Consider how you treat yourself after you experience failure. Do you engage in self-criticism, shaming thoughts, or take inventory of your shortcomings or bad luck? Now ask yourself how you would treat a good friend who experienced a similar failure. I’ve noticed, we will say things to ourselves that we would never say to our worst enemy. The reason is most people are compassionate by nature. Most wouldn’t dream of intentionally hurting a fellow human being, yet they will do so to themselves.
Identity: Your Core Beliefs, Values, and Worldview
Personal identity is a tricky thing. We are always growing, always changing individuals. Just as soon as you think you’ve got yourself all figured out, a new situation or life stage begins and you have to get to know yourself all over again. Our identities are often difficult to pin … Read More
Are You Projecting?
Ever heard the saying, ‘Isn’t that the pot calling the kettle black’? It’s a pithy description of the defense mechanism Sigmund Freud referred to as projection.
Projection is the tendency to overlook an undesirable trait in ourselves while attributing it to the people around us.
The Dangers of Comparison
We live in a world where it has never been easier to compare our lives to others. We are probably not even aware of how much time and energy we spend on comparing our lives to others. Social media allows us to stay up to date on what is going on with our friends and family at all times.
Getting Started with Self-Care
Where can we start when we want to start with self-care? The best place to start is with diet, sleep, and exercise. It is impossible to understate how important these three things are to self-care and maintaining your mental health. For example, some research even suggests that diet, sleep and … Read More
Challenging Negative Self-Talk
Internal dialogue often serves as a guide to the appropriateness of our behavior. However, sometimes we can get caught up in a skewed belief about ourselves and then struggle with an abundance of negative internal dialogue. Negative self-talk is a way of applying a label that we have heard or … Read More
Asking for Support Without Receiving Unwanted Advice
Sometimes we need a fresh perspective, a new direction, or some recommendations.
Sometimes we just need someone to listen. Did you know that most people won’t naturally assume that’s what you want? Which means… you’re probably going to have to ask for it.
Four Meditation Myths
Many people know the benefits of meditation but are still hesitant to practice it. Although meditation seems like it should be simple, it can feel difficult for many people. There are many myths about meditation that scare people away from doing it regularly. Included in this blog are some ways to separate meditation myths from reality!
Measuring Your Anger
If you struggle with anger, taking the time to measure your angry outbursts can be a helpful tool. Anger has such a negative reputation because of the way people react when this emotion surfaces. I often tell clients that anger is a signal that flashes across our lives to indicate that something is happening which may be very important in that one moment in time.
Three Steps to Staying Calm
As an “emotional storm” is approaching, negative thoughts may begin to take hold of you and cause intense feelings of fear, anger, panic or loss of control.
You may think things like:
“I’m in danger.”
“I’m trapped.”
“I’m all alone.”