Season 1, Episode 12: One Step Better - Small Actions to Tackle Depression
When we’re feeling depressed even the most basic, daily activities can feel overwhelming, and the thought of feeling better can seem out of reach. But small, manageable actions, while they may seem insignificant, are the key to helping us feel like ourselves again. Whether it's the simple act of getting out of bed in the morning, or having a shower, taking a walk, or reaching out to a friend, tackling depression is all about building on small successes.
On this episode of Living Fully, Katherine Hurtig talks with registered social workers, Anna Hemens and Camille Kim about how small actions can have a big impact on our mental health.
During October 2–8, Calgary Counselling Centre and Counselling Alberta encourage you to check in with your mental health through a short, anonymous, and free online quiz at areyoufeelingok.com. Check in with how you’re feeling and get help if you need it. The quiz takes about three minutes and is available in English, French, Spanish, Punjabi, Chinese, and Ukrainian.
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Katherine Hurtig
Welcome to Living Fully, a Calgary Counselling Centre podcast. Each episode we’ll bring you insights from our expert counsellors and tips and strategies to improve your mental well-being.
I'm your host, Katherine Hurtig.
Calgary Counselling Centre and Counselling Alberta provide effective counselling for anyone in Alberta with no waitlist and no financial barriers. Find us online at calgarycounselling.com or counsellingalberta.com.
When we're feeling depressed, even simple everyday tasks can seem impossible, and the thought of feeling better can seem really out of reach. But simple manageable actions, while they may seem insignificant, are the key to helping us feel like ourselves again. Whether it's getting out of bed in the morning, taking a shower, going for a walk, or just calling a friend, tackling depression is all about building on small successes.
On this episode, I talk with registered social workers, Anna Hemens and Camille Kim about how small actions can have a big impact on our mood and well-being.
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So today we're going to be talking about depression. That’s one of the most common mental health concerns, but it is also one of the most treatable, and we're going to be talking about how small simple steps and actions can really help manage and alleviate depression. So, I'm here with Anna Hemens and Camille Kim from Calgary Counselling Centre. Thanks so much for being with me today.
Anna Hemens
Pleasure!
Camille Kim
Hi!
Katherine Hurtig
Now, Anna, you've been on the podcast a few times, but if you want to just refresh our listeners, give us a little bit of details about yourself and your background, that'd be great.
Anna Hemens
Hi everybody, my name's Anna. I've been a therapist at CCC for about four years. Before this, I lived in England, as you might be able to tell by my accent. In England I worked as a nurse.
Katherine Hurtig
And Camille, how about yourself?
Camille Kim
Hi, I am a social worker and I've been a counsellor for about 5 years now. Before that, I worked as a teacher and raising kids. I’m excited to be here. Thank you for having me.
Katherine Hurtig
Thank you so much! So, you two, how would you define depression? What does it look like? What does it feel like?
Camille Kim
I will start if that's okay. Depression can mean a lot of things to different people, and it can really be a little bit challenging to define I would say. We have some general guidelines, for sure. I just want to start by saying it can show up so differently for different people. It’s such a unique experience. In general, depression can be defined as a period of time in which you're experiencing symptoms that are quite similar – a lot of people with depression or have experienced depression will report having feelings of sadness or feelings of hopelessness, sometimes feeling stuck or powerless. There are also some physical attributes that can come with that, like feeling quite fatigued, having a hard time getting out of bed, sometimes missing work and activities. And then there's also a thoughts component or a psychological component for that. It might have some suicidal thoughts, some very low motivation. Sometimes things that were once really enjoyable is no longer enjoyable. And feeling a lack of hope. So that's a good general idea of what depression can look like, sound like, feel like, but it really gets to a point where it really impedes daily functioning and that's when it's good to get help.
Katherine Hurtig
Anna, what do you think a family member or friend would notice in someone in their life that was dealing with depression?
