The colder, darker months of the year have arrived. During these months of the year, you may find yourself staying indoors more often to avoid the cold, having lower motivation to workout, and the warmer sweeter foods may take over the front row of your pantry. However, it's important to remember the positive relationship between exercising and your mental health and well-being.
Read MorePracticing gratitude is proven to be an effective coping skill with positive outcomes for mental health. It is different than simply “looking at the bright side”. Rather than reframing negative thoughts into positive ones, gratitude practice is intentionally noticing the things that you don’t typically pay attention to.
Read MoreWe all experience some form of anxiety in our lives. Nerves are common and worry is a natural emotion. But when does our worry become to much? How do we know if our anxiety is excessive? Here are some early warning signs for anxiety disorders, and things to look out for if you think you may want to talk to someone regarding your anxiety:
Read MoreIf you’re currently or have in the past experienced a loss of a loved one, you may be familiar with the Grief process. Grief consists of stages that the person experiences and these stages are fluid. The stages of grief are- denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance. If you find yourself constantly flowing through each stage, maybe day by day, that’s completely normal. Everyone within a family system experiences the stages of grief and could be at different times. Here are some tips if you’re currently experiencing grief-
Read MoreDo you ever feel burnt out after looking at your social media pages? Do you ever scroll for hours on end and forget what you were supposed to be doing instead? Social media is a great tool for connection, education, and so many other supportive aspects. However, it can also be a reason we’re so burnt out. Social media, like anything else in our lives, needs a balance. Here are some tips to help us find this balance and be more mindful about our online presence.
Read MoreTo understand the negative impacts of labeling food and lifestyle choices it is important to first understand what diet culture is and how it impacts our society. Kate Willsky at Equip Health defines diet culture as “a system of social beliefs and expectations that values thinness above all.” Diet culture equates thinness to health and views larger bodies, and those in larger bodies who are not on the pursuit to become thin, as shameful. Diet culture connects body size and food choices to morality. Those who are thin are put on a pedestal and those who don’t fit within these standards are put down.
Read MoreDr. Daniel Amen came up with the term Automatic Negative Thoughts (ANTs) in the 1990s. These are negative, gloomy, and complaining thoughts that just seem to show. We can all get these at different times. The more they build up, the more distress we experience and have to manage. Below are different types of ANTs and different strategies for beginning to challenge them. ANTs are part of a cycle that interact with our feelings and behaviors; this is a cycle that can be broken!
Read MoreFor you as a parent it may often feel like the hard parenting moments last a lifetime. Sometimes, your child’s 15-minute tantrum over having to clean up their room feels unbearable and incessant. While you know you’re doing the right thing by teaching them responsibility, you start to question your decision and ask yourself “Is this really worth it?” when your head starts to spin hearing your child complain over and over again. Well, this is where using dialectics may come in handy!
Read MoreAs a parent, it can be difficult to meet all of the many physical needs of your child, and when it comes to their emotional needs the challenge can be even greater! It is easy to remember that your child needs food, water, shelter, and safety. But what are some of the other emotional needs that a growing individual can benefit from having in order to thrive and reach their full potential? What are some of the most memorable experiences you remember having as a child that made you feel happy, seen, and important?
Read MoreIn todays world it’s very easy to get caught up in the day to day of life and the stress that comes with it. We as humans are always on the move, always feeling like we need to be doing something. Eventually over time, that stress can accumulate so much to the point where there’s potential for burnout, which can lead to symptoms of Anxiety and Depression. To avoid this, knowing yourself is key. Understanding when it’s a good time to take a break, when you feel like you need it, and how to go about it with school or work. Most people don’t hesitate to take a sick day when they’re feeling under the weather, but what about mental health? A mental health day consists of taking a break from any responsibilities, work, or school so that you can recharge and fully rest your mind.
Read MoreThe summer season is often a much needed time to slow down. “Back to school” is a phrase that creeps up on us more quickly each year. For many teens, this three word phrase holds a lot of emotion. “Back to school” represents some pretty big transitions for teens. Simply returning to the structure of a school day can be a huge adjustment for teens. In addition, they have the expectation to manage their work in and out of school, balance that with clubs and sports, keep up with their social lives, and maybe even college prep or applications. Our teens have a lot of pressure on them.
Read MoreNow that the summer is over and we’ve had 3 months of socializing and vacations and barbeques, its time to find the energy to go back to school and work. Some people have naturally smaller “social batteries,” which means they need more time to recuperate from the activities from summer. What is a social battery? It is the amount of energy we expend from different social activities. When that battery gets drained, whether or not it takes a long time to do so or not, we need to find ways to “recharge.” Here are some tips to help us recharge.
Read MoreWhen people think of therapy, they often picture one on one sessions with a counselor. While one on one sessions can be and are beneficial for many clients, group therapy can be a great tool in your treatment.
Read MoreMental health providers often see new clients reach out to inquire about therapy when they are already in a state of stress or crisis. Dealing with crisis is definitely a great time to reach out for support! However, it is important not to terminate therapy as soon as you’ve worked through a stressful event. This can actually be a wonderful time to continue working with a therapist on self exploration and future goals.
Read MoreTherapy may be thought of as a space to work through problems, manage crises, and/or decrease harmful behaviors. Therapy can also be a very beneficial space when things in our lives seem to be going smoothly, or there are no urgent issues that need attention. During a time like this, clients can often think, “I met my original goals. This is no longer needed.” Continuing or seeking therapy in the absence of crises can provide its own unique opportunities that may not be as available at other times, like:
Read More“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” Benjamin Franklin once said. Society has created the myth that you have to be going through tough times or crisis to seek therapy. Let's talk about why seeking or staying in therapy is beneficial.
Read MoreAs a parent, you probably have a routine that you have to stick to in order to complete all of the necessary tasks to meet the needs of yourself and your family each day. Teaching your child to have their own routine can help them learn the responsibility of ensuring their own needs are met. This is a skill that can help them thrive throughout their day to day and as they get older and are expected to have more ownership over their school and personal lives.
Read MoreAnyone can benefit from going to therapy consistently- whether you struggle with a little bit of anxiety or are experiencing troublesome emotions. Going to therapy when life feels calm and collected is absolutely most beneficial. Starting therapy when you’re not in a crisis or experiencing a major life event is the best time to start and the reasons for this include the following…
Read MorePerfectionism can serve a purpose in each of our lives, though sometimes it causes problems and contributes to stress. It’s an exhausting pursuit that can stifle healthy risk-taking, growth, progress, and discovery.
Read MoreMicroaggressions come in many different forms, and no matter the form, they all could have a deep, long lasting impact– especially when coming from a loved one. Microaggressions are characterized as covert or overt derogatory language or behavior targeted toward a marginalized group of individuals. In recent years, there has been a growth in research that supports the idea that microaggressions negatively impact LGB (lesbian, gay, bisexual) individual’s mental health (see Nadal et al., 2011).
Read More
