Emotions-Karma Gaia

 

The Hidden Cost of Emotional Suppression: Why Feeling Your Feelings Matters

We live in a world that often rewards emotional composure over emotional expression. "Keep it together," we tell ourselves. "Don't be so sensitive." "Stay professional." While emotional regulation is indeed a valuable skill, there's a crucial difference between managing emotions and suppressing them entirely—and the cost of confusion between the two can be profound.

The Body Keeps Score

When we push down emotions instead of processing them, they don't simply disappear. Research in psychosomatic medicine shows that suppressed emotions often manifest as physical symptoms. That chronic headache, persistent back pain, or recurring digestive issues might be your body's way of expressing what your mind won't allow.

Dr. Gabor Maté's work on the mind-body connection reveals that individuals who consistently suppress anger or sadness face higher risks of autoimmune conditions, chronic pain, and even certain cancers. The energy required to keep emotions buried creates a constant state of internal stress that wears down our immune system over time.

The Pressure Cooker Effect

Imagine emotions as water filling a pot. Healthy emotional expression is like lifting the lid periodically to let steam escape. Emotional suppression is like sealing that lid tight. Eventually, the pressure becomes too much, leading to:

Unexpected emotional outbursts over minor triggers Difficulty forming authentic connections with others Increased anxiety and hypervigilance Emotional numbness or difficulty accessing joy Destructive coping mechanisms like substance use or compulsive behaviors

The Authenticity Gap

Perhaps the most insidious cost of emotional suppression is the distance it creates between who we are and who we present to the world. When we habitually hide our true feelings, we begin to lose touch with them ourselves. This disconnection from our authentic emotional experience can lead to:

Difficulty making decisions aligned with our values Feeling like an imposter in our own life Relationships that feel superficial or unfulfilling A persistent sense that something is "missing"

Reclaiming Your Emotional Life

The path back to emotional authenticity doesn't mean becoming emotionally volatile or inappropriate. Instead, it's about developing a healthy relationship with all of your emotions—even the uncomfortable ones.

Start Small: Begin by simply naming what you feel without judgment. "I'm feeling frustrated right now" or "There's sadness here" can be powerful first steps.

Create Safe Spaces: Whether through journaling, therapy, trusted friends, or creative expression, find outlets where you can explore emotions without fear of judgment.

Practice the Pause: Before automatically suppressing an emotion, pause and ask: "What is this feeling trying to tell me?" Emotions are data, not directives.

Body Awareness: Notice where emotions live in your body. Tight shoulders might signal stress; a heavy chest could indicate sadness. Befriending these sensations helps integrate emotional experiences.

The Paradox of Feeling

Here's what many discover on this journey: the more we allow ourselves to feel difficult emotions, the less overwhelming they become. Like waves, emotions naturally rise, crest, and recede when we don't interfere with their flow. The very act of suppression often intensifies and prolongs emotional discomfort.

Moreover, our capacity for joy, creativity, and connection expands proportionally with our willingness to experience the full spectrum of human emotion. You cannot selectively numb—when we suppress pain, we also suppress our ability to feel pleasure.

Moving Forward

Emotional suppression often stems from early experiences where expressing feelings wasn't safe or welcome. Recognizing this can help us approach ourselves with compassion rather than criticism. Healing happens not through forcing ourselves to feel, but through gradually creating internal and external environments where feelings are honored guests rather than unwelcome intruders.

The hidden cost of emotional suppression is a life half-lived—a muted existence where we trade authenticity for the illusion of control. But there's hope: at any moment, we can begin the practice of befriending our emotional experience. In doing so, we reclaim not just our feelings, but our fundamental aliveness.

Remember: feeling your feelings isn't weakness—it's the gateway to genuine strength, deeper relationships, and a life that truly feels like your own.

Emotional Body Pain

 

Mother Wound-Karma Gaia

 

Healing the Mother Wound: Why You Can't Manifest Until You Do This

You've done everything right. Vision boards cover your walls. Affirmations fill your journal. You meditate, visualize, and align your chakras. Yet somehow, your manifestations keep hitting an invisible wall.

