Simply Social Media – Adolescents

Depression and anxiety are a relatively common mental health concern and rates are only growing, especially among the young. Considering the parallel growth of social media use and these mental health concerns, a lot of people have been looking into a link between them.  Although it is very difficult to prove causation, studies have linked […]

The Victimhood Mindset: What it is, Why we adopt it, and How to address it

A mindset is like a default pattern we use to evaluate situations and understand them in relation to ourselves. People generally don’t just receive information and evaluate it objectively. Things we learn, experiences we have, our values, and our beliefs are just some of the things that create a lens through which we interpret information. […]

Good News: Life is Supposed to be Hard

 “Life’s hard. It’s supposed to be. If we didn’t suffer, we’d never learn anything.” Ethan Hawke So much of our efforts and ruminations center around making our lives easier. And why wouldn’t they? You would be hard pressed to find a single person who didn’t want their lives to be easier. That said, this desire, […]

Simply Parenting – To Prepare and Protect

We have to prepare the child for the path, not the path for the child Tim Elmore Preparing vs protecting. This has been described as the greatest paradox of parenting. Not only are these the two essential tasks involved in parenting, but they have a strange relationship to each other. At times, protecting a child […]

Developing Self-Compassion

“Being human is not about being any one particular way; it is about being as life creates you—with your own particular strengths and weaknesses, gifts and challenges, quirks and oddities.” Kristin Neff “Remember, you have been criticizing yourself for years and it hasn’t worked. Try approving of yourself and see what happens.” Louise L. Hay […]

Simply Parenting – Adolescent Anxiety – Part One: Understand

Anxiety, especially among adolescents, is at an all-time high. For parents and young adults, understanding how anxiety functions, and strategies to address it, are the first steps to a less anxious future. The first thing to understand is that anxiety is a natural psychological and physiological phenomenon. Anxiety evolved to keep us safe from danger. […]

Cultivating the Idea that You Are a Good Person

“I define a good person as somebody who is fully conscious of their own limitations.” John Bradshaw “All you can really do is try to be a good person and try to make good decisions and try to survive.” Barrett Wilbert Weed Feeling that you’re not a good person, or consistently doubting that you are, […]

Our Natural Negativity Bias – It takes work to be positive

“The brain is like Velcro for negative experiences and Teflon for positives ones.” Dr. Rick Hansen Do you find that you tend to focus on the negative aspects of life? Whether it’s negative aspects of yourself, others, situations, or even negative versions of the future, you’re not alone. In fact, research has shown that, as […]

Thoughts on Family for the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

By Dr. Amanda Stoner It seriously is for me, the most wonderful time of the year. I love Christmas! And this year, I am feeling especially grateful for the gift of family. I am so excited to travel to Ontario where my family lives, where we will celebrate Christmas together. However, I realize that this […]

Just need a break? Or is it burnout?

By: Kristin Matthews This is often a very busy time of year for many people. Juggling work, school, the demands of home, and prepping for the holidays, this time of year can feel stressful and exhausting.  More, and more, I am hearing from my clients how exhausted and stressed out many people are feeling right […]