Balance is a fundamental law of nature – a universal force, a state of being that everything essentially works to achieve. We inherently strive to achieve balance within all spheres of our being as does the physical world around us. As Newton declared, for every action, there is an opposite and equal reaction. He described a relationship between things that pervades far beyond the physical realm! Our mental health is ultimately contingent on balance as well.

Balance can be viewed as a series of infinitesimal corrections of temporary imbalances. If you think about the motion of walking, for example,the mechanics are characterized by repeatedly losing your balance and regaining it again. In the physical world, flow and balance tend to go hand-in-hand, with the necessary corrections more obvious or even inherently built into the system. In the psychological world, this kind of flow does not always present so naturally. Imbalance often creeps in insidiously and goes unrecognized until we notice tangible, physical world problems such as poor sleep, chronic tension, gastrointestinal difficulties and appetite dysregulation. Imbalance can also show up in the guise of dissatisfaction, symptoms of anxiety or low mood and interpersonal difficulties. It can also leave us feeling a little lost.

Present moment awareness (and tolerance!) is extremely important in recognizing the subtleties of these imbalances. We tend to spend a great deal of time on autopilot, busily, mindlessly hammering through the tasks and activities that comprise our days. This makes it hard to recognize when aspects of our circumstances aren’t working for us. It doesn’t tend to hide the lousy feelings and experiences that accompany it as well. These feelings or experiences can make the already formidable task of being present even more challenging  because our experience with these difficulties can be very hard to tune out. Since balance is not a steady state and requires a series of stumbles and corrections to stay in balance, it can also be a frustrating experience in and of itself. In fact, being present  in and of itself is a challenge for most of us to varying degrees so it is no wonder that mental health balance – or soul balance so to speak- is so hard to achieve! . 

I’d love to chat with you about your own sense of mental health balance!

It is truly exciting to witness and help guide people through transformative times according to what matters for that individual. I have enjoyed over 23 years of direct clinical experience in interdisciplinary settings assisting clients with restoring function and returning to a life within their value systems. Registered with CRPO since 2016, I have a passion for communication, empowerment and awareness in my practice. I have extensive experience within the CBT, ACT, DBT and functional based problem solving paradigms. I also have formal training in Kinesiology and Yoga. The blend of both movement and stillness as healing tools is something else that I am passionate about teaching to my clients. After all, we cannot neatly separate the body from the brain and everything else that makes us us. Because of this, I believe that an individualized, integrative approach to mental health yields the best results. Since there is no growth in our comfort zones, the change inherent in healing can be extremely uncomfortable and even prohibitive. The assistance provided through psychotherapy and life coaching can add much comfort and efficacy to this journey.