mental health
How many times have you woken up in the morning and thought, “I have the flu, but if I do not go into work, my colleague will have to pick up the slack.” Or at night thought, “I really want to stay in tonight, but I promised my best friend I would celebrate their promotion.” This is a very common dilemma that people face every day. As is often the case in our society, putting others first…
I often meet with clients who are balancing many different stressors in their life whether it be with their family, work, friends, school, or perhaps a variety of many different stressors. It can be easy to lose track of things you want to complete in a timely manner, especially if that list grows and grows each day. Procrastination is a slippery slope of adding more stress to your busy plate of stressors. I do believe that some…
Do you live with a partner or roommates and feel that you are the “manager” of the home? Do you feel that you consistently have to pick up after others, or feel that their version of cleaning is not clean at all? Do you feel that you are constantly nagging people to do things around the home? You are not alone! The feeling of being a household manager, and feeling unappreciated for all of the internal work…
When someone is sick, injured, or dealing with mental health challenges, we often rush to offer support. We ask how they’re doing. We offer rides, bring food, and check in more often. All of that matters, but there’s one group we often overlook in this process: those doing the caregiving. Caregivers give so much of themselves that it’s easy to forget they need support too. Caregiver burnout is common and serious. It affects people emotionally, physically, and…
Madissyn Fredericks, Licensed Professional Counselor, Symmetry Counseling When life gets busy the first thing that falls to the wayside is any time we dedicate to ourselves. We stop going to the gym, grab a “quick” dinner rather than a healthy one, put off our hobbies, and may even isolate from friends and family. Over time neglecting yourself and your needs will take a toll on your mental and physical health. When you don’t make time for yourself…
Matthew Cuddeback, LCSW There are many variations and many reasons for the need to say no to people. We often feel uncomfortable saying no because of the various social pressures we feel or because we are taking their emotions on as something we need to care for as if we are responsible for them. However, it is not your responsibility to make sure everyone around you feels ok all the time, especially when it crosses boundaries or…
Madissyn Fredericks, Licensed Professional Counselor, Symmetry Counseling Battling depression can feel like a helpless, lonely, and never-ending journey to happiness. Between the frequent tears, fatigue, and lack of motivation, it can feel nearly impossible to live your life in a meaningful way. Those who struggle with depression find it easy to get stuck in a dark place where it “isn’t worth it” to do things, you are hard on yourself, and feel hopeless. Rather than focusing on…
I recently read an article from FastCompany, “This 75-year Harvard Study found 1 Secret to leading a fulfilling life” by author Melanie Curtin. I work with many clients who are feeling depressed, stressed, or anxious due to their life stressors, so reading an article that touched on the topic of how to live a life with more happiness, joy, and fulfillment really intrigued me. The article references a Harvard Grant and Glueck study that tracked data for…
Steven Losardo In a recent Pew Center research article on marriage and love in America, Geiger and Livingston (2018) combine online survey data from 1990 to 2017 highlighting several multifaceted factors on the way to the altar. Factors such as cohabitation, which is up 29% since 2007, and marriage to someone in a different religious group, which is up 39%, are becoming prevalent. Additionally, now more than ever technology is playing an essential role in the process.…
Steven Losardo You feel it coming, maybe you saw it happen with your dad, you read about it in the media, see it in movies, and you think you might be next. You are scared! The phenomena called the mid-life crisis seemingly rears its ugly head about your age range age (40-50). The good news is the crisis is predominately mispresented with incorrect perceptions and outcomes. Currently, the prevailing narrative will have you believe you will ruin…