Psychotherapy  & Naturopathic Services in 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/