Edgar Psychological

Bell Let’s Talk Day 2021: Breathe

https://youtu.be/XHqMv-wrSn0

youtube.com On Bell Let’s Talk Day, Bell will donate more towards mental health initiatives in Canada by contributing 5¢ for every applicable text, call, tweet or TikTok...

Daily Practices to Strengthen Your Relationship in Challenging Times - Mindful

“We often give the best of ourselves to coworkers, friends, and strangers. The result? Our partners witness our worst moments when we get home. Nate Klemp and Kaley Klemp offer three ways to connect and boost relationship resilience.”

https://www.mindful.org/daily-practices-to-strengthen-your-relationship-in-challenging-times/

mindful.org Nate Klemp and Kaley Klemp offer three ways to boost relationship resilience so that we can show up as our best selves in interactions with our partners.

Hours spent daydreaming about future plans are valuable

“The important thing about imagination is that it gives you optimism.”

https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/daydreaming-good-bad-psychology-pandemic-b1789415.html

independent.co.uk Somewhere among the clouds of our minds are the post-pandemic nights in clubs and the days in some tropical land. Daydreaming isn’t bad, in fact it can be good, writes Tariro Mzezewa

Turn it down: how to silence your inner voice

"Your internal monologue shapes mental wellbeing, says psychologist Ethan Kross. He has the tools to improve your mind’s backchat."

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/jan/16/inner-voice-self-criticism-psychologist-ethan-kross-chatter-voice-head

theguardian.com Your internal monologue shapes mental wellbeing, says psychologist Ethan Kross. He has the tools to improve your mind’s backchat

Calming a Rush of Reactivity with Compassion - Mindful

"During moments (or days) when everything seems impossibly complicated, we can still return to one place of simplicity: our innate capacity for presence and kindness."

https://www.mindful.org/calming-a-rush-of-reactivity-with-compassion/

mindful.org During moments when everything seems impossibly complicated, we can still return to one place of simplicity: our innate capacity for presence and kindness.

This Year, Try Downsizing Your Resolutions

By managing our expectations and making smaller goals, our resolutions just might stick this New Year! Here's some ways to approach 2021 realistically and sustainably.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/29/well/live/new-years-resolutions-2021.html

nytimes.com 2020 was a rough one. Here’s how to make goals for 2021 that feel both satisfying and doable.

How To Love Yourself Through COVID-19 Isolation - GoodTherapy.org Therapy Blog

As we continue to spend more and more time alone, being mindful can enhance our self-love as well as help us live more authentically.

https://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/Love-Yourself-Through-COVID-19

goodtherapy.org Encourage your brain to be self-aware in real-time, and challenge negative thoughts as they appear, so that this kind of thinking becomes automatic.

Finding Gratitude in Challenging Times

"It is precisely in darker times that we need to practice gratitude the most."

https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/everyday-resilience/202011/finding-gratitude-in-challenging-times

psychologytoday.com The physical and psychological benefits of appreciating the little things.

Yes, you should smile behind your mask. Here’s why.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/wellness/smile-mask-smize/2020/10/09/25104874-099f-11eb-a166-dc429b380d10_story.html

washingtonpost.com The connection you build through smiling is good for your emotional health.

Resilience: What it is and how to build it

“As we all adjust to the uncertainty that lies ahead, we can perhaps take heart from tentative, real-world evidence that suggests resilience really can be taught.”

https://www.google.ca/amp/s/www.sciencefocus.com/the-human-body/resilience-what-it-is-and-how-to-build-it/amp/

sciencefocus.com What we can learn from the psychology of those who’ve been through adversity and come through stronger than before.

How Compassion Can Help You Support an Addicted Loved One

Amidst the pandemic, many Canadians have increaded their alcohol consumption and substance use as a way to cope, while for others, their addictions have become exacerbated. If someone you know is struggling with an addiction, it can be hard to know where to begin, but the best place to start is with compassion.

https://www.google.ca/amp/s/www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/the-compassion-chronicles/201610/how-compassion-can-help-you-support-addicted-loved-one%3famp

psychologytoday.com Transform your relationship with an addicted partner or family member.

6 Questions To Ask Instead Of ‘How Are You?’, According To Therapists

“Between the pandemic and hellscape that is 2020, "How are you?" just doesn't cut it anymore. Here are some alternatives to try instead:”

https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/6-questions-to-ask-instead-of-how-are-you-according-to-therapists_uk_5fa5314bc5b6f21920da4294?utm_campaign=share_email&ncid=other_email_o63gt2jcad4

huffingtonpost.co.uk Between the pandemic and hellscape that is 2020, "How are you?" just doesn't cut it anymore. Here are some alternatives to try instead.

A Child’s Respect is Bestowed, Not Extracted

Respect between parents and children goes both ways, and it needs to be "bestowed, not extracted."

https://www.psychotherapynetworker.org/blog/details/1310/a-childs-respect-is-bestowed-not-extracted?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social

psychotherapynetworker.org How Much Parental Authority Do We Really Need?

