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Blog
Engaging with Anxiety
Anxiety often feels like a wall we want to avoid—something to push away or outrun. But healing rarely comes from running; it begins when we turn toward anxiety with curiosity, kindness, and patience. This perspective echoes the heart of Aundi Kolber’s book Try Softer, which invites us to approach our inner struggles not with harsh striving but with gentle awareness and grace.
Navigating OCD
Living with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) can feel like being stuck in a loop you didn’t choose. Unwanted thoughts or urges (obsessions) often collide with repeated behaviours or rituals (compulsions), creating stress that can feel exhausting and isolating. Many people wonder if things can truly get better—especially when their thoughts feel private, intense, or even frightening. You are not alone—help and change are possible.
From Individualism to Interconnectedness
Many people living in the Western world have been shaped by predominantly individualistic values that view a person and their problems in isolation from other factors. This could be understood as part of the heritage of Western rationalism that was furthered during the Enlightenment period beginning in the 17th century. The focus on scientific reasoning in this period placed a high value on breaking things down into their smallest parts to study and make sense of them, as well as prioritizing the mind and mental reasoning over the body and emotional life. The Western world of mental health is shaped by this individualism; historically this has looked like the tendency to pathologize issues related to relational and cultural traumas, as well as viewing symptoms through a mental and scientific lens of diagnosis rather than a holistic view that includes a person’s emotional life, trauma, culture and history of relationships.