River District Counselling & Wellness

Anxiety

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Anxiety is present in every person, each day of life. You may feel anxious getting to an appointment on time, or thinking about taking public. You may even feel anxious about speaking to your boss about a serious issue. We learn to manage our anxiety by encouraging ourselves, while sometimes it becomes worse and it begins to be excessive.

You may notice:

Physical irritations such as upset stomach, tightness in the chest, muscle tension, unable to sit still

You may have racing thoughts in quiet times or trouble sleeping, finding yourself waking up multiple times in the middle of the night

Feel excessively worried and lack the feeling of control in situations

Together we will work with you to identify triggers and help you understand why your brain is having a stress response. Using techniques such as Exposure Therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy or Mindfulness, you will learn coping skills to manage your anxiety for future situations.

Depression

RD Fog

Sadness is a natural emotional response to an upsetting situation and it is normal to feel down when facing difficult situations. It becomes more complicated when you are unable to lift yourself out of sadness and it begins to affect your every day life.

Depression is characterized by:

Lack motivation to shower, brush your teeth, attend to regular household chores or desire to go to work

Feeling hopeless, worthless and may have thoughts of death or suicide

Notice an increase/decrease in your appetite or weight loss/gain

Wake up with low energy and do not feel like getting out of bed

Feeling like your brain is in a constant fog and you are unable to make decisions and have difficulty thinking

River District Counsellors will work with you to gain insights on your condition by recognizing the related thoughts and feelings, and over time, begin to help you develop a more positive thought pattern. You can strengthen and learn new coping strategies that help you respond to difficult situations and together we will walk down the path to regaining total control of your life.

Covid-19 Counselling

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The Coronavirus Pandemic has changed the way everything is done. Our lives have adapted to this "New Normal" and it is hard to feel secure given everything that is going on. Maybe you are a front line healthcare worker who has witnessed the impact and effects that it has had on other people's lives or maybe you feel anxious about COVID-19 exposures that can happen in public. Often times, we are unaware of how we have been affected until we ask ourselves:

Am I feeling anxious when thinking about going to the grocery store?

How have I been coping with the death of a loved one who passed away from Covid-19?

Am I avoiding eating out at restaurants and declining to go out with friends and family because I am worried about catching Covid?

Do I feel safe at work? Am I feeling safe when I am interacting with co-workers? Am I concerned about being too close to my co-workers? Should I be wearing more PPE?

Do I feel anxious when I am in close contact with others?

Learn ways to take charge of those feelings of isolation, loneliness or fear and emerge from the chaos of the Covid-19 Pandemic a stronger and more resilient individual.