Mental well-being is a process– a journey, a practice. Recall the first time you learned to ride a bike or watched your child or grandchild embark on this experience. Learning to ride a bike begins with the basic skills. Beginning with the basics, one may...
From Overwhelmed to Empowered: Understanding Concern, Control & Influence One of the most common conversations I have with clients is about how to regain a sense of control over their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors when life feels like it’s spinning. To do that, I often...
For many of us adults, the inner critic feels like a constant companion. It shows up in moments of rest—You should be doing more—and in moments of success—Don’t get too comfortable; they’ll figure you out. This voice can be exhausting, but it often develops as...
New Year, New Me! I know what you’re thinking, “Why a post on New Year’s resolutions?! That was a month ago! Did this guy schedule the wrong date for this post! I don’t even remember what my resolutions were!” That’s exactly why it’s time to...
Personal growth can oftentimes feel uncomfortable. We can know what we have to do to move toward the life we envision, but struggle to take the necessary steps to get where we want to be. When approaching discomfort, the urge to turn away due to...
Therapy is not always “productive.” What I mean by that is that what we often define as productive is not always what is most therapeutic. Many people enter therapy with the goal of being more efficient, achieving more, handling more, managing stress better, or otherwise...
If you’re intrigued by the human mind like I am, you may enjoy the podcast Hidden Brain hosted by Shankar Vedantam. You can find it on NPR and many podcast platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and several others. I find the human brain fascinating and...
Most people have heard of the stress responses fight, flight, or freeze. Another common—but less talked about—response is called fawning. Fawning happens when your nervous system learns that staying safe means keeping other people happy. If you grew up in an environment where there was...
One of my favorite things to do in the first few months of the year is to reflect and consider what happened in the past year. I also like to reflect on what I’m hoping for in the coming year. Wherever you find yourself coming...
Do you find yourself setting New Year’s resolutions each year, only to forget about them months, weeks, or even days later? If so, you’re not alone. According to statistics published by Forbes, the average resolution lasts only 3.74 months. In fact, so many people abandon...