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Why Telling Your Story is Important to Your Brain

November 7, 2019
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If you were to try and tell the story of your life, how complete would it be? Would it be a straight line start to finish? Have you ever played an instrument when you were young, stopped for years, played it casually one day, and discovered there were a lot of songs you used to know that come back only when you are playing? I know once I start talking about something, I’ll remember six other connecting…

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Are you an Introvert or an Extrovert?

November 5, 2019
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When you think of being an introvert or an extrovert, what do you think of? Do you think of once referring to yourself, as “I am an outgoing introvert,” or speaking of their friend who is the “life of the party” and they are “the most extroverted person I know.” I have realized that we have begun to think that the difference between the two dimensions of personality are that extroverted people are outgoing, and introverted people…

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How Can the Seasons Affect Our Mood?

November 3, 2019
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I hate to say it, but winter is coming. If you saw our Instagram post from Symmetry Counseling on November 1, 2019, 95% of Symmetry Counselors prefer fall over winter! Do you prefer fall or winter? What is your favorite season? With us having our first snow just a few weeks, on Halloween, we can only prepare for more snow and cold-at least in the Chicagoland area. Unfortunately, the cold lasts a few months, and it actualy…

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Pros and Cons of Online Dating

November 1, 2019
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Online dating is now a way that many people are meeting their spouses. There are many different dating apps for our phones and then ones that are more computer based. There are ones that you can meet based on looks, or GPS of the way you travel to work, personality, etc. I cannot even keep up with all the ones that are out there. Online dating is normal and with society today, it is a great way…

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Healthy Ways to Manage Anger

October 30, 2019
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Inevitably we all get angry sometimes. We are human after all. But what happens with this feeling of anger decides to stick around longer than usual or becomes part of our day-to-day emotions? Feeling angry is extremely uncomfortable and our first instinct is typically to do what we can to take the anger away as quickly as possible. While drinking or engaging in drug use does not take away the anger, it numbs it, which can lead…

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Dealing with Persistent Worrying

October 28, 2019
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Danielle Bertini Worrying is a part of human nature. If people didn’t have the ability to worry, they wouldn’t be able to anticipate and prepare for life’s challenges. However, for some people, worrying gets to be overwhelming and can even lead to depression due to such a negative outlook on life. In this day and age, it can be easy to get wrapped up in anxiety and a negative outlook with recent world and domestic events. Nevertheless,…

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How to Use Your Commute to Your Advantage

October 26, 2019
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Matthew Cuddeback, LCSW When living in a major metropolitan area it is unfortunately a part of our lives that we will have some sort of lengthy commute. This time spent commuting can not only be frustrating, but also easily squandered, it is all too easy to be sitting on the train ruminating about something that annoyed you at work, maybe reading work emails, or just scrolling through things that are unhealthy for you mentally and emotionally, on…

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Mental Health and Mass Violence

October 25, 2019
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Matthew Cuddeback, LCSW Mental health has become a major talking point recently as a result of people trying to make sense of the terrorist attacks in Texas and Ohio. These sad and all too frequent acts of violence are rife with areas worth discussion and understanding, but the area that I feel is crucial for mental health professionals to discuss is that it is patently false and extremely harmful to blame such violent acts on a person’s…

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5 Time Management Misconceptions in the Workplace

October 24, 2019
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I work with many clients who are overwhelmed, stressed, anxious, and sometimes even depressed at their jobs because they have stressful careers where there is a ton of responsibilities on their plate. Sometimes my clients report they get overwhelmed due to lacking in time management skills at their job. My job as their clinical therapist is to help the client understand possible reasons why they are struggling with time management skills and then also possible coping skills…

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Micromastery: New Skills for Breaking Your Stagnancy

October 23, 2019
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There are times in our lives where we feel like we’ve hit a wall – where something about our life or situation feels stagnant. Feeling “stuck” in a place that feels less than optimal can be frustrating. In these moments we are quicker to respond with irritability, anger, sadness, and pessimism. If you feel like you’re stuck and can recognize it, the next step is to do something about it. Being willing to change stagnancy takes a…

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