We live in a society that often talks about the pursuit of happiness and very little about depression. While sadness is a part of life and we all have days where we may feel down, depression affects multiple parts of our life - behaviour, mood, and thoughts and can last for days, weeks, or even months.
You likely chose the nursing profession because of your desire to make a positive impact on the lives of others. Nurses are driven by compassion and a commitment to the well-being of their patients. However, these noble values that draw individuals to nursing often clash with the harsh realities of the healthcare environment. This may give rise to a unique set of challenges that can lead to burnout.
Whether self-doubt is a major factor in your life or only a small issue every once in a while, it’s worth understanding what’s happening for you and how you can cope.
If you answered ‘yes’ to any of those questions, you may be experiencing symptoms of depression. Depression is usually characterized by a low mood, lack of interest, and a lack of personal care. But depression is not the only reason these symptoms could be showing up for you. These are also often symptoms of burnout. It’s important to understand the origins of your symptoms so that you can find matching solutions.
Read MoreHave you been in a low mood? Can’t get off the couch? Do you cancel your social plans, or avoid making them? Do you procrastinate?
If you answered ‘yes’ to any of those questions, you may be experiencing symptoms of depression. Depression is usually characterized by a low mood, lack of interest, and a lack of personal care. But depression is not the only reason these symptoms could be showing up for you. These are also often symptoms of burnout. It’s important to understand the origins of your symptoms so that you can find matching solutions.
Read MoreMost people who work with a therapist initiate contact when they are going through hard things.
When life gets tough, it makes sense that people seek additional support. Working with a therapist during life’s hard times can help people navigate stress, crisis, illness, major life transitions, etc. But most therapists know that the true healing work takes place once things have stabilized in the client’s life.
Read MoreDo you consider yourself an extrovert? An introvert? Somewhere in-between?
Have you ever considered how this impacts your friendships? Of course, we are all unique individuals and no two people are the same. Logically, no two friendships are the same. But there are interesting differences in the ways that introverts and extroverts function in friendships that can help all of us understand our own needs and the needs of our friends.
Read MoreThis month we have been focusing on Cannabis and Mental Health across our social media platforms, and also during our more informal chats with each other at everwell. If you’ve been following along then you might have noticed that the relationship between cannabis and mental health is anything but simple and one-size-fits-all. The anecdotal evidence and stories range from it being an amazingly helpful tool for mood stabilisation and sleep to it being a traumatic source of anxiety and ongoing mental health complications. The scientific research is not much different unfortunately.
Read MoreHow are your relationships serving you? Are there changes that could allow these relationships to serve you better? What holds you back from making the changes that would allow your relationships to shine more light on your life as opposed to taking away your shine and joy? This reflection may take a while – these are hard questions to wrestle with – especially for people pleasers.
Read MoreOvernight, our homes became our offices, classrooms, playgrounds, spas, restaurants, movie theatres and whatever other function you had to fashion out of four walls. It’s now April 2022 and along with the flowers, new hope is budding. We are emerging from a 2-year hibernation, and we finally seem to have the space to look around and reassess our spaces.
Clearing the physical clutter and build-up can be an amazing nudge towards clearing out the mental clutter and mess that this pandemic has left in its wake.
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When clients come to see me for depression counselling, I often observe that they are in what I call early depression. These are folks who just aren’t feeling quite right. There’s a sense of going through the motions and not being able to experience life to it’s fullest. Here are my top 3 warning signs of early depression to keep an eye out for.
Read MoreSometimes we wish we could just run away from our problems. But rarely do we think about actually running away. Harnessing the power of physical activity can make you feel better. With some insight, intention, and perseverance you can move forward with feeling better both physically and emotionally.
Read MoreTreating depression has no simple or obvious solutions. There is a wealth of evidence supporting inflammation's negative impact on the brain and as a result nutrition can play a big role in a person's mental well-being. Here are 5 evidence-based nutrition tips to help you beat depression.
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