mental health
Amanda Gregory, LCPC, EMDR Practitioner Imagine living in a world where you might be killed by a carnivorous wild animal at any moment. Only people who are hyperaware of danger and able to act quickly are likely to survive. This was the life lived by all our ancestors long ago, and they survived with the help of their primitive automatic responses to fear— to run away, to counterattack, to keep very still and escape notice. As human…
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Madissyn Fredericks, Licensed Professional Counselor, Symmetry Counseling In today’s society, the pressure for young adults to be “perfect” seems to be far greater than ever before. With social media so heavily present in our lives, it is easy to get caught up in comparing ourselves to others or wondering how others perceive us. Many people begin to wonder if they are pretty enough, successful enough, smart enough, fit enough, or “liked” enough in the eyes of others.…
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Anne Brennan Malec, PsyD, LMFT, Financial Therapist, Owner, Symmetry Counseling As therapists, we frequently work with clients who engage in a lot of negative thinking patterns. Part of providing clients with cognitive behavioral therapy is to help them deconstruct these patterns and begin to look at events more realistically. Listed below are some negative thinking traps that can befall all of us from time to time. Are you guilty of engaging in any of the following negative…
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Amanda Gregory, LCPC, EMDR Practitioner Do you struggle to incorporate new behaviors into your lifestyle? Does it sometimes seem impossible to change your established routines? If so, you’re not alone. Many people find it extremely challenging to add new behaviors into their daily lives. A former client of mine set a goal of going to the gym three mornings a week. After four weeks, this client had not gone to the gym even once. I could hear…
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Having trouble maintaining your New Year’s resolutions? Once all of the holiday festivities slow down, it can be tricky to settle down to maintain those intentions. It’s easy to throw out all of your goals and kind of get into a “funk,” and getting into this “funk” can make it easy to fall into old poor habits. Returning back to old bad habits from 2017 can make it challenging to keep up with your goals for 2018.…
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As parents, loved ones, and caregivers, there is the natural desire to protect children. When difficult life events happen, such as the death of a family member, friend, pet, or peer finding the words to explain death to a child can be difficult. Of course, this is a difficult topic for adults, as well. So, what do you share with your children? First, you may wonder if your child is aware that someone important has died. The…
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Amanda Gregory, LCPC You can feel lonely in the presence of hundreds of friends and family members, and many people do. Loneliness is your perception of a lack of social connection, regardless of your level of social support or participation. People who spend most of their time alone do not necessarily experience loneliness, just as people who spend most of their time with others are not immune to feeling lonely. The experience of loneliness is more common…
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Madissyn Fredericks, Licensed Professional Counselor, Symmetry Counseling When you are your partner decide to take that next step to move in together, there is usually an initial feeling of excitement. You can’t wait to spend more time together, wake up next to each other every morning, and get to know each other on a more intimate level. While this excitement lasts for a while, every couple eventually settles into their routine and gets comfortable with their partner.…
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As Valentine’s Day approaches, it can be stressful for people with and without significant others to share it with. The culture we live in today promotes the idea that you have to have a significant other on Valentine’s Day to be happy. What about the individuals who do not have a significant other to share it with? It’s simply Single Awareness Day, which is not something some individuals want to be reminded of. What can you do…
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The world unrelentingly asks us to overextend ourselves. Self-care is praised in name, yet too often, we feel selfish or guilty putting ourself first. In a sea of never-ending external demands, it seems paradoxical to focus on one’s self. However, if we are depleted, whether physically, emotionally, or spiritually, our ability to manage life’s complex demands also becomes depleted. Learning to identify basic physical and emotional cues related to hunger, anger, loneliness, and tiredness is a practical…
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