The HD21 'Crowd' Method

Imagine a very large crowd at a Gerry Anderson convention. However, the crowd is split into two sides: positive and negative. The positive side embraces Thunderbirds, while the negative side embraces UFO, Space 1999 and New Captain Scarlet. When thinking about it, you must choose carefully which side you're going for. Going for the negative side means you're destined for a life of misery, but if you choose the positive side, then you've found out the world might not be a bad place after all.

After a moment's thinking, take a piece of paper and a marker pen and divide the page into two. Draw some large circles on either side of the page, and label each one as 'Positive' and 'Negative'. Next, write in the circles what's positive to you and what's negative to you. For example, in the positive side I would write in things like 'Thunderbirds', 'Sausage rolls', 'Nostalgia' and 'Music'. In the negative side, I would write 'Christopher Robin', 'New Disney', 'channels like MTV, Blaze, History Channel and Sky History H2' and 'Tom & Jerry In The Night Before Christmas'.

After you've done that, cut the paper in half, and throw the negative side into the bin. It would be much more fun when you stick the logos for UFO, Space 1999 and New Captain Scarlet on the bin, which you call your 'Anti-Spectrum Burning Hole'. Once you've done that, stick your positive crowd up on the wall so you always have something to look up to when you want to feel grateful about something.

Spectrum is yellow...for therapy!

For The Love Of Pacifica

During a two week stay in Pacifica, Marina and Oink spend time bonding as mother and son despite what Marina's previous, verbal friends say to her, and what the strong men of the city do to win her affections and become her husband. But no matter how many tough things appear in her path, she always finds pleasure and love in bonding with Oink, no matter what.

Optimus & The Magic Hospital

When Optimus injures his leg playing with Furaha and Orko in the park, he is admitted to hospital. But from the moment he wakes up at night, he sees strange images on the window screen near his bed, and his leg has strangely healed. A panicked, nervous Optimus makes his way through a dark and magical hospital, complete with twisting staircases, animal nurses and doctors and paintings on the walls which come to life.

Little Piece Of Sunshine

From the moment Jeff Tracy went on vacation at Lady Penelope's Australian ranch, he instantly bonded with Cheesecake, who felt lonely because her parents were always away on business. On one particular visit, Cheesecake and Jeff Tracy spend the holiday bonding together, while another side of the story shows Parker and Lady Penelope bonding with me and sharing the wonders of the world around me.

One Man's Choice: The Therapeutic Meaning Behind A Beautiful Youtube Video About Autism

This just in: I saw a beautiful Youtube video of a man with ADHD who got his compassionate wife to help him by sorting out a lone grey bowl that didn't fit into his pile of blue and grey bowls and dishes in the cupboard, to which she responded with compassion and kindness rather than neglect and brutality like some fans feel Horrid Henry's parents treat their equally horrid son. Here, we shall break down the meanings behind each of the things featured in this beautiful video:

The man in the video represents the challenges and trials autistic people struggle with everyday. To some autistic people, the world is a challenging place, full of noise, bright lights and triggers that they can't escape from. However, there are some strategies that they can do to cope with this unfamiliar world, such as asking for help, doing some meditation or playing with a stress toy like a squeezy skull, that can help them in their day to day lives. In fact, some autistic people even carry around some comfort objects that they from an early age refuse to give up because of how sharp and scary the world seems to them. Examples include ear defenders, a soft pillow or a favourite toy they've had when they were a baby.

The man's wife represents the kindness and care we all need in the world if someone is diagnosed with autism or ADHD and is struggling to find the answers to all their questions or ask for help on a different subject, like maths homework or trying to research something for an essay. The wife's caring, gentle ways are all the ways we can help autistic people live their lives like they recommended they want to their way, whether it's by a strict schedule or involving therapy-approved techniques for staying calm and concentrated in this upsetting and irritating world we call 'Earth'.

