Personal Growth

The day had only just begun and already Tom and Jan were blaming each other. “Did you remember to call Mom yesterday about sitting for us on Saturday?” asked Tom with a slight edge to his voice. “No, I was too busy dealing with the kids to get to it” replied Jan abruptly. “But you…

I just walked into my kitchen and poured myself a glass of water, a ritual I repeat a few times a day and without much thought. However, this time I paused and realized how often I take this clean, readily attainable water for granted. If I were to be more thankful of the many things…

Self-care seems like a common sense thing, something to balance out the stresses of life. However, certain kinds of anxious people have special difficulty with practicing self-care: Workaholics: These folks are always focused on the next problem, and don’t stop to appreciate how much energy they have spent on previous challenges. Driven by feelings of…

According to Eckhart Tolle, “80 to 90 percent of most people’s thinking is not only repetitive and useless, but because of its dysfunctional and often negative nature, much of it is harmful.” As we mature, we develop tendencies of thinking based on a complex interaction of our biology and accumulated experiences. Thought patterns become engrained…

Why is it taking so long for me to feel better? You may be asking this question of yourself after only a short time following the death of a loved one. Grief feels crazy at times and you want it to be over with so that you can feel normal again. However, it can take…

In the Summer of 2010 a published PsycHealth article on “Destructive Narcissistic Parents” triggered a number of calls from the adult offspring of these parents. They felt relieved in recognizing that they were not alone, nor were their parents who struggled with these traits. In therapy they were able to address the emotions they encountered…

This is not how I had planned my life to be…. I’ve lost interest in this job that I used to love…. I’ve never enjoyed working and I don’t know that I ever will…… Is this all there is?……. Vision. Passion. Dreams. Hope….how do you bring these into a life course that seems to have…

Autumn is a natural time of the year to assess one’s career as it is a transitional season. You may currently be at the beginning of your working life, somewhere in the middle or moving towards retirement. “Career”, as defined by most career counsellors, is not just the work you do for income, but rather…

If I were to follow you around all day long and tell you ‘you’re dumb’, ‘you’re ugly’, ‘you’re a failure’, what would you do? Chances are you are not going to turn around and give me a hug. It is more likely you are going to turn around and confront me because it is not…

Okay, I’ll admit it. I did have small private chocolate caches hidden away for times of desperate need. There was the dark stuff from a Finnish friend stashed high in the cupboard with the goblets that no one uses. The Skor bars were hidden underneath receipts in lower right desk drawer at home. The tri-chocolate…

Maria is 14 years old. Two years ago she began to injure herself, dropped out of school, began using drugs and alcohol and eventually isolated all of her friends. Self injury involves the deliberate damaging of ones body. Cutting the skin with razor blades or broken glass is the most commonly seen method, while burning,…

The word “sensitive” means many different things to many different people. For psychologist, Elaine Aron, Ph.D., “highly sensitive” has a quite specific meaning. Her research, which draws on biological, cognitive and personality findings, suggests that about 15-20% of the population qualifies as “highly sensitive.” This term refers to people whose nervous systems are easily overwhelmed,…