodivergent #mentalhealth #autism #adhd #dyspraxia by @moodlifterpt

10

2

6 months ago

It’s almost a reasonable adjustment forgetting to inform me that My poster has been accepted into the OT shows poster zone. Come and say hi to Tony if you are here by @moodlifterpt

18

1

a year ago

When I talk about being neuroaffirmative, I’m talking about seeing people as whole — not broken — while compassionately recognising suffering and taking actions to alleviate it.

I recently saw a very heated debate on LinkedIn that pushed back against the term neuroaffirmative. It made me pause and question how my new project, Neuroflect, might be received, and whether I wanted to continue using the word if people are assuming it means being rigid or avoiding the goal of reducing suffering.

🦜 Here’s the thing: being flexible is essential to wellbeing, but neurodivergent people often have to show enormous flexibility every single day — in how they communicate, process the world, and make space for others’ comfort
🦜 Asking others to meet halfway isn’t being rigid. It’s being human
🦜 Compassion is about seeing suffering and taking action to reduce it — and that starts with curiosity
🦜 At MoodLifter, we hold a neuroaffirmative stance because it’s compassionate, it’s curious, and it recognises that people are already whole
🦜 I’m excited that my role at Neuroflect is to help create the space for us to have difficult discussions and to sit in the discomfort that allows us to be flexible and take actions that reduce suffering

Am I in a bubble- is affirming a term you have heard and what do you think of it?

If you’ve seen some of these same debates recently, I’d love to hear what neuroaffirmative means to you. by @moodlifterpt

2

0

a year ago

Sometimes the photos don’t tell the full story.
I’m smiling here on the train back from Utrecht slightly feverish, sweaty, and sitting backwards as there were no forward-facing seats to make the journey easier.

The smile is real though. It’s the reflection of a personal and professional risk I took. I challenged myself to go abroad to study, even knowing I wasn’t feeling well and that it would take a toll on me.

I could easily tell the story as “I wasted my time- why do these things happen” or “I didn’t look after my health enough.” But I’m choosing differently. I was there. I learned. I made the most of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be in the room.

In two months, I’m unlikely to remember the discomfort and if I do, it won’t be the heart of the story. What will stay with me is the connection, the insight, and the chance to notice how I work best, so I can carry that forward for myself and for my clients taken in Utrecht by @moodlifterpt

18

0

a year ago

The 1st half of this year has been unexpectedly tough. Moodlifter as a business is thriving and I was enjoying the balance of having my NHS role 2 days a week. After an intense two years of pouring energy into the development of other health professionals, 2025 is all about my own development. My original plan for for the year: resting for the first 6 weeks of the year, then shaping a MoodLifter relaunch in the spring. Then unexpectedly in Jan the NHS role I love was dismantled and defunded.

🦜 In the past, I would’ve gone quiet. Disconnected. Numbed it out.

This year’s been different. I’ve had the capacity to feel it, to notice the sadness and frustration, and to speak up when things haven’t felt right.

There was an impact on my mental health, I took a month off and allowed my expectations to be reduced when I returned to work.

🦜 This gave me the capacity not only to self-advocate, I’ve stepped into influencing culture, conversations, and policy wherever I can.

I’ve been honest about where I am and what support I need. I stayed boundaried with my time and as boundaried as I could be with my energy.

I was ready to leave the NHs completely and then I was offered a new two-day role with an Eating Disorder Service.

The act of simply being myself was recognised. My contribution mattered. People didn’t want to lose my skills.

🦜 As of this month, the first time in a decade, “Occupational Therapist” will be in my job title again.

But even when it hasn’t been there, my approach has always been shaped by OT values : seeing the person in context, understanding meaning and motivation, working holistically across systems. That’s where my impact has come from.

🦜 This new chapter is aligned with everything I value, looking at how physical and mental health are connected, honouring what matters to each person, and making care feel human again, even within stretched systems.

There’s been loss this year & also growth.

🦜 I’ll be sharing more soon about how I’m developing MoodLifter, and investing in my own learning and recovery, in ways that feel nourishing and sustainable.

#occupationaltherapy #Neurodivergent by @moodlifterpt

24

3

a year ago

Heatwave + medication = extra care needed

Certain medications can make it harder for your body to regulate temperature or stay hydrated. This includes:

🦜 Antipsychotics (like risperidone, olanzapine, quetiapine)
🦜 Stimulants (like methylphenidate or dexamfetamine)
🦜 Antidepressants (especially tricyclics and some SSRIs)
🦜 Diuretics, beta blockers, and meds affecting fluid balance
🦜 Some anti-epileptics and Parkinson’s medications

🔥 These can increase your risk of heatstroke or dehydration, especially during physical activity or when indoors without ventilation.

💧 If you’re on any of these meds:

🦜 Hydrate more than usual
🦜 Rest in cool, shaded or air-conditioned spaces
🦜 Check in with a pharmacist or GP if you feel unwell, confused, dizzy, or notice changes in your heat tolerance

💬 You know your body best. Heat can be draining for anyone but if your meds impact thermoregulation, it’s okay to do less and prioritise recovery.

#MedicationAwareness #NeurodivergentHealth #HotWeatherTips #MedicationAndHeat taken in Solihull by @moodlifterpt

4

0

a year ago

Do all your clients look like you, sound like you, or come from a similar background or life experience?

I was reflecting the other day on how lucky I feel to work with such a rich and diverse mix of clients—across gender, race, class, neurotype, and so much more.

And then it hit me…
It’s not luck.
It’s not an accident.
It’s intentional.

There are simple, tangible things we can do to make our work more inclusive + accessible.

