Ambiguous Grief: Mourning What Isn’t Fully Gone
Maggie Brennan Maggie Brennan

Ambiguous Grief: Mourning What Isn’t Fully Gone

Ambiguous grief is a complex form of loss that lacks clear closure or resolution, often leaving people feeling stuck in the in-between. Making space to understand these experiences can be an important step toward finding meaning and emotional steadiness.

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Managing Body Image Distress
Maggie Brennan Maggie Brennan

Managing Body Image Distress

Body image distress affects how people perceive and feel about their bodies, often leading to anxiety, shame, or disconnection. This guide explores where body image concerns come from and offers practical, evidence-based strategies to cultivate self-compassion and a healthier relationship with your body.

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Why Eating Less to Lose Weight Can Backfire
Maggie Brennan Maggie Brennan

Why Eating Less to Lose Weight Can Backfire

Many people are told that eating less is the key to weight loss, but the body responds to under-eating with powerful adaptations that can slow metabolism, intensify hunger, and make eating feel difficult to regulate. This article explores the science behind these responses and explains why restrictive dieting is often unsustainable, offering a compassionate perspective on understanding and working with your body.

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Mindful Self-Investigation: Connect with Your Emotions Without Feeling Overwhelmed
Maggie Brennan Maggie Brennan

Mindful Self-Investigation: Connect with Your Emotions Without Feeling Overwhelmed

Mindful self-investigation is a practice that helps you explore emotions with curiosity and clarity, allowing feelings to be fully experienced without becoming overwhelming. By observing sensations, thoughts, and the awareness behind them, you can create space for emotions, build resilience, and respond with greater balance and insight.

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Polyvagal Theory and Trauma: Understanding What’s Happening in Your Nervous System
Maggie Brennan Maggie Brennan

Polyvagal Theory and Trauma: Understanding What’s Happening in Your Nervous System

Trauma can leave your nervous system feeling stuck in anxiety, shutdown, or disconnection — even when you know you’re safe. This blog explores Polyvagal Theory and how understanding your body’s stress responses can reduce shame, build regulation, and support healing at Being and Becoming Counselling and Wellness Services in Burnaby, BC.

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How Diet Culture Fuels Disordered Eating and Eating Disorders
Maggie Brennan Maggie Brennan

How Diet Culture Fuels Disordered Eating and Eating Disorders

Diet culture teaches us to equate worth with weight, glorify restriction, and moralize food, creating fertile ground for disordered eating and eating disorders. This post explores how these cultural messages shape thoughts, behaviours, and body trust — and how a non-diet, HAES® approach can support healing and self-compassion.

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Why Eating Disorder Recovery Can Feel So Scary (Even When You Want It)
Maggie Brennan Maggie Brennan

Why Eating Disorder Recovery Can Feel So Scary (Even When You Want It)

Eating disorder recovery can feel overwhelming and scary, even when you deeply want to heal. This blog explores why fear is a normal part of the process and how specialized support, like the counselling services at Being and Becoming Counselling and Wellness Services in Burnaby, BC, can help you take recovery one step at a time.

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