Psychotherapy  & Naturopathic Services in Etobicoke

Acknowledge Your Success and Decrease Low Mood

Chances are, you are succeeding according to yours, others, or both standards. Everyone measures success in different ways. How do you measure your personal success? You need to give yourself more credit than you think you deserve! It is important to remind ourselves of successes we have had when we are down or in a depressed mood.

Depression often arises out of persistent low moods and lack of interest in usual activities. This often stems from low confidence levels. Are you being too hard on yourself?  It is important to acknowledge your success and perhaps re-evaluate your level of personal expectations. It is important to aim high, while setting attainable goals to achieve self-confidence.

For more on how to alleviate depression and depression counselling, please go to: 

https://www.etobicokepsychotherapy.com/anxiety-counselling-etobicoke/

The nature of happiness

Happiness is not automatic – it does not come without effort and perseverance. You are the source for your light and hope. You choose whether you succeed and whether you are happy!

Be proactive in solving any issues or concerns you may have. Seek help for persistent low moods you may experience. Obtain your happiness… create your happiness with the help of someone else in times of great suffering.

https://www.etobicokepsychotherapy.com/depression-counselling-etobicoke/

happiness quote

 

Think Positive to Increase Happiness

Think positive… one of my favourite sayings. Years ago, my father told me that these two words are his ‘mantra’ or positive self-talk, and they always stuck with me. Any version of this can be helpful to say in your mind when you are going through a difficult time or emotion. Positive self talk can be instrumental in increasing your personal happiness. Please read the following quote by Gandhi. Use it to guide some of your days or struggles you may be going through.

gandhi quote

The Importance of Affection in Relationships

One of the most common improvements most couples can make to their relationship and to decrease relationship issues is by learning how to greet and be affectionate with one another (hellos, goodbyes, etc). This can be in the quality and the quantity. It is often overlooked; it is up to you to determine and spend time to understand what you think your partner appreciates and desires the most.

We often learn to take our significant others for granted, not paying attention to little efforts we can make to show our affection for our other half. These simple signs of affection, such as a hug, kiss, or any physical contact are key gestures that subconsciously grow our bond with our partner.We often say ‘it’s the little things that count’, and this is one of them. It should be commonplace for these signs of affection to occur daily.

It is hard to believe how many little things, such as greetings with affection, may take a toll on our relationship if they are not present. Although a simple tip, it is surprising how many couples forget ‘the little things that matter’ over the years. Please take this as a healthy reminder, and consider the importance of affection in relationships.

For further relationship advice, relationship counselling, or relationship psychotherapy, please contact me.

https://www.etobicokepsychotherapy.com/relationship-counselling-etobicoke/

The Benefits of Relaxation for Anxiety

There are various positive benefits of relaxation for anxiety. The ability to relax or to decrease anxiety issues is becoming more and more difficult with modern technology and other disruptions in our life. In order to relax with more awareness or to alleviate feelings of anxiety, please continue reading.

– Deep relaxation can help reduce anxiety. Regular practice of deep relaxation of 20 to 30 minutes on a daily basis can produce, over time, a generalization of relaxation to the rest of your life. That is, after several weeks of practicing deep relaxation once per day, you will tend to feel more relaxed all the time.

– Reduces the frequency and severity of panic attacks

– Increased energy level

– Prevention and/or reduction of migraines, headaches, ulcers, etc

– Decreased muscular tension

– Decrease in heart rate and blood pressure

 

Relaxation Script

Find a quiet comfortable place. Get into a relaxed and comfortable position. Close your eyes.

Think of relaxing every muscle in your body, from the top of your head to the tips of your toes.

Focus on your breathing; draw deep, full breaths, let them out slowly, and feel yourself relax as you breathe out.

As you exhale, imagine releasing any remaining tension from your body, mind, or thoughts, letting all your stress and worries go.

With every breath you inhale, feel your body drifting down deeper…down deeper into total relaxation. Now imagine yourself in the midst of a peaceful scene. This could be the beach, the forest, somewhere you’ve been before, or somewhere you imagine.

Imagine your peaceful place as vividly as possible, as if you were really there.

What do you see? What do you hear? What do you smell? How do you feel?

Feeling relaxed and peaceful in your special place, continue to draw deep full breaths, letting them out slowly – feel yourself relax as you breathe out.

