Month: February 2019

Passion is a very powerful feeling. Being passionate about doing something whether it’s a goal or project is invigorating; it helps us feel “alive.” Having a life where you feel as though it’s a never-ending cycle can be very redundant and mundane. We as humans are creatures of habit and we tend to want to stay in our comfort zone, in our repetitive cycle. We get used to the same old rhythm and the feeling of change can feel scary. We live each day by each day and have no expectations for the future. It’s very important to be able to bring that spark, light, and excitement into our lives to help us feel motivated once again. Here are a few ways to help us feeling motivated. 

• Giving back to the community/volunteering for a charitable cause: Performing selfless acts can help someone feel as though they are making a difference. A study has shown that when you give, you feel a sense of true happiness much more than when you receive. Being a part of a good cause that you believe in, will help motivate you to feel like you’re part of a community and you are making a positive difference. 
• Traveling: Visiting different parts of the world, meeting new people and learning new cultures help us open our eyes to view the world in a different light, being able to connect to the world and its people and realizing how blessed our lives are, traveling helps us open our hearts to new adventures and experiences that we never imagined possible. 
• Being thankful and grateful for family: Remembering and recognizing the blessings of where we came from and the people who love/support us. Being thankful that we have a family is a blessing in itself and helps us realize how blessed we are to have a support group that loves us unconditionally. 
• Working out/Exercising: Exercising helps us not only look good physically but supports our mental well-being. Happy hormones called “Endorphins” are released when we work out and it’s a natural way to give us that extra boost that we may need for a long day ahead of us. Studies have shown when we feel good with the way we look, we feel good inside and outside. Stop sitting around and wishing you looked like a certain favorite celebrity or model, get out there and workout! Getting fresh air while we work out does even better things for our body, mind, and spirit. 
• Speaking to someone/finding a good therapist: Sometimes as much as we try to feel motivated and push ourselves to try different activities/experiences to make us find that motivation, at times we just need support to help us find the deep-rooted causes of our loss of motivation. A good therapist can help you get out of your rut and become the person that you want to be. Therapists can help you find and set up the goals that you want and support you in reaching those goals. And most importantly, they can help you find the answer to what has been keeping you from being the best you. 

Written by:
Meesha Chan
Psychotherapist
SACAC Counselling

Writing down your thoughts and feelings is a therapeutic activity. Paper and pen channel your creative expression, either joyful or melancholic and distressing. Journaling can be a healing process to help you get in touch with your deepest needs and desires, come to terms with problems, and deal with personal issues. Whatever type of painful emotion you are experiencing (grief, sadness, fear, isolation, etc.) expressing yourself in writing can help ease your discomfort.

I often provide journaling to my own clients who find it difficult to verbalize what bothers them. The tool has proven beneficial not only to them but also to myself, as I learn a great deal about their “internal, hidden world”.

Getting words down on paper can help clear your head of thoughts and ideas that are creating a mental swirl of confusion. The purpose of doing this exercise is to clear your brain of mindless clutter and discharge any emotional baggage connected to useless or negative thoughts. It is a process that allows you to reflect upon your emotions, thoughts, and behaviors during events in your life. It offers the privacy to examine the behavior and attitudes of others and even re-visit circumstances from multiple angles. In other cases, journaling provides the opportunity to write a “love letter” to yourself with inspirational sayings, reminders, and cheerful recollections.

When getting down to it, ensure that this activity fits your style. And, always remember that journaling doesn’t require proper grammar, writing skills, or expertise…it is your own “therapy” session with yourself, where you embrace yourself and your world in a positive, non-judgmental, and compassionate fashion.

Written by: Laura Spalvieri
Counsellor/Psychotherapist/Transactional Analyst
SACAC Counselling