SENSE I CONNECT I CREATE I GROW
If I asked you to tell me about our senses, what would you say? Probably most people would go for the big five: sight, smell, hearing, touch and taste. If you know a bit about sensory processing you might also know about what’s called our internal senses. Certainly when I trained I was taught there…
Depression is a word we are probably all familiar with. But do you really know what depression looks like? This post, in the middle of Winter in Nova Scotia, is written for these who want to understand depression more. We often think of depression as sadness. And yes, it certainly includes sadness. But there’s a…
This is the second of two posts taking a closer look at Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy or CBT is an evidence-based talking therapy used to treat mental health problems such as anxiety and depression. This post will look at some of the common myths and assumptions about CBT. A little secret: I never…
Last week I wrote a post about the many reasons why it can be hard for children to self-regulate. If you missed it, you can read it here. In a nutshell, being able to manage our thoughts and feelings so that we can stay calm and alert can be tricky. This is self-regulation and it’s…
Why won’t you just stop!? This is a question I think all parents ask at certain points. In these moments when your child appears to be out of control for no apparent reason. Or when their emotions seem to far outweigh the situation. When they seem to be making bad choices and won’t listen, or…
I want to share a really simple activity with you. Its simple, but it ticks lots of boxes for mental health and general wellbeing. Being in nature has been shown to reduce mental health symptoms, as well as the likelihood of mental health problems in the future. It has a whole host of other benefits…
Over the past few weeks we’ve been looking at self-harm. Self-harm is a behaviour associated with mental health that is rarely talked about, but is actually quite common. Rates of self-harm in teenagers range from 14-39%. There are a lot of misconceptions and mystery around this behaviour. In my first post we looked at why…
Self-harm is a behaviour associated with mental health that is rarely talked about, but is actually quite common. Rates of self-harm in teenagers range from 14-39%. There are a lot of misconceptions and mystery around this behaviour. In this series we are opening up the topic of self-harm in teens. Last week we explored some…
Today, and over the next few weeks, I want to tackle an important mental health issue most common with teens: self-harm. Self-harm is a behaviour associated with mental health that is rarely talked about, but is actually quite common. Rates of self-harm in teenagers range from 14-39%. There are a lot of misconceptions and mystery…
There is an exciting change afoot in the therapy world for autistic people. In fact, it’s a change brought about by autistic people who are advocating for themselves. And it’s definitely a movement I want to be a part of. It’s a significant move, away from seeing someone with autism as needing to fit into…
Nurture is a powerful behaviour. We often associate nurture with parenting but in essence it’s an action, that is potentially seen in all ages, within relationships. Nurture can have a positive impact on our mental health. This post will explore the potential for nurture in our own lives and the lives of these around us.…
After 2020 I think most of us are ready to wipe the slate clean and start again. And there is now some tangible hope for a better year. The vaccine is getting started, we are moving in the right direction. So this post is about starting as we mean to go on. New Years Resolutions.…
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy or CBT is an evidence-based talking therapy used to treat mental health problems such as anxiety and depression. We offer CBT at Imagine Therapy so this post is to give you a bit more information about what CBT is, how it works and how it might be helpful. I want to delve…
I talk a lot to people about meaningful activity. Meaningful activity can be a big part of mental health recovery, as well as being critical for our own wellbeing. But what does it actually mean? And how can you find out what is meaningful to you? Meaningful activities are things that we do, that mean…
We’ve been pretty well off in Nova Scotia for a while in terms of Covid. And in terms of numbers, we’re still doing well. But even if small comparatively, our numbers are going up, which means we are now in second wave territory. If you’re reading this from another country you are likely to be…
I remember years ago coming across the theory of the ‘good enough’ mother and it’s stayed with me ever since. Donald Winnicott came up with the concept in 1953. It describes the natural connection between mother and baby, which starts with the mother meeting the baby’s every need, being there immediately when baby cries, then…
The holidays is a time for joy right? Well no actually, not always. Whether you are celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah or just having time with family there can be lots of reasons why you might not feel particularly joyful, and that doesn’t make you wrong, grumpy or unusual. It’s very common for people to struggle with…
I’m one, like many, that struggles to get into the habit of exercising. I enjoy it when I do it. Running is my thing. It makes me feel really good afterwards – a sense of achievement and my body feels good. Exercise is great for mental health. If you want to read more about the…
Many of us hold a belief that we cannot draw, or dance or paint or make music. How many times have you heard yourself or someone else say it? “I can’t!”. And yes, its true that most of us cannot create media to sell. But being a professional artist is not the same as engaging…
There is disagreement on the definition of spirituality. It really depends on what you read and who you listen to. The way I see it is as believing, considering, being curious about and connecting to something bigger than yourself. Most people do agree that spirituality and religion are separate things. Religion is more about rituals…
1 in 3 Canadians will experience mental illness during their lifetime. This is a huge figure. Even if we’re not talking about it a lot, it’s clear that mental health issues are common. Yet, mental illness is not quite as simple as a lot of physical problems. We know that if we have a cold,…
Uncertainty is a normal part of life. We face uncertainty to some degree every day. What is the weather going to do? Who is that message from? What score will I get in that test? Today was a day of uncertainty for America, as they wait out the results of the election. I thought it…
As we head for colder shorter days, some of us will find our mood shifts. Seasonal changes can affect all of us, but if you find a low mood is impacting on other areas of life like sleep, motivation and appetite you might be struggling with depression. Depression can keep us stuck in cycles of…
Being a parent can be hard at the best of times. And when your teenager is struggling with their mental health it can be even more challenging. It’s hard to see someone you love going through something tough. And unlike lots of other situations, this is not something a parent can fix. Improving our mental…
It’s been a big year. Covid-19 has impacted everyone in some way, most of us in very significant ways. We all have different circumstances but the one thing we share is that Covid-19 has affected our mental health. For some this has meant feeling lonely, sad or worried at times. These feelings are completely understandable…
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