What Is A Panic Attack? A Burlington Therapist Explains As a therapist located in Burlington, Ontario, this is how I hear my clients describe a panic attack: "My heart starts pounding. The room feels far away, or too close. I can't get a full breath in, and some part of
Am I Just Introverted or Socially Anxious? "Maybe I'm just introverted." It's one of the most common things people say to themselves after a party they left early, a work event they dreaded for a week beforehand, or a group chat invite they stared at for twenty minutes before declining.
Mental Health Support in Times of Crisis If you're reading this because things feel unbearable right now, please know: you don't have to have the right words, and you don't have to wait for a scheduled appointment to get support. The resources below are free, confidential, and available right
What Anxiety Feels Like You wake up, and before your feet even hit the floor, your mind is already racing. Did I forget to reply to that email? What if today is the day everything falls apart? By the time you've had your coffee, your chest is tight, and your
Naming what you feel isn't weakness; it's one of the most powerful things you can do for your mental health. I want to start with something honest: I grew up in a family that didn't have enough capacity to talk about emotions. So, as anyone can imagine, I used
Classic Breathing Technique. Breathing is free, science-backed, and always with you. Whether we’re facing a tight deadline, need to calm our minds before bed, or want to sharpen our focus before tackling a project, these techniques offer practical, research-backed tools we can try today. ✔ Slow, controlled breathing
Most of us are aware that we are currently facing a sense of greater unpredictability. Though uncertainty, ambiguity, and the understanding that we can't control every aspect of life are known facts, there are times when the social, political, and economic context makes those experiences more palpable and intense.
Photo: Denys Nevozhai For most people, the end of a year is a meaningful time. I often take time to pause from the busyness of my days to reflect and look back on the journey I travelled. As a nature lover, I enjoy contemplating the transition from
Image by Gustavo Frazao. I had a few friends over at my house some time ago to honour a personal and meaningful life event. Things were not perfect or fully finished in my new home, which I recently moved into. In a very spontaneous way, I said
Photo: Jordan Whitfield "Authenticity is the capacity to be in touch with ourselves and to be able to express and manifest who we are in our relationships and social interactions." Dr. Gabor Mate More frequently than not, people seeking therapy acknowledge that authenticity can be a struggle
Antonio Visalli Of all possessions, a friend is the most precious. Herodotus Full disclosure! Friendships, other than my psychotherapist, have been and continue to be one of the softest and most reliable places for me to land when searching for fun and waves of laughter, as much as
Photo by cottonbro studio "In my early professional years, I was asking the question: How can I treat, cure, or change this person? Now, I would phrase the question in this way: How can I provide a relationship which this person may use for his own personal
Photo: S. Crane "Psychotherapy can be one of the greatest and most rewarding adventures, it can bring with it the deepest feelings of personal worth, of purpose and richness in living." Eda LeShan As a psychotherapist located in Burlington, Ontario, with three decades of experience, I am
Created with Image, Margarita. “The possession of knowledge does not kill the sense of wonder and mystery. There is always more mystery.” -Anais Nin. As a psychotherapist with nearly thirty years of experience, I became gradually more curious about the relationship between spirituality and mental health. The
Photo: Margarita, 2012 -Image Remix from Original. "Compassion is not a relationship between the healer and the wounded. It's a relationship between equals. Only when we know our own darkness well can we be present with the darkness of others. Compassion becomes real when we recognize our
The main thing is this — when you get up in the morning you must take your heart in your two hands,” the poet and storyteller turned activist Grace Paley’s father told her in what remains the finest advice on growing older. “You must do this every morning.” A few
I first heard about the "sober curious lifestyle" during conversations with some clients about Depression, Anxiety, Sleep challenges and Alertness. Then, given my curious nature, I looked more in-depth into what that means and why many people concerned about their mental health are introducing this concept in their lives.
“Losing will not always amount to a loss, sometimes you have to lose those toxic relationships and bad habits to create a space for better things.” ― Gift Gugu Mona Toxic relationships can manifest in various aspects of our lives, from personal connections to the workplace environment. These detrimental dynamics
Pramod Tiwari “We need much less than we think we need.” ― Maya Angelou In pursuing a fulfilling life, we often chase happiness, believing it to be the ultimate destination. We yearn for the rush of excitement, the thrill of success, and the exhilaration of new experiences. Yet,
Alice Alinari “It is one of the great paradoxes of the human condition – we ask some variation of the question, “How are you feeling?” over and over, which would lead on to assume that we attach some importance to it, yet we never expect or desire or provide
Marek Piwnicki In the realm of relationships, boundaries serve as the invisible force that defines our emotional and physical limits, shaping the dynamics we share with others. The first and perhaps more meaningful stage in which we learn how to locate ourselves in a relationship is
Jacek Dylag Recently, the demands placed on frontline workers have surged to unprecedented levels. The tireless efforts to safeguard lives and provide essential services have affected their mental and emotional well-being. Burnout, a state of chronic exhaustion, has become a pressing concern affecting frontline workers and their
Life flies by, and it's easy to get lost in the blur. In adolescence, it's 'How do I fit in?' In your 20s, it's 'What do I want to do?' In your 30s, 'Is this what I'm meant to do?' I think the trick is living the questions. Not worrying
“Traumatized people chronically feel unsafe inside their bodies: The past is alive in the form of gnawing interior discomfort. Their bodies are constantly bombarded by visceral warning signs, and, in an attempt to control these processes, they often become expert at ignoring their gut feelings and in numbing awareness
The forest bird. “Anything that is human is mentionable, and anything that is mentionable can be more manageable. When we can talk about our feelings, they become less overwhelming, less upsetting, and less scary. The people we trust with that important talk can help us know