What if the block isn't in your technique, but in your foundation?

The Hidden Block Nobody Talks About

The mother wound—the emotional and psychological pain passed down from mother to child—might be the most overlooked barrier to manifestation. It's the unconscious programming that whispers, "You don't deserve this" every time you reach for more.

This isn't about blaming mothers. It's about recognizing that unhealed pain travels through generations like an energetic inheritance, shaping what we believe is possible for ourselves.

Why the Mother Wound Sabotages Manifestation

Think of manifestation as building a house. Your subconscious beliefs are the foundation. If that foundation contains cracks from early childhood experiences with your mother (or mother figure), everything you try to build on top becomes unstable.

The mother wound creates specific blocks:

1. Worthiness Issues If love felt conditional in childhood, your subconscious might believe abundance must be "earned" through struggle. You'll unconsciously push away easy wins.

2. Fear of Outshining Many with mother wounds learned early to dim their light to avoid triggering jealousy or criticism. Now, approaching success triggers ancient alarm bells.

3. Scarcity Mindset Emotional scarcity in the mother-child relationship often translates to believing there's "not enough" of anything—love, money, opportunities—to go around.

4. Self-Abandonment Patterns If you learned to prioritize your mother's emotional needs over your own, you might manifest situations where you give your power away just as success approaches.

Signs the Mother Wound Is Blocking You

You feel guilty when good things happen to you Success feels "dangerous" or uncomfortable You sabotage opportunities at the last minute You manifest exactly what you need, then push it away Your manifestations work for others but not yourself You feel like you're "betraying" someone by succeeding

The Healing Path Forward

Healing the mother wound isn't about perfection—it's about awareness and compassion. Here's where to start:

1. Acknowledge Without Blame Recognize the wound exists without making anyone wrong. Your mother likely carried her own mother wound. This is about breaking the cycle, not assigning fault.

2. Reparent Your Inner Child Give yourself the unconditional love and validation you needed. When you catch yourself in self-criticism, ask: "What would I say to a child feeling this way?"

3. Boundaries as Sacred Practice Learning to say no to others (and yes to yourself) rewires the part of you that learned love meant self-sacrifice. Start small. Honor your needs.

4. Feel to Heal The grief under the mother wound needs to move through you. Journal, cry, rage (safely), or work with a therapist. Suppressed emotions create energetic blocks.

5. Rewrite Your Worthiness Story Create new evidence that you deserve good things. Celebrate tiny wins. Accept compliments. Let yourself receive without earning.

The Breakthrough Moment

When you heal the mother wound, manifestation shifts from forcing to allowing. You stop unconsciously rejecting abundance because you finally believe, at the deepest level, that you're worthy of receiving it.

Your desires stop feeling dangerous. Success stops triggering old alarms. The invisible wall dissolves, and suddenly, what you've been calling in can finally reach you.

The Truth That Changes Everything

You don't need to be completely healed to manifest. You just need to be conscious enough to catch yourself in old patterns and brave enough to choose differently.

Every time you choose self-love over self-abandonment, you're healing the wound. Every boundary you set is a declaration of worthiness. Every success you allow yourself to enjoy breaks the generational pattern.

Your manifestations aren't waiting for perfection. They're waiting for permission—permission only you can give yourself.

The mother wound might be why you've been stuck, but it doesn't have to be where you stay. Your healing is the key that unlocks everything you've been calling in.

It was never about doing manifestation perfectly. It was always about believing you deserve what you desire.

And you do. You always have.

Breathing

 

It's Okay.....

 

Meditation-Karma Gaia

 

The Myth of the Empty Mind: Why Thoughts During Meditation Are Normal

If you've ever sat down to meditate and found your mind racing with thoughts about grocery lists, work deadlines, or that awkward thing you said five years ago, you're not alone. Many people believe that successful meditation means achieving a completely blank mind—a state of pure emptiness where thoughts cease to exist. This misconception causes countless beginners to feel like failures and give up on their practice entirely.

