Category: Newsletters

What exactly are feelings?When we talk about feelings we are really talking about emotions. At the most basic level, researchers define emotions as the flow of energy (energy in motion) or states of activation through the brain and body. To understand what we feel, we need to tune into the emotion internally that is connected Read More

Good love relationships do not just happen spontaneously when a couple decide to get together. This idea is a fallacy in the same vein of the Hollywood nonsense – “love is never having to say you’re sorry”. Healthy intimate partnerships are skillfully crafted applying principles that work and avoiding those things which do not work Read More

The Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) has selected the first week in May to focus on raising awareness about mental health. The website reports 1 in 5 Canadians experiencing mental health or addiction issues each year.  By the time we reach 40 years of age, 1 in 2 of us have – or have had Read More

Many view sleep as a luxury and think that the benefits of limiting the hours they spend asleep outweigh the costs. People often overlook the potential long-term health consequences of insufficient sleep, and the impact that health problems can ultimately have on one’s time and productivity.  Sleep and mental health are closely connected.  Many of Read More

Sadness is a natural part of being human, and feeling this way for a period of time can be normal. But if these feelings of sadness last for more than a couple of weeks and start interfering with a person’s life in a major way, they may be experiencing depression. Depression is the experience of Read More

Anger is the emotion inside us that allows us to respond to situations where we feel threatened—where we sense that our safety and security is at risk. When we are angry we can feel our power and be strong. As an emotion, anger is neither good nor bad. It is a valuable part of our Read More

A Holiday Message from Your Vancouver Island Counselling Team In March of this year the world changed for all of us. Since then, like one continuous earthquake, the ground has not stopped moving under our feet. Ongoing tremor and aftershock still rock and ripple around us, within us and sometimes between us. Much has been Read More

There are certain scientifically validated activities that can be done every day that bring us many physical, mental and emotional health benefits. Examples of this include a regular exercise, mindfulness or gratitude practice. However, did you know kind acts – even secret ones – can do wonders for your overall health and well-being? Kindness behaviors Read More

“Wear gratitude like a cloak and it will feed every corner of your life” – Rumi Gratitude is an awareness of the good things that happen. It is both a fleeting emotion, and a quality anyone can acquire. In other words, you can be a grateful person, and experience a grateful moment. Gratitude is one Read More

Who is Vancouver Island Counselling?Vancouver Island Counselling is your EFAP (Employee and Family Assistance Program) and is a very important component of your employee benefit package. Your EFAP encourages people with personal concerns to seek confidential counselling help as soon as possible before issues seriously affect family and work life and individual health and safety. This Read More