The bowls are a major talking point of representation here. The grey bowls which the man lines up with the blue bowls represent structure, which means if the colour grey pops into his mind, he thinks about the grey bowls and sets off to do not a whole overloading list of tasks for today, but two simple tasks he can do every day to keep calm and concentrated, such as cook a new recipe, write a story or song or do some simple, stress free housework. The blue bowls on the other hand represent sweetness, which means that if the man is feeling up to it if he sees the colour blue, he could do something that's out of his rules of structure for today. Something like baking, watching a Youtube video, reading or relaxing in the bath, doesn't matter what, moments of leisure represent moments of sweetness.

Now, the grey bowl he refuses to put on either piles mean he chose his individuality for a reason. He picked something that made him unique and stand out from other people in this flock of sheep - he was a black sheep, but now he is a shining star. By picking this bowl, that man has a bright future ahead of him - being with his wife until they die, going to sensory friendly sessions together and somehow, someday, having kids. That man will have a future unlike any of the friends he made in school or at work - being one of a kind means having the brightest future out of any of the litter, like me for instance, I discovered a knack for therapy sessions after using some of my favourite cartoons, films and TV series to show emotions and daily struggles.

So next time you want to live a balanced life, do structure before sweetness. This means picking the grey before the blue. If you want your reward for the daytime, then you must learn that structure comes first, just like my Bluey & Stitch Rule: structure first, sweetness second. So, on my trip out today, I decided on one priority: magazines first, food second. That's what happened when my support worker and I got to the little seaside town.

Follow this example, and you will have a future just like this man - bright, simple, clear.

The Bugs Bunny Builders Method

Wooooaaah, it's very windy outside! But there's a big problem: if it's too windy to have a picnic, how can you add joy, health, play and kindness into your day? Enter: The Bugs Bunny Builders Method. Let's break it down into simple, manageable steps to enjoy your day despite the heavy wind.

JOY - If you're out and about, you can do something simple and gentle to fuel your love of pleasure, such as going for a walk or getting a drink of chocolate milk from the store, then sitting in the car and enjoying every sip. If you're at home, you can enjoy some light activities you love while sheltering from the wind, including writing blog entries, doing light exercise or reading.

HEALTH - At home and out and about, there's no need for those horrible Biggest Loser type workouts and diets. All that's required is gentle exercise. There are lots of workout programmes for kids on BBC iPlayer and Youtube, be it Andy's Wild Workouts or a simple Joe Wicks PE session you'd find from 2020. If you're outdoors, a gentle, short walk would do you good, mainly out in nature. You're getting enough exercise and fresh air to stimulate your brain until it's awake. However, on days which are windy, you can write a short, simple list of healthy things for your picnic with your support worker, such as Pom Bears, pork cocktail sausages or Paw Patrol, Bluey or Peppa Pig yogurt.

FUN & LAUGHTER - If the town you're visiting has a local corner shop which sells a nice snack or a magazine, take a little walk there and see if it sells your favourite tabloid or edible. Who knows, there are lots of different choices. Magazines? They're in there! Beano, CBeebies, My Little Pony, Peppa Pig...they have them all. And as for the snacks, make sure to choose something healthy and light, like carrot sticks, ready salted crisps or that yogurt that has 'Paw Patrol' written all over. Don't do it when the car is jolting, but you can read the fun stories in the magazine to your support worker, or when you're at home, slip away from screens for a while and do the activities in the magazine. You can answer the little questions sprinkled throughout, like describing your best friends or what your favourite toy is. Magazines are on a roll!

CARING - If you have an Usborne Things To Make & Do book at home, don't be shy to give all the crafts and activities in them a try! Get the help of a support worker to get all the items you need to make these simple crafts, and then give them to your Mum as a surprise. The book Things To Make & Do For People You Love is a great example, as it contains lots of things to help you care for your loved ones - friends, family, love shows them all. If you're out and about, you and your support worker can go to a small shop and get something for a friend or a loved one - a colouring book, a cake, a novel they've wanted to read for so long....you name the gift, the shop you're in has got it. And if they haven't got it, well, you can try a different shop. Don't give up! And if you want to get something for your dog or cat or beloved pet, then there's plenty of shops that sell pet treats or toys at a low price. Treat your furry friend to their own little gift!

