marriage counseling
By: Danielle Bertini, LPC I love my family and friends. But I absolutely love spending time by myself. To me, there is no better feeling than being able to sit alone in silence and enjoy my own company, especially after spending a lot of time with others. As an introvert, I can only take so much “together time” before my energy is drained and I am craving a quieter, less stimulating place. If you aren’t…
By Eric Dean, JD, MBA, MA, MA, LPC, CADC Americans are unhappier now than they have ever been in the last 50 years. Let that sink in for a moment. This is paradoxical in that over the past 50 years there has been a substantial increase in inflation-adjusted per capita income, an improved standard of living, and a proliferation of digital technologies that have given us unprecedented levels of convenience and connectedness. Perhaps, one could reasonably argue…
In part 1 of this blog post we discussed what social anxiety is, why it may be happening and whether or not we may be experiencing it. As a refresher, social anxiety is when anxious feelings are present as a result of interacting with others. The presence of social anxiety has grown due to spending 12+ months barely speaking to or interacting with anyone, leading to the thought of socializing becoming incredibly daunting and overwhelming for many…
As more people receive the Covid-19 vaccine and begin to feel safer reconnecting with friends and family, I’ve found many clients remain apprehensive about reaching out or scheduling plans. While much of this is likely related to the mindset, we’ve developed over the past year of what it means to keep ourselves and others safe, a new hurdle seems to have developed. Regardless of having struggled with a mental health disorder in the past or not, many…
If you feel like you went from having no social plans to your calendar being booked solid, you’re not alone. It seems people have found themselves with two years’ worth of plans crammed into a couple of months. After over a year of isolation, jumping back into a jammed pack social schedule can feel incredibly overwhelming and draining. There’s no shame in starting slowly and listening to your mind and body when they tell you you’ve had…
By Eric Dean JD, MBA, MA, MA, LPC, CADC We are glued to our phones. The average U.S. adult will spend roughly 3 hours per day on their cell phone, which equals about 1,100 hours or 45 days per year! The consequences of nonstop phone use are wide-ranging and not fully understood. In this post, I will review what we know about how phone usage affects sleep and provide some tips on getting better rest. Sleep is…
Written by Kara Thompson, Licensed Social Worker So here’s the deal… Love is complicated. You may be facing this truth every day in your relationships with your partner, a family member, or maybe even within yourself. Have you ever paused and reflected on this question: “How did we learn how to love?” For many of us, the first way we learned about love is through the systems we were born into. Those unique experiences often include a…
Megan Mulroy, LPC Why Getting the COVID Vaccine Is Really Emotional: From My Perspective Last week, I headed to the United Center to get my first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. I had spent what felt like forever waiting for my turn to get vaccinated, and since I had COVID fairly recently, I had to wait the 90 days after infection to safely get my shot. Getting my shot at the United Center surprised me in…
By Eric Dean JD, MBA, MA, MA, LPC, CADC Since the beginning of the pandemic, one of the most common concerns I hear from my clients is that they feel bored. I think we have all felt bored at some point in our lives, but what is boredom exactly? In this post I will describe boredom and review the pros and cons. Generally, boredom sets in when three conditions are met: We feel a lack of stimulation;…
By Eric Dean JD, MBA, MA, MA, LPC, CADC I am going to share with you a story about a brilliant mathematician named Abraham Wald. During World War II, Wald was employed at the Statistical Research Group (SRG) at Columbia University where he helped the United States develop wartime strategy. Wald was tasked with assessing the damages to returning aircraft (not all aircraft made it back) and recommending ways to minimize damage to departing aircraft by adding…