In simple terms it is a way to look at how thoughts affect mood and behaviour. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy CBT has been used to help people successfully with depression, anxiety, panic, sleep disorders and pain management. We have hundreds of random thoughts every minute, some of our thoughts are "automatic” (core beliefs, assumptions)"I feel fat"… Continue reading How is CBT helpful? and what is it..
Category: Mental Health
What does it mean to be Mindful?
What does it mean to be Mindful vs Mind Full? Mindful is described as “paying attention in a particular way, on purpose, in the present moment and non-judgmentally” (Kabat-Zinn) One person describes their experience of being “mind full” as the following, “Sometimes, my mind feels like an enormous noisy hall filled with thousands of busy… Continue reading What does it mean to be Mindful?
What’s up with anger?
Anger is "just" an emotion that is telling us that we are perceiving something in our outside world as a "wrong" Anger can be positive if we use it to understand ourselves better and be constructive with it Anger is not just a male emotion - females get angry too and that is normal Anger… Continue reading What’s up with anger?
To sleep; perchance to dream…
To sleep; perchance to dream (Shakespeare) Sleep can be enjoyable, frightening (those darn scary dreams), elusive, too short, too long, done at different times, alone or with others; people, cats dogs, iguanas. Sleep can be blissful or disrupted, wanted or unwanted. One thing I know as a therapist is that quality sleep and tone of… Continue reading To sleep; perchance to dream…
When avoiding the situation isn’t helping
A client I will call "Joy" came to see me and related that she had been excited about a new job but quickly found herself with increased responsibilities and a need to do training of other employees. The first time she met with the employees she was horrified when her heart started pounding, her mouth… Continue reading When avoiding the situation isn’t helping
Quit worrying about “weight” and start liking yourself!
Enough already - all of us need to quit torturing ourselves about our weight! Write a list of things you like about your physical self - eyes, hair, smile etc. Write a list of non-physical traits you have that are positive - honest, kind, hardworking, funny etc Keep the list on your fridge and read… Continue reading Quit worrying about “weight” and start liking yourself!
I am way more relaxed when I am relaxed…
Recently during a "stay-cation" I started to mentally plan for an upcoming family gathering and noticed that my usual worry and anxiety did not kick in. I had an epiphany at that moment - "I am way more relaxed when I am relaxed!" My ability to make decisions from a relaxed state caused me to… Continue reading I am way more relaxed when I am relaxed…
Are you making your anxiety worse?
Do you believe the symptoms of anxiety are "real". "I am nauseated - I must be sick!" "I have a thought I am going to get in an accident if I drive - this must mean I better not drive today" "I feel frightened - this must mean something bad is going to happen to… Continue reading Are you making your anxiety worse?
Guilt is…
(The following is from the publication Gentle Care: Changing the Experience of Alzheimer's Disease in a Positive Way, Moyra Jones, 1999) Guilt is... Never being able to say no Never being able to satisfy the expectations of others Never being able to satisfy yourself Being angry in a nice way Not feeling good about your… Continue reading Guilt is…
“Should I stay or should I go?”
The Clash sing "Should I stay or should I go?" and for many of us we can relate to the back and forth that can occur in our thinking when we are faced with a decision to be made. Why is it so hard to make decisions sometimes? When we are overwhelmed we may be looking… Continue reading “Should I stay or should I go?”
Barb Larkin, M.S.W., RSW 