Psychotherapy with Jackie Bristow

11/24/2025

☃️🎄🎁It is the holiday season now and many of us feel like a big ball of tangled mess, and you are allowed to be. It is interesting that our society has evolved to develop such a judgmental stance on people who are suffering from mental health issues or do not have 'everything' together.

Sometimes it is that person who lashes out at the grocery store - most of us will criticize them but we often lack the understanding of why they behave this way. Sometimes it is the person who just needs those last minute presents but does not have the money, or maybe they don't get to see their kids at christmas because of a messy divorce or difficult ex. Sometimes it is the people who are alone at Christmas that can be the most kind too.

Ah, I think my post is a bit of a jumbled mess, but I realize that my posts do not have to be 'perfect' because none of us are, and I want to connect with everyone who is struggling this year, and give you permission to not judge yourself for your shortcomings.

My message: You, like all of us, are doing the very best you can and you too deserve to feel good about just making it through another day, even if you are one big sparkly ball of mess.

Reach out for a free consult to see if we are a good fit.

11/24/2025

This I feel applies to so many students I see.

For all the students out there. I know the pressure can be immense but you're doing amazing.

11/24/2025

Some moments don’t need to be fixed—they just need to be felt. 💛 Acknowledging “this is really hard” can be the most compassionate thing we do for ourselves. It’s a quiet act of courage and care.

What helps you stay present with yourself when life feels heavy?

11/22/2025

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11/20/2025

Being rude or mean or critical stems from someone’s low self esteem. Having a low self worth can manifest as feeling deeply insufficient when someone points out our flaws. For example you tell your partner something they are doing is hurting you and they respond by lashing out and criticizing you for having a problem. They may call you names or find ways to belittle you and lower your self esteem in an attempt to combat their feelings of low self worth when triggered. These traits can be the way someone operates and interacts with the world or can be solely displayed when feeling criticized. Of course, not all low self esteem folks respond in this way. Reach out for more help to find out what you can do if you or your partner suffers from this type of response.

Book your free consult now at jackiebritow.ca.

11/18/2025

When children live in a home where they can not feel emotional safety, they will blame themselves instead of the parents. But why? Part of the reason is that children only have primitive defence mechanisms like dissociation to deal with overwhelming emotions. They dissociate the parts of their parents that make them feel unsafe so that they can then feel a sense of safety in an environment where it actually does not exist. Blaming themselves and feeling that there parents flaws are a result of the child being wrong in some way, means this child develops a strong affinity for blaming themselves in the future when a situation goes wrong or someone is upset with them. This is a common theme in many clients I see with depression and anxiety. Did this happen to you ?

Reach out for a free consult to see if we we a good fit.

11/07/2025

Sometimes you experience a shut down response. This can mean feeling defeated about something, feeling demotivated, or feeling fatigue, and depression. Sometimes we try to force ourselves out of this state, as though it is a choice, however I do not think this is that simple. Siting with this difficult feeling can be about respecting our need to recover and rest, and to recoup our energy.

Reach out for a free consultation to see how I can help.

10/31/2025

From @ Social Thinking

10/30/2025

“The equivalent of external noise is the inner noise of thinking. The equivalent of external silence is inner stillness.” - Eckhart Tolle

10/29/2025

If your nervous system is used to chaos, you will create it in order to feel safe. This is because we desire and thrive in predictability, it allows our brain to relax from constantly deciding what new learning we have to force our brain through. Repetition requires less energy from us so we chose something that we are used to. Chaos also can be a distraction from other problems we feel we can’t over come or control , and when we control our own chaos it can feel like a win.

Reach out for more support if you are struggling with this! Offering free 15 min consultations.

10/27/2025

Never feel good enough? I am here to help. Maybe you are recovering from abuse, and you feel your self esteem is low, or maybe you have always had low self esteem because those around you did, and never knew how to teach you otherwise. It is difficult to feel worthy in this society with so much comparison. Self compassionate therapy and emotionally focused therapy can help. Reach out for a free consult to see if we are a good fit.

10/27/2025

Never feel good enough? I am here to help. Maybe you are recovering from abuse, and you feel your self esteem is low, or maybe you have always had low self esteem because those around you did, and never knew how to teach you otherwise. It is difficult to feel worthy in this society with so much comparison. Self compassionate therapy and emotionally focused therapy can help. Reach out for a free consult to see if we are a good fit.

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