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Insomnia or Something More?
Insomnia or Something More? Functioning at your best can be difficult if you aren’t getting enough sleep. When we are sleep deprived we can feel irritable, have difficulty concentrating, have a hard time making decisions and feel generally on edge. The result of sleeplessness can look a lot like depression, anxiety, ADHD or other mental health conditions. Difficulty sleeping can also be a symptom of many diagnoses. It can be difficult to know which came first. An Emotional Condition and Insomnia: Which Comes First? “Either one,” says the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA). [...]
Creating Your Own Practice of Mental Health Awareness
May is Mental Health Awareness month. While it is important to address your mental health every month of the year, this month it is being talked about more than ever. Increasing awareness can be amazing. It can generate powerful and beneficial conversations. Unfortunately, many of us stuff our feelings away and avoid addressing symptoms when they arise. Awareness can help people to identify problems before they become too big to ignore. Things don’t have to become catastrophic before you ask for help. Cultivating Routine Awareness Checking in with yourself and becoming more aware of your mental health is a [...]
Embracing Self-Care: The Transformative Power of Counseling for Teachers
Embracing Self-Care: The Transformative Power of Counseling for Teachers Being a Teacher is an honorable profession, filled with passion, dedication, and the desire to shape the lives and minds of your students. The day to day demands of planning lessons, grading assignments, and maneuvering the many changes that occur within the classroom can become overwhelming. As a teacher it is easy to get lost in all the work that needs to be done that you forget to prioritize your own well being. In the world of education things are constantly changing and this often makes it [...]
Bullying: What to Look Out For
Bullying: What to Look Out For Bullying can happen to anyone, though that doesn’t make it any less scary when it is happening to your child. Unfortunately, many children who are being bullied will keep it a secret. This can be done for a variety of reasons such as not wanting to make it worse or feeling like nothing can be done to change their situation. Regardless of the situation, there are signs and behaviors to look out for that might indicate that your child is being bullied. Emotional and Behavioral Signs of Bullying Changes in [...]
Solution Resistance: When Nothing Seems to Work
When someone you love is struggling, you likely want to help them feel better. It’s natural to want to “fix” things, which can lead us to giving advice more than listening. While this is understandable, it isn’t always productive. Focusing on solutions can make it hard to focus on listening. This can inevitably lead to people feeling unheard, and for good reason. Unfortunately, this is generally the opposite of what we want. We want our loved one to feel better, so we try to find a solution that will get them there. They want to be heard and validated. [...]
Checking In on Your Emotional Health
Checking In on Your Emotional Health A clean bill of health can create a feeling of security. We focus so much on our physical health, unfortunately, our mental health doesn’t always get the same attention. It can feel easier to have your blood pressure checked than your emotions. Routinely checking in on your emotional and mental health is incredibly important though it is often avoided. Many avoid addressing how they are functioning emotionally. According to Mount Sinai Medical Center, “One big reason for this is that while practically everyone feels comfortable about seeing their family [...]
Embarking on a Journey: Exploring the Adventure of Marriage
Embarking on a Journey: Exploring the Adventure of Marriage When you are taking a long trip, you prepare your vehicle ahead of time, you pack, you plan your trip to a “T”. You would never take the chance with an ill equipped vehicle to begin your well planned adventure. You may have to go to a mechanic to have your vehicle inspected, as they are the experts to ensure your vehicle is road worthy. Road trips are much different than a marriage, however there are similarities, in a marriage you must plan, prepare, and be [...]
Understanding Progress in Counseling: Signs Your Therapy is “Working”
Understanding Progress in Counseling: Signs Your Therapy is “Working” In order to self assess how effective your therapy experience is going, it is important to be mindful and aware of your emotions and behaviors throughout your therapy journey. Often clients will report “feeling better” and increased positive functioning in their day to day life as an indicator that they are progressing in therapy. However, if you have not experienced these improvements yet, be patient, as therapy is a journey and each person’s experience is vastly different. Many factors influence the success of counseling, including the frequency [...]
Breaking Up with Unfavorable Comparison
It can be really difficult to feel good enough. Comparing yourself to others certainly doesn’t make it any easier. Though we may know that comparison doesn’t tend to lead us anywhere good, it can be really difficult to stop. You may be wondering how you will know if you are doing things right or if you are measuring up if you don’t compare. That is a very valid question. There are healthy ways to use comparison and there are rather unhealthy ways. Unfortunately, most of us resort to more unhealthy means. Here we will focus on the motivations of [...]
Am I Wasting My Therapist’s Time?
If I had a dime for every time a client told me they felt like they were wasting my time, I would be a rich woman. It is time for some real talk this month. If you have ever found yourself wondering if you are wasting the time of your therapist or someone close to you, this one's for you. While this is a common question, it can also be a complicated one. If you find yourself asking this, or wanting to ask this, you certainly aren’t alone. There are a variety of reasons we may feel as if [...]