It is not surprising that many of us turn to food to calm our emotions. After all, since infancy our caregivers responded to our cries of distress by providing nourishment. Nurturing ourselves with food is a biological imperative, but for some it can lead to overeating and related health problems. If emotional eating is causing… Continue reading 5 Steps to Overcoming Emotional Eating
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Mental Health Supports for Survivors of Climate Disasters
From the heartbreak of watching the beautiful places in the world burn, to the frustration of watching elected officials continue to support the oil and gas industry, to having to flee for ones life due to wildfires or floods, climate change effects all of us. A recent CBC article summarized a new study that suggested… Continue reading Mental Health Supports for Survivors of Climate Disasters
Interpersonal Effectiveness: More than being assertive
Years ago I taught a course on how to be assertive to a group of women who had escaped abusive relationships. I always made sure to emphasize that just because you can be assertive, does not mean you have to be. Outside of the obvious concerns about safety, the whole issue of whether it was… Continue reading Interpersonal Effectiveness: More than being assertive
How to identify feelings
Sometimes it can be hard to know what we are feeling. Maybe you’ve been told that some feelings are bad or that what you are feeling is wrong. If you grew up in an emotionally chaotic household you may have learned that feelings were dangerous and best supressed. Or maybe, as if often true, you… Continue reading How to identify feelings
5 Ways to calm emotional storms
Emotion regulation is our ability to effectively respond to an emotional experience. It includes remaining in control of our behaviour despite our emotional state, and keeping our emotions at a tolerable level. Here are some steps towards improved emotion regulation:
The Function of Depression
It is no secret that how we interpret something has a big influence on how we react to it. For example, a friend cancels a lunch date with no explanation. I can choose to believe that they hate me, have something better to do, have an emergency, or overslept and are adjusting their schedule accordingly.… Continue reading The Function of Depression
On Change
Managing Depression and Anxiety at Work
The Canadian Journal of Behaviour Science (Roberge, C, Meunier, S., Cleary J. 2024 vol 56, No 1 10-19. Canadian Psychological Association) recently republished a study that explored the strategies used by those experiencing symptoms of depression and/or anxiety to manage their symptoms and enhance their ability to function effectively at work. While the sample size… Continue reading Managing Depression and Anxiety at Work
Five Ways to Increase Your Self-esteem
1. Do something differently. Accept compliments. Say thank you and smile. Look after yourself. Eat healthy, exercise and do more things you enjoy. Set achievable and realistic goals. Set yourself up for success. 2. Think differently. Challenge those negative or critical thoughts about yourself. Is this thought a fact or opinion? Things are rarely black… Continue reading Five Ways to Increase Your Self-esteem
Pseudo-Profound Bullshit
I was delighted to discover a field of study in psychology called pseudo-profound bullshit, which looks at the impact and acceptance of statements that seem profound on the surface but have no real meaning. Such statements are made of buzzwords and vague language giving the appearance of being deeply meaningful and insightful but are actually… Continue reading Pseudo-Profound Bullshit