Teen Counseling
The Benefits and Beauty of Embracing Acceptance
One of the most powerful tools for living a fulfilling life is acceptance. Acceptance plays an extremely dynamic part in mental health and the optimization of emotional well-being. At its foundation, acceptance simply the notion of embracing present feelings, emotions, experiences and thoughts just as they are. It is being at peace with things beyond […]
Freedom from Failure
Let me set the scene: You are in a group setting for the first time (school, work, friend group, etc.). A customary practice for first-time meetings is an icebreaker question or activity. They come in all shapes and sizes, but for our scenario, we will go with, “What is your biggest fear?” We would typically […]
Hypervigilance vs. Stress: Understanding the Difference
In today’s fast-paced world, stress is an expected result of daily living that is a normal encounter. Stress is especially heightened during times of uncertainty, unfamiliarity, and business. Whether it’s any form of loss (job, death in the family or even the loss of a friendship), looming deadlines, a tough conversation, or a full schedule, […]
Self-confidence and Acceptance
Self-confidence and Acceptance Do you sometimes catch yourself overthinking future situations in a stressful way? Thinking and rethinking about what might happen. What you should and shouldn’t say. Even trying to predict how you may act. Or do you find yourself making a plan B… and C, and D for an upcoming event? You may […]
Identity Series: Motivation and Purpose
As previously discussed in the last identity blog, values can be motivating factors for our behaviors. But what else is potentially motivating to us? In today’s blog, we will discuss how motivation and purpose are a part of our identity that also guides our behaviors. Motivation In an article on the behavioral neuroscience of motivation, […]
5 Tips to Help Free You from Anxiety in The New Year
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, 19.1% of U.S. adults suffer with anxiety. That means there are a lot of people out there that have some of the same symptoms of anxiety that you do. You are not alone! As we start the new year, use this opportunity to take a long hard […]
Tis The Season For Seasonal Depression: 5 Helpful Tips
During specific times of the year (often in winter and fall months) do you have unusual feelings of low energy and fatigue? Do you have a depressed mood that lasts for most of the day? Do you experience loss of interest or pleasure in activities you once enjoyed, changes in sleeping patterns, or feelings of […]
The Difficulty of Disordered Eating
Eating disorders are multi-layered and have differing components, such as behaviors, thoughts, and emotions and feelings. And while millions of people experience eating disorders, even more can experience the difficulty of disordered eating. Disordered eating is a component of eating disorders, but can still be present when a person is not fully diagnosable; but it […]
Identity Series: Values
In this installment of the identity series, we will be discussing values. Values are an important part of our identity, as they are the guiding principles for our thoughts, behaviors, and actions. Everyone’s values are different, and what is important to one person might be less important to the next. Today we will explore the […]
Identity Series: Personality
For the second installment of my identity series, I wanted to focus on personality. Personality is a complex topic, and there are many different definitions of personality, however it can be broadly defined as a person’s characteristic patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving that distinguish them from others. Here we will explore some aspects of […]