How your past hurts you today
Bear Psychology Podcast
Relationships rule our inner world. Understanding how you feel and think about your relationships helps you become more accepting and then more peaceful. You can develop an appreciation for other people's perspectives and stop assigning blame on others. Dr. Jacqueline Heller’s book “Yesterday Never Sleeps: How Integrating Life's Current and Past Connections Improves Our Well-Being” draws upon decades of clinical experience to create a powerful and more positive inner narrative. Her unique combination of neuroscience, memoirs of her life as a child of Holocaust survivors, and patient...
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Dangerous People in Powerful places
Bear Psychology Podcast
Disconnected People in positions of power make the world more dangerous for everyone – Bear Psychology Radio hosted by Dr. Anna Baranowsky with guest Dr. Steve Taylor. Disconnected people have the tendency to gravitate toward power. When Disconnected people rule in positions of power societies trend toward patriarchal, hierarchical and warlike. In contrast, societies with connected leaders trend toward egalitarian, democracy and peace. Although most people have a deep need to be connected, life events/upbringing and trauma exposure can interfere in this profound human characteristic....
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Why your coping skills stop working
Bear Psychology Podcast
Experiencing stressful or traumatic experiences during childhood leads us to develop certain coping mechanisms to get us through. While these strategies might have helped us feel secure when younger, they often fail us in adulthood. Richard Brouillette’s book “Your Coping Skills Aren't Working: How to Break Free from the Habits that Once Helped You But Now Hold You Back” offers an evidence-based guide using multiple therapeutic modalities including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), schema therapy, and attachment theory to help readers leave behind unhelpful coping strategies that keep...
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Muslim Loving Peace and looking to a better future
Bear Psychology Podcast
Raheel Raza, a Muslim Canadian born in Pakistan, migrated to Canada in 1988, has a unique perspective on what is happening right now in the Israel-Hamas war and her reflections on misinformation and what Peace would take. She has visited Israel 13 times in the 16 years. In her National Post Article “I'm a Muslim and I love Israel. Here's why” published in February 2023, Raza details what she has learned about hate and antisemitism, it’s prevalence in Arab Muslim countries, her hope for Peace and the struggles of supporting Israel at this time. Listen to our conversation...
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Collective & Personal Trauma: one family’s graceful end-of-life story
Bear Psychology Podcast
What does it mean to lose someone so close to you that your world will never be the same? What if this happens when the whole world is locked down during a global Pandemic, a collective trauma? How do we navigate terrible loss with great compassion and love? Journalist Mitchell Consky has something important to share with us about this based on personal experience. During the worst of the COVID pandemic, Consky received distressing news. His father had been given less than two months to live after being diagnosed with a rare terminal cancer. In his book, “Home Safe: A...
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Childhood Emotional Neglect impacts your life today
Bear Psychology Podcast
After 20 years in practice, Dr. Jonice Webb noticed the painful struggle of people who grew up in homes where they were emotionally neglected. She identified this neglect as an "invisible factor" that continued to affect adults often leaving them feeling depleted and dissatisfied or what she described as “Running on Empty”. In Dr. Webb’s books “Running on Empty: Overcome Your Childhood Emotional Neglect” and “Running On Empty No More: Transform Your Relationships” she shines a light on this invisible force of CEN. She discusses how to bring new tools, strategies and...
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Mind, Body and Yoga for Healing Trauma
Bear Psychology Podcast
Recovery from trauma is not simply about healing the mind but about healing the body as well. Often the approach when treating trauma is solely focused on the mental and emotional effects and fails to address the physiological imbalances that trauma leaves behind on our bodies. In Dr. Arielle Schwartz’s newest book “Therapeutic Yoga for Trauma Recovery: Applying the Principles of Polyvagal Theory for Self-Discovery, Embodied Healing, and Meaningful Change”, she guides the reader using yoga practices to help release the burdens of trauma and begin the journey of healing the...
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Healing from Emotional Eating
Bear Psychology Podcast
Every wonder why you make poor food choices? Have you ever tried a new diet just to end up miserable and eating even more than before? Kim Shapira will help us understand how to put an end to disordered eating habits and improving your health and happiness in the process. Shapira recognizes that unhealthy food habits can occur as a result of life stressors and old patterns of self-soothing. Her work focuses on getting back on track and using food for health. Kim Shapira, author of “This Is What You’re Really Hungry For”, teaches us how to develop a healthy relationship with our...
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Cultivating Core Creativity
Bear Psychology Podcast
I know you are creative and innovative at your core. However, most of us just don’t know how to access the deep wealth of creativity that sits inside. Dr. Ronald Alexander’s book “Core Creativity: The Mindful Way to Unlock Your Creative Self” guides you through using mindfulness practices to train your mind so that it more easily opens the portal to core creativity: the unconscious mind. I am really excited about this show as it focuses on opening up to a powerful element of our true nature. Listen to our conversation with psychotherapist & author Dr. Ronald Alexander as...
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Healing the World through Human Connection
Bear Psychology Podcast
Disconnected people have the tendency to gravitate toward power. When Disconnected people rule in positions of power societies trend toward patriarchal, hierarchical and warlike. In contrast, societies with connected leaders trend toward egalitarian, democracy and peace. Although most people have a deep need to be connected, life events/upbringing and trauma exposure can interfere in this profound human characteristic. A person’s “goodness” and capacity for compassion often results from connection, whereas cruelty often originates from a feeling of being cut off from others....
info_outlineHolidays can be a stressful time of year. There is pressure to make the perfect dinner, give a great gift, spend time with family members you don’t see frequently, and plan fun family festivities. All of this can leave you feeling stressed, depressed, lonely, fatigued, and underappreciated. The holiday blues is a term that accurately describes the mixture of unpleasant emotions one feels over the course of a seemingly joyous time.
Not only can the holidays leave you feeling depleted, you may also be left with an depleted bank account. All too often families feel the need to impress one another with fancy gifts and dinners. Another reality is that people may not have much to offer to begin with and are splurging on each other at this time of year out of guilt.
You are not alone:
Holiday blues and overspending polls:
Although the majority of people surveyed reported feeling happy and in good spirits over the holiday season, however, feelings of sadness, stress, and fatigue still come up.
“38% of people surveyed said their stress level increased during the holiday season. Participants listed the top stressors: lack of time, lack of money, commercialism, the pressures of gift-giving, and family gatherings.”
Another survey shows 53% of people think the holidays will put a financial strain on them. Also, 20% of people enter the holiday season with no plan to manage their spending.
Factors that contribute to holiday stress
- Unrealistic expectations
- Poor coping mechanisms such as drinking which ultimately leads to more stress
- Unresolved conflicts in the family
- Not setting or sticking to a budget
For more factors that contribute to holiday stress and depression click here.
Managing holiday stress and overspending:
The good news is that holiday stress and overspending can be managed. You can take control of your holiday and turn it into a well-deserved vacation instead of a dreaded time of year.
- Discuss expectations with loved ones
- Engage in meaningful activities with your family
- Stay active, exercise can help manage emotions
- Volunteer with an organization and give back to your community
- Practice mindfulness
- Avoid impulse purchases
- Track your spending
- Recognize your coping mechanisms for stress, if they seem negative seek help
Dr. Beth Rush a neuropsychologist with the Mayo Clinic highlights three ways to reduce holiday stress in this short video clip.
Some useful Resources:
Talks about being mindful: Click HERE
Good resources for managing stress: Click HERE
Also has good coping strategies: Click HERE
Coping with financial stress: Click HERE
Neuropsychologist from Mayo Clinic talking about reducing stress over the holidays. Click HERE