York Region Stress and Anxiety Clinic
145 Main Street South L4A 1L7 Newmarket, ON, Canada

"It’s not what we do that is the most important, it’s who we are and how we are with people" Quote from :CTRI Canada--Crisis and Trauma Resource Institute of Canada. At our clinic we aim to "hold space" for our clients to help foster validation and support. Fears of vulnerability often prevent going to the source of the pain and it is only with safety and acceptance that this fear is brought to the surface and dealt with.

More on anxiety.......it's great to know one's inner dialogue that keeps the anxiety reaction in place...CBT good for this level of work..... The next level is a bit harder....self compassion....looking at one's self with love, understanding, and acceptance is , at times, very challenging and a bit scary....after all, that inner dialogue is what keeps one motivated and productive. Imagining one's self as the "good parent" and giving one's self a "hug", goes a long way to self compassion ....... Navigating these intricate and often confusing inner dialogues, may need the help of an outsider (therapist) who is not invested in keeping those challenging thoughts alive.....

Anxiety is often brought on by maladaptive thoughts. These thoughts are actually meant to keep you safe, however, they also create a vicious circle of cause and effect......Try this exercise: take a piece of paper, get some crayons and select a color that you like and start to draw anything.....please note the thoughts going on in your mind in this simple exercise--note thoughts picking the color, applying color to the paper.....TAKE A DEEP BREATH! Note what kind of thoughts are there and then examine what they might be preventing you from doing -----becoming embarrassed-??? Counselling can provide a safe place to look at these thoughts.....Give us a call!

"Its not what we do that is the most important, its who we are and how we are with people" Quote from :CTRI Canada--Crisis and Trauma Resource Institute of Canada. At our clinic we aim to "hold space" for our clients to help foster validation and support. Fears of vulnerability often prevent going to the source of the pain and it is only with safety and acceptance that this fear is brought to the surface and dealt with.

More on anxiety.......its great to know ones inner dialogue that keeps the anxiety reaction in place...CBT good for this level of work..... The next level is a bit harder....self compassion....looking at ones self with love, understanding, and acceptance is , at times, very challenging and a bit scary....after all, that inner dialogue is what keeps one motivated and productive. Imagining ones self as the "good parent" and giving ones self a "hug", goes a long way to self compassion ....... Navigating these intricate and often confusing inner dialogues, may need the help of an outsider (therapist) who is not invested in keeping those challenging thoughts alive.....

Thinking about anxiety and teens---first and foremost the adolescent years are stressful in that they are a time to individuate ( find ones identity if you will). The pressures are many (eg. popularity, body image, academics, friend groups), without the input of world news and events - economic woes, warring countries, 911, school shootings and of course working towards becoming self-sufficient with job, education, etc. Is it any wonder that anxiety is at times dealt with withdrawal (not going to school and not doing assignments) or "acting out"- in essence the fight/flight/freeze responses. Compassionate validation and understanding can help to uncover hidden strengths that can assist in dealing with the present. This can change the tendency to fear the unknown and concentrate on the work at hand.

Anxiety appears to be as rampant as the common cold. Stress of everyday living- traffic, schedules, responsibilities, fears of future, world gone amuck ( my view, LOL)...these are some of the building blocks to the anxiety tower. These blocks create insecurities and uncertainty especially if one feels ill equipped to deal with them. Anxiety, in essence, is like being prepared for the worst case scenario as envisioned in ones mind. The mind is the KEY here...Mankinds evolut...ion has made it so that life continues and being anxious and prepared for anything that might come along is its way. SUSPENDED ANIMATION so to speak....problem is that if there is no control over this process its very frightening and debilitating. So one of the ways to deal with anxiety is to go "within" and see the internal wiring and create different connections, so to speak. Looking internally, at times, requires the help of an outsider (therapist)- an objective viewer....no judgement, no interpretation, just validation and normalizing.....!!!! To end this BLURB----some insight----ACCEPTANCE requires FORGIVENESS together with AWARENESS.... .

Something my son said to me about what he learned from his inability to quiet/soothe his child yesterday at our family gathering caused me to pause and think. He said that he became aware that there was nothing he could do but hold the space. What came to mind was a something I had heard in my christian upbringing: "one must become as a child in order to enter the kingdom of heaven". Many years after and many hours of contemplation, I have come to the understanding that bec...oming as a child means to accept all that is and to work at allowing judgement to fade- both of self and others. Acceptance = heaven-----really hard place to get to, I might add. I also remember the saying "let go and let god"- well again, this takes on a meaning that is profoundly connected to the acceptance. With acceptance comes peace, a widening of perception, calm- in essence - God....or reality- or Allah- or ---------- May the new year bring peace, calm, acceptance!

Came across this quote by Stephen Levine: "But water is water, no matter what its shape or form. The solidity of ice imagines itself to be its edges and density. Melting, it remembers; evaporating, it ascends" If this quote "touches" you, and you wish to discuss, add to this chat.

Focus group for women - examining stages of life to create awareness of self -

Social skills and anxiety group for teens beginning mid- September - call 416-428-6071