Modern Wellness Collective

02/08/2026

What would it look like to care for yourself the way you care for everyone else?

Not in a perfect, Instagram-worthy way.
But in the quiet, ordinary moments where you usually push through.

What would it look like to respond to your stress with curiosity instead of criticism?
To notice your exhaustion and say, of course you’re tired, rather than what’s wrong with me?

So often, self-care gets framed as something indulgent or optional.
From a clinical perspective, it’s neither.
It’s how the nervous system recovers. It’s how resilience is built.

From a compassionate lens, self-care might look like:

allowing yourself to rest without needing to justify it

lowering expectations on days when your capacity is limited

setting boundaries that feel uncomfortable at first, but protective over time

offering yourself the same patience you freely give others

It might also look like grieving the fact that you can’t do everything—
and honoring that this doesn’t make you weak, it makes you human.

When we approach stress and burnout with compassion, the question shifts.
Not How do I fix myself?
But What do I need right now?

That question alone can soften the nervous system.

If you’re reading this and feeling depleted, I want you to know:
You don’t need to earn care by breaking down first.
You are allowed to tend to yourself before you’re at the end of your rope.

Self-care isn’t about doing more.
It’s about listening more gently—and responding with kindness.

What would it look like to start there? Interested in learning more? Let's connect and see how counselling could benefit you! https://modernwellnesscollective.ca/counselling/

02/07/2026

As a clinical counsellor, one of the most common things I hear is:
“I know I’m stressed… I just don’t know how to make it stop.”

And I want to say this clearly, right from the start:
Stress isn’t a personal weakness. It’s a nervous system response to sustained pressure, responsibility, and unmet needs.

Most people think stress management means learning how to “calm down.”
But clinically speaking, stress isn’t the problem—chronic, unrelieved stress is.

Stress becomes harmful when:

your body stays in survival mode for too long

rest feels unproductive or undeserved

you keep functioning, but at the cost of your health, mood, or relationships

In counselling, we don’t aim to eliminate stress (that’s unrealistic).
We work on regulation, awareness, and capacity.

Effective stress management starts with noticing:

physical cues (tight shoulders, headaches, shallow breathing)

emotional cues (irritability, numbness, tearfulness)

behavioral cues (withdrawal, overworking, scrolling, snapping)

These aren’t flaws. They’re signals.

From a therapeutic perspective, managing stress often means:

learning how to interrupt the stress response before it escalates

setting boundaries that protect your energy, not just your schedule

allowing your nervous system to complete stress cycles through rest, movement, or expression

And yes—sometimes it means making changes that are uncomfortable, but necessary.

I often remind clients that self-care isn’t about adding more to your to-do list.
It’s about reducing the internal and external demands that keep your system on edge.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, or constantly “on,” it doesn’t mean you’re failing.
It means your system has been working overtime to keep you going.

Stress management isn’t about perfection.
It’s about learning how to respond to your life with more support, flexibility, and compassion.

If this resonates with you, know that help isn’t just for crisis moments.
Support can be preventative—and profoundly life-changing.

Be gentle with yourself. Your nervous system is doing its best.

Interested in learning about how counselling can help you? Let's connect !

Hello, I am so glad that you're here.

02/06/2026

Life can be overwhelming and challenging, and sometimes we need a space to process, heal, learn, and grow. I work with individuals, couples, parents, and children seeking deeper connection, meaning, and emotional fulfillment.

They may be struggling with relationship challenges, big emotions, low mood, life transitions, or attachment wounds. They want to feel seen, understood, and supported while building self-compassion, emotional resilience, and secure relationships. Their goal is to live a more connected, authentic, and fulfilling life—strengthening bonds with themselves and others and finding greater peace, joy, and purpose.

Let's connect and see how counselling can benefit you!

Emily Masse, Counsellor, Chilliwack, BC, V2R, (825) 807-8017, Life can be overwhelming and challenging, and sometimes we need a space to process, heal, learn, and grow. I work with individuals, couples, parents, and children seeking deeper connection, meaning, and emotional fulfillment. They may be....

02/06/2026

Life doesn't stop unless you let it.

My 30s have been my favorite years, full of new experiences, challenges, growth, and expansion. I can't help but feel excited about what the next 5 years will bring.

At any point I could have said no, chosen differently, lost momentum. But I didn't. It hadn't been perfect, but movement has been forward focused. Shedding the past, layer by layer. Leaving behind old beliefs, hurt, and lifestyles.

It's been worth every step.

02/05/2026

Stress management isn’t about being calm all the time.
It’s about stopping stress from running your life.

It’s noticing when your jaw is clenched, your breath is shallow, and your patience is gone—and choosing to pause before you snap, shut down, or spiral.

Real stress management doesn’t look aesthetic.
It looks like saying no without explaining.
It looks like lowering the bar on hard days.
It looks like asking for help before you’re already drowning.