Here's the truth: having thoughts during meditation isn't just normal—it's inevitable.

The Nature of the Thinking Mind

Your brain generates thoughts the way your heart pumps blood. It's what brains do. Neuroscientists estimate that we have between 12,000 to 60,000 thoughts per day. Expecting this constant stream to suddenly stop because you're sitting on a cushion is like expecting your heart to stop beating on command.

The goal of meditation has never been to stop thinking entirely. Instead, it's about changing your relationship with your thoughts. Rather than being swept away by every mental event, meditation teaches you to observe thoughts without getting entangled in them.

What Actually Happens During Meditation

When you meditate, you're not trying to empty your mind—you're training your attention. Think of it like going to the gym. Each time you notice your mind has wandered and gently bring your attention back to your breath (or chosen focus point), you're doing a mental push-up. This moment of noticing is the practice, not maintaining perfect focus.

Experienced meditators don't have fewer thoughts than beginners. They've simply gotten better at noticing when their attention has drifted and returning to their point of focus without judgment. They've learned to watch thoughts arise and pass like clouds in the sky, rather than chasing after each one.

Common Thought Patterns During Meditation

During meditation, you might experience:

Planning thoughts ("I need to email my boss after this") Reviewing thoughts ("I can't believe I said that yesterday") Physical sensations ("My leg is falling asleep") Doubting thoughts ("Am I doing this right?") Random memories or fantasies

All of these are completely normal. The key is to notice them without judgment and return to your breath or chosen anchor.

Reframing Your Practice

Instead of seeing thoughts as obstacles to meditation, try viewing them as opportunities to practice. Each thought that arises is a chance to strengthen your awareness and practice letting go. Some teachers even suggest thanking your thoughts for giving you something to work with.

A helpful analogy is to imagine sitting by a busy road. The cars passing by are your thoughts. Your job isn't to stop the traffic—it's to sit peacefully by the roadside, watching the cars come and go without jumping into them.

Practical Tips for Working with Thoughts

Label and release: When you notice a thought, simply label it as "thinking" and return to your breath. No need to analyze or judge. Use counting: Count breaths from one to ten, then start over. When you lose count (and you will), simply begin again at one. Try noting: Briefly note the type of thought—"planning," "remembering," "worrying"—then let it go. Practice self-compassion: Each time you catch yourself thinking, celebrate the awareness rather than criticizing the wandering. Start small: Begin with just 5-10 minutes. It's better to have a consistent short practice than to struggle through long sessions.

The Real Benefits

When you stop trying to achieve an impossible empty mind, meditation becomes much more accessible and beneficial. The real gifts of meditation—increased awareness, emotional regulation, and stress reduction—come not from stopping thoughts but from changing how you relate to them.

Your thoughts will always be there, chattering away in the background. But with practice, you can learn to rest in the space between thoughts, finding moments of peace even in a busy mind. This is the true art of meditation: not silencing the mind, but finding stillness within the movement.

Remember, every meditator—from beginners to those who've practiced for decades—experiences thoughts during meditation. The difference lies not in the absence of thoughts, but in the gentle, non-judgmental awareness of them. So the next time you sit down to meditate and find your mind full of thoughts, smile and know that you're doing it right.

CMHA Halton for July-all free-highly recommended

 

Highly recommend this organization and what they offer all for free.  

Please make sure to register with them at the above email to ensure you get the info you need in future.

For the month of July there are changes to our calendar.  Please note:

• Mission Possible is offered over zoom 3 THURSDAYS  1-3pm  (July 3rd, 17th and 31st) 
• Building Blocks will be offered VIRTUALLY on Thursdays 1pm-2:30pm (July 10th and 24th)
• Nurturing Art 11:00 -1:00 in-person is on July 9th at the CMHA Halton Cornwall Office
• Conversations over zoom is every Tuesday 1:30pm-3:30pm.
• Just Breathe 10:30am-12pm in-person at the Central Library, Burlington is every Thursday
• Just Breathe over zoom is every Friday 12pm-1:15pm

"The only constant in life is change."