And yes—I’m still learning. I don’t know everything. But I am committed to reflecting, unlearning, and doing better.

Here are a few things I actively do that help:

🦜 During consultations, I’m curious about different experiences of oppression. I don’t assume I understand someone’s story just because I’ve read a book or share one identity. I ask gently. I listen deeply.

🦜 I name my own limits. If I don’t know or understand something, I don’t fake it—I stay curious and compassionate.

🦜 I design my systems to be flexible + neurodivergent-friendly—offering different communication options, breaking down admin, and always saying: “You can ask questions or take your time.”

🦜 I invite feedback—not just at the end, but all the way through. I want people to know it’s safe to say, “this isn’t working for me.”

🦜 I reflect. On walks, in supervision, in still moments. On privilege, internalised bias, and where I need to grow.
And I also reflect on what is working—because noticing our strengths is part of the work too.

Inclusion and accessibility aren’t checkboxes.
They’re relational. Ongoing. Messy sometimes.
But deeply human.

If your caseload is full of people who look, think, or live like you—pause and ask why.
Then ask:
What could I shift or offer to make space for more people to show up fully as they are?

I’d love to hear from you—what helps you move towards more inclusive practice?

#inclusionmatters #accessiblepractice #neuroaffirmative #equityinhealthcare #occupationaltherapy #inclusivebusiness #neurodivergentaffirming #reflectivepractice taken in Solihull by @moodlifterpt

5

0

2 years ago

Does anyone else end a meeting by saying, “Now you’ve seen my face, you know who I am—reach out if needed”?

It kind of makes sense, but I don’t think I’ve ever actually heard it said before today.

For context, this was a meeting where I needed a couple of very straightforward, reasonable adjustments to attend. So, I filled out their health passport. It asked for some information, so I mentioned that I’m prosopagnosic (face blind) and tend to rely on context, voice, and posture to work out who someone is—only really getting a sense of their face for detail after about four meetings.

This was my first time meeting this person. And they ended the meeting with: “Now you’ve seen my face…”

What do we think? A well-intentioned sign-off?
Or just an example of how hard it is to step outside of our own ways of experiencing the world?
Or even worse, a passive aggressive response?

#accessibilitymatters #communication by @moodlifterpt

5

4

2 years ago

I never understood why people loved those long, descriptive passages about scenery or landscapes—the ones that go on for pages, painting vivid pictures of rolling hills, bustling cities, or candlelit rooms. For me, they were never an essential part of the story. I’d skim straight to the dialogue, where the real action happened.

It wasn’t until I discovered aphantasia (the inability to visualise) that it all made sense. While others were seeing these worlds in their minds, I was processing words as facts. The house was red. Okay, noted. But no mental image formed. Instead, I absorbed the story through emotions, character interactions, and structure rather than visual imagination.

Reading with aphantasia is different, but no less immersive. We might not see the story unfold, but we feel it in our own way.

(And yes, the pic is of my audiobooks—because reading isn’t just about words on a page!)

What’s your favourite part of a book—the descriptions, the dialogue, the emotions, or something else?

#WorldBookDay #Aphantasia #Neurodivergent #audiobookscount #reader by @moodlifterpt

1

0

2 years ago

“It’s home.”

Two simple words. But yesterday, they carried the weight of years.

A social worker who has known him for years heard them for the first time. She’s been alongside him through so much, but he had never said this before.

He’s a gestalt processor, meaning he communicates using whole phrases he’s heard before, often waiting for the right moment to use them.

Yesterday, that moment came.

I’ve been working alongside his support network to help them understand his experiences. And now, after all this time, he had the experience that fitted the words he’d been waiting to say.

“It’s home.”

🦜To have played even the smallest part in his sense of belonging is something I’ll hold onto for a long time.

#ItsHome #CommunicationMatters #GestaltLanguageProcessing #Neurodiversity #OTLife #smallwordsbigmeaning by @moodlifterpt

7

0

2 years ago

Todays my penultimate day of training trainers for the National Autism Programme. The programme was tasked with training 4000 NHS mental health professionals.
The celebration event was emotional, there were tears as we acknowledged why this programme was needed and tears hearing how it has empowered my colleagues to know they can make a difference.

The course has an ABC:

🦜Accept: over the past two years my acceptance of myself and of others has grown
I had made the decision not to plan what I would say when it came to my turn and to trust I would speak what was important to me. In the past I might have not planned but my head would have swirled with ideas with the anxiety of doing my colleagues justice and getting what I said right. I didn’t feel that this time.

🦜Belong: About 3 min before the even started I thought ooh better get a ted lasso quote just in case. Within 60 seconds of me doing this a colleague who I am lucky enough to consider a friend messaged me with “your going to quote Sudeikis aren’t you”, my reply back was a screen shot of my prep. The friends I have made who I have never met in person are outstanding.

🦜Connect: I am so so proud that at our celebration event it was confirmed that 5300 completed the training. When it was my turn to speak I talked about my favourite moment of the course is the moment I ask people to reflect on how they have used their learning in the last week. Always someone who has been holding back nervously comes on the mike and says “oh mines not as big a thing but I just”. Those I just made an autistic persons life better add up. If each participant only had one of those moments that’s 5300 lives saved or improved. If they each inspire just one colleague that’s 10600. The “I just” moments matter.

“I just” have so much hope for what that has achieved and couldn’t be prouder of every single person involved. (Including myself)

#autism #NATP @afnccf #NHS #neurodivergent #mentalhealth taken in Hampton in Arden by @moodlifterpt

12

4

2 years ago