Anna Hemens
I think they would notice that kind of lack of energy. Somebody that's staying in their room a lot, that's not really talking very much when they do, their voice might be flatter and kind of less tone in their voice and they'll probably just pick up on that sadness that's there. And I I'm thinking about what Camille just said about depression. To me, depression is like a cloud that kind of covers people like this cloud of sadness. And Vincent van Gogh said, “the sadness will last forever.” And that was his kind of diagnosis of depression I imagine that that's how it feels, like this darkness will last forever. And so family members I think you'll see that, you'll see the person has lost their spark. You can feel that sadness, that lack of energy.
Katherine Hurtig
What would be the indicators of someone just experiencing sadness or a few bad days or grief as opposed to depression?
Camille Kim
Everybody experiences sadness. Grief is also a very normal experience for humans. I would say, if the depression symptoms and the sadness was occurring for a longer extended period of time to the point of really feeling like “I'm not myself. I can't seem to get back up to where I was. I'm really struggling just to get through a normal basic day.” We might see self-care decline a little bit. So, I can speak from my own experience. I'll just let you know, my dad passed away about five months ago and that's a normal environmental cause for depression, where there's grief and loss. It doesn't have to be depression. It can just be some down feelings. But in that context for me, I noticed that sometimes self-care declines a little bit, so it gets harder to make myself a good meal or remember to drink water, or go to bed early so I get a good sleep. Just small things like that. I notice in myself, and you might notice in your family member. And I was wondering if anyone else on the panel here can kind of relate to that, or what their experience is?
Katherine Hurtig
For sure. I mean I've dealt with depression on and off, since I was about 19, I'd say. In the beginning, yeah, definitely those little things that you said like the self-care it can be hard to just keep those up and to make sure those are in your routine. I remember I found it really difficult to stay motivated to exercise. I was tired all the time. I just didn't want to move?
Camille Kim
And I'm sure a lot of our listeners can really relate to that, that fatigue and feeling hard to get motivated.
Katherine Hurtig
Yeah, so we've talked about what depression can look and feel like and how it can show up physically. Are there small, manageable ways that people can help deal with those feelings, help deal with those thoughts?
Anna Hemens
And I just want to be clear here about your question, Katherine. So, are you thinking about the thoughts that people have and the work that they can do, steps they can take in that part? Or are we talking about the small, actionable steps people can take in their daily life?
Katherine Hurtig
Either one really. I think that we should touch on both.
Anna Hemens
Cool. Yeah, absolutely. In terms of the thinking part of depression - depression involves a lot of thinking. Depression involves a lot of getting caught up in your head of going round and round and round, certain thoughts, looking for answers and a self-blame that's there too. Self-blame and self-criticism that comes up here too. So, I think that being aware of that and being aware of kind of the thought processes and thinking about… you may notice that you tend to pay more attention to the bad things and negative things and being more aware of what your thinking landscape looks like. And then obviously accessing counselling is a great way to help to challenge and learn about your different thinking style and way to challenge that. But for you right now, I would say that when you catch yourself being caught up in kind of that self-blame, it's really practicing being compassionate and caring to yourself. We hold ourselves to such high standards. And we beat ourselves up over small little things, and I think it's being able to be caring to yourself like you would be to a friend and just being like, “it's OK that I'm tired right now. I can just do this one small thing.” So, I think that's one of the key things about thinking and depression.
Katherine Hurtig
Right. That self-compassion, that can show up in lots of different ways. I know that not every everyone with depression would have the exact same kinds of thoughts so can you think of any other examples where self-compassion could come up and be helpful?
Anna Hemens
Yeah. The big one for me is like self-blame, self-criticism. I think they're the big ones that come up like taking on things that say, thinking “something's happened. It's my fault. It's all down to me. I can't do this.” And being able to put that kind of, “it's OK. You're blaming yourself here for something that was not totally your responsibility.” Kind of having that caring voice to counteract the self-blame. That's the big one that pops up for me. Does that fit for you too, Camille?
