Author Archives: Amanda Bowers

The challenge of being seen is that in order to be seen, we need to show our true, messy selves. The self that we aren’t sure others would find acceptable, the one we tell ourselves others might reject or dismiss would need to be shown. Showing up in an authentic, imperfect way is a practiceContinue reading “The Antidote for Perfectionism”

Grief is often associated with losing a loved one, and yet grief shows up in our lives often when no one has died. It shows us what is important, how much we have loved, and how much we have yearned to be seen, known, heard, supported, cared for, or noticed by those that are importantContinue reading “We Cannot Heal By Ourselves”

I was 20 the first time I remember meeting someone who was unequivocally and unapologetically themselves. There was something about their presence that was so vibrant, and so unedited that was deeply refreshing. He was my professor in Social Psychology in second year Uni. I remember thinking, I want to be like that -someone thatContinue reading “To Become More of Myself”

When I started reading about psychology, I was ravenous to “figure everything out”. I could not get enough of learning about our patterns, how to deal with emotions, and to find out how normal I was. I read voraciously for years, believing that if only I had a sense of mastery over my struggles andContinue reading “The Quick Fix for Mental Health”

I have been meaning to write a blog post for months now. I have opened up my blog multiple times, waiting for inspiration to strike me while sitting in front of the computer staring at a blank screen. This is the first arrow. An event has happened. My mind feels blank upon initial inspection, thoughContinue reading “The Second Arrow: The Cause of our Suffering”

It is hard to slow down in a fast paced world, where the expectations for us to perform and always be “on” are high. Sometimes, this cleverly gets integrated into how we manage our anxiety – we keep busy, keep hustling, keep proving, striving, keep trying to figure things out. I remember it dawning onContinue reading “For the Anxious: How to Slow Down”

I have been thinking for a while about what would be the most helpful to write at this time for you. I decided I’m going to write you a list of reassurance from the heart. These are some of the things I have been thinking about lately, I hope something here lands for you. I’dContinue reading “Some Words of Reassurance”

Step away from the News and Social Media While its important to be informed about world events, we have had more than our share in these past few months alone. Over-immersing yourself with the news is not helpful as it can be immobilizing where you are unable to take action in any regard. It isContinue reading “Feeling Overwhelmed? Here’s 5 Tips to Work Through It”

Look for one you like as a person, rather than a style of therapy Study after study shows that the therapeutic relationship is more important than the style or therapeutic modalities used. That is the greatest predictor of change in therapy. While there are effective and wonderful types of therapy out there, if you andContinue reading “What To Look For in Finding A Therapist”

For anyone that knows me, they know that I usually have at least 5 books on the go at any one point. I pick up different books depending on what I’m feeling that day. While it means I have a lot of unfinished books, I also have many that I have read cover to cover,Continue reading “My Top 10 Inspiring and Insightful Books”