The Post-Celebration Reset: From Lunar New Year to Family Day Recovery
This week in Ontario, we are navigating a unique intersection of events. For many, the Family Day long weekend was followed immediately by the start of Lunar New Year festivities. While these moments bring connection and celebration, they also demand a significant amount of "social energy."
The Myth of the Perfect Family—Why "Repair" is the Real
When families come into my Junction office, there is often a lot of pressure to "fix" things so that arguments stop happening entirely. We have this cultural idea that a healthy family is one that is always in sync. But in reality, life is messy, especially in the middle of a cold Toronto winter when everyone is a bit more irritable and cooped up indoors.
What Are You Carrying That Wasn’t Yours?
This week’s Tend to it Tuesday opened up a conversation many people feel in their bones, even if they don’t always have the words for it:
How am I still shaped by the emotional roles I inherited, even decades later?
As a therapist, I often sit with clients in that quiet, painful realization:
“I was the kid who had to stay calm so everyone else could fall apart.”
“I didn’t get to be angry, so now I don’t know how to express it.”
“I still feel like I’m failing if I’m not helping someone else.”
And sometimes:
“I became the parent I swore I wouldn’t be.”