Fundamentally Human

Perfectionism is defined as the need to be or appear to be perfect or even to believe that it’s possible to achieve perfection. It’s usually considered or viewed as a positive trait instead of a flaw. Endlessly and tirelessly striving for perfection can be damaging and self-stabotaging. I explore my own journey with perfectionism and how my OCD and anxiety play a role in this. shirvin.ca | @helloshirvin Music: Faithful Mission by Artificial.Music

As we get older, we lose opportunities to connect with others the way we did while we were in school. We no longer get to see the same people daily and consistently. We don't have the chance to really get to know them. Jamie and I talk about how you can build a supportive environment around you and that starts with connecting with your friends. Learn more about what Jamie is up to here: https://enabledyou.io/ shirvin.ca⁠ | ⁠@therapywithshirvin⁠ | ⁠https://bento.me/therapywithshirvin Music: Faithful Mission by ⁠Artificial.Music

Our brain health plays a significant role in our mental health and it's not always obvious from the outside looking in. The brain, or the center of our thoughts, controls our emotions, thoughts, and behaviours. When we consider lifestyle factors like stress, diet, sleep, and our social relationships, all of that combined can impact our mental health as well. Connect with Farah here: https://www.instagram.com/farahneuroscience/ shirvin.ca⁠ | ⁠@therapywithshirvin⁠ | ⁠https://linktr.ee/shirvin⁠ Music: Faithful Mission by ⁠Artificial.Music

Trauma can impact us in ways that might surprise us. Physically, our bodies might have gone through an experience that caused us pain or an injury. Psychologically, we may have been exposed to toxic or harmful behaviour that has impacted us negatively. An approach that many therapists take is the biopsychosocial approach, which refers to how someone’s biological, psychological, and social factors have contributed to who they are as a person. To better understand the biological component, I’ve enlisted the help of Dr. Jenny King, to explain to us how trauma impacts our brain and nervous systems. Check out Dr. Jenny King here: https://drjennyking.com/ https://www.instagram.com/drjennyking/ shirvin.ca⁠ | ⁠@therapywithshirvin⁠ | ⁠https://linktr.ee/shirvin⁠ Music: Faithful Mission by ⁠Artificial.Music

How many times have you said that you're "not motivated" and it's led you to sit back and not get anything done? It's something that we've all experienced throughout our lives and we eventually let it become an excuse. Kamini and I explore why we let motivation be the catalyst for us to get things done and how we can change this mindset to allow for growth instead. Connect with Kamini here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/riseup-live-joy-your-way/id1502109850 https://www.kaminiwood.com/ https://www.instagram.com/itsauthenticme/ shirvin.ca⁠ | ⁠@helloshirvin⁠ | ⁠@therapywithshirvin⁠ | ⁠https://linktr.ee/shirvin⁠ Music: Faithful Mission by ⁠Artificial.Music

I often hear “I don’t have the motivation to do it” or “I know I have to do it but I don’t want to.” This comes up with exercise, food, cleaning, and most of the day-to-day things that we need to do. We generally have an idea of what healthy eating is but the hard part is HOW we can do it.  I’ve enlisted the help of Chanel Huynh, a health elevation coach and holistic nutritionist, to help us fill in some of the blanks on why we have a hard time eating healthy and what we can do about it. Connect with Chanel here: https://www.instagram.com/chanelchuynhhttps://www.instagram.com/chanelchuynh shirvin.ca⁠ | ⁠@helloshirvin⁠ | ⁠@therapywithshirvin⁠ | ⁠https://linktr.ee/shirvin⁠ Music: Faithful Mission by ⁠Artificial.Music

The theme of this episode is GROWTH. As I'm in the last year and a half of my 20s, I think back to the past (almost) decade and see how I've changed as a person. For me, learning from others' experiences is one of the best ways to learn in general. Sure, I can easily Google tips and lists of ways I can improve my quality of life or read self-help books, but it's not the same as going through someone's journey and being able to go through those ups and downs. For today's sit-down chitchat, I'm joined by Cassandre Quan, who just entered her mid-20s and share her experiences going through her 20s during COVID and how she's changed so far, too. Connect with Cassandre here: https://www.instagram.com/wellnesswither shirvin.ca⁠ | ⁠@helloshirvin⁠ | ⁠@therapywithshirvin⁠ | ⁠https://linktr.ee/shirvin⁠ Music: Faithful Mission by ⁠Artificial.Music

