Laura Thiessen MSW, RSW Counselling Services

https://www.besselvanderkolk.com//if-there-was-ever-a-time

This podcast captures exactly what I have been observing this week... after the initial adrenaline rush of the shock, followed by leaping to action, we are tired. We might be finding that our initial coping responses feel like way too much work right now and there’s a bit of a collective how much longer is this going to be?!? sense out there. I think this a another reminder to be so, so gentle with ourselves right now. This is more of an endurance race than a sprint, so conserving energy is a good thing. Remind yourself of this if you are taking lots of naps. https://shows.cadence13.com//1d7488e6-00ee-4d49-8404-b2fb6

Whatever range of feelings you are experiencing right now, know that you are not the only one! In trauma counselling, we often say that we have "normal responses to abnormal circumstances". The way that we normally function may not be the most adaptive right now, so it's okay if it feels like you are not yourself. Maybe you normally don't watch 11 Netflix shows in a row or spend 14 hours a day reading news updates, or lining up at Costco for 3 hours. Our responses can be a bi...t extreme while we recalibrate. You're not broken. It takes time to integrate what the new normal means. Eventually we generally settle into a new routine and way of coping that is adaptive (if not that's what me and my counselling colleagues are here for). On that note, I've decided to adopt a new normal for now. I'm moving to phone and videoconferencing sessions only for the time being. Normally I really love sitting down with clients in person. Even with my ninja mastery of my bleach solution, I am concerned about putting anyone at risk when there is a safer and more responsible option. Clients will be contacted ahead of their session to be provided with consent information relevant to these platforms and offered options. Sending all the love and peace out to you, your families, our community and our world.

Well my friends, it has been quite the time. My office smells like a swimming pool as I am bleaching and disinfecting like crazy! I am still welcoming my clients to come in person as long as they are healthy, but am also offering sessions online if people prefer or have symptoms. In the meantime, to the best of each of our ability and resources, may we take care of each other and our community.

This group is being offered by an amazing colleague. Please share with those who might benefit from an opportunity to process and heal from the impact of struggling with infertility issues.

This darkest time of year can feel heavy and hard. May the simplest things bring each of us hope and connection.

I am so grateful to be able to work in my new office after a crazy summer of construction. The light reflecting off the snow in the winter wonderland outside is the perfect touch to me!

Stress causes shallow breathing and shallow breathing causes stress. https://www.thebestbrainpossible.com/breathing-stress-brai/

https://www.facebook.com/644587539/posts/10156129168077540

This will be a really helpful workshop for anyone venturing into the daunting world of dating! https://www.facebook.com/events/2246972042282076/?ti=ia

I see, hear and feel this connection between productivity and worth in our society all the time. What often starts out as a good intention (to be financially secure, well rounded, be good, find meaning or whatever) can throw us off balance. What might start as an action that is supportive to Self can become an automatic protective response (the belief that if you work hard and you’ll be safe and secure). These can be rooted in old patterns of trying to manage underlying fears that can even go back generations. Out of balance, these old patterns often do more harm than good to our nervous systems.

In honour of the mischievous antics of children, I'm sharing another blog on a lesson I learned as a 7 year old. I still need that little kid inside to remind me of the wisdom that comes from playing in the dirt, building forts and picking wildflowers. Here's a story of a curly red-haired girl who hated brushing her hair: https://www.laurathiessen.com//hiding-is-not-healing-a-par

For all the educators, health professionals, and caring professionals who daily come into contact with traumatized students, patients, or clients, may we honour not only the work that you do, but also the giving of your Self. The impact of feeling others’ pain can be exhausting and disheartening. Those working in our systems deserve support and space for processing, as our social carers invest their lives to support healing and growth for the most vulnerable. This article was written for educators, but many of the principles are relevant for other professionals as well. https://www.gse.harvard.edu//helping-teachers-manage-weigh

Franz Kafka, the story goes, encountered a little girl in the park where he went walking daily. She was crying. She had lost her doll and was desolate. Kafka of...fered to help her look for the doll and arranged to meet her the next day at the same spot. Unable to find the doll he composed a letter from the doll and read it to her when they met. ‘Please do not mourn me, I have gone on a trip to see the world. I will write you of my adventures.’ This was the beginning of many letters. When he and the little girl met he read her from these carefully composed letters the imagined adventures of the beloved doll. The little girl was comforted. When the meetings came to an end Kafka presented her with a doll. She obviously looked different from the original doll. An attached letter explained ‘My travels have changed me.’ Many years later, the now grown girl found a letter stuffed into an unnoticed crevice in the cherished replacement doll. In summary it said: ‘Every thing that you love, you will eventually lose, but in the end, love will return in a different form.’ Kafka and the Doll, The Pervasiveness of Loss

Today is Grief Awareness Day, and this analogy of how we deal with bereavement is absolutely spot on...

This is my friend Lisa's blog. I think she has a brilliant and entertaining was of articulating experiences I have heard many times from many amazing people. http://www.lisavoth.ca//My-childhood-was-normal-fine-I-sho

With the start of a new year, many of us are reflecting on what helps us to feel healthy. There is a growing body of research supporting yoga as a practice with many benefits for mental and emotional health, as well as the physical benefits. https://www.npr.org//5/the-role-of-yoga-in-healing-trauma

Sometimes it’s hard to have to ask for help, and it’s so nice if others can see what needs to be done, and do it.

A different and sustainable approach to exercise and holistic health!