Camille Kim
I'm so glad that you mentioned that, Anna, because I think that's something I do see with both myself and a lot of other people who are struggling with depression symptoms is that they can really blame themselves like you mentioned. And it kind of makes the whole situation worse. So, we haven't really talked about yet what are the causes for depression, and there's many of them. They can be biological, psychological, social, and environmental. But we think about, you know, there might be an event, environmental cause that causes conditions for depression to happen. Like in my case, my family member passing, but it can be how we respond or react to that that plays a part and kind of increasing or decreasing the depression symptoms. So for example, like Anna mentioned, when something goes wrong, or we're not doing as well, or we miss work, or having a hard time getting out the door, because of what we're experiencing, instead of blaming ourselves and feeling down about that, which can make things worse, really giving ourselves like that healthy and helpful serving of self-compassion like Anna mentioned can be so much better. Sometimes saying to ourselves, “I can do this. You got this. It's going It's going to be OK. We're going to get through this and it's not going to always be like this. Things can change and they will change.” And sometimes just hearing those words can be enough of a comfort to kind of get me out the door or get someone else out the door to get a little sun and some fresh air and a little nature time, which all of those things can be really beneficial.
Katherine Hurtig
So, overtime, if we pause when we're thinking negatively and give ourselves these messages of motivation and self-compassion, overtime does that help to change our thinking?
Anna Hemens
Yeah. So, in terms of the biology behind this, our brains have neuroplasticity. So that means that we can actually change the structure of our brain. And so doing this, changing our thoughts is one way that we can help to restructure our brain. It's like we're building these new pathways, these different ways of thinking.
Katherine Hurtig
I've found that idea so helpful in my own experience with depression and anxiety. Knowing that I can actually change my brain. I find that so hopeful, because I think when you're in depression, like you mentioned Camille, it can feel really hopeless. But that idea that with a bit of work, with a bit of consistency, you can actually change the pathways in your brain. I don't know, I find that fascinating and just really hopeful that these thoughts and feelings are not permanent.
Camille Kim
I think that's really key, Katherine, is that change can happen. It can feel like we're stuck, but in fact, we're not. Things do change. In fact, change is inevitable. It's impossible to keep things the same. And like you said, that hope that we can change even our thought patterns a bit is empowering. It means we have some choice. I think about attitude a little bit, like an “I can't” attitude, only because I'm noticing this in myself lately. When a task or a plan or something comes up, I'll just immediately shut it down. Like “oh, I can't do that.” My husband's been pointing it out to me, and I had no idea that I was doing it.
It's kind of a habit. I looked at it and I realized it’s sort of a coping tool, feeling overwhelmed and just shutting something down. But just recognizing that repeating “I can't” puts me in a certain mindset that actually limits my own abilities and growth. And I think sometimes we all do that to a degree and wondering and looking what it's like to switch to “I can” or “maybe I can, maybe I'll try.”
Katherine Hurtig
Yeah, just being very realistic with it like “maybe I can.” Even that is not as finite. It's not as concrete as like “no, I can't.”
Camille Kim
Exactly. “I can't” just shuts it all down. And we put our own limits on ourselves. So, I think that's a good point, Katherine, that just having that, “maybe I can,” opens up possibilities for something new, something different.
Katherine Hurtig
You had mentioned, Camille, about getting the motivation or the energy to just get outdoors, get in nature, get some sunshine. So, can we talk a bit about those physical actions, those small steps, and how they may build up to improving someone’s depression?
Camille Kim
Sounds good. Anna, do you want to start? I have some stuff I can add after.