Divorce and breakups can be messy, tricky, and painful to navigate, especially when you factor in the negative stigma, shame, and guilt, that accompanies the end of a relationship. I reached out to Cody to chat about his experiences with divorce and how it was his greatest gift. Divorce allowed him to dive deep and reflect on what it means to communicate in a healthy way with his partner. Connect with Cody: https://www.instagram.com/artistredefinedpodcast https://www.instagram.com/codymathiesonpacker shirvin.ca⁠ | ⁠@helloshirvin⁠ | ⁠@therapywithshirvin⁠ | ⁠https://linktr.ee/shirvin⁠ Music: Faithful Mission by ⁠Artificial.Music

Rivalry, or competing for the same objective or superiority in the same field, happens at all ages and in different circumstances. It's also a response to something else we're experiencing. Maybe we're envious of someone's success or we're projecting the weight of the pressure we're feeling from high standards and expectations. In today's episode, Dr. Amber Tichenor and I explore female rivalry behaviours and ways we can empower each other instead. I also realized that I struggle with saying "rivalry" - sea anemone, anyone? Connect with Dr. Amber Tichenor below: https://www.tobecoachingandconsulting.com/ https://www.instagram.com/dr.ambertichenor.phd/ shirvin.ca | @helloshirvin | @therapywithshirvin | https://linktr.ee/shirvin Music: Faithful Mission by Artificial.Music

If you were to ask me about the most common theme that comes up in therapy, the answer is identity. No matter what challenge you’re facing or what you’re working towards, your identity is constantly evolving and changing through each experience. A large part of our identities revolves around gender and sexuality and a big reason is that we can’t necessarily fight against the biology of our bodies - we are each born in a certain way and from there, each of our paths looks wildly different. Carmelle and I dive into how we learned about gender growing up and how that has evolved over the years. Resources to explore gender curiosities: https://qmunity.ca/ https://www.thetrevorproject.org/ shirvin.ca | @helloshirvin | @therapywithshirvin | https://linktr.ee/shirvin Music: Faithful Mission by Artificial.Music

We're changing things up in this episode - instead of talking about a specific mental health topic,  I'm sharing my rollercoaster experience of my first triathlon. It was one of the hardest conditions I've ever done a race in - it was freezing rain, snowing briefly, windy, and low temperatures.  The day didn't end the way I intended but I learned a lot about being gentle with myself and prioritizing my health first.  shirvin.ca | @helloshirvin | @therapywithshirvin | https://linktr.ee/shirvin Music: Faithful Mission by Artificial.Music

“The functional capabilities of the mature brain develop throughout life, but the vast majority of critical structural and functional organization takes place in childhood.” - Dr. Bruce Perry (specialist in childhood trauma, co-author of What Happened to You) So, what can we do about this? Although we're no longer children, it doesn't mean that you can’t reflect on your experiences growing up and shape how you want your present and future to look. In today's episode, Nicolette and I talk about Maslow's hierarchy of needs, go through example clients, touch on attachment theory, and how our childhoods have impacted and influenced us today. Connect with Nicolette at Power of Pause Therapy here: https://www.powerofpausetherapy.com/ shirvin.ca | @helloshirvin | @therapywithshirvin | https://linktr.ee/shirvin Music: Faithful Mission by Artificial.Music

Getting support isn't as simple as contacting a practitioner or friend. Sometimes it can feel like a burden, other times it can feel overwhelming to look up what services you can access. In today's episode, David and I talk about the differences between coaching and therapy and we go through a sample client to help paint the picture better. Find David and Leanness Lifestyle University here: https://lluniversity.com/ shirvin.ca | @helloshirvin | @therapywithshirvin | https://linktr.ee/shirvin Music: Faithful Mission by Artificial.Music

