Mindfulness is the practice of being aware of our environment, bodily sensations, thoughts & feelings. It is a minute-by-minute sense of awareness that is often overlooked, ignored & unnoticed. It is the idea of stopping to smell the roses! Additionally, mindfulness is a form of acceptance. Acceptance of our current thoughts & feelings in a judgement free, unbiased zone. We are usually so quick to judge our thoughts & feelings in a way that can be harmful, therefore mindfulness encourages us to be kinder & more accepting of ourselves.

The rise of social media has been one of the greatest changes our culture has seen over the last two decades. What began as a niche activity for younger generations has become a worldwide phenomenon for everyone of all ages, genders and backgrounds. Social media has allowed us to talk to and engage with friends and family across the globe with ease, access professional services from our homes, receive news and information with the click of a button, and engage in our hobbies and interests anytime and anywhere. However, as social media use continues to become more and more prevalent, and many users find themselves using social media more frequently, many people have found themselves experiencing harmful consequences as a result.

The phrase “Sunday scaries” is one that has been normalized and frequently used in our society to refer to the “fear” or anxiety that comes on a Sunday when anticipating the upcoming work week. Due to this, Sundays have slowly become less of a relaxing weekend day and have become replaced with feelings of worry, restlessness, and a sense of dread. While it is okay to begin to anticipate the upcoming work week, it becomes problematic when the “Sunday scaries” completely take control and ruin the day. Overall, it is possible to take back control of your Sunday and not make it so scary.

The word “no” is just two letters but can feel so intimidating and off putting to say to others. To some, this can be one of the most difficult words to udder. Despite the want to say “no” to another person, the words “yes, absolutely” or “no problem” can come in its place. Next thing you know, you are committed to a task or an event that you did not want to complete or attend. Saying “no” is an important skill to acquire and practice in order to begin prioritizing your own mental health and emotional needs.

While building insight about any particular idea or choice, our minds tend to have little conversations or monologues weighing all the different aspects and facts around the situation. Sometimes we look to our trusted supports in our life to help in this process and offer an outsider’s perspective. As a therapist, insight-building is often a part of the therapeutic process. Sometimes it is a clear objective and other times it is a byproduct of the therapeutic process itself. Regardless, insight refers to our ability to use our wisdom to build a complete understanding of an idea or situation. This is very important when related to making a choice or building motivation for change.

For some reason, it has been a long road for both public and private academic institutions to take this link between mental health and academic functioning seriously. We are seeing more and more robust and dedicated mental health services and systems in our educational programs, however time spent with many families has shown me that the direct link between mental health struggles and academic struggles is hardly common knowledge.

If you are someone on a journey to learn more about your eating habits, in recovery from an eating disorder, or someone genuinely interested, this blog will discuss what intuitive eating is. Diet culture can be a difficult approach towards someone’s weight loss goals. It often cycles between restriction and exercise which can put someone at risk to develop disordered eating or an eating disorder. This mindset of a transaction and “bad” food items to be earned through restriction, exercise, or calorie counting can be an unhealthy mindset towards someone’s overall wellbeing. Our body is an amazing tool and vessel. Sometimes we can ignore what it is telling us it may need. Intuitive eating is an approach to shift our focus from what we know, towards a healthier relationship with food. Not one filled with anxiety, stress, guilt, sadness, and shame if we have a donut, or “ate horribly today”. Intuitive eating is an anti-diet approach where you are more mindful and connected with your body as it tells you what it needs. Through this, you learn not to judge yourself or listen to diet culture tones. Our body tells us when it is hungry, when it is thirsty, when it is starving, and what is satisfying.

Video games have frequently been portrayed in the media as, at best, a “waste of time”, and at worst, harmful to those who play them. However, there has been an increasing amount of research that not only contradicts these claims, but identifies numerous benefits of playing video games. Another common misconception of video games is that it is for children, particularly male children; however, the people who play video games has continued to become an increasingly diverse group. The age of the average video game player is 35 and it is estimated that approximately 59% of those who play video games are male and 41% are female (Halbrook, O’Donell & Mstefi 2019).

Motivation is what pushes us to do and accomplish both the things we want and need to do, from going to school or work, to spending time with friends and loved ones, spending our time enjoying our hobbies. Many times, our motivation is not something we are consciously aware of, especially when it comes to thinking how we are motivated. There are two main different types of motivation: extrinsic and intrinsic.

Why is sleep so important? Sleep is a critical aspect of our overall wellbeing both physically & mentally. There are two major phases of brain activity during sleep that we cycle through every night. These are called Non-Rapid Eye Movement (NREM) & Rapid Eye Movement (REM). During NREM sleep, the brain slows down which results in decreased eye movement & muscle activity. This is when the brain is preparing the mind & body to enter into a state of deep sleep. About 1-2 hours after NREM, we enter into REM sleep. This is when activity in the brain increases at a rapid speed & usually results in vivid dreaming! Throughout the night we go in & out of these two phases of sleep.