What are boundaries?
Boundaries are essentially healthy restraints applied to emotional or physical actions to ensure and promote harmony and balance in relationships. There are several categories of boundaries: 

• Personal boundaries: Relating to your individuality and self-preservation.

• Physical boundaries: Regarding personal space and physical contact.

• Emotional boundaries: Protecting and advocating for your feelings and sustaining personal emotional energy.

• Sexual boundaries: Ensuring mutual respect and consent in intimate relationships.

• Financial boundaries: Managing financial expectations and responsibilities.

Have you ever heard of DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy)? If so, you may know about the STOP skill. STOP is an acronym for: stop, take a step back/take a breath, observe, proceed mindfully. The primary purpose of the STOP method is to handle crises more mindfully. Developed from mindfulness and meditation practices, this technique suggests an accessible way to ease depression and anxiety, improve emotional regulation and increase self-awareness.

Self-compassion is about being kinder and more empathetic to oneself. Many people can do this for others, but it can be difficult to do for themselves. It is easy to engage in self-loathing, shame, and self-inflicted anger; to self-criticize and overthink difficult moments, but, truth be told, we're only human. Establishing self-compassion skills can help us have better self-esteem, stronger personal growth, and a brighter outlook on our lives.

While we may refer to it as the “most wonderful time of the year”, the holidays can bring stress, anxiety, and even dread. According to the National Alliance of Mental Health, 64% of people with an already existing mental illness note that holidays exacerbate their symptoms. There are many reasons why we may find ourselves becoming more anxious: more time spent around family, unmet expectations, fatigue, grief and loss, financial stress, among other things. While there are many wonderful aspects about the holiday season, we must acknowledge the added pressure it brings. If you feel anxious about this year’s holiday season, know you are probably not alone. Here are a few tips:

The holidays often bring situations where more time is spent around family. It can be comforting, festive and wonderful and equally stressful and anxiety-inducing. Tense relationships, family drama, and/or unresolved conflicts can make spending holidays with relatives challenging. These events can be especially difficult if you find yourself struggling to align with your family’s viewpoints and opinions. If you are looking for some peace during this holiday season, grounding exercises can help you stay calm and present. When navigating hectic schedules, family dynamics, or the pressure to plan the perfect meal, there are simple practices to ground us and enable us to enjoy the season more fully. See below for a few ideas:

In today’s fast-paced world, escaping screens feels nearly impossible. Whether you are using them for work, school, or fun, screens consume much of our daily lives. While technology brings many benefits, it can also be overstimulating, draining, and cause disconnection from others. Striking a balance is crucial for mental health and overall well-being.

Neuroplasticity is the brain’s incredible way of changing and reorganizing itself through life. Traditionally, scientists believed that the brain was "fixed" after a certain age, but modern research has shown that the brain is changeable and adaptable, even as we age. Our brains will form new neural networks each day, but there are certain things you can do to stimulate growth. Here are a few exercises to improve and increase neuroplasticity:

In a society that's so consumption-focused like ours, it may feel impossible not to fill our space up with sparkly new things. However, once we make these purchases, our spaces begin to fill and we might feel overwhelmed by the clutter. The process of cleaning our personal spaces can feel very overwhelming, but a cluttered room or area can reflect a cluttered mind. Taking small steps, we can go through our things and declutter to ultimately find clarity in our space and mind. See below for some essential decluttering tips: 

Emotional numbness can be described as feeling desensitized or disconnected from your emotions, your environment or surroundings. In life, there are different events that impact our emotions. Think about birthdays, holidays, large life events, relationship milestones, and losses. When a person experiences emotional numbness, they aren’t reacting to these moments and may well be protecting themselves from feeling them. Emotional numbness can be a defense mechanism, a place we go within our nervous systems to protect us from feeling all these emotions.

Are there certain topics that trigger your anxiety? Is there an environment or atmosphere that consistently overwhelms you? When we take care of ourselves, we need to be aware of places, people and things that cause us to feel badly. This is what ‘protecting your peace’ is all about. Knowing what might bring you down is important in managing your own well-being and emotional health. If you have difficulty protecting your peace, see below for a few tips:

With inclement weather, colder temperatures and the increased desire to stay inside, it can be hard to reach out and stay connected to friends and family. As a result, we may be missing out on essential social interaction. Withdrawal and isolation, particularly during the colder months, can negatively impact both our emotional and physical health. However, with a bit of planning, creativity, and commitment, you can maintain, even strengthen your social connections. See below for four tips on how to remain social and connected during colder times:

As the days grow shorter and temperatures drop, the transition toward winter often brings changes in mood, energy levels and overall well-being. While winter can be a time of holiday cheer and days off work, it can also be a time of darkness, isolation, and sadness. That’s why it's crucial to incorporate self-care into our routines. Here are six practical self-care tips to help you take care of yourself during the winter: