October - 2020

Oct 29, 2020
4 min

The 5 Stages of Grief and Chronic Pain

Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, came up with the 5 stages of grief model after years of working with terminally ill patients. I have found this model particularly helpful for understanding the journey we have been on with Greta’s chronic condition. It has kind of outlined our journey. We have not necessarily experienced these in any clean and organized order. The first 4 have been cyclical for us and the last one has slowly become the lasting one. These are the 5 stages… Denial

Oct 22, 2020
2 min

The Fine Balance of Pacing

Since I talked about goal setting last week, this week I will talk about pacing. Pacing is a strategy used to keep yourself from doing too much on some days and too little on others. It keeps things balanced to prevent pain flare-ups. If we are not pacing ourselves then it is hard to get off the roller coaster of feeling better and doing more and then crashing and not being able to do anything. We yearn for our kids to be playing and having fun and forgetting about their chro

Answering the Question, "How are you Doing?"

Oct 15, 2020
2 min

Answering the Question, "How are you Doing?"

When I get asked "How are you doing?" I have to think twice to know how I am actually doing. Apart from my daughter, Greta. It is difficult to know how we are doing when we are so used to being a caregiver. When for so long your child’s wellbeing = your wellbeing. Even now as my Greta is becoming much more functional and independent I still notice I often have her in the back of my mind when I answer the question “How are you doing?” There was a time when I felt guilty for en

How do you Manage Your Stress with Chronic Pain?

Oct 8, 2020
2 min

How do you Manage Your Stress with Chronic Pain?

I struggle with this one. Even today I feel stressed out. Family, work, COVID, household chores, lots of other worries…. I almost need to make processing stress my top priority lately, otherwise it takes over again. I am trying to schedule mini mind-body breaks into my day (like 2-5 min here and there) to stretch, breathe deeply, get out of my head and notice my surroundings, and drop from my head down into my body. A mini break is doable. A long one seems overwhelmin

About the Author

Hi, my name is Carla and I'm a Licensed Psychotherapist, Pain Coach, Life Coach and Teacher. If you are looking for support for parenting, chronic pain, anxiety, relationships, or stress management, click the booking link above for a free 20 min intro call. I work with children, parents, and individuals worldwide, providing support, encouragement and guidance, while creating a warm and non-judgmental environment in which we can explore and resolve the challenges you are facing.
One of the most important things you can do is ask for help when you need it. Help is one click away.

Carla Friesen
Counselling

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