Empowering Counselling Services in Waterloo, Kitchener, and All of Ontario
It may seem that being overwhelmed is just a given. You're up to your eyeballs in dirty diapers and wet burp clothes. You can't remember the last time you had more than a few hours of rest. What even is breakfast? You run on a steady stream of coffee and fistfuls of cheerios. When you …
Continue reading "Postpartum Anxiety and Feelings of Overwhelm"
Living with someone who is suffering from a mental health problem can be challenging to say the least. Whether the individual is formally diagnosed or you’re noticing a shift in their moods, the ripple effect it has on the home is significant. One in five people are living with a mental health struggle, and with …
Relationships are tested all the time when life throws curve balls. As much as we'd love for a new family member to bring us closer together, having a baby can actually worsen the sense of an unhappy relationship. Working in perinatal mental health, I hear a lot of parents talking about their relationship dissatisfaction. I …
When it comes to some challenging relationships, we all recognize that miscommunications and frustration seem endless. It feels like every conversation hits a roadblocks, and both you and the other person walk away feeling hurt, pissed off, and unheard. So how do we work through these blocks so that we can improve our relationship with …
Continue reading "Using validation to improve your relationship"
What would your life be like if you had control over your attention or thoughts? How could you shift your behaviours if you became aware of when your emotions started to take a downward shift? What would happen if you could become more present with your environment or the people around you? Mindfulness is the …
Many times in life we come across a problem that we cannot fix right away. During these times, therapists encourage a fancy term called "distress tolerance". But what exactly does this term mean? Distress tolerance is all about handling a stressful moment without making matters worse. Let's say you're expecting to have a difficult conversation …
Here is a quick DBT skill to help with your anxiety. Give it a try and see how it stops your panic attacks quickly! One of my favourite teachings from Dialectical Behaviour Therapy is the temperature exercise. This skill is based off of the “mammalian dive reflex”. Basically, if you jump into a pool of …
Continue reading "How to stop panic attacks: A quick strategy to help you calm down"