Category: Failure

We have all been there – in our youth, as students, oversleeping and missing the bus for school. As adults, getting a flat tire that causes us to be late for work. These everyday moments are stressful, but when do daily stressors become cause for concern? It may surprise you to learn that not all stress is bad! In fact, research performed at the Mayo Clinic has revealed that healthy stress can help individuals become more resilient. For example, anxiety about an upcoming exam may help to motivate students to study and be better prepared for their test. The key is learning how to combat stress and anxiety before stress becomes chronic and inhibits one’s ability to function in their daily lives.

How does one recognize the warning signs of stress overload? There are several symptoms that stress and anxiety may be becoming overwhelming, which include:

- The frequency of stress (unrelenting, constant feelings of anxiety and ...

We often focus on the negative. What don’t we have? What is still lacking? What if it never gets better? 

There are times we should focus on what’s wrong. Ignoring it isn’t going to help anything. A life without reflection is likely one without learning or growing, and can lead to additional complications. I invite you to think of things going well in addition to this reflection. What have you done well so far in your life? There must be something. Don’t count yourself out before you’ve truly reflected on the ways you’ve learned and the ways you’ve succeeded. If life is feeling extra sad or gray lately, find ways to make life just a little sweeter. Some ideas include: 

• Stay in the sun for an extra minute. 
• Look at encouraging quotes.
• Read old cards or letters from friends and family. 
• Drink a glass of water. 
• Take time to m ...
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There are very few roles in the world with the expectation to be and do it all, quite like the role of a mother. There are also many contradicting messages about what exactly all of the IT we are meant to be doing is. So often, instead of challenging this ridiculous expectation, mothers succumb to the overwhelm of it all and just end up feeling like failures. The reality is, when you are expected to be and do it all, and you push yourself to achieve it, you are never really going to be doing any of it particularly well. How could you? This sets moms up for burnout in the one job you can not give up.

I recognize this phenomenon in every mom that sits across from me in therapy and I look upon their faces with so much empathy because years ago, that was me! What changed the game for my motherhood a few years ago, is that I came across the podcast, The Lazy Genius, and felt like this woman was throwing me a lifeline! She encouraged her listen ...

Feel like a failure? Try this… 

For the second time this month, I switched all my clients to telehealth, battled with my husband for time to work, canceled 10 days worth of commitments to friends, family, and random offices, and headlocked my 7 year old while he endured a brain-poking COVID19 test. I’ve felt like a bad counselor, a bad wife, a bad friend, and a bad mom. Days and days of quarantine and somehow my home is still messy and we are eating chicken nuggets and mac and cheese for dinner. 

As I look around and assess the seeming chaos in my quarantined home and daily routine, it’s easy for me to conclude that I AM A FAILURE. I’m falling very short of my ongoing desires and goals for my life. I am unable to be physically present for my clients who feel most comfortable in the reprieve of my office. I do not feel like a kind, generous, gracious wife. I am unable to host family for dinner and meet up wit ...