Loving Yourself Like Your Pet Loves You
Have you ever met someone that melts your heart immediately and leaves you feeling relaxed just in their presence? What if that someone was you?
Okay, I sense an eyeroll moment. Or perhaps, I’m projecting because when I first considered this as a possibility, I may have scoffed and rolled my eyes too.
Managing Your Mental Health During COVID-19
Because I'm a therapist and a curious person, I'm continually asking the people I speak with how they're feeling during this time. Resentment, loneliness, anxiety, depression, fear, and overwhelm are just a few of the feelings that I've come across in my conversations with others. I've also realized, albeit necessary, that there’s a lot of talk about physical health, like washing hands and wearing a mask. At the same time, there's hardly any information about mental health. To support you and your mental health, I've compiled a list of ways to assist you in remaining active and responding to your mental health needs.
Get Out of Your Way
The unfortunate truth is that it's me getting in my own way. And I can also move my speed bump of a body out of the way.
Self-care spikes my anxiety (sometimes)
Somewhere, I learned the message that I don’t deserve to have this time for myself. And I know all of the benefits of practicing self-care! My time is to be spent making sure the needs of others are met and fulfilling unrealistic expectations I have for myself.
Uncovering Anxiety's Inherent Strengths
I think we can all agree on that statement. Anxiety's unhelpful symptoms are present, relentless, and in our faces. It can feel all-encompassing. The strengths that anxiety lends itself to are often overlooked because we're so focused on moving away from what feels uncomfortable.
Perfecting the Holidays
It gets easier to give up because why even try if you don't think you can measure up? There's some fantasy we all have that our families will somehow morph into a Hallmark movie, where there's a kumbaya moment that forever changes our interactions.
3 Ways to Navigate the Holidays if You’re an Introvert
Being an introvert at this time of year can be tricky, especially with the expectations, events, shopping, and family gatherings. First, let me dispel some myths about introversion—many introverts like people and socializing. Really...we do. The difference is that we get overwhelmed or exhausted if we have to be “on” for a long time. If you’re also a compassionate person, go ahead and multiply that by at least two.
Creative Ways to Increase Self-confidence
There are inherent dangers once we tread outside the norm. We could embarrass ourselves, we could fall flat on our faces, or we could do amazing things and, at the same time, experience the feeling we’re a fraud. The longer we pay attention to these unhelpful thoughts, the more likely they are to become our beliefs. Eventually, it’ll become our truth, and we won’t even question their existence. These unhelpful beliefs will become the distorted lens through which we view life. And they’re far from rose-colored.
Diving Off The High Dive
You don't realize how high up you really are until your toes are gripping the edge of the board. As you're staring at the tops of the trees, the pool seems so far away. This seemingly simple measure of fun and excitement now takes on a feeling of fear with your heart in your throat. The reality, it only takes one small step to hurl yourself into the deep end. And yet, you're frozen. Too frightened to move forward and equally afraid to admit defeat. What do you do?
3 Common Myths About Meditation Debunked
Meditation. It's a popular buzz word that often gets tossed around a lot. And although it may seem a bit mainstream, there remain a lot of questions and myths around meditation. Like what is it exactly, and am I doing it wrong? I was too afraid to ask the same questions when I first began meditating years ago. So, let’s clear up three common myths about meditation.
Letting Go - Like Autumn Leaves
Letting go isn’t only restricted to leaves in the Fall. From time to time, we notice that we’re holding onto beliefs, ideas, and thoughts that no longer serve us. When is it time to let go? How do you even go about letting go? Don’t worry; I’ve got you covered.
Simple ways to include self-care in your daily routine
I mean, think about it: when we’re stressed, almost everything can seem complicated and like a chore. By reducing that weight by just an ounce, we’re setting ourselves up for more favorable returns. But what is self-care? I loosely describe it as an intentional way to meet our mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical needs. That sounds good, right?