Debbie Comeau Counselling Services

01/03/2026

🌱 Consistency Over Intensity

In a world that praises big pushes and quick results, it’s easy to believe that change only happens when we give everything, all at once.
But real, lasting change doesn’t usually come from intensity — it comes from consistency.
Intensity often looks like:
• Big bursts of motivation
• All-or-nothing efforts
• Short periods of change followed by burnout
Consistency looks like:
• Small, repeatable actions
• Gentle effort, even on hard days
• Progress that builds quietly over time
When we choose consistency, we work with our nervous system — not against it.
Our brain and body feel safer with predictability, and safety is where growth happens.
A few minutes of grounding each day
A short walk instead of a perfect workout
One kind thought toward yourself
One boundary practiced again and again
✨ You don’t need to do more.
✨ You don’t need to do it perfectly.
✨ You just need to keep showing up — gently and consistently.
Consistency builds trust with yourself.
Intensity often leads to burnout.

🌱La constance plutôt que l’intensité

Dans un monde qui valorise les efforts intenses et les résultats rapides, il est facile de croire que le changement ne se produit que lorsque l’on donne tout, d’un seul coup.
Mais les changements profonds et durables viennent rarement de l’intensité — ils viennent de la constance.
L’intensité, c’est souvent :
• De grandes poussées de motivation
• Une mentalité du tout ou rien
• Des périodes de changement suivies d’épuisement
La constance, c’est :
• De petites actions répétées
• Des efforts doux, même les jours difficiles
• Des progrès qui se construisent tranquillement avec le temps
Lorsque nous choisissons la constance, nous travaillons avec notre système nerveux, et non contre lui.
Le cerveau et le corps se sentent plus en sécurité avec la prévisibilité — et c’est dans la sécurité que la croissance se produit.
Quelques minutes d’ancrage chaque jour
Une courte marche plutôt qu’un entraînement parfait
Une pensée bienveillante envers soi-même
Une limite pratiquée encore et encore
✨ Vous n’avez pas besoin d’en faire plus.
✨ Vous n’avez pas besoin d’être parfait(e).
✨ Vous avez simplement besoin de vous présenter — avec douceur et constance.
La constance bâtit la confiance en soi.
L’intensité mène souvent à l’épuisement.

12/23/2025

Holding space in my heart for you during this season. 🤍

"Sometimes the people, traditions, or moments that made past holidays feel full aren’t here this year. And yet, even absence has a presence.

Take a candle, match, or even your phone’s flashlight. Light it. Hold it gently. For ten seconds, focus on what’s missing — someone who usually sits at the table, a ritual you abandoned, a holiday moment that didn’t happen. Let the flame hold your recognition.

No words need to be said aloud. No feelings need to be fixed or processed. Just notice the absence, honor it for a moment, and let it sit alongside whatever is present this year.

Even a small flame can hold a lot of space. And in that space, grief, memory, and love can exist together — quietly, gently, without needing to be resolved.

When the ten seconds pass, carry that acknowledgment into your next action: a step toward connection, a toast to what is here, or simply a breath to remind yourself that noticing is enough."

12/14/2025

For anyone needing to hear this message today ....💛

12/11/2025

Gentle Acceptance

Surrender to this moment,
let it be as it is.
Do not fight the tide
that flows through your day,
nor push against the wind
that bends your branches.

Breathe in what comes,
breathe out what goes.
Peace is not found in control,
but in gentle acceptance,
in the stillness between each heartbeat,
in the quiet knowing
that this too, simply, is.

~ 'Gentle Acceptance' by Spirit of a Hippie

✍️ Mary Anne Byrne

~ Art by Alice Mason

12/08/2025

💛

12/06/2025

🩷

12/04/2025

✨ Tips to Manage Anxiety — And the Two I Personally Struggle With Most
✨ Conseils pour mieux gérer l’anxiété — Et les deux avec lesquels je lutte le plus

We all know there are many ways to support our anxiety: grounding techniques, breathwork, reframing our thoughts, connecting with nature, reaching out for support… and many of these tools truly help.
Nous savons qu’il existe plusieurs façons d’apaiser l’anxiété : les techniques d’ancrage, la respiration, la restructuration des pensées, le contact avec la nature, demander du soutien… et ces outils peuvent réellement aider.

But if I’m being honest, there are two practices that I still have to work extra hard on: moving my body and getting enough sleep.
Mais pour être honnête, il y en a deux qui me demandent encore plus d’efforts : bouger mon corps et dormir suffisamment.

What’s interesting is how much one influences the other.
Ce qui est intéressant, c’est à quel point l’un influence l’autre.

When we move our bodies—gently, intentionally, consistently—our nervous system settles more easily, and our sleep improves.
Lorsque nous bougeons notre corps — doucement, intentionnellement, régulièrement — notre système nerveux se régule plus facilement et notre sommeil s’améliore.