Relaxation techniques can be very helpful for someone with mild to severe feelings of anxiety. It can be helpful to practice these techniques on your own as well as with a therapist, who can guide you through obstacles you may face while attempting the exercises.

Please contact me for help with relaxation for anxiety or anxiety counselling and psychotherapy.

https://www.etobicokepsychotherapy.com/anxiety-counselling-etobicoke/

What is anxiety? What is anxiety counselling?

Anxiety is the feeling we get when our body responds to a frightening or threatening experience. It has been called the fight or flight response. It is simply your body preparing for action either to fight danger or run away from it as fast as possible. At this point, you probably notice different sensations in your body. The purpose of the physical symptoms of anxiety is to prepare your body to cope with threat. To understand what is happening in your body, imagine that you are about to be attacked. As soon as you are aware of the threat, your muscles tense so they are ready for action. Your heard beats faster to carry blood to your muscles and brain, where it is most needed. You breathe faster to provide oxygen that is needed for energy. You sweat to stop your body overheating. Your mouth becomes dry and your stomach may have butterflies. Unfortunately many of the stresses we face cannot be fought or run away from, so the symptoms do not help or make us feel better. In fact they often make us feel worse, especially if we don’t understand them.

What causes anxiety? 
There are many reasons why someone becomes anxious.

– Some people may have an anxious personality and have learned to worry.

– Others may have a series of stressful life events to cope with.

– Others may be under pressure, at school or at home.

What keeps anxiety going?
Thoughts (something awful is going to happen to me) -> Feeling anxious -> Feel bodily symptoms -> Feeling anxious

Anxiety can be very manageable. There are many ways to cope with anxiety when it is often persistent and invasive in your life. As long as you dedicate time to teaching yourself, there are techniques that you are able to learn and use to get past this unbearable feeling.

Please contact me today for an initial consult regarding anxiety counselling or anxiety psychotherapy.

https://www.etobicokepsychotherapy.com/anxiety-counselling-etobicoke/

Happiness and Relationships

Daily happiness with your partner is the key to total and long-term happiness in relationships.Set aside time to talk… do you do this with your partner as often as you should? It seems this is the key to every happy couple, and if not, one of the missing pieces to every dissatisifed couple and relationship problems. Relationships require effort – it’s too easy to assume the other is doing well.

10-15 minutes with one another on a daily basis with no interruptions (cell phones, laptops, work, tv shows). The conversation must not include work or kids. It is simply about how you are feeling, what was good about your day, and what was bad about your day (without delving too much into work issues). This is a bit of an emotional check-in, to make sure you are in tune with your partner and understanding how they are doing.

To remember this daily ritual, a symbol is quite helpful. A couple I worked with used a cup of tea after putting the kids to bed to signify their ‘us time’. Of course, this symbol can be adapted to your lifestyle and what works for both of you.

If this element is absent from your current relationship, you may feel pressured at first to fit this into your day. Please trust the process, and you will grow naturally into it with time.

It really sounds quite easy,  but consistency is everything. Committing to this ‘us time’ on a regular basis is what makes this element of ‘talk’ powerful.

Couples counselling or couples therapy can be a very instrumental factor in changing old routines or re-creating the spark in your relationship.

 Please contact me for minor or major improvements in your relationship, with relationship counselling.

https://www.etobicokepsychotherapy.com/relationship-counselling-etobicoke/

When should I see a therapist?

Are you concerned about a feeling, behaviour, or something/ someone in your life?

Has this concern or feeling been getting worse in the past few weeks?

Have you tried stopping or reducing this negative aspect of your life or feeling on your own?

Have your attempts at stopping or reducing this negative aspect or feeling been unsuccessful?

Have you relied on friends, family, or others to help you with current troubles?

Are you finding it more difficult to cope with things than usual?

Are you having trouble concentrating at work or school?

Do you think things through or talk about things that bother you?

If you feel concerned or have answered yes to the above questions, seeing a psychotherapist for an initial consult may be very helpful, relieve stress, and provide some answers to your current troubles. I can help you understand and guide you through a/ some issue(s) you may or may not be aware of from the past and/ or present.

 Please contact me for further information or for an initial psychotherapy consultation. (647-961-9669 or carlyclifton@gmail.com)

 https://www.etobicokepsychotherapy.com/contact-us/