Lindsay Dornier

As women, we experience so many life transitions. Whether its marriage, a divorce or relationship breakup, having children or becoming empty nesters, we seem to always be in flux. These transitions can often bring up feelings of anxiety, depression and/or grief. Women also have many expectations placed upon them and sometimes self-care becomes ignored and/or avoided which can ultimately lead to burnout.

Anxiety is what we feel when we are worried, tense or afraid- especially about things that are about to happen, or which we think will happen in the future. Anxiety is a natural human response when we feel that we are under threat. It can be experienced through our thoughts, feelings and physical sensations. Anxiety becomes an issue when we are not able regulate our emotions and we stay in a constant state of "survival". Anxiety often accompanies depression and vice versa.

Depression involves having a low mood or losing interest and enjoyment in things. The symptoms you have may vary, in how intense they are, how long they last, and how much they affect your daily life. If you have milder depression, you might have a low mood but still be able to carry on with your daily life...but things may feel harder and less worthwhile. If you have more severe depression, you find day-to-day life much more difficult.

Holistic therapy utilizes a range of techniques to help individuals understand their symptoms. In addition, such strategies are designed to foster a greater sense of self-awareness to better understand the connections between their body, mind, and relationships and how these elements play a role in mental health. Mindfulness practices are utilized as well as learning how to self-regulate emotions and nervous system. Walk & Talk therapy would be a great option for this approach.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a type of psychotherapy that may help you in changing unhelpful or unhealthy ways of thinking, feeling and behaving. These "cognitive errors" or distorted thinking often manifests in self-criticism or guilt. You may catastrophize situations, tending to imagine the worst or overestimate the likelihood of something bad happening. In utilizing CBT, we will work on deconstructing these negative thinking patterns and replacing them with healthy ones.

Psychodynamic therapy focuses on unconscious processes as they are manifested in a person's present behavior. The goals of this type of therapy are client self-awareness and an understanding of the influence of the past on their present behavior. The goals of psychodynamic therapy are, acknowledgment of emotions, identifying patterns, improving interpersonal relationships and recognizing and addressing avoidance.