Boreal Therapy Collective offers eight guidelines to consider when assessing boundaries in your friendships. Signs of poor friendship boundaries include always saying yes, not communicating your needs clearly, often feeling hurt, gossiping about your friends (or friends gossiping about you), feeling unsupported, dreading spending time with friends, feeling as though friends “just want something from you”, and frequently being passive-aggressive or aggressive with your friends.

Boreal Therapy Collective explains how teens can challenge social anxiety. We suggest recognizing and challenging negative thoughts, setting small and realistic goals, gently exposing yourself to feared situations, accepting that some discomfort may be inevitable, avoiding avoidance, and knowing when to seek professional support.

Boreal Therapy Collective explains the reasons behind self-harm behaviour. Reasons include tension release, seeking control, self-punishment, compulsive behaviour, peer pressure, using physical pain to cope with emotional pain, a way to cope with mental health challenges, and low self-esteem. We recommend reaching out to a therapist for support to navigate self-harm behaviour as soon as possible.

Boreal Therapy Collective explains how to understand and release anger. Strategies include accepting your feelings, practice pausing, take a few deep breaths, get physically active, consider creative expression, be patient with yourself, and seek therapy when needed.

Boreal Therapy Collective explains how to challenge negative automatic thoughts. Strategies include recognizing your cognitive distortions, practicing cognitive restructuring and cognitive reframing, allowing yourself to imagine worst case scenarios, pretending that you’re talking to a friend, remembering that thoughts do not dictate actions, and reaching out for therapy if you need support.