And when we sleep better, our anxiety becomes easier to manage.
Et lorsque notre sommeil s’améliore, notre anxiété devient naturellement plus facile à gérer.

Even as a counsellor, I remind myself of this often:
Même en tant que thérapeute, je me le rappelle souvent :
👉 The tools work — but some require more conscious effort.
👉 Les outils fonctionnent — mais certains demandent plus d’efforts conscients.
👉 And the ones we struggle with most are often the ones we need the most.
👉 Et ceux avec lesquels on lutte le plus sont souvent ceux dont on a le plus besoin.

If you’re navigating anxiety too, know that it’s okay to have “those two things” that need more care and attention. We’re learning together, one step at a time. 💛
Si vous travaillez vous aussi avec l’anxiété, sachez qu’il est normal d’avoir « ces deux choses » qui demandent plus d’attention et de douceur. Nous apprenons ensemble, un pas à la fois. 💛

12/04/2025

12/03/2025

“Breathe in with intention… breathe out with surrender.
As the sage rises, let the energies you’ve outgrown lift with the smoke — releasing themselves from your body, your mind, your spirit.
Offer them back to the universe to be transformed, transmuted, and returned as pure light.
Let this moment be a soft cleansing… a quiet renewal.”

🪷🧘‍♂️🧘‍♀️🌿

« Inspire avec intention… expire dans l’abandon.
Au rythme de la fumée, laisse s’élever les énergies dont tu n’as plus besoin — qu’elles quittent ton corps, ton esprit, ton âme.
Offre-les à l’univers pour qu’elles soient transformées, transmutées, et renvoyées sous forme de lumière pure.
Que ce moment soit une douce purification… un renouveau silencieux. »

11/29/2025

Self-acceptance is often the doorway to real change.
When we stop fighting who we “should be” and meet ourselves exactly where we are, the nervous system softens, the mind opens, and genuine growth becomes possible. Change doesn’t come from self-criticism — it comes from understanding, compassion, and honesty.

L’acceptation de soi est souvent la porte vers un vrai changement.
Lorsque nous cessons de nous battre contre ce que nous « devrions être » et que nous nous accueillons exactement là où nous en sommes, le système nerveux s’apaise, l’esprit s’ouvre et une croissance authentique devient possible. Le changement ne vient pas de la critique — il naît de la compréhension, de la compassion et de l’honnêteté.

How do we move toward self-acceptance?
• By noticing our inner dialogue and choosing kinder words.
• By acknowledging our feelings without judgment.
• By allowing ourselves to be imperfect and still worthy.
• By recognizing that healing is a process, not a deadline.
• By giving ourselves permission to grow at our own pace.

Comment avancer vers l’acceptation de soi?
• En observant notre dialogue intérieur et en choisissant des mots plus doux.
• En accueillant nos émotions sans jugement.
• En nous permettant d’être imparfaits tout en restant dignes d’amour.
• En reconnaissant que la guérison est un processus, non une échéance.
• En nous donnant la permission d’évoluer à notre propre rythme.

When we accept ourselves — gently, fully, and truthfully — we create space for the life we want to build.
Lorsque nous nous acceptons — doucement, pleinement et avec vérité — nous créons l’espace nécessaire pour bâtir la vie que nous désirons.

11/27/2025

When motivation feels impossible, it’s rarely because we’re “lazy.”
More often, it’s because something inside us is out of alignment — our body, our mind, or our spirit is carrying a weight we haven’t yet tended to.

When we’re overwhelmed, disconnected, tired, or hurting, motivation becomes a mountain. Even simple tasks can feel heavy. This isn’t a failure. It’s a signal.

✨ A signal to pause.
✨ A signal to listen inward.
✨ A signal to realign with who we are and what we value.

It is so important to be gentle with yourself as you reflect on your past, stand in your present, and imagine your future. Your choices, your pace, and your steps are allowed to look different when your nervous system is healing or your heart is regrouping.

Motivation grows naturally when we feel safe, supported, and connected to our true self.
It grows when we honour our needs rather than push through them.
It grows when we choose a life that respects our values, not someone else’s expectations.

So today, offer yourself softness.
Your alignment will return.
Your energy will rise again.
And your motivation will follow — not from pressure, but from a place of genuine inner harmony.

11/23/2025

"Children who grow up in homes filled with frequent conflict can experience neurological changes that resemble those seen in soldiers returning from combat.
According to researchers at Stanford University, prolonged exposure to emotional tension triggers stress-response systems in the developing brain.
Brain scans in the study revealed heightened activity in regions linked to fear, vigilance, and emotional regulation.
These shifts suggest that even non-physical forms of conflict can have deep and lasting biological impacts on children.
The findings highlight the urgent need for supportive family environments and early intervention." The Brain Maze