Anxiety gets the best of us from time-to-time. In this blog post you will find five quick practical ways to manage anxiety, some takeaways to plan ahead, and other tips you can implement when you feel like the anxiety is building up.
When You Don't See Eye to Eye
According to Dr. John Gottman’s research, 69% of problems that relationships face are actually perpetual or unsolvable problems. The good news is no you are not doomed for, and no you are absolutely not alone. What are examples of unsolvable problems might you ask? Many involve personality or character traits that are simply not changeable, but can also be the very parts of your partner that you fell in love with. They can also include core value topics like politics and religion.
Your Brain and Booze
Have you ever had a night out where everyone consumed so much alcohol that everyone was drunk? Maybe it was fun and elating at the start of the night, then quickly turned to drama? One of your friends said something hurtful, and your other friends tried to comfort you by saying, “they didn’t mean that, they are drunk” or “their personality changes after they’ve had alcohol”. These are common statements you might hear when alcohol is involved, the personality of the person changes. In reality, our brain chemistry is being impacted by alcohol, and there is still much to be learned about how.
How to Support a Loved One with an Eating Disorder
Eating disorders are serious life threatening illnesses, and they do not discriminate regardless of age, race, gender identity, sexual orientation, or background. Most often you cannot infer from the outside an individual is struggling with an eating disorder. The thought that weight is the only indicator someone is struggling, can perpetuate the secrecy and shame surrounding the struggle. Once you pull back the shade around this stigma, you can then keep an eye out for the warning signs.
What to Expect in Your First Relationship Therapy Session
Starting relationship therapy with your partner(s) and meeting your new therapist can be anxiety provoking. What will you discuss in your first session? What will your partner(s) say? What will the therapist think? What if it's awkward? These are all normal thoughts when meeting your therapist. You are essentially inviting a stranger into your relationship!
While every therapist may have some slight differences - generally you can expect that the first session will focus on you and the therapist getting to know each other better. Sessions are approximately 55 minutes long.
What is Self-Care?
Self-care has become a buzzword on the internet and across social media platforms. Google’s formal definition states, “the practice of taking an active role in protecting one's well-being and happiness, in particular during periods of stress.” Self-care is vital during moments of stress. However, creating purposeful rituals is most helpful when they are established before those periods of stress. Have you ever heard the phrase, you can’t pour from an empty cup? Well, someone once told me, the truth is hidden behind the word cliché.
The Pros and Cons of Teletherapy
Due to COVID-19 there has been a rapid transition to remote therapy services over the past two years. This has left clients wondering whether to pursue teletherapy or seek out in-person providers - a dilemma I imagine prospective clients will be asking long after COVID recedes in the years ahead. As for many decisions in life, the old tried and true method of the Pros and Cons list is a wonderful starting place to discern what is best for you.
Understanding and Managing Panic Attacks
Panic attacks feel different to everyone, but if you’ve ever had a panic attack you can agree they aren’t “fun”. A panic attack is the repeated fear for several minutes or longer in which a strong physical reaction occurs even though there’s no real danger. This can be caused by the fear of losing control and can happen at any time. Everyone experiences these attacks differently but most people will experience racing heart, feeling like you are dying, tingling or numb sensation, nausea, difficulty breathing, chills or sweats, etc. An attack can leave you extremely exhausted afterwards even if the episode only lasts a few minutes.
5 Tips to Manage Seasonal Depression
Winter is upon us, and for those that live far north of the equator, it can be a time of year we brace ourselves for. It is the season that bridges the end of year to the new, and a time to truly rest and reset. Along with that, there are naturally fewer sunnier days, shorter days, and less movement. These changes can impact our circadian rhythm, as well as our serotonin and melatonin levels. For some this causes symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).
How to De-escalate Conflict in your Relationship
When an argument happens with your partner, you may feel a wide range of emotions such as betrayal, anger, and disbelief. Although there are several different strategies to de-escalate, therapy may be the best option if you find yourself getting stuck in the same pattern time and again. Your therapist can teach effective de-escalation and help your relationship heal and grow. One therapeutic technique that can help is utilizing effective timeouts.