Cynthia Johnston Counselling and Consulting Services

05/25/2026

Most people are not struggling because they are “weak” or “lazy”.

They are exhausted from the constant battle inside their own mind.

Thoughts like:

“I always mess things up”
“Nobody cares”
“If I fail once, I am a failure”
“Everything will go wrong”

These thinking patterns can quietly damage confidence, relationships, mental health and daily life - especially for children, teenagers and people living with anxiety, trauma or stress.

Once you learn to spot cognitive distortions, you start to realise how many people are fighting invisible battles every single day.

This is the kind of information every school, parent, professional and young person should understand.

Share this because someone you know may need to hear that their thoughts are not always facts.

Free COGNITIVE DISTORTIONS LIST PDF FOR CBT AND THERAPY

LIKE the photo and comment "DISTORT" and we will send you a message with a link to a free PDF of this resource.

05/23/2026

People in larger bodies deserve the same care and concern. Eating disorders are not a body type!

05/22/2026

A lot of people think abuse only means someone raising their hands on you. But abuse is not always physical. When they drive the car dangerously fast in anger just to scare you, especially after you confront them and they do not want to take accountability, that is abuse. When the car is moving so fast that your body freezes and you start thinking, “Oh my God, something bad is going to happen,” that is abuse.

When you confront them about their bad behavior and they stop talking to you for days, that is abuse. They are not “taking space.” They are punishing you for speaking the truth.

When they walk ahead of you in public, never hold your hand, act single, keep wandering eyes, and make you feel invisible beside them, that is abuse.

When you celebrate their birthday, their special days, and their important moments with so much love and effort, but when it comes to you, they treat your special day like any ordinary day, or intentionally ruin it, that is abuse.

When they spend freely on everyone else, but suddenly become stingy, cold, and calculating when it comes to spending on you, that is abuse.

When they are always on their phone, always in the bathroom, always outside, always avoiding the home, and you are married but still treated like a roommate, that is narcissistic abuse.

Abuse is not only a slap. Abuse is fear. Abuse is punishment. Abuse is neglect. Abuse is humiliation. Abuse is making you feel unwanted, unsafe, unseen, and emotionally starved while still calling it a relationship.

If this resonates with you, join my Thrive After Narcissistic Abuse membership program, where you get the path to release grief, stabilize your nervous system, rebuild yourself, and move from surviving to thriving. Link is in my bio.

05/21/2026

I know that dealing with Ed can feel like a lot, but many times it doesn't stop with that. Ed has friends. Please know that you aren't alone in this situation. According to the National Alliance & Eating Recovery Center (plus much research), 95% of people experience the same. The good news is that you can still heal. I don't know if i can say that enough. Contact them if you need someone to talk to or need a free online group. Of course I'm always here too with our recovery community. -Lori
(Info used in the illustration is from the Alliance, the ERC & Pathlight)

05/21/2026

Why healing after narcissistic abuse isnt intuitive. Why many of us continue to struggle with symptoms after breaking off contact with the toxic person.

05/20/2026

DBT Skills. Interpersonal Effectiveness. Skill : FAST skill.

05/19/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1CpAZjn29h/

DBTSKills Discomfort isn’t the enemy, avoidance is.

Every time we step toward the thing we fear, even in a tiny way, we teach our brain: “I can handle this.”

via Three Story Clinic

05/16/2026

Today, the Supreme Court of Canada made a landmark decision that could help survivors of intimate partner violence access greater justice and recognition under the law.

In Ahluwalia v. Ahluwalia, the Court recognized a new tort (civil wrong) of intimate partner violence.

The decision acknowledges that intimate partner violence is often rooted in coercive control and disproportionately harms women.

In simple terms, survivors now have a new legal avenue to seek compensation in civil court for harms caused by coercive control and ongoing abuse in relationships. Coercive control refers to patterns of behaviour used to dominate, isolate, intimidate or control another person over time.

The Court recognized that abuse is not always physical. It can include:

- intimidation
- isolation
- surveillance
- humiliation
- manipulation
- financial control
- sexual coercion
- patterns of ongoing domination and fear

This matters because many survivors live through abuse that may not leave visible injuries, but still causes deep and lasting harm.

This is an important step forward in recognizing the realities many survivors have long experienced and spoken about.

05/14/2026