mental health
If you just had a baby, or you are planning to have a baby, it is important to understand the signs of postpartum depression and the baby blues. Keep an eye out for feeling: Sad, hopeless or empty Crying more than usual with no reason Overly anxious Angry Doubt in your ability to care for your baby Thoughts about harming yourself or your baby Having a baby is SO stressful. Not only are you sleep-deprived, but you…
Danielle Bertini Grief can be a tricky subject to deal with, especially when you are on the other end of it. There can be many intense and painful emotions attached to grief, such as depression, anger, guilt, and deep sadness, and it can be difficult to know what to say or do. You may be afraid of intruding, saying the wrong thing, or making your loved one feel worse at such a difficult time. Or maybe you…
You have likely heard of the terms “introvert” and “extrovert”, and you may even identify with one of those personality traits. The concepts of introvert versus extrovert are widely used amongst people to categorize and understand their personality and the behaviors that come with it. An introvert is understood to be someone who is more shy and prefers to keep to themselves; introverts tend to be over-stimulated in social situations and like more quiet or alone time.…
Matthew Cuddeback, LCSW For many of us a time will come in our lives in which we realize that someone is taking up too much of our emotional real estate. Whether it is a family member, friend, co-worker, or someone else you interact with often, it is important to remember that you get to choose how you interact with them. You have the power to implement more boundaries to better maintain your mental health if you choose.…
Matthew Cuddeback, LCSW One of the most powerful aspects of the decisions we make is when we experience the consequences of our actions. When we make a decision and feel that weight whether the result is good or bad, it helps us better understand the world around us and helps us assess whether we are acting in a way that is healthy for us or not. Consequences are incredibly important to understand, but sometimes we need help…
Danielle Bertini, LPC Just as in romantic relationships, breakups can happen within friendships as well. Why? Similar to romantic relationships, friendships are often an influential part of our lives. Friends are there to listen to us, encourage us, and help us. They can improve happiness, confidence, worth and coping. It is also important to note that many friendships often outlast romantic relationships. All of these factors combined can make it especially difficult to cope with the ending…
Amanda Gregory, LCPC, EMDR Do you feel comfortable feeling and expressing your anger? You might not be, as anger has a bad reputation. We tend to label anger as a negative emotion and at times we even judge those who express anger. Have you heard or used these phrases when someone is expressing anger? They have an anger management problem. They are crazy. What’s wrong with them? This bias and judgment against anger can make it difficult…
Amanda Gregory, LCPC, EMDR Certified In my previous blog, Manage Your Anxiety by Grounding to Your Environment, I explained how to manage anxiety by grounding to your current environment. However, this method may not work for you. You might struggle to focus on your environment, you may be in an environment that lacks sufficient stimuli, or your environment itself may be anxiety provoking. Another option is to achieve grounding by using a physical object. This object can…
Amanda Gregory, LCPC, EMDR Certified Imagine that you are walking to a location that you’ve been to many times. When you arrive at your destination you don’t remember the process of walking there. You were on autopilot, a common occurrence of mindlessness. However, these states of mindlessness make it easy for anxiety to seep in and overwhelm you. The same goes for states in which you are hyper-focused on anxiety provoking thoughts or actions. Your brain cannot…
I work with many clients who struggle with approaching their partners with difficult, yet very important requests. As their clinical therapist, I help the client better understand why they are struggling to ask their partner for their needs and possible coping skills to express their feelings, emotions, thoughts, and needs. I recently read an article from the Mindfulness Muse that touched on this very topic utilizing a Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) technique known as the ‘DEAR MAN’…