05 Apr How my unhealthy relationship was the best thing that happened to me
We all carry within ourselves a behind the scenes life story of adversity. For those of us that have figured out how to overcome it, we transform our stories into our life purpose and become mentors and experts on the subject; we use our personal...
31 Mar Unplug and Reboot
What does this really look like? Simply living. Each moment, one day at a time (even if it’s only for a few days). No personal trainer or yoga coach required. No guru. Just the sand and the sea. Perhaps mountain and valley landscapes. Colourful canyons and fresh-water lakes are incredible too. The salt sea-water cleanse (no thick green smoothies please).
23 Mar Advice to my 13 year old daughter
[caption id="attachment_21506" align="alignleft" width="116"]
Grade 6 graduation[/caption]
I have a beautiful, intelligent, caring, sensitive, perceptive 13 year old daughter. She just finished her first year of high school and thriving. She loves acting, singing and playing waterpolo. As her mom I have taught her a lot over the last thirteen years; how to cross the street, how to ride her bike, how to tie her shoes, table manners, conversation skills...the list goes on and as she continues to grow as she still has a lot to learn.
23 Mar Dress Shopping When You’re Not A Size 6
Today I was on a mission. I was determined to start trying on dresses. My son's Bar Mitzvah is being celebrated in May and although it's not really about me- it kind of is and I want to look FABULOUS for the big day! So my B.F.F. Liz, and I made an impromptu journey to downtown Montreal.
23 Mar Strength in vulnerability
Growing up, I didn’t always get a lot of positive reinforcement. When I was young, I longed to be acknowledged; to be praised and told that I was great or smart or funny. Despite this lack of affirmation, I still somehow managed to develop confidence and a strong sense of self. I learned to become my own cheerleader and to find validation from within. I’m not exactly sure where this self-assurance came from, but I realized that being strong and fearless were my survival skills.
23 Mar An anxious mind
Mental illness seems to be getting a lot of airplay these days. While we’re still far from a place where it is accepted and legitimized as a genuine health issue, at the very least we’re hearing more about it. Just the other day, we shared...
22 Mar Connecting mind and body
Learn how to appreciate yourself and your body through the practice of Mindfulness Yoga. Come and step on your mat and experience a movement practice that unites body and mind. [caption id="attachment_23703" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Processed with VSCOcam with f2 preset[/caption] You’ll be introduced to mindfulness yoga, which...
15 Mar FROM PROTECTED TO CONNECTED
It appears that most of us are reluctant to reveal our full selves - in social settings, in professional settings, or in new situations. As we delved deeper to understand why, here is what emerged: fear of rejection, fear of leaving ourselves vulnerable and being seen for our imperfections, fear of being judged (or worse, ridiculed), fear of not belonging and being ostracized.
14 Mar How A Day Of Dress Shopping Helped Me Embrace My Curves
Huffington Post Today I was on a mission. I was determined to start trying on dresses. My sons Bar Mitzvah is being celebrated in May and although it's not really about me -- it kinda is, and I want to look FABULOUS for the big day! With...
09 Mar Barre Fitness Can Help!
Physical activity has always been a huge part of my life, from ballet and hip hop dancing (check out cringe worthy picture) at a young age, to playing ringuette, soccer, flag football and hockey through my teens and into adulthood. I owe my love of sports to my Dad who, at age 64, still plays in his basketball league every Wednesday night. He was definitely my role model for physical activity.
18 Feb My Book of Family Wisdom
Newly empty-nested, most days I have enough spare time to write. These days, my house is quiet, too quiet, void of noisy and chaotic distractions of (please insert adjectives of your choice here) teens, tweens or toddlers. I no longer suffer from constant sleep deprivation...
16 Feb When Someone You Love Is Depressed
Huffington Post Throughout my life, I've been touched by people struggling with mental illness. I'm extremely sensitized to their journey and I've chosen to dedicate much of my private practice as a psychotherapist to helping people cope. However, one of my most precious and dedicated encounters has...
15 Feb Thyroid Chronicles: Things I’ve Learned After Twenty Years of Struggle
I have been living with thyroid disease since I was seventeen. At seventeen I'd never even heard of the thyroid, but here I found myself possessing one that was diseased. Leading up to that diagnosis was an overall sense that I had become a shell of a person....
12 Feb From Victim to Victor: How I learned to Shift my Thoughts
I just read this mind-opening article by Steve Parton on The Science of Happiness: Why Complaining is Literally Killing You.
