articles by
The Resiliency
Clinic Team

A large number of Canadians live with some form of chronic illness, and we love to support them at the clinic. 

Feeling anxious? That’s okay! Anxiety is extremely normal and quite valid in this situation – there is a lot of noise in the world and collectively, I believe we are all experiencing a gentle background hum of fear.

The global unease and fear that has hit us in recent weeks has left us feeling vulnerable, anxious, and uncertain about the future. We feel like we are at war, but with an invisible enemy.

Curiosity killed the cat, apparently. This old proverb has been making us perceive curiosity negatively because this said cat approached a situation without caution and lost its life as a result.

Many people living with diabetes are frustrated by the amount of time they spend dealing with diabetes-related problems. And, of course, they have other problems in their lives unrelated to diabetes as well. Whether they pertain to relationship struggles, anxiety, depression or work stress, people with diabetes have the everyday struggles other people have, compounded by the difficulty of managing a chronic disease.

Goals are valuable tools in our lives, however, we tend to place heavy conditions on goals. Happiness is not a conditional state: by saying “I’ll only be happy if ____” or “I’ll finally be happy when _____”, we are removing the possibility of us being happy right now. Because you never know, something else just might make your day.

Acceptance. The art of observing, allowing, and letting go of resistance. The practice of non-judgemental awareness of our-selves, our behaviours, our habits, our core values, and all of those regarding others, too. The unending release of that which does not serve us. The final stage of grief.

What are affirmations? Affirmations are found when we ask ourselves, “What can I give myself credit for?” Some people have heard about gratitude journals and there is no doubt that keeping a gratitude journal is a powerful practice. Reflecting on what we appreciate in our lives makes us feel better! However, reflecting on what we appreciate about ourselves and our efforts makes us more confident and self-compassionate.

Many people are unsure about what to expect from therapy. Thoughts and expectations about the process can prevent people from reaching out, even when they really want support and help. In Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), we help people learn how to balance their thoughts so they can reduce negative moods like anxiety or fear. We can help you do that, too!

At Ottawa South Resiliency Clinic, we teach cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) in both individual and group therapy sessions. It is a wonderful framework for understanding problems and working together as a team (client and therapist) to determine what to work on first.