​Whether you’ve made a New Year’s Resolution to focus on your wellbeing, or simply feel like now is the right time, you may be contemplating speaking with a therapist. You might have come to this decision easily, or maybe it’s something you have contemplated for a long time. Whatever the reason, sometimes the jump from deciding to speak to someone to scheduling your first appointment can be daunting. You may ask yourself: what is the therapist going to ask me to do? How much should I share about myself? How can I trust a total stranger? What if they judge me? 

Holidays are tough. A lot of us struggle with the financial aspect of whether we can provide the gifts we want to our loved ones or host a dinner or get-together. A lot of us struggle with animosity within our family or friend groups and how that’s going to impact get-togethers and dinners – and a lot of us this year, are worried about holiday happenings during a global pandemic.

Everyone has different things they love about the holidays. This could be the decorations, spending time with loved ones, the snow, the food, getting gifts, or giving gifts. Have you ever noticed how some people just love gift giving? They want to find the perfect present and get joy just from you receiving this gift. But why? Isn’t this just buying into the materialistic culture of the holidays? Not always. A lot of the time it isn’t about what the gift is, but how happy it makes the person getting the gift. Let’s explore some reasons some people love gift giving. ​

​Cheating, whether in a monogamous or polyamorous relationship, is sometimes so difficult that relationships have difficulty withstanding the hurt and pain of cheating, and sometimes the relationship will end.  For some, cheating is a limit or boundary that cannot be accepted because of one’s values and beliefs, and as such, the relationship cannot be recovered.

​With the spooky season upon us, you may be wondering why a mental health article is talking about witchcraft, more specifically, the kind of modern-day witchcraft that I have personally seen and learned about.

​Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that is related to changes in seasons. SAD begins and ends at about the same times every year and, if you're like most people with SAD, your symptoms start in the fall and continue into the winter months, sapping your energy and making you feel moody.

​It is never too late to start over and build the life that you want!

​At first, it was the crying. The hyperventilating and crying. Crying so hard that you can’t breathe. Crying so much that you wonder when you’re going to run out of tears. You can’t stop it. You just have to let it out. People try to comfort you, but them being close makes it harder to breathe. Makes you cry harder.

​Why is vulnerability important?  Vulnerability allows us to share our feelings and emotions, our experiences, as well as our mistakes, to improve self-awareness and to practice accountability.

Here are some helpful tips and tricks to journaling. 

​When I used to hear “emotional manipulation,” I’d usually think of a five-letter word that I despise - abuse. Four years later – I now think of myself.

​Sisu is a term that I have heard used many times in my life and that I have even seen commonly tattooed on many bodies in the Thunder Bay area.  Just what does Sisu mean? And what can it tell us about resiliency and happiness?

​Often couples evaluate their relationship based upon how much they fight.  When they are not fighting, things must be going well and when they are fighting, things must NOT be going well within their relationship. It is a myth that healthy couples do not fight or do not fight often.

​Let's face it, raising kids can be a challenge in the best of times. Throw in a global pandemic which brings with it economic impacts, anxiety over the spread of illness, and the isolation that has accompanied the lockdown restrictions and closures, and you have challenges for which the impact on youth and their caregivers is far reaching and not yet fully understood.

​As a rule, I don't like jumping on trends in the media. I've been around long enough to see that hashtagging, hanging decals and signs, or making poignant posts are all well-intentioned. But eventually the posts fade, our collective attention span shifts, and the decals lose their charm so someone has to scrape them off into the garbage since we're all onto something new. 

For some the opportunity to work from home has been a glorious and welcomed change, while for others this change has been difficult and the wait to return to “normal” cannot come fast enough. While there are many work environments and workplace needs, there are some things that can help make the “new normal” more manageable.
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Where possible, things to consider when working from home:

Pandemic Fatigue is not just tiredness or exhaustion. It’s feeling demotivated and depleted about following recommended guidelines to protect yourself and others from the virus.

Now it is more important than ever to engage in self-care!  During a pandemic it is necessary to care for yourself, before you can help others.  Getting back to the basics is important.

One main Canadian stereotype is people saying sorry all of the time.
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It may even become annoying; saying or hearing the word “sorry” so often. Most people say it to be polite, but others do it because of personal issues from their past, perhaps a past that makes them feel they have to please everyone all the time and avoid conflict at all costs. These people tend to take the blame for everything as a way of keeping the peace. 

​It is well known that trauma can impact a person mentally and emotionally. However, what is less talked about is the physical impact trauma can have. Trauma can manifest itself in our body and can even be triggered by touch.

It has been a popular trend on social media about how to ruthlessly cut out and eliminate toxic people, suggesting that this toxic person is a poison that needs to be eradicated from our lives altogether.  While I have considered the idea and have somewhat enjoyed the idea of living free from guilt or shame in not having a person in my life who has hurt me, something about this just does not feel right.  Do you ever wonder that by cutting toxic people out of your life, whether you have become a little toxic yourself?

​By: Kelly Halonen, MSW, RSW

​You often see it in movies, the main character is going through a breakup and listens to sad music as they cry into a pillow on their couch. You probably do this too. Whenever you’re feeling sad or down about something, you may listen to music that is also sad or slow. So why do we do this? Wouldn’t this just make us sadder? Yes and no.