11 Feb A Letter to all Newly Single Parents
Ever wonder what it’s like to be a single parent? When I was married, I often wondered how single parents coped and managed on their own with no back-up. And then, with no warning or time to plan, I myself became that single parent. I never expected that I would become a single mom, and frankly when I did, I took it on full-speed ahead and never looked back. I embraced the role and decided that I would put on a brave face and go with it.
04 Feb My journey from self-hate to self-love
From a very young age I never felt like I quite fit in and always thought I was different. To try and blend in I pushed myself to be seen as an achiever. I strived for success in everything I did because I did not just...
02 Feb My Random Design Thoughts…
January already?! Here in Montreal, the last 2 weeks of December are construction holiday and the whole industry shuts down. This year, for the first time, I took off for a much needed 2 week vacation. I promised my family that I wouldn't do any work...
01 Feb DADS 101
Fourteen years ago, we were blessed with the birth of our eldest child. Ten fingers, ten toes and...TEN WEEKS PREMATURE!
28 Jan When your best friend has depression
Throughout my life, I’ve been touched by people struggling with mental illness. I’m extremely sensitized to their journey and I've chosen to dedicate much of my private practice as a psychotherapist to helping people cope.
27 Jan Fighting Depression
[caption id="attachment_20390" align="alignleft" width="295"] When it began. That's me on the left.[/caption]
When I was a kid, I couldn’t go to sleep unless I completed a very specific set of nightly routines. I was inexplicably terrified of water dripping from the bathroom tap, so I worked at tightening the faucet until I was sure I was safe. The bathroom light switch had to be flicked on and off exactly 10 times. Each item on my shelves and desk needed to be perfectly aligned and I felt compelled to yell, “Goodnight Ma!”, from my bed at least a dozen times.
26 Jan Kindness is the only currency we need.
I am addicted to social media and its power. That power comes in many forms, and I'm mostly addicted to Facebook. In 2015 when I decided to do the Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer, approximately 80% of the fundraising came from scheduled posts on Facebook. In...
22 Jan This is my life
This is my life; one I wouldn't trade for anything in the world. But it's different from most. I have what most people strive for; a beautiful family, a nice home (ok, so I'd change half a dozen things about it, but who's counting?!), a loving and supportive husband and 3 beautiful children; 2 boys and a little girl. However, what a lot of people don't know is the struggles I live each day. My boys, Ty who is 10 and Max who is 8, have autism.
20 Jan Why Winter Is Cramping My Style
The all too familiar sound of the snow crunching beneath my boots is back in Montreal, this lovely place we call home. I can’t pretend though, I hate winter. I am not a winter person and seriously, my personal style is suffering.
14 Jan How I learned to breathe in the hot room
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Low lunge with Moksha instructor Cyndie[/caption]
If you look up Type A personality in the dictionary, there’s a good chance you’ll find my picture. I’m a perfectionist, a catastrophist and an overachiever. I generally sleep like shit because the wheels in my head are always turning. I have a terrible time relaxing. I feel stressed, a lot, and I’m always rushing. Lisa is forever telling me to slow down because it’s not unusual that we’ll be walking down the street together and I’m half a block ahead of her. I just don’t do slow or relaxed. Fast paced and constant motion are more my thing.
Add a little adrenaline and excitement seeking (and a healthy dose of anxiety) to the mix and I’m essentially Bugs Bunny’s Tasmanian Devil, whirling through life in a miniature tornado.
13 Jan What Happens When Mama’s Unhappy
Dear Kate, I am a single lady in my mid-thirties, no children but lots of experience working with kids in different capacities. My older sister, whom I'm pretty close with, has a 3 year old that's giving her a real run for it and I can...
12 Jan Our New Normal
August 2007, we were like so many other families. Happily married, 1 little boy whose 2nd birthday we had just celebrated and another baby on the way. Many nights were spent talking about how things would change once the new baby came. We talked about...
07 Jan F&%*K Resolutions
One year ago, I was exactly where I am today. It was the Monday after the winter holidays and I’d just come back from a vacation in Mexico, feeling under the weather and blue. Last year, I chalked it up to the drudgery of readjusting...
15 Dec What a Difference a Year Makes
I want to share what December 15 means to me. December 15, 2014 my beloved father whom I affectionately referred to as “Daddy-o” died of cancer. However, December 15, 2015 has me feeling happier than I have in long time. I want to be clear that I loved (and still love) my father dearly and we had a wonderful relationship.