By In elementary school, kids are often taught to write about their problems and deepest secrets in journals. As we grow older, though, these diaries get discarded in piles of “childish” things, along with hordes of Beanie Babies, LEGO blocks, and Pokemon cards. It’s a real shame. As a licensed clinical
The Nightly Routine: Why It’s Important for Adults, Not Just Kids
Ah, sleep. Essential for everyone, but elusive for so many people. According to the Centers for Disease Control, one in three American adults don’t get the rest that they need. This chronic exhaustion wreaks havoc on a person– not just physically, but mentally as well. Over the years, there’s been
Mindful Eating: The Beauty in Being Present with Your Food
If you’ve been paying attention to different relaxation trends, you’ve probably heard a lot about mindfulness. That is, the practice of staying present in this moment and taking note of one’s thoughts, feelings, or physical sensations. Mindful breathing is one way to do this– it’s an excellent, evidence-backed coping skill
Beware the Burnout Epidemic: How to Prevent and Overcome Exhaustion
Ask anybody working in a difficult or thankless job: burnout is real. This phenomenon is extraordinarily difficult to cope with. It can set on suddenly or over time. Sometimes we see it coming. Other times, it seemingly comes out of nowhere. Burnout exhausts our resources, leaving us feeling like a
Mindful Breathing: One of the Quickest Ways to Feel Better
Feeling overwhelmed? Do you want to find a quick and healthy way to fight back your sadness or anxiety and get on with the rest of your day in peace? Mindful breathing can help most people get relief in just minutes. It sounds like a bad infomercial, doesn’t it? Mindful
Psychological Stress: Look Out for These 14 Signs
Everybody deals with psychological stress. Ask Joe Schmo down the street how he felt while organizing his wedding, and he’ll probably talk your ear off about how difficult it was. He might rant about sleepless nights, constant fights, and tiredness that just would not go away no matter how much
Anxious About Reopening? 7 Links For Making Sense of the New “Normal”
As I write this post, we live in a very strange time. After fifteen months of a nightmarish pandemic, many parts of the world–including here in the United States– are getting back to “normal.” We’ve eagerly anticipated this moment. Yet, for many, it’s not been as easy as we’d hoped.
Therapy and Writing: Why I’m Better for Juggling Both
Around the time that I turned 18 and my friends went off to college, I started getting the dreaded question. The one we ask far too much to teenagers just stumbling into adulthood: what do you want to do with your life? For me, I’d already narrowed it down to
Go to Sleep: Your Ultimate Guide for Catching Z’s
It’s a tale as old as time. You slip into bed, shut your eyes, and still, you can’t sleep. The later it becomes, the more you toss and turn, dreading how exhausted you’ll be in the morning. Sleep plays an essential role in our mental health. It can dictate our
Feeling Overwhelmed? Look Out for These 11 Physical Effects of Stress
Stress is a normal feeling that everybody has felt at some point in their lives. Yet for something so quintessentially human, the physical effects of stress can be overwhelming. Think back to life in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Don’t worry, I won’t make you think about it for
