Living with Purpose: An ACT Approach to Unhooking from Struggles
Every day we experience a constant flow of thoughts and feelings. Your thoughts and feelings are important aspects of who you are as a person. But what happens when those thoughts and feelings seem to take over, pulling us away from the person we want to be and living with purpose? It’s easy to feel stuck, overwhelmed or even defeated when your mind feels like it’s working...
Navigating Life’s Crossroads: Making Choices That Align with Your Values and Bring You Joy
Life is a series of choices. From the moment you wake up to the time you go to bed, you are constantly making decisions. Some choices seem small, like what to eat for breakfast, whether to hit snooze or get up early and what to wear for the day. Others feel monumental, shaping relationships, careers and the direction of your life. But whether big or small, every choice has...
Comfortable Doesn’t Mean Good:
In life, it’s easy to cling to what we know. Things that are familiar feel good even if they aren’t healthy. By remaining in your comfort zone, opportunities may pass by but also allow unhealthy patterns of behavior to fester. Comfortable But Unhealthy Work Environments I recently had some conversations with a couple of my clients about their job satisfaction....
Therapy, Health Insurance and Diagnosis
I recently had someone contact me and they wanted to know the reason I have to give them a diagnosis in order to use their health insurance. This prompted me to write this post, so that others who may have questions can find some answers. Therapy Many people seek therapy for different reasons. Usually due to some sort of breaking point where they realize they don’t like...
Running on Empty: A Case for Self-Care
We are constantly bombarded with so much information and responsibilities these days that it can be hard to find the energy to do it all. We’re taking care of others, meeting deadlines at work but what we’re not doing is taking care of ourselves. Your Battery Needs Recharging I use the metaphor of a rechargeable battery with my clients to demonstrate what this means. When...
Life Transitions and Coping with Change
The Nature of Change Change and life transitions are a normal part of life. Sometimes they are initiated by you and other times the change comes and you have to learn to adapt to the transition. Life transitions can be from career changes, relationships changes, relocation changes or other major life events. These can stir up a range of emotions from excitement to anxiety....
Taming Your Inner Critic
We all have an inner critic, that internalized voice inside our heads that criticizes and belittles our actions, abilities and self-worth. While it can sometimes push you towards improvement, more often than not, it worsens your anxiety and depression. Understanding and managing your it can be helpful to developing self-compassion and mental well being. Understanding Your...
Breaking the Cycle of People Pleasing
You might be asking yourself, “Why should I stop people pleasing? Isn’t it just about being kind and helpful?” Being generous and caring for others is a wonderful trait, but when it comes at the cost of your well-being, it is no longer kindness—it is self-sacrifice. The constant need to accommodate others can leave you feeling exhausted, undervalued and over time,...
Uncover the Hidden Signs & Costs of Being a People Pleaser
Have you ever said yes when deep down you wanted to say no? If so, you’re not alone. I’ve been there too, more times than I’d like to admit. It’s a natural response for many of us who value harmony, want to avoid conflict or feel a deep desire to be liked. Yet, while being a people pleaser can seem harmless or even positive, it often comes with hidden costs to your...
Managing Stress at Work
Work can be a significant contribution to the amount of stress in your life. Between deadlines, performance expectations and workplace dynamics sometimes work may become overwhelming and unenjoyable. If you find that work related stress is impacting your health, it’s time to seek professional help. How do you know if you’re stressed at work? Headaches or migraines Feeling...
Are You Looking at Me? Overcoming Social Anxiety
When you attend a social gathering, does your heart race? Do you avoid social situations because you’re afraid that people are looking and judging you? You’re not alone. Social anxiety can make every day interactions seem overwhelming but that’s not an excuse to become a hermit. Instead, learn how to manage your anxiety so that you can enjoy yourself at social activities....
Parental Anxiety
Understanding Parental Anxiety You are not alone. Approximately, 10-20% of parents experience significant levels of anxiety as a parent. If you tend to struggle with anxiety before children, you will most likely struggle with it even more as a parent. Although a certain level of anxiety that comes with parenting is common, parental anxiety is excessively worrying about your...
Perfectionism and Embracing Imperfection
Perfectionism and Signs of Perfectionism Perfectionism is the tendency to set unrealistic standards and demands on yourself and others. This can lead to harsh self-criticism for perceived failures and shortcomings which negatively impact your mental health. The negative impact includes but isn’t limited to stress, anxiety, self-doubt and low self-esteem. Some signs of...
Overcoming Avoidance in Anxiety
You’re all too familiar with that feeling of anxiety that comes up as worry and stress when a situation arises. In order to deal with your anxiety, you practice avoidance. So now you find yourself scrolling through social media or watching the latest new “it” show to avoid feeling anxious but it’s only making things worse. Avoidance in Anxiety Avoidance is a popular and...
Three Mindsets to Get Paid What Your Worth
I recently stumbled upon the book Financial Feminist by Tori Dunlap. I would recommend anybody who is interested about money to invest in a copy of her book. Ms. Dunlap had a lot of good insights and scripts to offer. What I found most interesting is how stressful it can be for people to negotiate their salary or raises. Women especially seem to suffer anxiety about asking...
Anxiety in Romantic Relationships
Anxiety impacts all aspects of a person’s life. To be clear, some amounts of anxiety is common in life but when it takes over, that’s when it may be time to seek a therapist for help. If you find that anxiety is taking over your life, please contact me to see how I may be able to help you. Anxiety in Romantic Relationships At the start of any potential romantic...
Budgeting: 5 Ways to Improve Your Budget & Decrease Your Stress
Finances and budgeting are often topics that arises at some point during therapy because of the stress and anxiety it causes. This can take a toll on your mental health, your physical health and your relationships. Here are 5 strategies that can help you with budgeting. 1. Sit down and review your finances (i.e. Budgeting) If you haven’t done it before or in a while, take...
Are You Struggling with Anxiety?
Have you noticed that you’re getting more headaches or migraines? Maybe you’ve noticed being easily irritated with others? These could be symptoms of anxiety. Other Symptoms of Anxiety Feeling fatigue, tired and exhausted, even after a good night’s rest Noticing tension in your muscles, especially in the neck and shoulder area Digestive issues such as diarrhea or...
Are You a Ruminator?
Do you ever find yourself replaying a conversation from years ago, wishing you’d said something different? Or lying awake at night, endlessly dissecting a small mistake? If so, you might be a ruminator. And guess what? You’re not alone. What is a Ruminator? Ruminators are people who get caught in loops of overthinking, especially about...
How to Find a Therapist for Your Child
Parenting is difficult. As parents, you deal with children who are not capable or do not have to skills to adequately express themselves appropriately. And in this day and age of technology and social media, it can be even more difficult to know what is going on with your children and how to help them effectively. Sometime, it means finding a therapist for your child. Other...