We often disregard the importance of how our home and surroundings impact our emotional health. When we are feeling blue, we will often look to the circumstances of our life; what is happening in our work, relationships, and the interpersonal situations that those may bring us. We may attribute some of our struggles with lack of exercise or improper diet, or how busy or sedentary we are. Although all of these do have the capacity to influence our emotional health, so do our s

When we catch ourselves in negative or unhelpful thought, it isn't always that easy to "just think positively." It can sometimes lend itself to feeling inauthentic, as we strive to align with something we are struggling to feel. What happens to us however is that what we attend to we bring to our experience. If we attend to the crummy weather forecast, for example, we run the risk of setting ourselves up for feeling blue if it isn't what we hoped for. If we attend to judgem

I came across this little quote by April Green : that's the beautiful thing about self love - you wear it like a dress and it becomes more and more exquisite with time. When we afford the same love and care to ourselves that we afford to others, we begin to wear it. People can see it in our smile, in our mannerisms, in our nature. What we feel within, shines outside of us. Make sure you write yourself a love note today :) Photo credit: https://unsplash.com/@guillealvarez

We all have our moments when we adamantly believe that we are right. It may lean into our values, our morals, or because "it's always been done that way." Our convictions are a valuable part of us, they help to define who we are and often govern how we see the world. The significance of our opinions are often driven by our emotions, but where do our thoughts fit in? If we lean into our opinions with adamant rigidity, we risk falling down into the rabbit hole of judgement; so

We are all at times perplexed by the question of "What is my purpose?" It seems big; it feels like somehow it should be attached to something obvious. We are also led to believe that once we have discovered our purpose, complete and ultimate fulfillment and meaning will be ours. Perhaps purpose isn't fixed . Perhaps it isn't meant to be so obvious. Perhaps we find it in all different stages of our lives, perhaps it is in the every day. Perhaps it is how we choose to live.

The 14th Dalai Lama and spiritual leader of Tibet has said: "When you think everything is someone else's fault, you will suffer a lot. When you realize that everything springs only from yourself , you will learn both peace and joy." - Dalai Lama How many times are we quick to perceive that someone or something is to blame for our misfortune? How many times are we quick to make a judgement about someone else, especially in our perception of that person in relation to us? How

I have come to really appreciate the work of Morgan Harper Nichols: Because no matter the amount of times you have felt lost in a sea of a thousand things to do, in a range of roles and responsibilities and the many ways that others see you, all along you have still been you. You have been blooming everyday, and no amount of feeling unnoticed can pull you away from this truth. -Morgan Harper Nichols There are times in life when we may feel unappreciated; perhaps in the busy

We can all struggle sometimes in making decisions. Sometimes this comes from our experiences growing up; being overprotected for example, can lead us to not feeling secure in our decision making skills. Perhaps we had a controlling parent who made our decisions for us; perhaps we had to make too many decisions as a child and it left us feeling uncomfortable with the process as an adult. In our every day life we are faced with many choices, to varying degrees. Sometimes, we m

Ever met someone who likes to blame the world for their troubles? Who often attributes luck as a contributing factor in their lives? Someone who tends to chase happiness; looking for that one thing that is going to make them feel satisfied? You may be interacting with someone with an external locus of control . We know that when we have an overall sense of control over our lives, we have an increased sense of well-being; we have an influence over the direction of our lives.

That is always a question that clients wrestle with at times. As a Registered Psychotherapist, I am not qualified to diagnose, yet I am able to recognize symptoms that are often indicative of an underlying mental illness. It is part of my job to suggest to the client the option of referral to a psychologist or psychiatrist for diagnosis as a potential part of their treatment plan. Getting diagnosed for some clients is validating; they finally have a name to what they have be

In an article entitled, "Give Your Body a Boost -- With Laughter" and featured on WedMD, author R. Morgan Griffin writes about the physiological benefits of laughter: We change physiologically when we laugh. We stretch muscles throughout our face and body, our pulse and blood pressure go up, and we breathe faster, sending more oxygen to our tissues. When laughing, blood vessels expand and contract more easily. Using humour may raise the level of infection-fighting antibodie

I came across this quote the other day: Never fall for a heart that doesn't beat as loudly as you do for it. - perry poetry I suppose we all, to some degree, have let this happen. It may have been in an intimate relationship, a friendship, or even a colleague at work. In any context, in order for a relationship to be healthy, reciprocity is an essential ingredient . Of course, there are times when we may carry the weight of the relationship, and we do so lovingly and with un

We all know what it feels like when we are overwhelmed. There are some days where our emotions get the best of us and our rational brain doesn't have much room in our decision making. Imagine then, what it feels like for children; when their already emotional space gets flooded, their every frustration building with the crescendo of a crashing wave. Here are 5 tips to help with the meltdowns; Be the calm . Matching their emotions with a bigger version will only increase the

Dr. Will Cole is an American functional-medicine expert who specializes in the underlying factors that cause chronic disease, autoimmune conditions, and the like. In a podcast episode I was listening to, he made two very enlightening comments about our intention to heal. He noted that: "You can't heal a body you hate." "You can't shame your way to wellness." Isn't it so true that when we think about our bodies or our appearance, we often focus on the things we don't like? We

The short answer? A lot. One of the biggest communication traps we can get ourselves into is that of bad timing. Communicating how we feel or what we need isn't always easy. There are a lot of variables to consider: recognizing what our need or feeling is, deciding whether or not we want to bring it to someone's attention, how we are going to bring it up, who is on the receiving end of that conversation and whether or not it is going to be understood. We also need to conside

Sometimes we forget that we can be important to others in subtle ways. I resonated with this little poem: You might think that you don't matter in this world, but because of you, someone has a favourite mug to drink their tea out of that you bought them. Someone hears a song on the radio and it reminds them of you. Someone has read a book you recommended to them and gotten lost in its pages. Someone's remembered a joke you told them and smiled to themselves on the bus. Nev

Yesterday we explored the phases of anger; if our goal becomes to be able to use anger to our advantage, and stay "above the line," the first step is in acknowledging that our anger habits are in fact habits . We learn about anger and how to process it from our experiences growing up and we often inherit learned behaviour from our caregivers. If for example, you had a parent who had a "0 to 60" temper, you might also have developed the same tendency. It is important to note

Anger can have a bad rap. One look at an angry face and it can elicit a whole mix of emotions; everything from fear to helplessness to defensiveness. But anger really is meant to be a useful emotion to us; one that can motivate us to bring about change, one that can help us feel relief, one that aids us in processing more complicated emotions. When anger is in our control, we can put it to good use; however as soon as we cross the line; anger no longer works for us in positiv

When we think about the longevity and sustainability of relationships, two factors play a big role: Compatibility. Do you share the same type of values with your partner? Are you similar in how you like to spend your time? Enjoy a lot of the same activities? Are you in agreement as to how to discipline children? Do you share a semblance of work ethic and ambition? Although we can certainly appreciate the differences that two people bring to a relationship, and can work with

In psychology, we have a term called perceptual narrowing. Essentially, it is our tendency to narrow our intentional focus when we begin to feel worried or panicked about something. It is why we will often get stuck in a rumination or worry. As a result of perceptual narrowing, we will often miss information that may be useful to us in looking at the situation more objectively. Perceptual narrowing tends to happen when we are stressed; we focus in on one thing as our heart r