Everyone feels sad or "blue" on occasion. It is also perfectly normal to grieve over upsetting life experiences, such as a major illness, a death in the family, a loss of a job or a divorce. But, for most people, these feelings of grief and sadness tend to lessen with the passing of time.

However, if a person's feelings of sadness last for long periods, and if they interfere with daily life activities, something more serious than "feeling blue" may be going on.

Depressed individuals tend to feel helpless and hopeless and to blame themselves for having these feelings. People who are depressed may become overwhelmed and exhausted and may stop participating in their routine activities. They may withdraw from family and friends. Some may even have thoughts of death or suicide.

I am passionate about stopping the human slide into depression, and about improving adverse mental health at a grassroots level by bolstering adaptability, teaching greater flexibility, increasing mindfulness and facilitating greater self-care and compassion.

My work helps women and men reclaim their lives, get sorted, learn new coping skills and re-find their feet. They remember how to be themselves, to live consciously, to hear their own voice, to understand their relationships and take their place in the world.

It is my hope that many of those I work with will go on to share what they have learned with their children - thereby slowly filling the world with generations who have learned to do the same.

Anxiety is a normal response to a stressful event or perceived threat. Anxiety can range from feeling uneasy and worried to severe panic.

Based on the many years of experience with anxiety, we know that anxiety is NOT a biological disease we inherit or contract. Anxiety is something we cause. We cause ourselves anxiety because we’ve learned to live more fearfully and stressfully than others. At the root of anxiety lie unhealthy beliefs, thoughts, actions, and behaviors: the underlying factors that cause us to produce anxiety. Unless these underlying factors are addressed, they will continue to CAUSE anxiety, and consequently, to cause anxiety conditions to persist or return again and again.

Working with a therapist or counsellor ensures that underlying factors are successfully identified and addressed.