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A Place to CONNECT

I have so very much enjoyed connecting with people at BalAnce Coffee Collaborations over the past 7 years.  I hope you can join us at our next one on September 15th at the Rotary Centre for the Arts.    

 

HOPE YOU ARE HAVING AN AMAZING SUMMER.

 

BODY | FINANCIAL | MIND | SOCIAL

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by BalAnce Writer, Tom Kernaghan

Julie Morgan

If every long journey begins with the first step, imagine how far you could go if you turned your steps into strides. For Julie Morgan, a registered social worker and the owner of Making Strides Counselling, it begins by pushing aside the stigmas of mental health, reaching out for support, and confronting your fears. Julie is here to guide you along that path which most of us find confusing and overwhelming — the walk toward our healthiest, happiest self. 

With 15 years of counselling experience and a bachelor’s degree in social work from UBCO, Julie helps you to navigate tumultuous emotions and overcome the insecurity, depression, anxiety, and anger keeping you up at night, impeding your progress, and affecting your ability to create a better, more fulfilling life — the one you deserve. It’s about discovering what is in your way, what is immobilizing you, what is keeping you from moving forward. The foundation of this mutual exploration is a solid therapeutic relationship. 

You are not alone. Julie passionately believes in the importance of building her clients’ trust, so that they can feel safe in being open and honest about whatever it is they are going through. And her services cover the vast and varied nature of life’s challenges. Whether you’re seeking counselling for family and relationship issues, grief and loss, chronic illness and disease, career conundrums, youth struggles, caregiver strain, and more, Julie is ready to take that first step with you, no matter how small.  

Read more.

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Stay Positive, Stay Asleep By Bonita Kay Summers

As you’re scrolling through your social media, how often do you come across profiles full of quotes on staying positive? There can be the temptation to “keep our head above water and paddle like mad” rather than allowing ourselves to feel the full extent of our emotional range. Thinking that being positive is a better choice can give us the idea that it’s somehow a failing if we don’t eschew the uncomfortable emotions for staying in our “happy place”. Happiness and optimism have their place in our lives, but we lose a great deal of our self-awareness if we exercise too much control over our emotions, preferring one feeling over another.

I often think about my 10-day stay at a Vipassana retreat in 2014, where we were encouraged to feel everything with “equanimity”. That meant accepting ALL the feelings, including rage, grief, fear, boredom, and every little spinal ache and muscle pain from sitting for prolonged periods while practicing Adhiṭṭhāna (determined sitting). This involved not moving a muscle while I observed the intense emotions that such stillness was bound to bring to the surface.

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The Hidden Price of Forcing Family Time with Your Teen by Aly Pain

This is a critical issue and fine line to walk.

You know you have a limited number of days before your teen leaves home so you’re trying to maintain some family structure and quality time while you have it. You’ve read the studies showing the more connected teens are the less likely they are to participate in risky behaviours so family time is happening no matter how much huffing, puffing, and eye-rolling your teen does.

You’re lucky if you get ‘Hello’.

Your teen’s brain is growing new hardware and developing new software all the same time, necessary to become a successful, independent adult. This starts 2 key processes:

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BalAnce Feedback

BWB Google Review - Pamela Lynch - I've had several amazing experiences through the events hosted by the Balance Well-Being Centre in Kelowna. The opportunities for personal growth and rising up courageously are plenty. The first time I attended Storytelling Tuesday in January 2017, I was deeply touched by each of the stories people shared. I was …

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