Dealing with anxiety can be overwhelming, but you don’t have to face it alone. There are several effective strategies you can use to help manage and reduce anxiety’s impact on your life. Whether you’re struggling with occasional anxiety or experiencing chronic symptoms, these approaches can offer relief and help you regain control. Understanding Anxiety Anxiety is more than just feeling nervous; it’s a complex emotional …
Recognizing the need for therapy is essential in caring for your mental and emotional well-being. Therapy has many benefits, including emotional relief, clarity on big life decisions, encouragement, personal empowerment, and the ability to process emotions or thoughts in a safe, supportive environment. It’s not always easy to recognize when we need help from a therapist. This article outlines some signs that it might be …
Introduction: Preparing for Marriage Have you met the love of your life? Are you considering marriage? Before marriage, open and honest conversations with your partner about various aspects of your life together is essential. Marriage combines two lives into one; both people must be on the same page. Here are five main topics to bring up before tying the knot. Topic 1: Understanding Long-term Goals …
Understanding Childhood Emotional Neglect Childhood emotional neglect refers to the failure of caregivers adequately meet a child’s emotional needs, such as providing love, support, and validation. This can lead to experiencing trauma at a very young age, which has long-lasting effects on one’s life. Most importantly, childhood emotional neglect can disrupt the relationship with oneself at a very young age, instilling beliefs such as, “I’m …
A stillbirth is defined as the death of a baby from 20 weeks of incubation to attempted birth. What makes a stillbirth different is that the mother experiences the birth and death of her child in one single traumatic event within the entirety of her pregnancy. Surprisingly, experiencing a stillbirth is quite common. According to a 2020 study, about 1 in every 150 pregnancies ends …
Social exclusion can be common for adolescents in middle and high school. Whether not being chosen for games or purposefully excluding kids in numerous situations, the consequences are extremely harmful. Salmivalli states, “Bullying can be direct, such as physical or verbal attacks, indirect (also referred to as relational bullying), such as social exclusion and rumor-spreading, or it can happen online. The adolescent period of life …
Life is full of choices, and sometimes, making a decision can feel overwhelming. Whether you’re deciding on a career move, where to live, or how to handle personal matters, it’s normal to feel stuck. But by breaking the process into manageable steps, you can make choices with more confidence. Here are six steps that will help guide you through the decision-making process, along with how …
Part 3 of 3 Welcome to the final part of our three-part series on managing anxiety. In Part 1 and Part 2, we covered basic and slightly more complex techniques. Now, we’ll explore advanced methods that go deeper into how you view the world and manage your thoughts. These techniques are powerful tools for long-term anxiety management and often benefit from the guidance of a …
Part 2 of 3 In Part 1, we introduced basic techniques to help manage anxiety. If you’ve been practicing those methods and are ready to take the next step, Part 2 is for you. Here, we explore slightly more complex techniques that require a bit more practice and commitment but can be highly effective for managing both short-term anxiety and more persistent anxious feelings. More …
Part 1 of 3 Anxiety is one of the most common mental health concerns that bring people into therapy. Approximately 18.1% of the population may qualify for an anxiety disorder diagnosis each year. But whether you’re dealing with general anxiety, social anxiety, or panic attacks, managing these feelings can be challenging. The good news is that there are practical, easy-to-implement techniques for managing anxiety effectively. …
Remember playing The Game of Life as a young person? I liked reading all the different occupations from which you could choose. Want to be a florist? Here’s your card. Prefer to be surprised? Draw from this stack of cards, and… you got teacher! Here’s your salary, here are your housing options, and here’s your car. Done. If choosing a career was as simple as …
“For a seed to achieve its greatest expression, it must come completely undone. The shell cracks, its insides come out, and everything changes. It would look like complete destruction to someone who doesn’t understand growth.” –Cynthia Occelli The Courage to Seek Help Asking for help and seeking support is one of the bravest and kindest acts of self-care you can do for yourself. Embarking on …
Falling asleep can be challenging for many people, especially after a long and tiring day. Your mind may race with thoughts about uncompleted tasks and past events, making it difficult to relax and sleep. Despite the temptation to turn to electronic devices as distractions, their use can hinder your ability to fall asleep. This introductory article will explore techniques to help you calm your mind …
Therapist and writer Ken Page explores three ideas in his book Deeper Dating that are resonating with me right now: attractions of deprivation, attractions of inspiration, and core gifts. Attractions of deprivation are ones that reinforce painful relationship wounds. They ask us to disavow our core gifts. Being in such an imbalanced state triggers longing and need and keeps us from being intimate with ourselves …
Therapy can be a powerful tool for improving your mental health, but misconceptions and challenges can hold people back from getting the most out of it. Some people worry that their problems aren’t significant enough for therapy, while others fear they may never see positive changes. Therapy is a journey that requires patience, effort, and trust. Whether you are having online or in-person sessions, here …
Routines are essential, yet some view them as traps that stifle creativity and foster complacency. Benefits of Routines Stability and Predictability: Do you know that feeling of comfort when you sip your first cup of coffee in the morning? That’s what a solid routine can offer you— a sense of calm that carries you through the day. It’s like having a reliable roadmap; you may hit …
What is Shame, and Why Does It Happen? Shame is a powerful and deeply ingrained emotion that can impact how you see yourself and interact with others. While guilt makes you feel bad about something you’ve done, shame tells you that you, as a person, are flawed. It says, “There’s something wrong with me,” “I don’t deserve love or connection,” or “I’m not enough.” But why does shame show …