Good For Me Blog | Julia Kristina Counselling - Part 18

Merry Making.

By Julia Kristina|2017-05-21T16:05:56-07:00December 23rd, 2012|General|

For those of us who find Christmas to be a joyful and special time of year, it can definitely also be quite a stressful and exhausting time of year. One of the things I like most about the Holidays is all of the food. Food everywhere. And the best part is that it seems to also be the one time of year when Turtles, Toblerone, and toffee pudding are acceptable choices for a lazy morning breakfast... alongside an eggnog latte of course. Tis the season of continuous consumption and often an excess of stress, so [...]

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Not Too Bad At All.

By Julia Kristina|2017-05-21T16:05:56-07:00December 17th, 2012|General|

This year I plan to make the sojourn back to the motherland in good old Saskatoon Saskatchewan. Now for the past couple of weeks I have been sharing this news when asked what plans I have for the Christmas Holidays, and more often than not the response I get to my reply has been something like: “Oh wow! Good luck!” or “Really? Why?” or “Oh dear, it’s so cold there!!” or something to that effect. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t really find this offensive – I get it. It is cold there and we [...]

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When a Prickle’s Just a Prickle.

By Julia Kristina|2017-05-21T16:05:56-07:00December 4th, 2012|General|

I’ve talked about this before, but I’m going to talk about it some more. One of the most effective antidotes to a crummy mood is to intentionally turn ones thoughts of woe into thoughts of gratitude. We call this developing an “Attitude of Gratitude.” How catchy. Anyway, I realize I make it sound so simple. That said it is usually much easier to reflect on that which we are grateful for when we are feeling good, and not too too difficult when we are feeling mildly blue. However, NOT so easy when we are feeling [...]

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What’s Floating the Boat?

By Julia Kristina|2017-05-21T16:05:56-07:00November 27th, 2012|General|

A short time ago I was working with a client who was having a hard time feeling good about himself. In one of our more recent sessions, he was feeling particularly depressed because he had been telling himself over and over again how lazy he was, and the more he heard this message the less able he was to get up and get things done, thus confirming precisely what was being said. In our session we decided to devote some time to looking closely at just how lazy he actually was, because in fact, he [...]

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The Meaning Behind the Message.

By Julia Kristina|2017-05-21T16:05:56-07:00November 20th, 2012|General|

Here's the Bad Good News: For better or worse and no matter who's listening, what we say about ourselves is how we think about ourselves - or at least it will inevitably become so. ... stay tuned for next week's post where I'll to share a recent and potent example of this from my clinical practice.

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Bound To Get Messy.

By Julia Kristina|2017-05-21T16:05:57-07:00November 4th, 2012|General|

Because we are bombarded with so many contradictory messages from society all the time many of us sometimes (or often) have an hard time feeling good about ourselves. We are told time and time again that in order to be a good person we must be equal and superior to others; generous and frugal; spontaneous and organized; assertive and easygoing… and the list goes on. It doesn't take long for it to become clear that no matter what we chose to do, we can't do it all and we can't be perfect, thus we’ll inevitably [...]

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A Really Bad Day: How To Guide

By Julia Kristina|2017-05-21T16:05:57-07:00October 29th, 2012|General|

1. Think about what others have that you don't 2. Criticize yourself in whatever you do 3. Criticize others in whatever they do 4. Call yourself down for any and every mistake you make... or have ever made. 5. Worry about things that are out of your control 6. Make yourself anxious about problems you don't have 7. Think others will reject and shun you if you ever do anything wrong 8. Believe you are worthless and insignificant unless you are perfect 9. Tell yourself that "no" means everyone is against you

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In A Jiff

By Julia Kristina|2017-05-21T16:05:57-07:00October 22nd, 2012|General|

So I’ve recently had it put right there in my face, and it took me more time than it should have to see it happen. There it was: one of the quickest and easiest ways to instantly boost our mood. I was in session with a client recently who was obviously feeling quite low. Right away I asked her what was going on and she said she wasn’t sure, and so we spent the next little while talking about why she may have been feeling how she was feeling. We weren’t having much luck and [...]