You don’t manage stress by pretending it isn’t there.
You manage it by listening to what it’s trying to tell you.

Sometimes stress is a signal:

that you’re doing too much

that your needs keep coming last

that something in your life needs to change, not be pushed through

You don’t need to eliminate stress to function.
You need tools, boundaries, and permission to be human.

If today feels heavy, start small:
One deep breath.
One honest “no.”
One moment of rest that doesn’t have to be earned.

That counts.

Interested in learning more? Let's connect about how counselling can help you

WELCOME

02/05/2026

Burnout in motherhood doesn’t look like giving up.
It looks like doing everything while feeling nothing.

It’s loving your kids fiercely and still fantasizing about disappearing for a week—alone, silent, unneeded.
It’s being the emotional home for everyone else while quietly falling apart yourself.
It’s being told “you’re such a good mom” when inside you’re exhausted, resentful, and ashamed for feeling that way.

Motherhood burnout isn’t a personal failure.
It’s what happens when care is expected to be endless, unpaid, invisible, and joyful at all times.

You don’t need to be more grateful.
You don’t need a better planner.
You don’t need to “just take a bath.”

You need rest that actually counts.
Support that doesn’t require begging.
And permission to say: this is hard, without immediately having to soften it.

If this resonates, you’re not broken.
You’re burned out—and you’re not alone.

Interested in learning more? Let's connect and see how counselling can help you.

WELCOME

02/04/2026

When we choose to see present circumstances through the lens of the past, we are rarely seeing what is actually in front of us. We are seeing echoes.
Old experiences rise quietly and take the lead—memories, disappointments, triumphs, wounds—projecting themselves onto a moment that has its own shape and meaning. The present becomes a stage, but the script is familiar.

We respond not to what is, but to what once was. A neutral comment feels like a criticism because it once was. A delay feels like abandonment because it once did. Joy feels fragile because it didn’t last before.

This lens can be protective. The mind is trying to keep us safe, scanning for patterns, predicting outcomes, saying, I’ve seen this before—be careful. In that way, the past acts like a guardrail. But it can also become a cage. When the past is over-relied upon, it flattens nuance and steals possibility. New people inherit old roles. New situations are sentenced with old verdicts.

Time collapses. Emotionally, we are no longer here—we are then. The body reacts as if the old threat or loss is happening again. Fear arrives early. Defensiveness feels justified. Curiosity goes quiet. The present moment, which might have asked for openness or patience, gets met with armor instead.

What’s lost is freshness. The chance to learn something new. The opportunity to let this moment speak in its own voice. When the past becomes the primary lens, growth slows because growth requires risk, and risk feels impossible when yesterday is treated as prophecy.

Seeing this pattern doesn’t mean rejecting the past. The past holds wisdom. But wisdom is different from control. Wisdom says, This happened, and here is what I learned.

Control says, This happened, so it must happen again.
When we loosen the grip of old stories, the present regains its depth. It becomes a place where history can inform us—but not imprison us.

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02/02/2026

The next time you catch yourself in an argument with someone ask,

Am I trying to win?

Is this something I feel strongly about?

Am I listening to understand or am I focused on my own perspective?

Often our ego, or trauma joins our arguments and blocks our ability to collaborate.

Taking a moment to pause can help us rejoin in a headspace of collaboration and a willingness to understand.

Interested in digging deeper into your conflict patterns? Let's connect for a discovery call.

01/28/2026

Activities I choose instead of scrolling part ✌🏼

01/28/2026

Holding Big Feelings

Holding Big Feelings – 6-Week Parenting Psychoeducation Group in Chilliwack BC $120.00 for 6 weeks Hosted in Chilliwack, at Serene Stay and Play Cafe. Wednesdays at 10am - 11am. February 4th, 11th, 18th, 25th, March 4th and March 11th 2026. Price covers the whole 6 weeks. A Parenting Group for When Emotions Feel Bigger Than You Do you ever feel like your child’s big emotions take over the whole room — and your nervous system along with it?...

Holding Big Feelings – 6-Week Parenting Psychoeducation Group in Chilliwack BC $120.00 for 6 weeks Hosted in Chilliwack, at Serene Stay and Play Cafe. Wednesdays at 10am – 11am. February 4th, 11th, 18th, 25th, March 4th and March 11th 2026. Price covers the whole 6 weeks. A Parenting Group for W...

01/27/2026

Girl, just say no.

01/26/2026

Holding Big Feelings – 6-Week Parenting Psychoeducation Group in Chilliwack BC

Join others for a 6-week parenting support group for parents of children who experience big emotions, meltdowns, or difficulty with regulation. This group offers practical tools, gentle education, and a supportive space to better understand your child’s nervous system—while also caring for your own. Parents will learn co-regulation strategies, build confidence, and connect with others who truly get it. These sessions are run by a registered clinical counsellor and play therapist. They are covered by most extended benefits packages. Please reach out if you are interested in, or needing a sliding scale....