Anna Hemens
Yeah, yeah, sure. And I think this is just such an important area. And Katherine, as you were talking previously about like knowing that we can change our brains, that idea of change, hope, from feeling really hopeless and stuck to being able to see that things can change. And I think when you can find some small little actions that you can do, that's kind of the same thing. It's like hope that you're not feeling so stuck. There are small little things that you can achieve that make you have this sense of kind of accomplishment. And you feel good. We actually receive and experience positive emotions. And shifting our focus away as well from feeling stuck to feeling like “I can,” shifting our focus. I think what's really important is that we don't try and set ourselves like really big targets or big goals like you said, small steps. That's the key, because if we set ourselves something really big, then we feel kind of overwhelmed or “no, no, I can't. I can't. I can't.” But if we can set something really small. So instead of reading a book, read one page. Set yourself that target. Or call one friend, setting something really, really small that you can achieve.
Katherine Hurtig
I need to take a huge hike, or I need to run 10 kilometers or… “no, I'm just going to take a walk down to the end of the block.”
Anna Hemens
That's it. Just something small, and we get the chemicals in our brain that actually make that feel good, right? And give us that sense of accomplishment. I think also, if you find that you can't keep up with doing those little small steps and that self-blame that we've talked about comes in, then it's practicing that self-compassion of being like “it's OK. I'm taking the steps to get better. I'm doing something here. It's OK that I didn't manage to do that one today. Tomorrow's a whole new day.”
Katherine Hurtig
Right. So, these small steps, you know, getting out of bed in the morning, taking a shower, taking care of ourselves, going for a walk – would those build a sense of accomplishment? How do those small steps work towards feeling better and feeling less depressed?
Camille Kim
Such a great question. Well, I would say that when we feel depressed, especially for longer periods and it's impeding daily functioning, we tend to get behind in our lives. We get behind at our self-care, but also in our work and in our responsibilities. So, it can be really overwhelming to face that to-do list. And that's why focusing on small achievements allows us to not get too overwhelmed. So, if we look at it like a mountain and we're hiking up to the mountain, it can just be so overwhelming to stand at the bottom and look to the top and think, “How am I going to get there? It's too far. It's too hard. It's too much. I just give up. It’s so overwhelming.” But, if I can just think of taking 30 seconds of steps into that hiking trail and get started and I'm on the path, maybe I just am imagining going you know a little bit up the mountain and that's all I can do today. It is just more achievable when we can look at it that way. And so that's why, as you said Katherine, you know, maybe we might think about getting back to our exercise goals. As if we just break it into small steps and that the goal is really just to start. Like you said, getting out the door I'm going to walk to the end of the driveway and back. Maybe it's just opening my window and getting a little bit of light in my eyes and breathing in the fresh air. And that might be a start, but really breaking it into small pieces towards something else so that It's achievable and attainable in small steps.
Katherine Hurtig
And what I'm hearing is we really have to kind of reframe our mindset around progress because I think you know a lot of times it's like, “well, you know, unless I complete this big goal, I haven't achieved something,” but really reframing our idea. Like the fact that I'm feeling depressed and got out of bed this morning or that I went for a walk down the block, and just changing our mindset and accepting that those are accomplishments.
Anna Hemens
There's a phrase that I really like of like ‘for now,’ right? So, for now, this is, this is what I this is what I'm doing. And throughout the moment cause we’re different at different times in our life. And if I'm in the middle of depression and we set these really like high hard goals that maybe we did do 10 years ago or five years ago, but right now for now, walking to the end of the road I'll be happy with that.
Camille Kim
Katherine, you asked, like, how did these small things help? And that's such a good question. It would depend on what the small thing is. But we know that movement, exercise, getting outside, however you want to phrase it, is really one of the number one tools for dealing with depression symptoms, and it's one of the things that helps the most.
Katherine Hurtig
Is it? Why is that?
Camille Kim
I think because it accomplishes so many things in one experience. We get fresh air, we get sun, all things that humans need. We get our body moving. But it's the way it accomplishes so much and just in moving our body, it brings circulation to different parts of our body. We know that moving and breathing improves our functioning, and our digestion, with stress, our hormone system. All of the functioning of our body are regulated by our breath, and just by moving, or sort of waking all of our systems up to move towards a healthier way of being. So, maybe that's why movement and being outside just seems to accomplish so many things at one time.