Stigma plays a significant role in creating barriers to talking about and caring for mental health. While I have a number of episodes that talk about how culture can impact how we think about mental health, I’m switching gears to talk about men’s mental health. Today, I'm joined by Chris Campassi, a therapist based in Colorado, to explore the stigma of mental health support and vulnerability for men. Please see below for some statistics about mental health challenges that men face: Mental Health America reports 6 million men are affected by depression in the United States every year whereas 3 million women are affected by depression The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism reports that the annual number of men dying due to alcohol-related causes is 62,00 compared to 26,00 women Research indicates that men have a harder time establishing social connections, which can lead to depressive symptoms and substance misuse Also, apologies for the change in quality as my headset mic was picked up instead of my regular podcast mic! Men's support group (available worldwide): https://www.catalysscounseling.com/mens-support-group Firelight Supervision for clinical supervision: https://firelightsupervision.com/ shirvin.ca | @helloshirvin | @therapywithshirvin | https://linktr.ee/shirvin Music: Faithful Mission by Artificial.Music

Burnout, or the state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion, is typically caused by excessive or prolonged stress. This could look like juggling numerous tasks at work without adequate support, caring for family and friends outside of your threshold and capacity, or having social commitments without allowing yourself to rest and recharge. I'm joined by fellow clinician, Shannon Heers, to explore how you can spot burnout, and the steps you can take to manage it effectively. Find Shannon's clinic in Colorado here: https://www.catalysscounseling.com/ Firelight Supervision for clinical supervision: https://firelightsupervision.com/ shirvin.ca | @helloshirvin | @therapywithshirvin | https://linktr.ee/shirvin Music: Faithful Mission by Artificial.Music

Hi everyone, this episode is going to sound a little different from my usual ones. I wanted to share more about my personal life and the struggles I face as a caregiver both professionally and personally. I thought it was important to be transparent, or at least show, that I go through my own set of challenges and just because I work in mental health, it doesn't mean I don't have moments where I lose my marbles either. In this episode, I talk about some struggles and how my I work through them. shirvin.ca | @helloshirvin | @therapywithshirvin | https://linktr.ee/shirvin Music: Faithful Mission by Artificial.Music

Often, transitions can leave us feeling unsettled and sometimes lost. I notice this beginning to happen with clients in their 20s and this feeling of being lost comes and goes for the rest of our lives. Transitions, no matter how big or small, can change our routines and leave us feeling unsettled. This is normal. Today, I’m joined by Dr. Tara Sanderson, to explore the topic of having a syllabus for our lives and how we can work on managing the anxiety that comes with transitions. Connect with Dr. Tara Sanderson through the links below: www.drtarasanderson.com www.drsandersonandassociates.com www.toomuchnotenoughbook.com https://www.instagram.com/drtarasanderson/ _____ shirvin.ca | @helloshirvin | @therapywithshirvin | https://linktr.ee/shirvin Music: Faithful Mission by Artificial.Music

In this episode, Cordelia Mejin, a counsellor, helps me explore the difference between guilt and regret in the context of grief. In the face of grief, a number of emotions can come up. Being able to identify if you're feeling guilt or regret is essential because we often mistake regret for guilt, which can be much heavier to take on. When we're feeling guilty, we think that we've done something wrong, and how we talk to ourselves changes accordingly.  Whereas, on the other hand, regret is a feeling of sadness or disappointment over an event, and not necessarily that we've done something wrong. We can find ways to carry regret and work on moving forward. Find Cordelia here: https://anchoredhearts.ca/ | https://www.instagram.com/anchored.hearts/ shirvin.ca | @helloshirvin | @therapywithshirvin | https://linktr.ee/shirvin Music: Faithful Mission by Artificial.Music

Everyone is different - this is no doubt about that. Whether it's the way we look, the environment we grew up in, the messages we've been told, and the people we meet along the way, we're all impacted by what we see and hear. In this episode, Daniel explains "Why is Grandma so Weird?" (which is also his newly written book) through a cultural lens and what his journey from China to Switzerland and then to Canada looked like. Check out his Kickstarter here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/danielzhangcad/why-is-grandma-so-weird shirvin.ca | @helloshirvin | @therapywithshirvin | https://linktr.ee/shirvin Music: Faithful Mission by Artificial.Music

A theme that I’ve heard frequently in a number of my sessions with my clients is that they’re feeling like they’re going on autopilot, like they’re watching from the outside in, that they’re bored, and that they don’t know what they’re doing with their lives. When they ask me what they should do when they’re in a rut, the word fulfillment often comes up. In today’s episode, I enlisted the help of Paul Singh to talk about the key to living a meaningful life. shirvin.ca | @helloshirvin | @therapywithshirvin | https://linktr.ee/shirvin Music: Faithful Mission by Artificial.Music