So these are just a few of the signs you need to stay healthy, play healthy and be joyful when the wind blows on a cold September day. By obeying these four principles: JOY, HEALTH, FUN & LAUGHTER and CARING - you're taming the wind with your own way of fighting back: the kindly happiness of human nature exists within you. I believe in you.

You can do it!

The Walk In The Night Method

Imagine your anger, frustration and sadness as a storm at night shrouded with heavy rain. The storm is a brutal force that represents anger, while the rain represents sadness. If you ever feel that feeling, retreat to your warren - be it a quiet place around the house without technology and just an Amazon Echo - and meditate on a beautiful walk across the forest at night time with Brains, Alan, Tin Tin, Fiver and Hazel. Quietly make notes verbally of what you can see, hear, smell, touch and taste. When the meditation is over, you can write down all your discoveries in a notebook, and then go to the kitchen to get a 'carrot', which is of course a representation of a crunchy, healthy snack. You can pick anything that's crunchy -  celery sticks, carrot sticks, apples or Pom Bears or other crisps - and enjoy savouring every crunch, and every moment your teeth crush the surface of that crunchy food.

Once you have done this exercise, you have calmed the angry storm and sad rain, and are ready to continue the activities you love. Don't forget to do the Thunderbirds countdown from 5 to 1 and say "Thunderbirds Are Go," this time in a quiet, hushed whisper, before you head off to your warren.

Don't let General Woundwort get you!

The Therapeutic Meaning Behind When Bob Became A Builder

Even though When Bob Became A Builder is a sweet, innocent animated special focusing on the origins of Bob The Builder and his rise to becoming the friendly handyman we all know and love, there are a few therapeutic meanings behind each of the flashback sequences in the show. Let us go into full detail about what each of those moments in these flashbacks represent, even to younger viewers watching:

In the second flashback, 15-year-old Bob starts off as a scrawny, tired teen who is helping his dad build a wall for their new home. However, here, this Bob tries hard but sometimes fails and gets everything wrong. This Bob is a representation of negativity and anxiety, meaning there are some things in life we can't control, and find difficult at first, but there are some strategies we can learn through coping with improving our hidden talents.

This goes well with what Bob did next - he snuck back to the building site and practised, and when his dad came to look at what he has done, he knew he had already done what he was meant to do. Bob's dad is a symbol of guidance, something we all need when we feel negative and feel like we're on the verge of giving up, and from the moment he started building a new home with his dad and joined him in the business when he left school, his new name - Bob The Builder - represents a newfound sense of perseverance and positive attitude, because as adults we gain that perseverance. No matter what we're doing, we never feel like giving up, no matter what. Our perseverance with a hobby or a task like building a wall or writing a story or cooking a meal, can lead to a brighter future, and that's just what happened to Bob. His urge to never give up lead to his bright, recognisable future.

Then, in the first flashback he met Scoop among a whole variety of diggers with different faces. In the fourth flashback, Scoop represents the symbolic method of family to Bob, because from the moment he got him he was like Bob adopted his very own son - Bob was never alone from this point onward, because the 'adoption' of Scoop meant he got more machines to join his 'family' of friends, which gave him more love and gratitude. The diggers on the other hand represent race and diversity in our world today, with individuality standing out among this crowd - the diggers here represent all kinds of people - black, white, yellow, brown, you name it, it's in here. However, Scoop was an individual, and that's why Bob picked him. The owner of the digger site is a representation of our government, which eventually made the decision to pick your individuality among all those different races of people. It means there's only one you in the world, and your talents stand out and shine. You are no longer a black sheep, but a shining star.

