Using technology to escape or avoid a negative feeling can provide short-term relief, but does not lead to long-term healing or positive coping.  Alternatively, there are many easy and creative ways to take a break and find peace.

While elections are important, maintaining your mental health is just as crucial. By approaching political discussions with empathy, being mindful of your emotional responses, and reducing your exposure to online noise, you can navigate this season with more peace and balance.

“Glimmers” are the opposite of “triggers”. Where triggers cause us to feel unsafe or relive past traumas, “glimmers” cause us to feel a sense of safety, calm, connection, and peace.  Furthermore, looking for “glimmers” promotes healing, resilience, and a positive mindset.  When one asks you “what are your triggers?”, most likely the response comes quickly. “Glimmers” on the other hand, might be harder to access.  As you practice searching for “glimmers,” you will be able to access these small moments more often, leading to feeling more calm and peace in your nervous system.

Our early childhood experiences significantly influence our attachment styles. Being securely attached typically means that during childhood, you experienced protection, presence/support, autonomy, interdependence, relaxation, trust, and resilience from your primary caregivers. While basic needs like food, water, and shelter are essential, emotional and psychological needs are equally important for developing a secure attachment.

Practicing mindfulness before you get to a place of crisis, extreme stress, or an unplanned major life event, can be beneficial as you enter those seasons. You do not have to set expectations that you cannot live up to, instead start small, such as just on the weekends, or 5-10 minutes when you wake up or go to bed, or between classes or meetings. As a therapist, I often begin sessions with a short mindfulness practice as a way to model a new skill, and as a way to stop, pause, and bring calm to the therapy space.

In relationships, emotional flooding is the overwhelming reaction to negativity from partners. Recognizing signs like rapid heartbeat is crucial. Strategic pauses and returning to the conversation calmly are vital to prevent escalation and strengthen bonds.

In the pursuit of avoiding burnout, it's important to prioritize what truly matters to us. This means letting go of the pressure to meet external expectations and focusing on activities, relationships, and pursuits that align with our values. By doing so, we create a more intentional and fulfilling life that contributes to our overall well-being.

As women navigating through all of our responsibilities and expectations, recognizing the signs that indicate a need for boundaries is crucial for maintaining mental health. Watch out for neglecting self-care, wanting to run away from responsibilities, feeling overwhelmed, feeling resentful towards others, avoiding interactions, being unable to ask for help, or feeling burned out.

This mental health reflection guide invites you to delve into your experiences, appreciate your resilience, and pave the way for a mindful journey into the new year.

By understanding what to expect and embracing the process with an open mind, you're setting yourself up for a positive and transformative experience. Change takes time, and the path to healing may have its ups and downs. There will be moments of breakthroughs and self-discovery, as well as moments of challenge and self-reflection. But amidst it all, hold onto the hope that therapy can be a powerful tool for positive change in your life. Know that you're not alone, and with each session, you're taking a courageous step toward a brighter future. Your therapist is there to guide you, support you, and empower you to become the best version of yourself. Embrace the process, and with time and effort, you'll find the healing and growth you're seeking.

While grief is a natural response to loss, it can be a challenging and complex emotional journey. Grief Counseling can provide the tools, guidance, and support individuals need to navigate this journey more effectively and ultimately find a path towards healing and resilience. When we don’t allow ourselves the time and space to process and heal from our grief it is at a risk of becoming ‘Complicated Grief’.

For those who struggle with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), these long, cold months can bring more than just beautiful scenes – they can also bring seasonal depression. Read this blog post to create a mental health plan that helps you not just endure, but enjoy Michigan's winter season.

In our pursuit of being kind and accommodating to others, many of us have fallen into the trap of being passive communicators. We believe that going with the flow and saying "yes" to everything is a benevolent gesture, but little do we realize that suppressing our own opinions and feelings can lead to the accumulation of resentment. Eventually, this unexpressed resentment can cause relationships to break down and rupture. The key to preventing this emotional turmoil lies in embracing the concept that clear communication is kind.

Through dialogue, we can foster empathy, deepen understanding, and strengthen relationships. It is through these sometimes uncomfortable conversations that we have the opportunity to learn, grow, and find common ground.

Postpartum depression is a common and serious condition that affects about 20% of new mothers. It's not the "baby blues" that many new mothers experience, which is a milder and shorter-lived condition. Postpartum depression can be severe, and it can last for weeks, months, or even longer.

As I have been leading crisis sessions in response to the shooting, I am acutely aware that there is little I can offer. Nevertheless, there are a few things that I want to share with you as you prepare to return to campus today.

I know that feeling lonely can be incredibly difficult and painful, but I want you to know that you are not alone in your experience. So many of us have felt this way at one point or another, and it's okay to feel this way. Loneliness is not a reflection of your worth or value as a person. It's simply a feeling that we all experience from time to time. And while it may feel overwhelming right now, remember it is a temporary feeling and you will get through it.

You are loved and valued, and you deserve to experience happiness and fulfillment. You've got this.

In online therapy, you get to be yourself. You can show up with your cozy blanket, your dog on your lap, and your favorite mug full of tea. When you get to know each other, the feeling of being virtual drops away. You can build a relationship virtually with a therapist just as well as in-person.

If you ever think “I just want to be able to spend my money without feeling guilty” or “I just want to be able to pay my bills and have money left over to do the things I want to do” you’re in the right place. Keep reading as we answer the questions we get most and by the end of this post, we’ll leave you with a doable challenge you can take to move in the right direction financially.