Self Care-Karma Gaia

Mindful Weekends: Building Mental Health Through Routine

The weekend arrives with a promise of rest, yet many of us reach Sunday evening feeling more depleted than restored. The secret to truly rejuvenating weekends lies not in doing nothing, but in creating intentional routines that nurture your mental health.

The Power of Weekend Mindfulness

Mindful weekends aren't about perfection or rigid schedules. They're about creating gentle structures that help you transition from the demands of the workweek into a space of genuine restoration. Research shows that consistent self-care routines can significantly reduce anxiety, improve mood, and enhance overall wellbeing.

Saturday: The Day of Gentle Awakening

Morning Intention Setting (8:00-8:30 AM) Begin your Saturday by resisting the urge to immediately check your phone. Instead, spend 10 minutes in bed simply noticing your breath and setting an intention for the day. This might be as simple as "I will move slowly today" or "I will listen to what my body needs."

Mindful Movement (9:00-10:00 AM) Whether it's yoga, a neighborhood walk, or gentle stretching, move your body without the pressure of performance. Pay attention to how each movement feels rather than counting calories or tracking distance.

Creative Expression Hour (2:00-3:00 PM) Dedicate time to something creative with no end goal—journaling, sketching, playing music, or even mindful cooking. The focus is on the process, not the outcome.

Sunday: The Day of Reflection and Preparation

Morning Pages (8:30-9:00 AM) Borrow from Julia Cameron's practice of writing three pages of stream-of-consciousness thoughts. This mental decluttering helps process the week behind and clear space for the week ahead.

Nature Connection (10:00-11:30 AM) Spend time outdoors, even if it's just sitting on your balcony with a cup of tea. Studies show that nature exposure reduces cortisol levels and improves mental clarity.

Sunday Evening Ritual (7:00-8:00 PM) Create a soothing transition into the new week. This might include preparing clothes for Monday, a warm bath with calming music, or a gratitude practice where you note three things that brought you joy over the weekend.

Building Your Personal Routine

The key to sustainable weekend self-care is customization. Start with one or two practices that resonate with you, then gradually build your routine. Remember:

Flexibility is essential: Some weekends will look different, and that's okay Small acts count: Even five minutes of mindful breathing makes a difference Consistency over intensity: Regular, gentle practices outweigh sporadic intense efforts Listen to yourself: Your needs may vary from week to week

Common Obstacles and Solutions

"I don't have time": Start with just 15 minutes. Even brief moments of mindfulness can shift your mental state.

"I feel guilty relaxing": Remember that self-care enables you to show up better for others. You can't pour from an empty cup.

"I get bored": Mindfulness isn't about emptying your mind—it's about being present with whatever arises, including boredom.

The Ripple Effect

As you establish mindful weekend routines, you'll likely notice effects beyond those two days. Many people find that weekend mindfulness practices naturally extend into their weekdays, creating a more balanced and mentally healthy lifestyle overall.

Your weekends are precious opportunities for mental health maintenance. By creating routines that prioritize mindfulness and self-compassion, you transform these days from mere recovery time into active investments in your wellbeing. Start small, be patient with yourself, and watch as your weekends become the foundation for a more centered, peaceful life.

Panic Attack

 

Trauma-Karma Gaia

 

The Hidden Triggers: 10 Common Situations That Spark Shame Spirals

We've all been there—one moment you're fine, and the next you're drowning in a tsunami of self-criticism, replaying every mistake you've ever made. Shame spirals can feel like emotional quicksand: the more you struggle, the deeper you sink. Understanding what triggers these spirals is the first step toward breaking free from their grip.

Unlike guilt, which focuses on a specific action ("I did something bad"), shame attacks your core identity ("I am bad"). This fundamental difference explains why shame spirals are so devastating—they don't just critique your behavior; they condemn your entire being.