Katherine Hurtig
And it doesn't have to be strenuous exercise, right? You don't have to really get that heart rate up to see benefits?
Anna Hemens
Yeah, you're absolutely right, Katherine is it doesn't. And there was actually like a 10-year research study that said that you just need like one hour over the whole week to prevent depression. That's like 10 minutes a day. Right, or less than 10 minutes a day helps to prevent depression of just moving our body.
Katherine Hurtig
That sounds manageable, yeah.
Anna Hemens
Yeah, yeah, for sure. You know, we all have these busy lives, and setting ourselves these really big targets. But instead, just moving our body for 10 minutes, going and stepping outside and getting that sunlight and getting all of those kind of wonderful changes that happen in our body and in our brain.
Camille Kim
Another really, really awesome thing that you can add is that sometimes just putting on like a lively piece of music that you like, or a song that you like to sing, and just moving your body to the music and singing. It's like a great way you know, because through the winter sometimes it’s hard to get outside or it’s at night, and just putting on a piece of music and kind of getting silly with it is a great way to move indoors.
Katherine Hurtig
I think you make a really good point because like, I mean, we talk a lot, obviously that exercise is good for us in so many ways, including our mental health, but I think people have, you know, get this idea that it has to be a certain way. Like, “oh if I'm exercising, it's you know, got to be intense cardio, or got to workout at a gym.” But that you really have to find movement that you enjoy, that resonates with you, that you can do sustainably, or else it's not, the consistency won't be there and you're not going to have fun with it.
Camille Kim
Mm-hmm. Find something that you enjoy, doesn't feel too much like a chore. And I think that's why it helps, is that it brings joy when you experience it.
Katherine Hurtig
Right. Over the past couple of years, I've really gotten into running and that has been absolutely huge for my mental health. Like it's honestly like just kind of the metaphors around it have really, like taught me so much about myself and about like being able to do hard things and not comparing myself to other people. So yeah, I think people you know just need to find the movement that makes them happy. It could be anything. It could be like, like you said, Camille, dancing in your house. It could be swimming. It could be you know, rock climbing, whatever. The concept of self-care has come up quite a bit. Can we kind of break that down a little? Because I think it's talked about a lot, but I think that can be not confusing, but just like what does that mean? Can we define that a little bit more?
Camille Kim
Yeah, I'm glad you brought that up because it does sound a bit vague at times. I was thinking about this, I think the goal, the small step goal, is really to build a self-care routine that supports us feeling better, but also doing better. If we think about the fact that there are biological factors, part of depression means that we're talking about our body and how our body functions and if we think about basic human needs- us needing nutrition, us needing water, us needing sleep, and us needing a social support, or some kind of social environment, and these are like basic human needs that we all need. And so, when I talk about self-care, I'm talking about looking at those areas and deciding, you know, where could I improve a bit, or where could you improve a bit in these areas? And often when we talk, we realize “oh, I’m not getting enough sleep or I'm not eating well, or I'm eating way too much sugar, or I'm having alcohol,” or whatever these factors are. They can disrupt just our biology in the way that we're trying to get those basic needs. So, I think that's a factor is sometimes it's nutrition, it's lifestyle, it's movement. Would you add anything there, Anna? Like the social part.
Anna Hemens
I think self-care does sound complex, like you're right. And I think maybe we each have a slightly different definition of self-care and I think it's about doing things.
Katherine Hurtig
Right, but which makes sense because everyone’s different and basic needs are definitely aren’t the same for everyone, but you know that's going to differ a bit per person.
Anna Hemens.