5 Ways to Bolster Your Child's Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence is “the ability to manage emotions helps kids navigate social relationships, maximize intellectual success, and develop confidence.”

https://www.gottman.com/blog/5-ways-to-bolster-your-childs-emotional-intelligence/

gottman.com Your emotional intelligence and ability to handle feelings with determine your success and happiness in all walks of life.

Starting in January, we will be offering a (small) 6-week, group yoga class for PTSD. This yoga group will enhance mindfulness skills through moving mindfulness (yoga) to help tolerate unpleasant thoughts and feelings associated with PTSD. For more information visit our website at https://www.edgarpsychological.com/yoga-for-ptsd

The Key To Thriving In Disrupted Times Is Finding Our Way To The Present Moment

"The key to centering, to finding the source of our creative Nile, lies precisely in an ability to situate one’s self in that very space between past and future as time unfolds."
—A much needed reminder today as we sit on the brink of many uncertainties and wide possibilities.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnkao/2020/10/15/the-key-to-thriving-in-disrupted-times-is-finding-our-way-to-the-present-moment/?sh=51263ca65300

forbes.com There is a third way of experiencing time that lies between past and future, which is the present moment.

Being kind to yourself and others can improve your mental health

"It can sometimes feel difficult to connect with compassion. Elizabeth Sulis Kim explains how we can be kinder to ourselves and others – and reap the mental health benefits."

https://www.calmmoment.com/wellbeing/being-kind-to-yourself-and-others-can-improve-your-mental-health/

calmmoment.com It can sometimes feel difficult to connect with compassion. Elizabeth Sulis Kim explains how we can be kinder to ourselves and others – and reap the mental health benefits

The Mystery of Eroticism

"Today’s partners are looking for a way to reconcile their need for commitment and long-term relationships with their need for freedom and individual fulfillment." Therapist and author Esther Perel writes about the mystery of eroticism.

https://www.psychotherapynetworker.org/magazine/article/990/the-mystery-of-eroticism/aa8d080e-bb9e-46dc-af13-50e7b64ec10e/OIM?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&fbclid=IwAR1RU85CZ3-FKQGHRF_Rd3ext53C5SCKvWwnivBm5bZl3gtE67YT9F5OwdA

psychotherapynetworker.org It’s long been the conventional wisdom among couples therapists that if couples fix the emotional issues in their relationship, their sexual lives will improve. However, good intimacy doesn’t guarantee good sex. Couples today are confronting a new frontier in the basic understanding of what marr...

How to guard against seasonal affective disorder in the pandemic's winter months

As winter is starting to set in, the days are getting shorter and the weather is getting colder. According to the Canadian Mental Health Association, 15% of Canadians will experience a mild form of seasonal affective disorder. Here are some ways to cope with the winter blues during the pandemic.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/14/health/seasonal-affective-disorder-pandemic-wellness/index.html

cnn.com Seasonal affective disorder appears in about 5% of the US population during winter months. With social distancing amid the pandemic, this form of depression could hit harder this year. Here's how to prep in order to reduce SAD symptoms.

How to raise boys so they're comfortable with their emotions

The pandemic "presents a perfect storm for boys and men" when it comes to ideas around masculinity. Here are some ways to help our sons be comfortable with their emotions, and to learn about and question traditional ideas of manhood.

https://mashable.com/article/how-to-raise-strong-sons/

mashable.com Parents can start by following these four strategies.

How to Go on a True Mental Detox in 7 Steps - GoodTherapy

Today is World Mental Health Day 🧠
We hope everyone can take some time this long weekend to take a mental break and engage in some extra self care!


https://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/True-Mental-Detox

goodtherapy.org Technology, social media, and on-the-go mindsets, achieving true peace-of-mind, where you feel rested and renewed, can feel extremely difficult at times.

Study ties teens' COVID-19 resilience to their ability to navigate life - Scope

A new study examines the link between teen’s resilience and their executive control network.

https://scopeblog.stanford.edu/2020/10/02/study-ties-teens-covid-19-resilience-to-their-ability-to-navigate-life/

scopeblog.stanford.edu Stanford research shows that teens who are good at navigating life are less likely to experience anxiety and depression related to COVID-19.

‘It was the worst years of my life’: Alberta elder opens up about residential schools on Orange Shirt Day | Watch News Videos Online

Elder Jerry Wood shares his story of the 11 years he spent in the residential school system, and the lasting impacts it has had on his life.

Orange Shirt Day is a day to raise awareness and commemorate the Indigenous communities affected by Canada's residential school system, reaffirming that every child matters. In listening to survivor's stories, we can open our hearts and honour those who have, and continue to be affected by the system.

https://globalnews.ca/video/2976320/it-was-the-worst-years-of-my-life-alberta-elder-opens-up-about-residential-schools-on-orange-shirt-day

globalnews.ca Watch ‘It was the worst years of my life’: Alberta elder opens up about residential schools on Orange Shirt Day Video Online, on GlobalNews.ca

The pandemic proves we all should know ‘psychological first aid.’ Here are the basics.

