This summer has been nice. More than nice, this summer was normal (FINALLY!). We ventured outside again, events were open, we saw people once again. Catching up with friends, seeing loved ones, being in the world – both inside venues and outdoors has been an incredible experience following two years of back-to-back lockdowns.

With fall quickly approaching, kids are getting ready to go back to school and workers are getting ready for longer workdays. While we may grieve the end of our summer leisure, we can simultaneously embrace this time to reconnect with our focus and career path.

As we start to get swept away into the busy work lives that await us, here are some tips to reset this fall season:

1. CLEAN YOUR SPACE – time to put away all of your summer/beach gear and get ready for the cold(er) weather! Maybe start to bring out some of your sweaters and pack away your shorts and flip-flops. Cleaning up your space and swapping your summer gear for your fall gear helps ready your brain for the upcoming season. You can thank your summer items and tell them you’ll see them next summer, as a Marie Kondo strategy to help yourself mourn and let go.
2. REFLECT – take some time to reflect on your summer. Maybe look through your photos and remember all of the good times you had. Talk about these good times with a loved one and journal about it if you can. Think about the upcoming seasons and what you are looking forward to doing this Fall. Reflecting and making time for gratitude helps us develop a positive mindset with the changing seasons.
3. LOOK FORWARD – Since you’re starting to think about what you’re looking forward to doing this season, why not list them off? Make a list of the things you want to do this fall, here are some fun suggestions to help jumpstart your list:

• Visit a local family! Take part in some fall fun like feeding farm animals, wagon rides, mazes, photo opportunities and purchasing root vegetables from the Fall harvest
• Take a hike! While the Fall colours are vibrant, go hiking and soak up the beauty around you!
• Pick your own fruits and vegetables! Fall is the perfect time for picking apples and pumpkins!
• Drink a hot beverage! Perfect time to sit outside with a hot cup of apple cider or hot cocoa.
• Cozy up by a fire – snuggle up with your loved ones under a blanket near a fire. Make some smores while you’re there!

4. USE YOUR VACATION TIME – Prices drop in the fall for vacations, making it the perfect time to save some coin and use your vacation time! If you want a staycation, prices decrease and there is increased availability for local cottages. If you prefer to fly somewhere down south, prices also drop due to hurricane season.

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I would love to know how you plan to reset this fall, comment below!

Copyright 2022, Sherrie Mohamed

Hello Ontario, we are officially in lockdown.

With lockdown often comes decreased movement, social isolation and feeling low/uncertain. An online Yoga Class can help you, here’s how:

1. Increasing body movements to reduce stiffness from sitting in a chair all day and creates happy hormones to increase your mood.
2. Doing an online class with other people creates an opportunity for social engagement.
3. Technology is so advanced that you can follow your instructor, your instructor can see you and help you with modifications – just like in a yoga class, but in the comfort of your own home.
4. Traditional yoga classes include meditation and therapeutic elements that can help improve your mood.
5. When you get into the habit of practicing yoga in your own space, you are more likely to continue your practice. Seeing your yoga mat rolled out in your space will motivate you to create your own practice outside of class hours.

Check out our upcoming Online Yoga Class! Our class features:

• 6 Weekly Sessions for 75 Minutes
• Yoga, meditation and reflective practice
• BIPOC Yoga Teachers
• A small, intimate classroom settings

1.     Mindfulness helps calms uncertainty 

We are living in unprecedented times and no one knows when COVID-19 will go away and if it is possible to get rid of it completely. 

The way we live has changed dramatically and “going back to normal” might not be an option anytime soon. 

Every time we leave our homes, we risk contracting COVID-19. So, we have to take precautions. But there are still feelings of uncertainty. 

Right now it’s normal to have a lot more What If thoughts. 

The tough part is, there is nothing we can do about it. We have no control about these circumstances. But, what we do have control over are the power we give to our thoughts. 