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Trail Blazing.

By Julia Kristina|2017-05-21T16:05:57-07:00October 15th, 2012|General|

I’m sure most of you know this already, but apparently our brains are plastic. From what I understand, this means that you actually can teach an old dog new tricks. I’m not a neuroscientist, so you’ll bare with me if I explain this in a simplified, and not too terribly precise way. All through our lives the things we experience, encounter, and respond to create neural pathways in our brains. Many of these pathways are formed in childhood based on the world around us and how we were taught to experience, encounter, and respond to [...]

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In A Pickle.

By Julia Kristina|2017-05-21T16:05:57-07:00October 9th, 2012|General|

The difference between guilt and shame is as simple as “I did something bad” versus “I am something bad.” Now here’s the interesting part: those individuals who have a sense of worthiness, of love, and of belonging, versus those who are always wondering if they’re good enough, are not those who have things like beauty, social status, wealth, rank in corporate hierarchy, or are living in the most beautiful cities in the world, in fact, what separates those who have a strong sense of love and belonging and the people who really struggle for it [...]

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Just A Sandwich.

By Julia Kristina|2017-05-21T16:05:57-07:00October 1st, 2012|General|

The other day I was at a weekend training workshop for Complex Integration of Multiple Brain Systems or more simply put, CIMBS, and I had an interesting interaction with another counsellor that had nothing to do with the training we were doing. At this workshop we were provided with a lunch and this lunch consisted of soup and sandwiches – but not just any sandwiches, they were these little gourmet mini sandwiches and they were delightful. Anyway, shortly after lunch, when we were back in session, someone on the catering team came in and took [...]

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This Too Shall Pass.

By Julia Kristina|2017-05-21T16:05:57-07:00September 25th, 2012|General|

A small but very important multipurpose tool from my toolbox which I find extraordinarily useful to use with my clients, as well as with myself, is remembering to keep our Emotional Reasoning in check. Emotional Reasoning is a cognitive distortion that many of us employ quite regularly – sometimes without even knowing it. It’s the inaccurate belief that how we feel is how things really are, without question. If I feel stupid, I must be stupid. If I feel angry, I must be crazy and out of control. If I feel like I never do [...]

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Not a Four Letter Word

By Julia Kristina|2017-05-21T16:05:57-07:00September 17th, 2012|General|

Here’s a little more on assertiveness. Like I said, I’m a big fan of this one. Learning to be assertive is probably one of the most useful communication tools I can think of. It can strengthen our relationships, reduce stress from conflict or having to “suck it up”, and it generally just makes one a happier person. Part of being assertive is learning how to say no. For many of us, no is basically a four letter word, and we try to avoid it at all cost by employing elaborately worded maybe’s or a yes [...]

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Standing Tall

By Julia Kristina|2017-05-21T16:05:57-07:00September 10th, 2012|General|

I talk a lot about assertiveness, because, let’s be honest, I’m a big fan, and unfortunately, many of us don’t put it to its good use as often as we could! In a nut shell, assertiveness is our ability to express our thoughts and feelings and assert our rights while also acknowledging and respecting the rights of others. It’s about being appropriately open, honest, and clear about where WE are at. People often confuse assertiveness with aggressiveness, which is when we express our feelings, preferences, and needs in a way that is disrespectful, inappropriate, critical, [...]

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Beast Whispering 101

By Julia Kristina|2017-05-21T16:05:57-07:00August 27th, 2012|General|

Lately I’ve become quite fascinated with anger. I find myself reading and re-reading any and all information that comes across my path on the topic. I haven’t been intentionally seeking out literature or information on anger… not just yet anyway, but am finding the more I learn the more I want to know. Anger is one of those funny emotions. Not really funny ‘ha ha’, but more ‘ha, that’s curious, what’s this all about?.’ Many of us fear anger. For women, most of us were taught as children that good girls don’t show, let along [...]

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Earning Our Keep.

By Julia Kristina|2017-05-21T16:05:58-07:00August 20th, 2012|General|

Many of us believe that our worth depends on our behaviour… ‘The more I do, accomplish, achieve, the more worthwhile, valuable, significant I am.’ That sometimes bugger of an internal voice is relentless in telling us that in order for me to be of any value I must do something worthwhile and important. I know you might not buy it for a second, but if you’ll humour me, the truth is that our value is found in the clear fact that we are conscious, and we can see, and we can experience. We are sophisticated, [...]

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Chose Your Words Carefully

By Julia Kristina|2017-05-21T16:05:58-07:00August 13th, 2012|General|

So further to last week’s perhaps somewhat unsanitary discussion, dealing with a shouldy mess can often be as straightforward as changing the words we chose to express our thoughts and feelings. This might sound too ridiculously simple to be true, but to that I say perhaps not, seeing as we interpret, process, and then respond to pretty much everything in the world based on the specific word choices we use, either aloud or in our heads. Ah the philosophy of language…. And there’s my undergraduate minor leaking through… Anyway, we do have a few of [...]

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Shoulding All Over Ourselves

By Julia Kristina|2017-05-21T16:05:58-07:00August 7th, 2012|General|

It might not be immediately obvious, but we are all guilty of shoulding on ourselves and others… some of us more so than we might want to admit. There are 3 types of shoulds that most of us regularly employ that really aren’t doing us much good. Should #1 – Shoulding on the Self: “I SHOULD do well at everything and be approved of, liked, and admired by everyone or else I am no good and do not deserve to be happy.” This demand on the self results in anxiety, depression, and often allowing others [...]

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With A Little Grace

By Julia Kristina|2017-05-21T16:05:58-07:00July 23rd, 2012|General|

Self deprecation and humility – there is a difference. I don’t know if it’s a Canadian thing or what, but I think many of us fear appearing egotistical, prideful, or cocky to such an extent that we overcompensate too much toward the other end and become almost self-deprecating. It’s often relatively subtle – an “oh it’s not that good” here, an “I kind of messed it up” there, a “You should see how good so and so does it”… but any and all put downs we give ourselves do still chip away at the soul [...]

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Getting Happier. Three of Three.

By Julia Kristina|2017-05-21T16:05:58-07:00July 16th, 2012|General|

Over the past couple weeks we’ve been talking about perspective and how using empowering language and looking at our choices in a positive way can make us happier. Have I mentioned my disdain for the word should? I’ve been going through the list of 15 things we can do to increase our happiness, and as promised, here are the final 5: THE LAST 5 THINGS WE CAN CHOOSE TO DO TO INCREASE OUR HAPPINESS (in this series anyway) 11. CHOOSE TO USE YOUR COURAGE (cf: Give Up on Your Fears) We can choose to be [...]

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Perspective. Part Deux.

By Julia Kristina|2017-05-21T16:05:58-07:00July 9th, 2012|General|

Last week we started to talk about perspective and looking at ways to increase our happiness through positive and empowering choices. The focus was on what we can choose to do. But only if we want. This week I promised to go through the next 5. SO without further ado… THE NEXT 5 THINGS WE CAN CHOOSE TO DO TO INCREASE OUR HAPPINESS 6. TAKE OPPORTUNITIES TO EXPRESS GRATITUDE (Original: Give Up on Complaining): We all have things we can be grateful for, like certain people and situations in our lives, or other things that are good or decent or [...]

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Perspective is Everything. Really.

By Julia Kristina|2017-05-21T16:06:00-07:00July 3rd, 2012|General|

A little while ago a good friend forwarded me an article she received by email from another friend that was intended to be helpful and encouraging, but instead made her feel miserable and overwhelmed. The title of the article was ‘15 Things You Should Give Up To Be Happy,’ I hate to be critical, but I had to side with my friend here… even before I opened up the article and read what was written, I had begun to form my bias based on the title. First off, the Should. I don’t like Shoulds, and [...]