“If ever there were a time for people to know the important skills that make up what mental health experts refer to as “psychological first aid,” a pandemic is it.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/wellness/pandemic-psychological-first-aid-anxiety/2020/09/21/7c68d746-fc23-11ea-9ceb-061d646d9c67_story.html

washingtonpost.com Instead of bandaging a wound, you tend to someone’s anxiety or distress — or your own.

What Nature Can Teach Us About Resilience

“Everything is evolving.”

https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/the-weight-ing-game/202009/what-nature-can-teach-us-about-resilience

psychologytoday.com Whether facing positive or challenging circumstances, change remains constant.

We’re All Socially Awkward Now

"Isolation experts advise taking steps to keep your social skills as nimble as possible during this unsocial time."

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/01/sunday-review/coronavirus-socially-awkward.html

nytimes.com Deprive people of interactions with peers, and their social skills will atrophy. This is yet another side effect of the pandemic.

How to Get Mentally Tougher in Difficult Times: Play More

Making the case for playtime—how incorporating play into our adult lives makes us more resilient

https://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/mental-toughness-psychology-play.html

inc.com Play has always been important for adults. It's even more important in 2020.

How to Handle Uncertainty

Despite our tendency to think otherwise, Dr. Ben Bernstein discusses the ways in which humans are indeed, capable of handling uncertainty (part one of an upcoming series)

https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/be-your-best/202008/how-handle-uncertainty

psychologytoday.com Learning to be in the present

Turning Pain into Meaning: Is There an Upside to Trauma?

"To even pose the question can seem insensitive to those who have suffered, or are suffering, acutely. Still, while the costs of trauma are well-documented, less consideration has been given to the counterintuitive possibility that trauma might contribute positively to our wellbeing in particular ways."

https://psychcentral.com/lib/turning-pain-into-meaning-is-there-an-upside-to-trauma/

psychcentral.com Events are traumatic when they are highly stressful, frightening, or distressing. Such experiences can inflict deep psychological wounds, damaging our mental health and reducing our overall sense of

Living the Questions: It’s really settling in now, the losses large and small

Weekend Listening—

As the world continues to grapple with a collective sense of loss and grief amidst the pandemic, "how do we navigate this when there is no closure?"

Family therapist Pauline Boss and Krista Tippett discuss the universal experience of "ambiguous loss" in this 30 minute excerpt from the On Being podcast.

https://onbeing.org/programs/living-the-questions-its-really-settling-in-now-the-losses-large-and-small/

onbeing.org A soothing and sometimes counterintuitive reflection on carrying grief in a time of pandemic.

Covid-19 Might Lead To A ‘Mental Health Pandemic’

"We need to talk about survivors and we need to start talking about them now-so that we can build the infrastructure that they need to get and stay well physically and mentally."

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jessicagold/2020/08/06/covid-19-might-lead-to-a-mental-health-pandemic/#28a72455706f

forbes.com In a recent study of Covid-19 survivors, out of 402 patients, 55% were found to have at least one psychiatric disorder at one month follow-up. This suggests that the effects of Covid-19 on our mental health may be significant and chronic and we need to something about it now, not later.

Negative thinking linked to dementia in later life, but you can learn to be more positive

A new study adds to the power of positive thinking

https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/07/health/negative-thinking-dementia-wellness/index.html

cnn.com Repetitive negative thinking in later life was linked to cognitive decline and greater deposits of two harmful proteins responsible for Alzheimer's disease, a new study found. But you can fight back by training your brain to be more optimistic.

Health and Happiness Depend on Each Other, Psychological Science Says

Happy Long Weekend! We hope everyone is taking some time to relax, practice self care, and focus on well being as new research links the positive impacts this has on your physical health.

https://www.psychologicalscience.org/news/releases/health-and-happiness-interventions.html

psychologicalscience.org New research adds to the growing body of evidence that happiness not only feels good, it is good for your physical health. [July 22, 2020]

What to Do When You Disagree

There is space between agreeing and disagreeing—this middle ground is understanding

https://www.gottman.com/blog/what-to-do-when-you-disagree/?utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=blog&utm_content=later-8958035

gottman.com Repair happens when we build bridges of validation that connect us, deepening our sense of belonging and security.

How We Can Thrive Within Discomfort - Mindful

“Being mindful of discomfort isn’t just an intellectual exercise. It’s visceral. It means noticing the physical sensations that tell you’re uncomfortable. And it means having the willingness to stay with unease long enough so that it informs you.”

https://www.mindful.org/how-we-can-thrive-within-discomfort/

mindful.org Instead of turning away from what feels difficult or painful, mindfulness teaches us that we can learn much from leaning in to any discomfort we're feeling.