Do you suffer from anxiety or panic?

If you do, you might

Have racing thoughts of worry. You worry you might get sick, you might embarrass yourself in front of others, lose a loved one or that something bad will happen.
Feel anxious and panicky upon awakening even in the morning.
Feel a sense of inadequacy in spite of all your accomplishments.
Feel constant pressure and expectations to perform, be perfect, never make a mistake and needing to do things right.
Feel keyed up, on edge, irritable and unable to wind down, even on holidays.
Always feel like you are in a rush and never have enough time to sit back and enjoy your accomplishments or the people around you.
Have difficulty with sleep, either falling asleep or staying asleep.

If you suffer with symptoms of anxiety you will likely find that relaxing makes you nervous. When life gets easy, you may feel uneasy.

You are not alone!

Did you know:

Anxiety is the most common mental health issue among Canadian women, surpassing even depression. In men it is second only to alcohol and drug abuse.
In Canada, 1 in 4 people will suffer from an anxiety disorder at some point during their life. That means that in a workplace or social environment with 40 people, 10 people will be suffering with one type of anxiety disorder or another. At a hockey game, that’s 4,500 fans!
Mental health issues, including anxiety, stress and depression rank first in terms of causing disability in Canada as well as the United States according to the World Health Organization.

There are several different types of anxiety and related disorders that our counsellors can provide treatment for, including:

Generalized anxiety disorder
Social anxiety, stress
Depression
Panic disorder
Post traumatic stress
Obsessive compulsive disorder
Dental anxiety
Relationship stress and anxiety

After seeing so many doctors and specialists, I finally came to see Claire Maisonneuve and she was the first one who properly diagnosed me and was able to help me get over my panic attacks and symptoms of post traumatic stress -L.D., Vancouver

Self Help Articles

Relaxing makes me nervous.

Relaxing makes me nervous.

We all want relaxation and peace, but the fact is we can’t stand it! Stillness and silence, which are the means of finding inner peace, are often far too scary. The thought of not talking, sitting still, and listening to the silence feels unnerving and seems purposeless to many. Our craving for peace and relaxation [...]

November 10, 2011 More

Your feelings matter.

Your feelings matter.

Recently, a client I haven’t seen in some time wrote to me the following question and asked me if I would comment on this in my next newsletter. J. P. wrote: “Last December, I sent cards to some relatives back home, but didn’t receive a single reply from them. Also, I have a cousin who [...]

November 10, 2011 More

Guilt is our teacher, love is our lesson.

Guilt is our teacher, love is our lesson.

Guilt is one of the most prevalent and painful emotions that people with anxiety and depression experience. It makes us worry and blame ourselves for things that are not our fault, our responsibility or even our business. It makes us become compulsive helpers, constantly apologizing for ourselves and avoiding conflict because we can’t stand having [...]

November 9, 2011 More

Feelings vs intuition – what’s the difference?

Feelings vs intuition – what’s the difference?

Four weeks before her wedding, Amanda came to see me because she was having panic attacks. Despite all the excitement around the preparations, she claimed she couldn’t understand this panic she felt. As we worked together, it became evident that Amanda was having doubts about marrying Barry. Barry represented security and stability. He had been [...]

November 9, 2011 More

You know what the problem is. Now what?

You know what the problem is. Now what?

Clients will regularly ask me “so how do I change that about myself? How do I stop feeling guilty, how do I stop being so negative, pessimistic and critical, how do I stop being so impatient and frustrated?” I think the more appropriate question should be, “how do I get motivated to change?” So how [...]

November 9, 2011 More

The antidote to fear – part 1

The antidote to fear – part 1

Fear is the most common reason people come to counselling. Be it fear of flying, germs, the unknown, making mistakes, being unable to take care of one’s self or family, being judged, humiliated, rejected or controlled. All of these fears are a response to the future. A future that, most often, never occurs. So we [...]

November 9, 2011 More

The antidote to fear – part 2

The antidote to fear – part 2

In Part 1 I discussed how feelings of fear originate from our core beliefs about being unworthy, unlovable or inadequate and how faith in our own goodness, worthiness and deservingness is the antidote to fear. One way to be free from fear and access our positive attributes is to use a systematic method to explore and [...]

November 9, 2011 More