Here are ten common situations that often trigger shame spirals, along with insights on why they hit so hard:

1. Making a Mistake in Public

Whether it's mispronouncing a word in a meeting or tripping in front of strangers, public mistakes can instantly transport us back to childhood feelings of humiliation. Our brain's threat-detection system goes into overdrive, convincing us that everyone is judging us as harshly as we're judging ourselves.

2. Receiving Criticism (Even Constructive Feedback)

For many, any form of criticism—no matter how gently delivered—can feel like confirmation of our deepest fears about our inadequacy. We hear "your presentation could use more data" but our shame translates it to "you're incompetent and everyone knows it."

3. Comparing Yourself to Others on Social Media

The highlight reels of others' lives can make our behind-the-scenes footage feel painfully inadequate. Each perfectly curated post can trigger thoughts like "I'm so far behind" or "I'll never measure up," launching us into a spiral of self-comparison and shame.

4. Being Rejected or Excluded

Whether it's not getting invited to a gathering or being ghosted after a date, rejection taps into our primal fear of abandonment. Shame whispers that we were excluded because there's something fundamentally wrong with us, not because of circumstance or compatibility.

5. Failing to Meet Your Own Expectations

Sometimes the harshest critic lives in our own head. When we fall short of our personal standards—missing a workout streak, breaking a diet, or procrastinating on a goal—shame can convince us we're weak, lazy, or destined to fail.

6. Having Your Vulnerability Dismissed

Opening up takes courage, so when someone minimizes our feelings or experiences ("you're being too sensitive"), it can trigger deep shame about having needs or emotions at all. We might vow never to be vulnerable again, reinforcing the shame cycle.

7. Financial Struggles or Mistakes

In a society that often equates worth with wealth, financial difficulties can trigger intense shame. Whether it's overdrawing an account, carrying debt, or earning less than peers, money troubles can make us feel like we're failing at adulthood itself.

8. Body Image Moments

Catching an unflattering reflection, struggling to fit into old clothes, or seeing tagged photos from bad angles can instantly trigger body shame. These moments often connect to deeper beliefs about worthiness being tied to appearance.

9. Not Knowing Something "Everyone" Knows

Whether it's a cultural reference, a basic skill, or common knowledge, feeling out of the loop can trigger shame about our intelligence or belonging. We might spiral into thoughts like "I'm so stupid" or "I don't belong here."

10. Past Mistakes Resurfacing

Sometimes shame needs no external trigger—our brain helpfully serves up memories of past embarrassments or failures at random moments. These involuntary replays can launch us into spirals about mistakes we made years or even decades ago.

Breaking the Spiral

Recognizing these triggers is powerful because shame thrives in secrecy and silence. When you notice yourself entering a spiral, try these strategies:

Name it: Simply saying "I'm in a shame spiral" can help create distance from the experience Get grounded: Use your senses to return to the present moment Practice self-compassion: Talk to yourself like you would a good friend Reach out: Shame tells us to isolate, but connection is the antidote Remember impermanence: This feeling, no matter how intense, will pass

The goal isn't to never feel shame—that's part of being human. Instead, it's to recognize when we're spiraling and have tools to climb back out. With practice, these triggers lose their power, and we can respond to difficult moments with self-compassion instead of self-attack.

Remember: You are not alone in experiencing shame spirals. They're a common human experience, not a personal failing. Every time you interrupt a spiral, you're rewiring your brain toward self-compassion and resilience.

Items needed for SafetyNet Charities-Oakville

 

Do you have pots and pans in good condition? We need a restock for our housewares bank - please bring them into Safetynet and we will find a new home for them. The families we serve receive all items free of charge.

More details here --> https://www.safetynetservices.ca/howtohelp/#donatehousehold

166 South Service Rd East, Oakville ON L6J 2X5

                                                   info@safetynetservices.ca

                                                                        905-845-7233

Safetynet is a registered Canadian charity, business number 853458966RR0001

Monday – Friday

9:30am – 4pm

Saturday

9:30am - 1pm

Depression-Karma Gaia

 

Building Your Depression Safety Plan: A Step-by-Step Guide

When you're in the depths of depression, making decisions can feel impossible. That's why creating a safety plan during calmer moments is crucial—it's like drawing a map while you can still see clearly, so you can find your way when the fog rolls in.

