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Understanding Bipolar Disorder: Causes & Symptoms
Bipolar disorder (previously referred to as “manic depression”) is a mental health condition characterized by extreme mood swings. Someone’s mood can shift from extreme highs (mania or hypomania) to extreme lows (depression). The frequency of these shifts varies from one person to another. What Causes Bipolar Disorder? Researchers are still trying to determine exactly what
Walk and talk therapy nature’s healing power
For as long as there have been human beings on this planet, there have been people who took a walk when they were feeling a strong negative emotion. There is just something so beneficial about walking. It seems to calm us down and clear our head so we can think from a calm and logical
Nature Informed Therapy
We have evolved with the land and with the space around us. Nature informed therapy is not a new concept. Not when you consider, that for as long as humans have been walking this earth their has been a connection to the environment. Our modern day world has taken much of us away from this
How Counseling Can Help With Big Life Changes
They say there are only two things in life you can count on: death and taxes. I would add a third: changes. Every person goes through changes in life. And some of those changes can be significant. Whether you are graduating, starting a new job, moving to a new city, or ending a relationship, you
Does the gender of your therapist matter?
Often people will ask whether it would be better to see a male or female therapist. Other times, it is seen as something irrelevant and too demanding. But for many people, the gender of your therapist will and does matter. Why? Because whomever you choose to work with needs to be someone you feel comfortable
Faith and Mental Health-Why Therapy is still important
The relationship between faith and mental health is a complex one. Without question, an individual’s personal belief system is a profound way to cope with life’s challenges and adversities. Belief in a higher power is essential to a person’s mental health and overall well-being. But if someone has a strong religious faith or spiritual life,
How to Regulate your emotions with mindfulness
Life has been beyond challenging for most of us the last couple of years as we’ve dealt with a global pandemic and subsequent lockdowns. And just when we thought we were all out of the woods and life was back to normal, we now find ourselves facing sky high inflation, a recession, and the threat
How To Stop Beating Yourself Up
When was the last time you heard from your inner critic? You know, that voice in your head that constantly judges you, puts you down and compares you to others. The one that tells you you’re not good enough or smart enough and says things you would never dream of saying to another person. Now you may
Getting Your Inner Spark Back: 5 Tips to Loving Yourself Again
We are born knowing that we are infinitely lovable. Babies and toddlers demand love and attention. They ask to be held, they ask for toys and presents and they feel they deserve them. When we’re very young, we simply somehow just “know” that we are amazing and deserve nothing but goodness. But then something happens…
How to Practice Self-Compassion
Most of us from a young age are taught how to be kind, considerate and compassionate toward others. But rarely are we told to show the same consideration to ourselves. This becomes even more true for individuals brought up in abusive or unloving homes. What is Self-Compassion? Self-compassion is taken from Buddhist psychology and refers
I can’t do Mindfulness…It’s Impossible
If I had a dime for every time I heard “I can’t do mindfulness, I don’t meditate” I’d be rich. If I had a penny for every time I said it well then, I’d be beyond rich. I hear you! Meditation can seem overwhelming, ridiculous, and one more thing to add to an already hectic
What Not to say to someone with oCD
How do you talk with someone that is struggling with OCD? Are there certain things that you shouldn’t say to someone with OCD? Learn some common mistakes made by friends and loved ones.
4 Subtle Exercises to Calm Anxiety in Public
According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, 40 million adults over the age of 18 suffer from an anxiety disorder. If you are one of them, you know how difficult your life can feel most days. When anxiety strikes, the world around us can become a sort of funhouse, only not that much
How to Deal with Social Anxiety after COVID
It has been a very long year. Lockdowns and social distancing have had a profound impact on our hearts and minds. But thankfully, as the vaccines roll out and the country begins to slowly open back up, we are beginning to return to some kind of normal. While many people are jumping for joy with
The Truth About Perfectionism
We live in a society that values things that appear perfect. And I suppose there are things that can be perfect. Architects can draw the perfect straight line, mathematicians can solve an equation with a perfect calculation, and a chocolate cake can be perfectly moist. But as human beings, we can never reach a state
4 Ways to Deal with Social Anxiety at Work
According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, 15 million U.S. Americans, or 6.8% of the population, suffers from Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD). SAD, also sometimes referred to as social phobia, is an intense fear of social situations. The sufferer believes they could become humiliated and embarrass themselves somehow in front of other people.
