Living in Kelowna with its lakes and busy community can be quite nice but sometimes hard. Work, family, or news on your phone can make you feel stressed or worried. You might feel a tight chest or a fast heartbeat, or not sleep well. At Unyielding Health & Wellness, we can help you feel calm by teaching you ways to handle stress and worry so you become more resilient to stress and experience anxiety less frequently.
What is Stress and Anxiety?
Stress and anxiety are when you feel nervous or scared a lot. You might feel this from school, work, or the news. It can make you:
- Feel scared about small things
- Get mad or upset easily
- Not sleep well
- Have headaches or a sore stomach
- Not want to see friends
- Have trouble thinking clearly
These feelings can take away from your quality of life if they last too long or happen too often. Seeing a counsellor can help you feel better. They will collaborate with you to find out what worries you and then help you find calm.
Why Counselling in Kelowna Helps
Trying to feel better with games, distractions, or talking to friends and family might not work all the time. Speaking with a therapist helps by exploring mental and physical tools that work with you. Counselling in Kelowna lets you:
- Find what makes you worried, like work or the news
- Change scary thoughts to more productive ones
- Feel okay about your feelings
- Take care of yourself
- Learn ways to stay calmer, like breathing
You don’t need to feel really bad to get help. Starting counselling early can stop bigger problems and get you back to where you want to be. Our counsellors help you enjoy Kelowna life, like walks by Okanagan Lake.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) for Anxiety
CBT is a way to help worry by changing thoughts and actions. It’s like learning with a coach. If you’re scared of talking to people, a therapist helps you practice talking and get to the root of why you’re scared. If you worry a lot, counselling can help you be more resilient.
CBT teaches you to:
- Watch your feelings and thoughts to know what to change
- Check if thoughts are true and think of more helpful ones
- Look at thoughts without feeling bad or judging them
- Face scary things safely to feel less worried
CBT is for anyone who feels stressed, not just big worries. You practice these skills outside sessions, like doing homework. The goal is to get better at handling worry on your own.
Mindfulness to Help Anxiety and Stress
Mindfulness helps you stay calm by thinking about now, not judging yourself. You can do it with breathing, meditating, or walking outside. If mindfulness exercises sound helpful to you, our Kelowna therapists will try some out during counselling to help you relax. A few minutes each day can help.
Try these mindfulness tricks from our counsellors. They take less than 10 minutes:
1. Mindful Breathing
Sit in a quiet place, such as by Okanagan Lake. Breathe in through your nose, let your tummy get big, keep your chest still. Breathe out through your mouth. Do this for 10 to 15 seconds, 10 times.
2. 5-4-3-2-1 Grounding
Do this at home, or a park or café: 1. See five things (e.g. trees, water); 2. Feel four things (e.g. wind, chair); 3. Hear three things (e.g. birds, people); 4. Smell two things (e.g. air, coffee); 5. Taste one thing (e.g. gum). Our therapists use this to stop worry thoughts in their tracks and break the worry spiral.
3. Body Scanning
Lie down or sit. Breathe deeply. Think about your toes, breathe in, and let go of tightness as you breathe out. Move up to your head. Feel your body without changing it. End with three big breaths.
4. Mindful Stretching
Stretch and breathe to feel less tight:
Doorway Stretch
Stand in a doorway, hands on the frame. Breathe in, lean forward to stretch your chest, breathe out to relax. Hold for 15 to 30 seconds, do it again.
5. Seated Spinal Twist
Sit on a chair, feet flat. Turn right, hand on the chair back. Breathe in to sit tall, breathe out to twist more, look right. Do the other side.
If your mind wanders, go back to breathing. Counselling in Kelowna helps you get better at this.
Finding a Good Therapist in Kelowna
Picking the right therapist is important. At Unyielding Health & Wellness, we make a secure place for you. Look for:
- Training: A therapist in Kelowna should have a licence with a provincially or nationally recognized professional college like the Canadian Counselling & Psychotherapy Association (CCPA).
- Experience: Choose a therapist in Kelowna who helps people with stress and worry.
- Kindness: Find a therapist in Kelowna who listens and doesn’t judge. Our counsellors in Okanagan work with you to make a plan just for you.
What Happens During Counselling?
If you’re new to therapy, it might feel scary; and that certainly doesn’t help when someone is already concerned with worry. Counselling at Unyielding Health & Wellness is easy. You get:
- A secure place to talk at your speed
- A therapist who listens and helps, not forces you to make changes you’re uncomfortable with
- Plans made just for you
- Skills to use every day, like breathing or thinking more self-helping thoughts
Therapy isn’t for broken people. It’s for learning to feel better. Our counsellors teach you ways to handle worry, through CBT, mindfulness, and other skilled techniques and therapies.
Getting Ready for Your First Visit
Your first counselling in Kelowna session is about learning what you need. You don’t need to know everything. Our therapists ask about your worries and make a plan with you. You can ask all the questions you want, too.
Keeping Up With Your Progress
Therapy helps you keep getting better. We suggest:
- Practicing mindfulness when it works for you
- Making rules and plans to avoid and overcome excessive worry
- Talking to your therapist as often as you need
- Using skills like breathing
Counselling in Kelowna gives you tools to stay calm and reach your goals in your busy life.
Why Unyielding Health & Wellness is Special
Unyielding Health & Wellness stands out because our counsellors deeply understand Kelowna’s unique lifestyle, from its vibrant community to its demanding careers and potential. We offer personalized counselling, using proven methods like CBT and mindfulness, tailored to your needs. Our therapists create a secure, welcoming space, making it easy for you to feel heard and supported while managing stress and anxiety. Plus, we work with insurance providers to make counselling in Kelowna accessible, helping you live a calmer, happier life in the Okanagan.
Start Feeling Better With Counselling In Kelowna
Stress and worry don’t need to dominate your life. With counselling in Kelowna, you can feel calm with a busy life. At Unyielding Health & Wellness, our counsellors give you tools and work with you to promote personal strength and happiness.
Ready to feel better? Contact Unyielding Health & Wellness today.
