Darling’s Jas Matulewicz chats to Emma Barton

Emma Barton Sweet as Honey

Darling’s Jas Matulewicz finds out how the EastEnders and Strictly star fell in love with Surrey, beat the lockdown blues, and learned to take it easy

What’s your favourite You were great on thing about living in Strictly last year. Have Surrey? you kept up your

The village community. dancing? It’s got even stronger with I loved dancing, but I everything that’s been haven’t got plans to do going on with coronavirus. any more. Though if During lockdown, it was someone drops out of so nice to have time to this current series, I’m appreciate where I live happy to step in! Strictly and what I have on my is up there with some of doorstep. A lot of actors go the best things I’ve ever into London to be close to done. It lived up to all the theatres, but I wouldn’t expectations, and I never move. There are so many thought I’d be able to do great places to eat near me so many pivots! – The Hambledon Stores have amazing homemade Anything exciting sausage rolls. My favourite planned for the future? restaurants are The Ivy, As long as I’ve got a bit Guildford, and I love Italian of hope, a bit of health, food, so I recommend A and a bit of happiness, Casa Cobham. I’m okay. I don’t plan too far ahead. I go back How has lockdown to filming as Honey affected your work as an Mitchell in EastEnders actress? for the first time since It was quite a shock because November. They’re not I was meant to go back to cutting any corners with filming EastEnders the week the stories, but we’re they announced lockdown. taking extra care for the Suddenly everything whole team’s safety. My stopped, and I wasn’t ready daughter on EastEnders for that. It really affected has Down’s syndrome, so me, but then I joined Home Emma Barton with QEF staff and clients at the new when I was approached Festival Fun, which was Care and Rehabilitation Centre by the Queen Elizabeth’s created by Karen Hauer Foundation, it did pull on and Oti Mabuse, so, in the end, I did get to my heartstrings. If I can support them, they can perform, because I was the resident bedtime continue to support adults and children with story reader! disabilities. n

Help Is At Hand

The pressure of family life in and out of lockdown – how do we cope? Asks therapist Emma Parr

It is impossible not to look at life through the lens of COVID -19 at this time, it colours everything for everyone in so many ways. For those who are feeling vulnerable - pregnant mothers, those families with young babies and those with underlying conditions - it is an anxious time.

Initially we had clear boundaries to follow, knowing what we could and could not do in no uncertain terms. The lack of choice and narrowing of our worlds was for many very uncomfortable. For those with babies and young children a huge challenge particularly if both parents were working. Being so stuck in one place externally can however challenge our internal world to expand and explore our reality, often on an unconscious level.

As we start to emerge from full lockdown there is now an opportunity to look at how we survived it: • As a mother with a baby, or young children what was it like to have to stay at home? • How do you cope in stressful environments? • Do you turn to food for comfort, or perhaps criticise everything you do and end up feeling like the worst mother in the world? • Do you slip back into patterns of behaviour that although familiar and comfortable you know do not serve you? • How would it feel to be resilient in these changing times and be able to choose healthy coping mechanisms?

A disease like COVID-19 brings ‘dis-ease’. Can we challenge ourselves to seek consciously the lessons this has brought to us? Psychosynthesis therapy brings the opportunity to explore our own awareness at times of change. n

Emma Parr is an experienced therapist who works with individuals covering a range of issues, but specialises in mothers and babies. MA. MBACP, PG Dip Couns. DBS Certificate.

emma@emmaparr.net | emmaparr.net

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