A depression safety plan isn't just for crisis moments. It's a personalized toolkit that helps you recognize warning signs early and take action before things spiral. Think of it as your own emergency response system, tailored specifically to your needs and circumstances.

Step 1: Identify Your Warning Signs

Depression rarely arrives without warning. Start by listing the early signals your body and mind send when you're beginning to struggle. These might include:

Physical changes (sleep disruption, appetite shifts, unexplained aches) Emotional shifts (increased irritability, numbness, overwhelming sadness) Behavioral changes (withdrawing from friends, skipping activities you usually enjoy) Thought patterns (increased self-criticism, difficulty concentrating, hopelessness)

Write these down specifically. Instead of "feeling bad," note "crying more than three times a week" or "canceling plans two weekends in a row."

Step 2: List Your Coping Strategies

Create a menu of activities that have helped you feel even slightly better in the past. Include a range of options for different energy levels:

Low energy: Listen to a specific playlist, watch comfort shows, sit outside for five minutes, practice box breathing

Medium energy: Take a short walk, call a friend, do gentle stretches, prepare a simple meal

Higher energy: Exercise, engage in a hobby, clean one small area, run errands

Remember, these don't need to "cure" your depression—they just need to help you cope moment by moment.

Step 3: Build Your Support Network

List people you can reach out to, including:

Friends or family members who understand (include their phone numbers) Your therapist or counselor Support group contacts Crisis hotlines (988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in the US) Online communities or forums where you feel safe

Next to each contact, note what kind of support they best provide—some people are great for distraction, others for deep conversations, and some for practical help.

Step 4: Create Environmental Safeguards

Make your space work for you during difficult times:

Remove or secure items that could be harmful Prepare a "depression kit" with comfort items (soft blanket, favorite tea, photos that make you smile) Set up medication reminders Keep easy-to-prepare nutritious foods on hand Create a playlist of songs that soothe or gently energize you

Step 5: Write Your Action Plan

Put it all together in a clear, step-by-step format:

When I notice [warning sign], I will first try [coping strategy] If that doesn't help within [timeframe], I will [next action] If I'm having thoughts of self-harm, I will immediately [specific action] Emergency contacts: [list with phone numbers]

Step 6: Professional Resources

Include practical information:

Your therapist's contact information and emergency procedures Medication names, dosages, and prescribing doctor Local emergency room or psychiatric emergency services Insurance information

Making Your Plan Work

The key to an effective safety plan is accessibility. Keep copies in multiple places—your phone, wallet, bedroom, and give one to a trusted friend. Review and update it regularly, especially after you've learned new coping strategies or when your support network changes.

Share your plan with someone you trust. Having another person aware of your plan adds an extra layer of protection and accountability.

Remember: This Is Your Plan

Your safety plan should reflect what actually works for you, not what you think "should" work. If taking a shower feels impossible during depression, don't list it. If scrolling through cute animal videos helps, include it. This is about survival and management, not perfection.

Creating a depression safety plan is an act of self-compassion—it's acknowledging that you deserve support and preparing to give yourself that support when you need it most. It won't prevent all difficult moments, but it will help you navigate them with more confidence and less panic.

Start simple. Even a basic plan is better than none. You can always add to it as you discover what helps. The goal isn't to create a perfect document—it's to build a practical tool that serves you when you need it most.

Inner Child

 

Indigenous Peoples Day-Burlington

 

June is National Indigenous History Month in Canada, a time to recognize and celebrate the rich history, heritage, resilience, and diversity of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples. It's a period for learning about their unique cultures, traditions, and experiences, and for honoring their stories, achievements, and the lasting impact they have on Canada.

For more information check out the link Indigenous Peoples Month – City of Toronto

National Indigenous Peoples Day is celebrated on June 21st, coinciding with the summer solstice, which holds cultural significance for many Indigenous communities. 

Gambling Program

 

Adapt