Yeah. And I think my thought about self-care, is it's about taking care of yourself, whatever that looks like and whatever that means, it's doing something for you and for your benefit. And I think about you're right Camille, there’s really key point about what we're eating, are we moving our body, and, sleep. Sleep is such a big one. Like, we know that sleep disturbances and depression go together, and how if I haven't slept well, how much harder things in the day seem. And so, if we're living with depression and sleep is affected too, how that's really adding to how we're feeling. And so, I think that's like a that's a part of my self-care. It's definitely about my sleep. Like make sure I have a routine, and I don't drink coffee after lunchtime, and I don't eat a large meal after like 6:00 PM. And it's like and at night too really making sure that we optimize these parts of you know self-care.
Katherine Hurtig
So, you brought up social connection. How is that important for someone who's dealing with depression?
Anna Hemens
I'm going to jump on this one, Katherine, because this is just something that I feel so passionate about. And so, depression makes us go inward as we talked about, and we and we isolate from people too. And that's quite a natural part of depression. But even if we're introverts, human beings are biologically social creatures. So, when you think back to the beginning days of humans, you know, we were in groups because if you were on your own, it wasn't safe for you, right? And you would take care of each other as a community and as a group. So biologically, we're kind of built to have that kind of connection and being in kind of a group. And so, I think social connection is one of the most important parts for me of self-care, for all of us and particularly with depression too. And how that looks I think is many, many different ways of accessing social support, be it like friends, family members, support groups, interest groups, religious community, messaging platforms. Like finding these ways that we can connect with other people because then we don't feel alone, right? There's somebody else that we have with us.
Katherine Hurtig
And so, so that as well, like the social connection, we can kind of take that into the, you know, small step arena. And cause like you said, when you're feeling depressed, you want to isolate yourself. So, it might be really difficult to motivate yourself to give that friend a call. So maybe just making those small goals for yourself like “tomorrow I'm going to text one friend, or I'm going to reach out to my mom, or something like that.”
Camille Kim
I just wanted to add that most people could relate to depression symptoms. And that sometimes when you're experiencing it, we sort of it feels much bigger and bigger and bigger, and it somehow feels shameful, or there's something wrong with me, that type of thing. And it's harder to reach out and just tell a family member “I'm not doing well.” It's OK to do that. It's OK to call a friend and say, “you know, I'm just struggling. I'm just feeling stressed or I'm feeling lonely, I’m feeling sad.” You'd be surprised sometimes how powerful it is just to say that. And that hopefully people have a good family member, or a good friend that they can say that to. And it's like releasing that burden from you, from carrying it all ourselves, and asking for just someone to listen, and that can be really powerful, just sharing that with people. Also, because it gives them permission to do the same when they experience it, they can come to you and say the same thing, taking away the stigma and shame, and just realizing that we're human. This is part of what people go through. It's OK to share.
Katherine Hurtig
Yeah, just kind of removing a bit of that isolation, like knowing that you're not alone in what you're feeling.
Camille Kim
Mm-hmm. Yeah, exactly.
Katherine Hurtig
So, Anna and Camille, what advice would you give to someone who wants to support a friend or a loved one dealing with depression, and encourage them to take small steps towards doing better?
Anna Hemens
First of all, I think it must be really hard to see. Like we're naturally like social kind of caring beings. And so having somebody in our life who is living with depression, that's really tough. And so, I would say my advice and then I'll ask Camille to add in hers too. It’s like learning about what depression is. Well, here we are, on this podcast, so maybe you've got a little bit more information coming your way now. Really listening to the to the person, and I say that because I think when we care, we try to jump in and fix, right. We try to jump in and like and give solutions for that person.
Katherine Hurtig
Yeah, solve the problem.
Anna Hemens
We do, and for good reason. But I think one of the most powerful things that we can do is just listen. And if you can relate, relate. But just listen and let that person know they're not alone, and be caring with that person, and help them to find support as well. And sometimes I think helping with some of the small tasks as well, that feel like overwhelming. You know like if somebody has all these different things to do, maybe going with them to go to the pharmacy, or going with them to go and get their haircut, or kind of helping to alleviate some of the stress that people feel and taking care of yourself a bit. I should pass on. Yeah. Camille, what are your thoughts?