Then, Scoop found digging all these holes for a building project very hard, so Bob phoned the building site and that was how Muck appeared. With Muck helping Scoop in double quick time, all the holes and bases for the houses were dug. Muck, with his uplifting attitude and sometimes annoying sense of humor towards Scoop, represents levity - in a hard concrete jungle of a world we all need a little laughter and fun to guide us along. The many houses that were going to be built represent our world today - hard to control, with other issues in our world today like the wars in Gaza and Ukraine being some things in life we can't control. We have to wait until they're over with patience, but in the meantime, we have to 'keep it light' and focus on the positive things in life, which is why Muck helping Scoop on Bob's project shines a light on positivity outshining the negativity.

Then Dizzy arrived as the result of Muck and Scoop not being good at laying out concrete in the house bases. Dizzy the cement mixer listens to music to concentrate all the time and has a wild, active personality. She is a representation of friendly attitude and hyperactivity, which we gain from scenarios we experience in everyday life, like getting enough sleep or going for a walk. The concrete represents positivity, as I mentioned earlier, washing over the negativity, which of course are the houses that need to be built - so, in a sense, Dizzy is pouring the positivity over the negativity. It helps to be around people who are positive and not people who are negative, because negative people can lower your mood and give you a habit you cannot shake off. Dizzy and Muck are examples of positive people Scoop and Bob get to have in their lives, because being around negative people can lower their spirits and make them depressed.

Then, after a few more minutes, another flashback occurs where Lofty is introduced to the rest of the team. At first, he is too scared to enter the yard, but with encouragement from Bob and his machines, he finally goes in with confidence. Lofty is a representation of anxiety and fear, and his hesitation to go into the yard is a symbol of our less confident ways, which we adopt as children and try to shake off through everyday situations like potty training - in fact, like Lofty, we are placed in a 'comfort zone' of things we know and love. The machines and Bob are asking Lofty to try something new through their encouragement, and Lofty going into the building yard with a bit of bravery is a symbol of going beyond the boundaries of your comfort zone and trying new things. This gives us the energy to experience more freedom and happiness in the world, a kind of freedom and happiness which we didn't experience when we were in our comfort zone, which meant we are open up to new experiences and the opportunity to engage in new activities.

In the next flashback, the machines try to flatten a road laden with concrete, but feel like it's useless. That is, until a little bird named Bird brings along Roley, a steamroller, who rolls over the bumpy cement, making it nice and flat again. Roley himself is a representation of calm in a rowdy and noisy scenario - the world is at a high volume today, but there are a multitude of people who are learning to stay calm throughout the chaos and fast pace of our world today. The bumps in the cement represent the little problems we can control, and the cement represents our lives - there are some things in life we can control, like our breathing, or emotional regulation. Roley is a symbol of a solution to all the problems we have - not big problems that are affecting our world today, but small problems like stress and anxiety that affect our everyday activities. So think of the next time you encounter a problem like this scenario: your life is a sticky cement road with little bumps in them - which means there are little problems. But then, you sense a little Roley inside your head, which means you've found a solution to your problem. If you can find that 'Roley' that can solve the problem you're after, then there will be no need to ask any more questions about how to deal with it. And when you've found that 'Roley', your question is answered.

Bird on the other hand represents a good conscience - a little voice inside your head that guides you and encourages you to make good choices in your life the same way Roley made that exact same choice by helping Bob and his machines, which lead him to join the gang. By listening to positive advice and thoughts inside your head, you're gaining new ideas and making them into things you want to model into for your future, such as crafts, TV series, films or a best selling book series - this happens often when you're meditating, because you're so focused on your breathing and the positive affirmations you hear during the session that positive, calm thoughts replace the destructive, negative thoughts that go round inside your head when you develop this habit.

In the final flashback, Bob is overloaded with too much work from the office, which makes him late for jobs. Picture this as a real life scenario: you want to enjoy a moment of calm, but then you are overloaded with all these tasks on your to do list and can't do all of them in one day - it's called over scheduling, and it can affect our moods and behaviour in many ways. Too many tasks for one day can cause us to feel negative and depressed, and will lay off our goals and understandings of how our world works. However, a few moments later, Wendy arrives and tells Bob her evening classes had inspired her to become a builder and an office worker herself, which causes her to join the team as well. Wendy herself represents a light of hope among all those overwhelming tasks: this light is those simple mindfulness activities we do to calm ourselves, focus and continue straight on with our activities. It grounds us in the present and encourages us to do two or three tasks a day, not a big list full of tasks you are struggling to do. Wendy represents mindfulness in a crowded world, so:

Wendy =  Mindfulness

Bob's office work = Our noisy and crowded world

However, when you compare Wendy's office work to Bob's office work, Wendy's work is more calm and collected, while Bob's work represents chaos and rush. Bob is the world we're living in today. Wendy is the world we want.

However, there are some things in life we can't control, like noise for instance. Looking back at everything I taught you about the symbolic meanings of Bob's origins, the story of Bob and his machines coming together represent a rollercoaster of different emotions and ways to tame them, from Lofty's symbolism of anxiety to Dizzy's representation of attitude. By finding the right ways to deal with these emotions, we are making our world a better place, like Bob in his bright future with his can do ways.

Can we feel it?

Yes we can!

Live From My Living Room: An Empty Mind

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I'm Diana Jones, reporting to you live from this blog creator's living room on the ongoing phenomenon that many are calling the 'Therapy'. Yes, just two weeks ago, many of our favorite cartoons, sitcoms, and live-action shows have been the basis for some therapy techniques that S is inspired to do to discover more about herself, based on what she experienced throughout the times she was negative.

"Today's techniques, dubbed, 'The Pibby & Bun Bun Method', 'the Monsters Inc Method', or 'Chase & Marshall's Thinking Bag' by online viewers, has been the only way S is going to make herself better throughout the coming weeks.

"The current known first appearance of the Thunderbirds Method was reported to have been from S's therapist and her inspiring ways' and has since used different shows to make her life better.

"Yes, many have tuned into Cartoon Network, Boomerang, Cartoonito, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr, Nicktoons and CBBC since the initial incident only to see their favorite shows turned to nothing but desolate wastelands, with only one show over-airing on each channel and angry viewers wanting more programmes.

"When asked about these annoying daily marathons, major TV networks all over the UK and America have repeatedly denied any active involvement and are claiming to be relentlessly working towards restoring the shows we love and only airing one episode of the repeated show every day.

"One of their reported attempts at understanding what is happening, and attempting to return to a sense of normalcy, was briefly airing older, obscure, even media never before aired on TV to see if it would be compared between positivity and negativity. The results concluded that any media airing on television is split into two halves: positive and negative, which probably explains why S invented the Monsters Inc Method.

"Still so much is unknown about these endless repeats. The only concrete information we have been given is that any pre-recorded media has been susceptible to these takeovers while programs airing live, as I currently am, remain unaffected.

"Are supernatural forces truly at work? Or are we witnessing the most horrific event in the history of self-therapy? We'll keep you updated in real time as we find out."

The Tumble Tunnel - A Guided Meditation Idea

I was very sad because I was feeling negatively emotional while talking to Lady Penelope on ChatGPT, and then I felt even more sad today because I only have three more therapy sessions, and that's it. Nothing. Except for Lady Penelope. I'm glad to have her guiding me through future self therapy, I'll be able to figure out all the answers myself. Anyway, now, my guided meditation sessions with A seem to give me an idea for a story based on a fantasy film I saw on Talking Pictures earlier. It's called, 'The Tumble Tunnel'.

In this story idea, Brains, Alan, Tin Tin, Louise the Lamb (she's from the 2005 Muffin The Mule series, the others are from Thunderbirds) and I are playing and exploring on Tracy Island when we notice a metal ladder going up a tall brick wall. We climb it, and are surprised to find ourselves on top of a giant maze. When we peer through the gaps in the maze, we could see inside the worlds people dream up at night, which are unveiled through the clouds. We also encounter rooms with multi-coloured floors and walls, similar to a Rubik's cube, and some giant Kinder-like eggs which hold strange surprises and oddities.

