This time of year is often considered joyous and even the “most wonderful”. You may feel added pressure to be happy and merry. The reality is, even the most spirited among us can experience feelings of sadness, anxiety, loneliness, disappointment, and regret. In a 2015 Healthline survey, over 60 percent of respondents described their stress [...]
When people hear the term "Hurricane Season", What do they think of? Most people reading this blog would probably guess the time between June-September in which the tropical areas of the world are most likely to be struck by a tropical storm/hurricane, right? Yes. However, in the emotional/psychological realm, the term "Hurricane Season" has begun [...]
I remember being in middle school and waiting for the bus. We’d run around, cluster in groups giggling and watch the boys throw a baseball. Now I see kids waiting for the bus standing still, heads down, phones out and texting instead of talking. I wonder when kids forgot how to play. "Play is a [...]
Self-Talk and Giving your Power Away If you are prone to engage in negative self-talk, then guess what, you are probably suffering from anxiety, panic attacks and some type of fear based thinking. By the repetition of statements that are negative, opinions, and distorted thinking you are causing yourself to be stuck and paralyzed every [...]
This year, make Thanksgiving about gratitude. Whether your looking forward to seeing loved ones, or dreading holiday travel, whatever your state of mind, research shows that focusing on gratitude can produce many benefits to your mind, body and spirit. Improve mood Increase positivity and optimism Reduce stress Decrease inflammation Improve sleep Reduce tension and worry [...]
"Befriend Not Obliterate Emotions" Trauma reorganizes our minds, brains, bodies, and perceptions. It alters not just how we think or the content of our thoughts, but also our capacity to think at all. After trauma, the world is experienced through a different lens. A person who carries trauma can become focused on suppressing what they [...]
Unmanageability is not a word that we hear often unless we are familiar with 12 Step programs and recovery but, it is one of the identifying characteristics of drug and alcohol addiction. Most of us like to believe that we exert a certain amount of control in our lives. When we begin to struggle with [...]
So many times I've worked with people who ask, "How do I make this anxiety go away?!" Other than taking out my magic wand, which doesn't seem to work no matter how many times I swish and flick, the truth is that anxiety doesn't go away. Yet, that's not a life sentence of misery either. If [...]
When I came into the office last week one of my coworkers was complaining about the dreary, rainy day we had. I smiled and said "Yes, but at least my grass and flowers are getting watered!" That got a laugh from my co-worker. We went on our ways feeling happier. Yes, I am an optimist. Optimism [...]
Stephen Porges 2017 book The Pocket Guide to The Polyvagal Theory is much more readable than his comprehensive 2011 book The Polyvagal Theory. This new book is intended to offer the concepts in the earlier book to a wider audience. The concepts are particularly relevant to those clinicians involved in treating people who have suffered [...]