Mindfulness can help us become objective observers of our thoughts and teach our minds to allow thoughts to exist, but not to allow thoughts to impact our emotions/moods/behaviours. 

2.     Mindfulness can help you sleep 

When anxiety is high and our normal coping mechanisms (going out with friends, going to the gym, spending time with family) are no longer available, sleep can become difficult. Add additional stressors of job insecurity, caretaking and education children and caretaking for other family members – it can feel overwhelming. It’s normal for our minds to ruminate when the world becomes quiet (i.e. at night). 

Nighttime is our time to process our day. But if the processing becomes too overwhelming, sleep can therefore suffer. 

Mindfulness can help us let go of unhelpful thoughts, relax our bodies, calm our nerves through deep breathing and allow us to sleep easier. 

At a time like this, we need quality sleep now more than ever. Without sleep, our anxiety and depression can worsen. 

3.     Mindfulness Eating Can Help Maintain Your Weight 

When stress and anxiety is high, it is common to undereat or overeat. This is a maladaptive coping strategy that may people turn to, whether knowingly or not. 

Mindfulness can help bring our attention to our bodies, so we can acknowledge hunger cues as they arise and fuel our bodies with conscious healthy food choices. Even the process of eating can be done mindfully – so we enjoy our food more and can physically feel when our bodies have had enough. 

4.     Mindfulness can boost your relationships and homelife 

When we are practicing mindfulness, we learn to calm our minds and shrink our anxiety. As a result, our irritability reduces, we no longer feel on edge nor overwhelmed. As a direct result, the people around us (our family, spouse, children, roommates, etc.) are not as annoying or irritating as they were previously. 

Someone we live with may say something that would normally set us off, but when practicing mindfulness we might not be irritated. In fact, we might find that comment or behaviour endearing, funny or a conversation-starter. 

The boost in our mood provided by mindfulness practice can strengthen our relationships with our loved ones and create a happier living environment at home.

Want to start practicing mindfulness but don’t know where to start? Join our FREE virtual Mindfulness Class! Contact us for more details.

Copyright 2021, Sherrie Mohamed

Welcome to Mindwell Therapy Collective.

To start this blog, I thought it would be appropriate to name 3 Reasons Why You Should See a Therapist. Without further ado, here we go!

1. Your Friends and Family Aren’t Therapists!

We love our friends and family, but let’s be honest – they’re not necessarily equipped with the skills to give us the support that we truly need. That doesn’t mean they don’t love us, it just means that they aren’t professional therapists! And if they are – it’s a conflict of interest for you to be their client!

As a therapist, I hear from clients over and over again that their friends and family don’t understand them, or gave them bad advice. We have to remember our friends and family members are not responsible for helping us with processing thoughts and emotions. This is why therapists go to school for many years and spend thousands of dollars on trainings every year!

So, take it easy on your friends and family and find someone who has the proper training and knowledge to best support you.

2. Develop New Perspectives

When you are alone, or around the same people regularly, it is normal that your thoughts develop a routine. Your thoughts are subject to their environment, so if they’re in the same environment day after day then it’s no wonder why they may ruminate or get “stuck.” 

To get a fresh new perspective, speaking to someone objective might do the trick. Of course, speaking to a therapist would be less weird than opening up to a stranger on the street. Just saying.

3. Develop New Coping Strategies

One of the best reasons to see a therapist is to develop tools to put in your toolbox (otherwise known as coping strategies). Coping strategies are skills that we learn to help us in times of need. Just like hardware tools, we use them when we need to and put them away (in a toolbox) until we need them again.

Unfortunately, throughout our lives we might learn maladaptive coping strategies, like drinking, smoking or self-harming. In therapy, we can unlearn maladaptive coping and replace it with positive coping techniques instead. Positive coping techniques are beneficial to help us overcome and move forward without causing harm to our mind, body and spirit.

Need personalized support? Contact us to book your free 15-minute telephone consultation today!

Copyright Sherrie Mohamed, 2021