The human brain is divided into two halves or hemispheres with each hemisphere being responsible for certain functions. Although they can sometimes seem as though they work independently of each other, they in fact, do work together and are bound by a bridge of fibers called the corpus callosum. Today's post will look at some of the different functions that each side tends to be responsible for: Left brain: Logic . This is the side of our brain that likes sequences, tends t

Dr. Phil has a saying that he learned from his father: "You can spend 5 % of your time talking about what a raw deal you got and 95 % of the time talking about what you are going to do about it." This quote appeals to me as it focuses on movement. Very often, if we reverse the statistic, we spend too much time in the poor me cycle and not enough time doing something about the circumstances of life that affect us. We do; however, need to feel the 5 %. Sometimes we rush to a

I love this passage by Gary Zukav. It is a lovely reminder that our lives serve a divine purpose; one that may not always be clear to us but is present nonetheless: “Eventually, you will come to understand that love heals everything, and love is all there is. The journey may take many lifetimes, but you will complete it. It is impossible not to complete it. It is not a question of if but of when. Every situation you create serves this purpose. Every experience you encounter s

For the longest time it was easier to take a day of rest in our week. Stores were closed on Sundays, there was no such thing as "online" and we got 3 channels on the TV. The pace was slower and we focused more on family time and our imaginations. In an article entitled "A Day of Rest: 12 Scientific Reasons it Works" by Rhett Power and featured on Inc. , Power focuses on the science behind a day of rest. Three points that resonated: " Time out gives you a chance to move. R

Anger can be an intense emotion. It can sometimes get the better of us and we may say or do something we later regret. Here are a few things about anger that can help us to understand this complex emotion: Anger tends to isolate us . No one pokes an angry bear, right? Anger is an emotion that serves a function. It is often our frustrated or angry feelings that prompt movement. Working towards righting a wrong can help us not only in processing the anger, but in affirming tha

To lose our memory; our executive function and our ability to one day dress ourselves is a frightening prospect. It is a grief-filled process for both the person with dementia and their loved ones who experience loss in their journey of caregiving. This lovely poem came to my attention: Maybe - Author Unknown When I wander don’t tell me to come and sit down. Wander with me. It may be because I am hungry, thirsty, need the toilet. Or maybe I just need to stretch my legs. When

I came across this lovely poem reminding us to keep the faith when things feel heavy: Don't Quit - John Greenleaf Whittier When things go wrong as they sometimes will, When the road you're trudging seems all up hill, When the funds are low and the debts are high And you want to smile, but you have to sigh, When care is pressing you down a bit, Rest if you must, but don't you quit. Life is strange with its twists and turns As every one of us sometimes learns And many a failure

Ever hear (or say) these kinds of comments? "This old thing? I got it real cheap on sale." "Thanks but I could have done better." "Oh it was nothing, took me no time at all." "I'd look even better if I was 10 pounds thinner." Sometimes receiving a compliment can feel uncomfortable or awkward. Perhaps we don't like being the center of attention, perhaps we learned somewhere along the way that to receive a compliment led to being conceited, perhaps no one ever taught us ho

At the beginning of Anne Lamott's book "Hallelujah Anyway: Rediscovering Mercy," she has a poem written by Naomi Shihab Nye that is entitled Famous; Famous The river is famous to the fish. The loud voice is famous to silence, which knew it would inherit the earth before anybody said so. The cat sleeping on the fence is famous to the birds watching him from the birdhouse. The tear is famous, briefly, to the cheek. The idea you carry close to your bosom is famous to your bosom

I have always liked this little quote by Winnie the Pooh and Piglet: "What day is it?" "Today" said Piglet. "Ah," said Pooh, "my favourite day." -Winnie the Pooh We all too often think about our week, our month, what is coming up in the year to come. We fret about what happened yesterday and can get caught up in past events. It may be a natural part of the way we process the world as our past informs us and our future motivates us; nonetheless, it is important to also recogn

I recently read this statement: "Action is the antidote for anxiety." One of the key features of an anxious brain is avoidance; our survival brains are wired to flee danger, to be fearful of what could hurt us. We are grateful for this fear response when a car comes into our lane, when we are standing too close to a cliff edge, when it is pitch dark and we can't see what is behind us. When we worry, we are fearful. It truly is that simple. When you think about any current or

It is often a well-intentioned notion that after a significant break up, we spend some time alone. At least 6 months to a year, relationship free. Well-intentioned, as we need time to heal, and yet difficult to achieve. Landing instead into another relationship fairly quickly, getting right back into the dating world, re-establishing connections with past partners. If you are engaging in any type of relationship/intimate behaviours, you are not alone. It is difficult becaus

There are times when we need to tell someone how we feel. It may not always be the most comfortable conversation, but it is one of the ways that we can honour our own needs in relationship. The "I" statement is a way that we can deliver a message more effectively; it shifts the direction away from blame and instead focuses on how the behaviour or choice of another has made you feel. Examples: "When you consistently show up late for our plans, it makes me feel disrespected."

I came across this quote: "Fortitude...…it means fixity of purpose. It means endurance. It means having the strength to live with what constrains you." - Hilary Mantel Fixity of purpose - what an interesting phrase. It lends us to believe that we have some control over our ability to find strength. Perhaps that process happens slowly, with both time and attention paid to getting through what challenges us. A "one day at a time" type deal, where we gather both strength and cou

Emotions will create action urges; we are often compelled to a behaviour based on the way we are feeling. In order to make a sound decision, we allow logic and reasoning to inform our emotions; a concept known as Wise Mind. Every so often in therapy, I meet clients who rely too much on their logic and they tend to ascribe to black and white thinking. They see things a certain way, and that's that. No amount of trying to bring their attention to another perspective sways them;

Fake it until you make it; this is often a concept we explore in therapy when someone comes in feeling depressed. Depression likes to both isolate and kill effort and sometimes we have to just do things anyway . Accept the invitation, get up and take a shower, walk to the store to pick up a few things. This strategy; however, can be used other times too. Sometimes we want to change an old habit or create a new one; we realize that we are engaging in poor choices, or leaning

Whenever an article comes along about nature, it piques my interest. Not only from a professional perspective, but a personal one as well. I like to say that I do my best thinking when I am walking through the woods. In "Nature's Role in Mental Illness: Prevention or Treatment" by Susan McQuillan and featured on Psychology Today , we read about how researchers at the University of Utah conducted a systematic review of research papers in order to examine the overall effects o

I am reminded by Morgan Harper Nichols that faith in what is to be is an important part of the growing process: “The sun is still shining, the wind is still blowing, and out in the wild you are growing. Days may go by without change you can feel, but what's happening here is most certainly real: You are becoming what you were meant to become out in the wild in the arms of the sun.” ― Morgan Harper Nichols, Storyteller: 100 Poem Letters On days when we experience doubt, let th

People generally come into therapy because they have an issue that has become too big for them. Once an understanding through exploration has been reached, the next step is usually acceptance, and then change. Some people welcome change and they leap into the process; for others the movement is slower, with smaller, more cautious steps. At times, there is resistance; generated perhaps by core beliefs , perhaps by fear, perhaps by engrained patterning or rigid thinking. The t

Sometimes we don't care because we are depressed. Other times, it can come from an inability to properly access feelings or from rigid thinking. It can also be created as a protective layer due to childhood emotional neglect. We see it as a side effect to addiction. In any case, what results is an air of indifference; leaving those in relationship feeling dismissed or disrespected. What is the cost to indifference in a relationship? For the person who is indifferent - isolat