Coping: why, whY, wHY WHY?!

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            Whether we realize it or not, we use coping strategies everyday.  Some maybe as subtle as sleeping in to avoid the traffic or procrastinating on a project or term paper due (guilty) hoping it will just do it itself.  It is when our unhealthy habits become a problem with our normal daily routine is when we need a change.  Our skills, routine, or what we think is working needs to be looked at.  Is this beneficial for me, is this getting me where I want to be, am I seeing bad consequences from these decisions?  These are just some of the questions we need to ask ourselves if we aren’t where we want to be.  

            Coping skills, strategies, or techniques have a couple of common threads that can be applied to just about any disorder: anxiety, anger, alcohol abuse, or any other ...

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Posted in:

  • Change
  • Coping

Tags:

  • body care
  • change
  • faith
  • intentional

Self Care in Action

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Self-care is often easier said than done, but a lot of times it can be hard to define what self-care even is. Self-care has become a buzzword in our culture, but the act of self-care is never really clarified. I think this is because self-care is not a one-size-fits-all. One might find running outside to be a great form of self-care whereas I groan when I must do any form of cardio. So where do we even begin? Well, first I want to highlight the many challenges to making self-care a practice within daily life.

For starters, it is important to note that there are both personal and occupational challenges that stand in the way of self-care. A personal challenge towards self-care can simply be a feeling of selfishness. For me, my childhood was always on the move, there was no rest until all the chores were done. If there was a chance for relaxation that moment was plagued by thoughts such as; “Why are you wasting time sitting a ...

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Posted in:

  • Self-Care

Tags:

  • balance
  • body care
  • self-care

What’s REALLY Happening In My Brain When I’m Freaking Out

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You feel your heart beating harder and faster in your chest. A lump forms in your throat. The sound of the person talking to you fades into the background as your own thoughts and concerns become all-consuming. Maybe you feel a turning in your stomach or no longer feel content to stand still. You feel like you are losing your mind!

Well, there’s a little bit of truth to that. Dan Siegal, an author and professor of psychiatry, uses a fun analogy to break down the brain and how it works in situations like these. At the risk of oversimplifying, we’ll name two main characters in our brain: the guard dog (aka our brain’s limbic regions) and the wise owl (aka our brain’s cerebrum). The main role of the guard dog is to protect us from danger, and to do it fast! The main role of the wise owl is to help us think through things, using logic and reason.

In these moments when we feel like we are losing our mind, our guard dog has sensed danger ...

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Posted in:

  • Anxiety

Tags:

  • Control
  • Emotions
  • anxiety
  • compassion
  • crisis
  • mindfullness
  • stress

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