Your relationship with yourself sets the tone for all other relationships in your life. If you’re struggling to love and accept yourself, you’re not alone. Fortunately, with some intentional action, you can improve your relationship with yourself. Here are some tips for self-love. Live Aligned With Your Values If you want good self-esteem, do esteemable things. It’s simple but it’s true. W…Read More
As a parent, you want your child to be healthy. That’s why you take them to regular checkups with their doctor, feed them a balanced diet, and get them to bed on time. However, a lot more goes into maintaining their health beyond just meeting their basic needs. To raise emotionally healthy children requires intentionally approaching your child with a desire to help them grow into independent adu…Read More
In life, everyone faces struggles. Whether it’s work-related stress, grief from the loss of a loved one, or difficulty with relationships, it’s normal to experience periods of stress, anxiety, and low mood. However, there are times we can get through with the help of friends and family, and times when professional help is needed. Many people are under the impression that you should only get th…Read More
How we see it is how it will be.” (Anonymous) We most often suffer more from what we FEAR than what actually HAPPENS, so it’s important for you to learn how to evaluate what you are thinking. Often times situations look less fearful when we face them head on vs. distracting ourselves with things like TV, alcohol, food, work or computers. Spend some time in your journal with your anxious though…Read More
“The depression symptoms are just so bad again,” my patient (fictional) sighed as she settled in on my couch after a six month absence. “I’m having the guilt feelings, sadness, no energy, trouble sleeping, and I’m gaining weight because of stress eating. I know you scheduled me to come in once a month for a while after we finished the Plan of Care, but I thought I was cured and didn’t …Read More
You Won’t Change, So I Must Be Doing Something Wrong: A Quick Look at Codependency Codependency is excessive emotional or psychological reliance on a partner, typically a partner who requires support due to an illness or addiction. Being in relationship with an alcoholic, addict, or otherwise out of control person often causes behavior traits to emerge that cause great misery for the “helper.…Read More
Always begin with a visit to your doctor or health care provider to ensure that there is not an underlying medical cause to your symptoms. Don’t self-diagnose. Panic attack symptoms include: Shortness of breath Tightness in the chest Rapid heartbeat Inability to relax* *(NOTE): since these can be symptoms of other medical emergencies, DON’T self-diagnose. Seek emergency medical care if this is…Read More
“Why is getting along with my mother so hard?” said my client, sighing deeply as she wiped away tears in session. “I feel anxious all of the time, I’m depressed, and I can’t even hear her sigh of disapproval on the phone without wanting to run and hide. What am I doing wrong?” The tendency to feel like everything is your fault, and that YOU are in fact the one “doing something wrong…Read More
“I just can’t do ANYTHING right,” my client sighed as she settled further into the couch. ‘I should just accept that I am fat, depressed and a failure at relationships. Nothing will help me.” And as long as she chooses to continue talking to, and about, herself that way, she WILL be overweight, depressed and alone, and most importantly, unable to change, regardless of her therapist’s s…Read More
1. Protect the children. Children have a deep psychological need to think well of BOTH parents. Avoid letting them hear you put down or say bad things about the other parent, regardless of how justified you feel in saying these things. 2. Depend on the experts. Well- meaning friends and family will give you legal and psychological advice; that’s not a good source. Thank them for their concern an…Read More