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The Gift of a Healthy Nervous System
Let’s focus on small adjustments for big impact; gifts that will help your nervous system settle. Things like drinking water, taking deep breaths, getting a good night’s sleep, and managing the excess sugar so our system has time to process it.
Although there may be no expectation of a big reset, perhaps you can find harmony with your nervous system, even over the holidays.
Making Gift-Giving More Personal This Year
If gift-giving is part of your holiday traditions, perhaps this year can focus on meaningful, personal and handmade gifts.
We don’t go in big for gifts in my family, so things from the heart help us feel seen and understood.
Think about the person you love and go from there. How well do you know the people you’re buying for? It can be the first step to knowing what to buy.
Special gifts make special memories.
Your Life Isn’t a Side Hustle
This is a gentle invitation to begin before you feel ready, make peace with imposter thoughts, and treat your life as the main event.
You’ll see how starting small, in the in-between, builds real momentum. Through a narrative therapy lens, you’ll learn to tend old hurts, name your values, and set intentions so the past feels lighter and the future more intentional.
For the LOVE of Reading
Reading shapes us in different ways.
You may fall in love with an author and devour everything they’ve written simply because their voice resonates. Or you may commit to a book series and learn from the unfolding story over time.
The books you choose (or that choose you) are deeply personal. They can challenge your thinking, expand your perspective, or stir your imagination.
Good books change you. So, how do you get started?
Embracing Change
The school year may be starting soon and vacations winding down, but summer isn’t over just yet.
That’s where the idea of pacing comes in.
Embracing the Ebbs to Live in the Flows
In this post, we’re talking about the ebbs and flows of the season and how you can find rest and recovery even within the busy summer months.
Developing a Growth Mindset
Just like in nature, growth requires our participation. Each stage asks something different of us. Each stage offers something different in return.
Life can be challenging. Disappointments happen. Setbacks arise. It’s not always as straightforward as it is in the garden.
Retreat, Reclaim, Reset
Join trauma-informed therapist Michelle Malloy and breathwork facilitator Mandy Morgan for a one-day nervous system reset retreat in Nova Scotia. Through breathwork, resilience tools, and cold immersion therapy, you’ll learn how to regulate your stress response, reconnect with your body, and build lasting inner calm in a safe, supportive environment.
Exploring New Ways of Healing
This February, I tried something new. Not because I was particularly interested in it, but because I wanted to support a friend and her business.
That’s how I found myself sitting in 2-degree water. For 2 minutes.
Living A Healing-Centred Life
Healing from trauma is both personal and collective, requiring mindful practice, self-awareness, and community support. This post explores how trauma affects the nervous system, how to recognize when you're stuck in a trauma loop, and practical ways to foster healing—both within yourself and in the spaces around you.
Mindful Living In The Present
Mindfulness is the practice of actively bringing your attention to the present moment, helping to break the cycle of overthinking the past or worrying about the future. By incorporating small, daily mindfulness techniques—like breathing exercises, sensory grounding, and self-awareness—you can cultivate a sense of presence that supports both mental and physical well-being.
Living From Presence
Living from presence is an exercise in mindfulness. The more you notice you are either in the past or the future, the more intentional you can be about bringing yourself back.
If you are interested in living more from presence, you may want to begin where you are by following these guildlines.
Thriving Through the Holidays
If the holidays bring you significant stress, let’s explore how you can use the 7 C’s of Resilience to navigate the chaos and thrive this year.
Below is a list of suggestions—see which ones resonate with you and consider setting a few as goals.
Holiday GIFTS from the HEART
This holiday season, embrace meaningful gift-giving with heartfelt, low-key ideas that bring joy without the pressure of consumer culture. From cozy handmade gifts and local finds to traditions that celebrate family, this guide offers inspiration for creating memorable holiday moments.
Resilience Builds HOPE…and HOPE Builds Resilience
Dr. Ken Ginsburg, a pediatrician who works with homeless youth, developed the 7 Cs of Resilience to help people strengthen their ability to cope. These seven competencies help us prepare for life’s inevitable challenges by building up our mental and emotional muscles.
Here’s how you can start building resilience by focusing on each of the seven Cs.
Regulating from the Inside Out
Self-compassion involves caring for every part of yourself—physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. When balanced, you can navigate challenges by relying on what you know to be true about yourself and your ability to handle adversity. This post covers how you can build emotional resilience.
The Joy of an Unbalanced Life
This blog post explores the concept of work-life balance as a myth, suggesting that instead of striving for a perfect equilibrium, we should embrace the natural ebb and flow of life. It discusses how life’s demands and energy levels fluctuate over time, making it more practical to seek harmony rather than balance.
Finding Yourself: Beneath the Labels
Explore the journey of self-discovery and the impact of labels on our identity. This blog post delves into how childhood experiences and societal expectations shape our understanding of ourselves. Discover how to embrace your complexities, integrate experiences, and move beyond restrictive labels to truly find yourself.
Healing and Growing Post-Trauma
Post-Traumatic Growth explores how individuals can experience profound personal growth following traumatic events. It highlights five key domains: personal strength, closer relationships, appreciation for life, new possibilities, and spiritual development. By embracing these areas, trauma survivors can transform their pain into a catalyst for a deeper, more meaningful life, finding resilience and hope along the way.
Mental Health: One Element of Healing and Health
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. It is a time for us to pay attention to our own mental health, as well as that of our loved ones and communities. Mental health affects everyone. Whether we are extending support, raising awareness, or working to extinguish stigma, we all have a part to play.