Camille Kim
Yeah, I think those are really what I really liked about what you shared there Anna, is that you didn't have a bunch of advice for them or a bunch of suggestions. You really focused on like listening to the person and being there for them. I think it also helps sometimes to ask, “how can I help?” And have the other person let you know what they need from you. I know sometimes just saying, “hey, I'm available for, like, a short walk at night. And I could drive over to your place anytime, just let me know.” That type of thing, making yourself available to them as they need, is sometimes a really lovely gift of time, gift of presence, gift of friendship. Sometimes too, asking people if they've seen their doctor, if maybe counseling would help. Those are two things that are really helpful, especially getting checked out about all the different factors, and that can help the person get on track as well, If they're ready for that.
Katherine Hurtig
You guys brought up two really interesting points that I think we don't think about enough when it comes to supporting someone. And I really like that idea of helping people out if they're feeling overwhelmed and just going with them, whether it was like you said, to the pharmacy, or the grocery store, or whatever. And just that might not be the first thing you think of, is something helpful. But you're right, even those little chores, and just having someone along can feel really supportive. And Camille, I love your idea of suggesting a doctor or counselling. I mean, those things can be hard, it can be hard to say to someone, and it can be difficult to hear. But I think that really shows that you care about someone, you care about their well-being. And that you think that you can't provide an answer for them, but this external resource might be something that'd be helpful.
Camille Kim
And I just wanted to add that it's really important not to minimize what they're going through. So sometimes people, I find myself even want to say things like, “well, it's not that bad. It could be worse; you've got such a great life.” And I think it just really negates what the person's experiencing. Because of course, all those things could be true, but it doesn't help the person that's experiencing real emotions. So, to kind of put that stuff aside and just listen and support them and believe them.
Anna Hemens
Thank you for saying that, Camille. I think that's really important, and something else as you were talking that came up for me is sometimes it's really hard when we're living with depression to reach out to anybody. And so, if you spot some other symptoms in somebody in your life, you reaching out to them, not in a big way, but just even leaving messages. Just being, like, “hey, thought about you today,” you know, or something like that. Just letting them know there's somebody in their life- when they feel like they can reach out, they know you're there.
Katherine Hurtig
Well, thank you so much guys. This has been an excellent conversation, and I think just a really important one to really normalize depression and let people know that it doesn't have to be this huge mountain to climb, that you can take, you know, these small steps to feel better.
Camille Kim
Thanks so much, Katherine.
Katherine Hurtig
We all feel down or not ourselves from time to time, and the longer these feelings last, the harder it may seem to overcome them. But feeling better is within everyone's reach. Anyone can learn the skills to overcome these feelings, and taking even one simple step can help move us in the direction of feeling better. From October 2nd to 8th, check in with how you're feeling at areyoufeelingokay.com. It's a free, confidential quiz that's the first step towards feeling better and finding support if you need it.
Brought to you by Calgary Counselling Centre and Counselling Alberta. You've been listening to Living Fully, a Calgary Counselling Centre podcast. Thank you for tuning in. This episode was produced by Luiza Campos, and by me, Katherine Hurtig. A special thanks to Anna Hemmings and Camille Kim. To stay up to date on our latest episodes, be sure to subscribe. We're available in your favorite podcast app.
Living Fully is a production of Calgary Counselling Centre and recorded in Calgary on Treaty 7 territory. Living Fully podcast is not a substitute or alternative for professional care or treatment. If you're in Alberta and need help, please go to calgarycounselling.com or counsellingalberta.com. For help across Canada and the United States, call 211. If you are outside of Canada and the U.S., seek help from your general medical practitioner. Description text goes here