New Horizons Therapy

11/21/2023

One of the first steps to making changes to your mental health is having awareness and understanding of your emotions. After all, we can't change what we don't know!

The app How We Feel is a great user-friendly app that I recommend to a lot of clients to track their emotional state throughout the day.

Over time, it will start to show you your patterns: which emotions you tend to feel around certain people, in certain places, on certain days of the week, and with certain weather.

The thing I like most about it is that it prompts you to pick very specific emotions (disheartened or discouraged, for example), as opposed to broader emotions (like sad). Finding the exact right word to describe how you're feeling helps your brain make sense of your experience and builds emotional intelligence.

Check it out!

Reach out for support:
💻: newhorizonstherapy.ca
📱: 226-336-2326
✉: hello@newhorizonstherapy.ca

11/17/2023

"Glimmers" are the opposite of triggers.

Triggers are the things throughout the day that set off negative thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations. Glimmers, on the other hand, are the things throughout the day that set off positive thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations. They are small moments throughout the day that spark feelings of comfort, joy, and gratitude.

Our brains are designed to protect us and make sure we survive, not to ensure we're happy. As a result, we tend to overlook glimmers and get stuck in the triggers.

However, if we make an effort to pay attention to the glimmers, we can create more positive experiences in our day-to-day lives.

Some examples of glimmers:
✨Holding a hot cup of coffee or tea in your hands on a cold day
✨The satisfying crunch of leaves under your shoes on a walk around the block
✨Having your dog curl up beside you when you're watching TV on the couch

So next time you come across a glimmer, try to pause, take it in for a moment, and actually pay attention to how it makes you feel in your mind and in your body.

Interested in learning more tips like this in therapy? Reach out for support:
💻: newhorizonstherapy.ca
📱: 226-336-2326
✉: hello@newhorizonstherapy.ca

11/14/2023

Obsessions are distressing and repetitive thoughts and urges that cause intense feelings of anxiety and don't align with a person's actual values or desires.

They can be about literally anything: concerns that you might harm yourself or others, overanalyzing something that happened forever ago, disturbing images, fear of contamination, or feeling like you need to remember certain things.

If you're struggling with obsessions, a therapist who who treats OCD can help you untangle your thoughts and break out of the OCD cycle.

Need some help managing your obsessions? Reach out for support:
💻: newhorizonstherapy.ca
📱: 226-336-2326
✉: hello@newhorizonstherapy.ca

11/09/2023

This workbook is one that I've personally used and found helpful, and recommend to some of my clients who struggle with anxiety.

It's based on the principles of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), one of my favourite therapy models. ACT offers some great strategies for learning to accept (rather than resist) your thoughts and feelings and focus on actions that are meaningful to you.

The concepts are particularly helpful for anxiety because we tend to struggle with allowing ourselves to feel anxious and, in turn, develop lots of unhelpful avoidance and escape strategies to prevent ourselves from feeling it!

Check it out!

Need some help managing your anxiety? Reach out for support:
💻: newhorizonstherapy.ca
📱: 226-336-2326
✉: hello@newhorizonstherapy.ca

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11/08/2023

There's a reason for most cliches and telling someone to "just breathe" when they're panicking is no exception!

So, what's the reasoning behind this advice?

When we feel anxious, the body's natural fight or flight response is activated. This response involves a series of physiological changes designed to prepare us to respond to a perceived threat. One of the physical changes that occur during this response is our breathing shifts into our chest.

Taking deep breaths through your stomach...
✔Activates your parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for relaxation and calmness. This response can counterbalance the fight-or-flight response associated with anxiety.

✔Enhances mind-body connection: Focusing on your breath and the expansion of your stomach can redirect your attention away from anxious thoughts, helping you become more mindful and present in the here and now.

✔Improves cognitive function. Deep breathing helps optimize oxygen flow to the brain, which can lead to clearer thinking and better decision-making. Regaining the connection to your thinking brain can help you make better sense of any irrational thoughts that might be feeding your feelings of anxiety.

Interested in learning more tips like this in therapy? Reach out for support:
💻: newhorizonstherapy.ca
📱: 226-336-2326
✉: hello@newhorizonstherapy.ca

10/10/2023

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) can feel like a relentless cycle, trapping you in a never-ending loop of intrusive thoughts and ritualistic behaviors. This loop can feel exhausting, anxiety-provoking, and frustrating to be stuck in.

The first step to breaking out of the loop? Understanding it.

Head over to our latest blog post to learn how the OCD cycle works: https://www.newhorizonstherapy.ca/post/what-is-the-ocd-cycle

Reach out for support:
💻: newhorizonstherapy.ca
📱: 226-336-2326
✉: hello@newhorizonstherapy.ca

10/09/2023

👋🏻Hi, I’m Jenna.

I’m an experienced therapist passionate about helping people on their journey or personal growth and improved mental health.

Whether you need specialized treatment for OCD, disordered eating, or anxiety or simply want to enhance your mental wellbeing, I’m here to help!

Reach out to chat!
💻: newhorizonstherapy.ca
📱: 226-336-2326
📧: hello@newhorizonstherapy.ca

10/09/2023