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No Ulterior Motives

By Julia Kristina|2017-05-21T16:06:00-07:00June 25th, 2012|General|

No one is going to pay you to do what you love. Well, I guess another way to say this, is once you start getting paid to do what you love, you will likely stop loving it quite as much. As humans, we have two motivational forces: intrinsic and extrinsic, in other words internal and external motivating factors. Usually, the things we do that make us most genuinely happy and the things that we do because they make us most genuinely happy. This is what is referred to as intrinsic motivation: the things we do [...]

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It’s Not Personal.

By Julia Kristina|2017-05-21T16:06:00-07:00June 18th, 2012|General|

I find it so interesting, and perhaps even somewhat amusing how different topics seem to come into my life in thematic form. What I mean is; I sometimes find I will hap upon information or situations that fall in line with a certain theme-of-the-day, week, or month. This week the theme seems to be Rejection so I have decided I must be meant to write about it. I began reading an article last night about rejection which talked about how rejection can not only deeply impact the psyche but also suggested that some types of [...]

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A Not-So-Gentle Reminder.

By Julia Kristina|2017-05-21T16:06:00-07:00June 11th, 2012|General|

I think because I make it a pretty major priority to eat relatively healthy and get a decent amount of sleep, I tend not to get sick very often. BUT when I do, and when it’s bad, let me tell you, it is a whole lot of no fun. I hate feeling awful – funny I say that because I’m wondering if anyone actually does enjoy feeling awful?? Anyway, as awful as it is to feel awful, without fail whenever I feel this way I find myself thinking: “Oh boy I can’t wait to feel [...]

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Practically Perfect in… Some Way.

By Julia Kristina|2017-05-21T16:06:00-07:00June 4th, 2012|General|

As difficult as it may be to wrap our minds around, most situations, circumstance, and experiences we encounter in life are pretty much neutral in nature, and cease only to be based on the meaning, value, and perspective with which we chose to interpret them. Now I’m sure we’ve all had some well meaning person tell us to just look on the bright side and as most of know, this is not usually so helpful – especially when we’re right smack in the middle of an emotional upheaval. Sometimes in life things suck. And that’s [...]

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Grateful and Enriched.

By Julia Kristina|2017-05-21T16:06:00-07:00May 28th, 2012|General|

This past weekend I had the wonderful opportunity of giving a Presentation to my colleagues at the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy’s (CCPA) Annual National Conference in Calgary. I feel so blessed to have had such a warm, engaging, and responsive group of men and women to present to even though we were all pretty packed into that conference room. Thank you also to those participants who came and shared their thoughts, questions, and personal stories with me after the presentation – I really valued these opportunities to learn from you and grow with you. It [...]

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Putting Red to Good Use.

By Julia Kristina|2017-05-21T16:06:00-07:00May 14th, 2012|General|

What am I angry about? What is the problem? And whose problem is it? How can I figure out who is responsible for what? When I’m angry, what do I need to say to clearly communicate my stance without becoming defensive or aggressive? As women, many of us have been taught to be ashamed of our anger and have thus not learned how to use it effectively or to our benefit. Many of us have pretty unproductive ways of expressing our anger, the common culprits being passive aggression, the silent treatment, or crumbling under a [...]

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Risky Business.

By Julia Kristina|2017-05-21T16:06:00-07:00May 7th, 2012|General|

Contrary to popular belief, vulnerability is not, nor is it a sign of, weakness. If we think about it, most of us would agree that it takes a whole lot of courage to be vulnerable, so it could be said that courage and weakness are actually near opposites. Being vulnerable is a risk. It means being exposed and being honest, and the outcome is often uncertain. However, vulnerability is the birthplace of change. It’s really hard to explore ourselves and experience growth within ourselves and within our relationships with others if we’re not willing to [...]

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Zero Tolerance.

By Julia Kristina|2017-05-21T16:06:01-07:00April 30th, 2012|General|

Further to last week’s discussion, I’ve been learning more about that which seems to be contributing to the current state of our overly anxious society: and that is our ability (or lack thereof) to tolerate frustration. What I mean is, some things, sometimes, are not within our control, and we often aren’t able to manage every little detail, and things don’t always go exactly our way. Many of us have learned to lose our patience when things do not go as planned and thus often experience some greater or lesser (but often greater) degree of [...]

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