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Emotions do not overwhelm people because they are too sensitive. They overwhelm people because something in the body's threat-detection system has learned to respond to emotional discomfort the same way it responds to physical danger. How to deal with overwhelming emotions is a question that rarely gets a useful answer because most advice stops at breathing exercises without addressing what is actually driving the intensity. Emotional overwhelm has been studied through the l

There's no warning sign for generalized anxiety. It creeps in slowly and presents itself as conscientiousness, high expectations, or just someone who cares deeply. Most people become addicted to their behavior before they seek assistance, meaning that they've been treating it as a personality trait for months or years. In 1980, in the DSM-III, GAD was first differentiated from the other anxiety disorders and officially acknowledged as a separate clinical syndrome that merits

You don't have to go through a traumatic incident yourself to be mentally affected by it. Vicarious trauma is exactly that experience: the emotional toll of repeatedly witnessing, hearing about, or absorbing someone else's pain. This kind of trauma is due to indirect trauma experienced by other people, mostly impacting individuals with caregiving roles. The symptoms are comparable to those of PTSD, for example, anxiety, psychological distress, and insomnia. A lot of helping

Have you ever sat across from your therapist only to realize that you feel as if you are speaking to a brick wall who will nod occasionally? Yes, then you should realize that it's okay and it doesn't mean that therapy is not for you. In all likelihood, it means that you have not yet found the right person. Knowing how to pick a therapist who will understand you can be quite hard, given the variety of therapists that exist in the Greater Toronto Area. Just in Mississauga, the

Have you ever been entirely happy in your own company, but then were informed that you have to be lonely? Singleness is different from aloneness, and getting these two confused will have an impact on how you perceive your life. Being single just refers to your relationship status. Alone is an emotion that can occur whether you are single or not. Once the two are confused, everyone begins to believe that being single means suffering, something that is hardly the case. Learning

Why does one remark spoil your whole day while it is hardly even noticed by someone else? And it often has absolutely nothing to do with self-control and everything to do with how to manage triggers so they don’t manage you. These are some of the strong responses from previous encounters that have the capability of turning a peaceful place into one that is highly chaotic within seconds. If you allow yourself to be triggered, you end up hurting your relationship with others, n

A relationship rarely ends with a slammed door. More often, it fades quietly, one skipped conversation at a time. “Quiet quitting” was initially used as an office term for employees who do just enough work without actually quitting their jobs. The same thing can happen in relationships, where one partner stays physically present but withdraws emotionally. Therapists report a noticeable rise in couples describing this exact dynamic since the phrase entered everyday conversati

Two people can describe the exact same appointment and use two completely different words for it. One says counselling. The other says therapy. That mix-up happens so frequently that some professionals use the terms loosely in their daily lives. Studies show that about 75 percent of people who attend psychotherapy experience meaningful improvement. However, the real issue in therapy vs counselling lies in knowing which one you need at the moment. Understanding the differences

Not every couple arrives at the therapist's door with the same question. For relationships with challenges, it’s common to question whether it’s worth trying to work on your relationship anymore or not. Whether you’re the one thinking about walking away or still willing to put in work with a partner who is not sure, it’s clear that you need to make a decision. Understanding discernment counselling vs couples therapy is not just a clinical distinction. While both provide struc