Ottawa's federal public servants are facing unprecedented workplace stress — from workforce adjustment notices and early retirement packages to the return-to-office mandate. The toll on mental health, relationships, and sense of identity is real. In this post, we explore what layoff survivor syndrome looks like, why this stress runs so deep, and how therapy can help you navigate this difficult chapter.

Depression pulls people inward — away from the connections that could help most. But the neuroscience is clear: routine, low-pressure social check-ins can reactivate the brain's capacity for connection and support recovery in ways isolation never will. This post explores what a good check-in looks like, what to say (and what to avoid), and how therapy fits into the bigger picture.

You smile through the meeting while your heart races. You say "I'm fine" while your chest tightens. Masking anxiety has become second nature for millions of people—but hiding your internal struggle comes at a cost most of us never stop to measure. From physical symptoms your body refuses to suppress, to relationships that can never quite reach you, the toll of appearing "fine" runs deeper than you might realize. If you're exhausted from living two lives, there's another way forward.