How To Stop Beating Yourself Up
When was the last time you heard from your inner critic? You know, that voice in your head that constantly judges you, puts you down and compares you to others. The one that tells you you’re not good enough or smart enough and says things you would never dream of saying to another person. Now you may
5 Ways to Get Your Teenager to Talk to You
It’s tough trying to get your teen to talk. Science has shown that the teenager’s brain has yet to fully develop the frontal cortex, which is the area that controls our ability to reason, and to think before we act. As your teen’s brain develops, they’re also learning new things about themselves and their surrounding
Tips to Talking Mental Health with Your Child or Teen
If you or a loved one have been diagnosed with a mental illness, you know firsthand how the diagnosis can impact your life. Mental illness is not only challenging for adults to understand but children as well. With so many myths and misconceptions surrounding mental illness, it’s easy for young people to feel anxious and
What To Do If Your Kid Is The Bully
Bullying has become a national epidemic. According to recent data, between 1/4 and 1/3 of school children say they have been bullied. And, according to surveys, roughly 30% of young people admit to bullying others. While much research has gone into how we can prevent bullying, and many programs have been implemented and tested in schools,
Helping Kids Cope with Divorce
Divorce isn’t easy for anyone, but children can take it particularly hard. Many children don’t understand what is happening and many more feel the divorce is somehow their fault. Here’s how you can help your child cope: Communicate Openly The divorce should be explained in simple and straightforward terms. If at all possible, both parents
What is Positive Parenting?
“Because I said so!!” How many times did your parents say this phrase to you? How often were you spanked as a child? How much yelling was there in your house growing up? It’s safe to say that parenting styles have changed over the years. While spanking may have been deemed okay years ago, most
How to Talk to Your Young Child About the LGBTQIA+ Community
As a parent or caregiver, it can be difficult to know the right thing to say when kids question what we deem to be adult topics. Broaching topics of sexuality can be awkward for both parties, however, it is a necessary conversation to have. When it comes to talking about homosexuality and transgender individuals, children
Seasonal Affective Disorder
Most of us that live in a colder climate prepare for the annual shift in mood that comes as fall begins to meld into winter. The days are getting shorter, the temperatures dropping, and for many moods begin to decline. Some of this is based on the science of sunlight. We know that as sunlight
How to Help Children Understand a Parent\’s Depression
Many parents experience clinical depression each year. As if the disease weren’t enough, recognizing its effects on your children can be quite painful. Studies have shown that children of depressed parents are at greater risk of not only developing depression themselves, but also of poor physical health, problems bonding, anxiety, poor self-esteem and aggressive behavior. Of
Why Most People Misunderstand Depression
Of all the words in the English language, depression must be one of the most misunderstood. Why does this term seem to confuse so many people? Why is its real meaning so hard to grasp? It is because the term has two starkly contrasting meanings, depending on who is using it. Among clinicians, the term
Why Someone Suffering From Depression Can\’t Just \’Get Over It\’
When talking about depression, a lot of people forget that depression is an illness that requires proper attention and treatment. If you’re depressed, it can be incredibly frustrating to hear things like “Just get over it”, “You’re being really dramatic”, “You have to be strong”, “Learn to deal with it”, “Happiness is a choice”. You
How to Lovingly Parent a Depressed Child
Being a parent is the hardest job on the planet. But being a parent of a child with a mental illness can feel unbearable at times. All parents want to do what’s right for their kids, but when your child is sick, either physically or mentally, the desire to “get it right” becomes even more
Why Did I Feel Fine Yesterday? The Causes of Depression
With 322 million people suffering with depression worldwide, it\’s not surprising to learn that in America, depression is among the most common mental disorders. The cause of depression is often simplified as a chemical imbalance in the brain, but the reality is that the disease is far more complicated. Scientific research has yet to completely
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