Having high standards and striving for excellence can be a good thing and help us reach our goals in life. A high achiever can find satisfaction with their performance even if their goals are not entirely met, taking...
In our patriarchal, achievement-oriented society, there is an imbalance of masculine energy – a focus on doing, rather than being. We are overly concerned with how productive we are, our achievements, and our careers. My Asian neighbour expressed his dislike...
In general, anxiety, in and of itself, is natural and adaptive; it is a normal reaction to stress, and it has its place as an essential signal for our safety. For example, it can motivate us to accomplish tasks like...
One of the most uncomfortable human experiences is the experience of being rejected. Whether it’s by a friend, a romantic partner, your own family, an employer, a school, or a random stranger, being rejected just doesn’t feel good. It can...
The way we communicate almost always has to do with how we were raised and what was modeled to us. A lot of people go through life thinking that the way they communicate and express their feelings is healthy until...
The New Year is underway which can bring inspiration and a sense of renewal. You may have made some New Year resolutions or goals for the year. However, you may have not been able stick to the goals and you...
Life is tough. Many of us have several responsibilities that we must tend to on a daily basis: work, children, household chores, elderly parents, etc. With life being so busy, and sometimes stressful, some of us tend to coast through...
Self-compassion is important
Though building and maintaining one’s self-esteem is stressed as fundamental to good mental health, I have found through my work that too few of us have spent enough time developing another trait that is fundamental to our well-being:...
We are just coming out of a season of darkness, moving out of the winter solstice and anticipating the coming spring. In our dualistic culture we associate darkness with depression, evil, and something to be avoided, an opposition to the...
We live in a busy world. We are expected to work 8 hours a day, sit in traffic for 1-2 hours, drive the kids to hockey practice, watch their piano recitals, then come home to cook dinner and pack lunches...