Articles

Have you ever felt like your emotions are all over the place—like you’re caught in a storm and can’t find your footing? If so, you’re not alone. As Russ Harris, author of The Happiness Trap , reminds us, our emotions are a lot like the weather. Sometimes it’s sunny and calm. Other times, we’re hit with storms—stress, anxiety, sadness, anger. Just like we wouldn’t expect clear skies every day, we can’t expect to feel happy all the time either. But while we can’t stop the emoti

Another key ACT concept is learning to “drop the struggle” against anxiety and fear . Fighting your feelings all the time can be exhausting and often backfires. To understand this, imagine being caught in quicksand: Struggling:  One person panics and thrashes about, desperately trying to escape. But the more they fight, the deeper they sink. Accepting:  Another person stops fighting the quicksand. They take a deep breath, relax their body, and float on the surface. By not str

Have you ever felt stuck in a cycle of negative, anxious thoughts  and feelings that just won’t go away? These painful thoughts can drag you down and make you feel hopeless. Some examples of this cycle might sound like: "Why are people always so mean to me? Why don’t they understand me or listen to what I have to say? I’m always the one who gets treated like this." "I hate my job, and I hate everyone I work with. They make me feel worthless. Why can't I ever be valued for wha

We’re all made up of different parts. Some we cherish, some we tolerate, and others we might wish to change or amplify. These parts don’t remain static—they emerge and shift depending on our circumstances. For example, your excitable side might take center stage at a party, while your more childish tendencies could surface when things don’t go your way. Our inner parts are constantly in flux, blending and rebalancing as we navigate life. Yet, when we face challenges like anxi

In therapy clients often come to me with stories about all sorts of things but mostly about themselves. These stories are incredibly powerful whether or not they are true because they are our story that we tell ourselves therefore they are what we believe to be true. For example, let’s think about the world. The world in itself has no meaning, we ourselves offer it meaning with the story we have told ourselves about what the world is or isn’t. Minute by minute we actively con

This is one of the most common questions people ask me as a therapist. My response often starts with a simple analogy: If your chest hurt, would you go to the doctor? If your knee kept giving way, would you see a physiotherapist?  Most people reply with an obvious, Yes, of course.  To which I say, Then yes, therapy is just as essential. Our mental health is just as important as our physical health. If your mind isn’t in a good place, it impacts everything—your body, your rela