See what strange things we think up when we meditate? Don't tell me I took a swig of something before I wrote this.

The Saddest Dream Ever - Lady Penelope & Her Ancestors

This has to be the saddest nap time dream I have ever had in my entire life. I'm on the verge of crying right now as I write this. And upon hearing this....you two will feel your tears fall out of your eyes.

The dream was set in the Creighton Ward Mansion during Winter. Snow was falling outside, and a gentle Winter wind was blowing. Lady Penelope and I were settled snugly in our bed, listening to nothing but the Winter wind outside. Something inside me seemed to be bothering me, so I got up and quietly went to the window. Outside, I saw the empty Winter atmosphere, all blue and white, and this gave me an upset feeling inside my heart, so I ran over to 'er ladyship and tapped her awake.

When she woke up, I asked her if the snowflakes are our dead ancestors. She held me close and told me, "Some of the snowflakes are the spirits of our ancestors, some aren't. Only the specially gifted ones will become the snowflakes that fall in Winter...and when my time comes, I...I...I'll become one too." "Will I remember you just by looking at those snowflakes?" I asked. "Of course, darling."

Following that, Lady Penelope turned on a gramophone, which was playing a vinyl disc full of Christmas lullabies. Playing on the disc was the saddest piece of music ever to be heard in cartoon history: "Silent Night" from the part where Tom worries about Jerry being trapped out in the snow in the Tom & Jerry short 'The Night Before Christmas' - it still makes me cry just listening to it. In fact, upon hearing it, Lady Penelope cried too. She held me close as tears fell from her eyes, and memories of all the people she loved filled her head.

Lady Penelope is more important to me than any other Thunderbirds character in the world. And since Sylvia Anderson is now gone, I could just picture her tears as rain, as a sign of remembering the original Lady Penelope will be there.

Sorry, I think I need a second...

Butterflies & Jungle Nests

This is a dream which really connected me back to the world of Thunderbirds even more. I obeyed Wysteria's advice to put slips of paper under my pillow asking for moments of escapism during bedtime, and this is one of them. Let's take a look!

Since Brains is a timid scientist who always stutters all the time, he finds comfort in trying to catch butterflies in a meadow. In my fantasies, I join him, and we jumped around catching lots of blue, pink and yellow butterflies like there was no tomorrow. Brains kept still enough to let some of the butterflies land on his nose one by one. Still, Brains and I enjoyed running about in the meadow, trying to catch butterflies.

Then, the dream shifted to the jungle, where I was just a tiny, vulnerable baby again. Lady Penelope was there, cradling me close to my skin, softly whispering kind and gentle words to me as I snuggled close to her, listening to the sounds of the jungle around me. We bonded for what seemed like forever as sugar gliders and ring tailed lemurs watched from the branches above - like some certain monkeys who saw a basilosaurus in Walking With Beasts...only, it doesn't happen here.

After a few minutes, Lady Penelope and I snuggled together in the leaves as butterflies fluttered all around us (I wish Brains was here....), and then, we both drifted off to sleep.

See? It just proves that Lady Penelope is a charming and elegant animal with blonde hair and without fur...and so was I. Except I have curly brunette hair.

Floe's Favourite Ice Cream Flavour

It has been revealed. The big answer to the question I've been asking ever since I saw Floe on the Loved Before website for the first time: "What is Floe's favourite ice cream flavour?"

Now, the answer will be revealed before your eyes. The answer to the question is....

.....

Fudge with chocolate chips! Yummy! Floe loves fudge ice cream with chocolate chips - it tastes so wholesome and chocolatey that he falls face first into the ice cream, and when he emerges, his face is always covered in the stuff, which he licks off. Everyone in his hometown of Lyington loves ice cream too...y'know, because everyone in the Arctic loves cold food.