Radical Acceptance
By Carolyn Simon, MS, LPC One thing has become clear in the mental health field: the more we try to fight against our feelings and emotions, the stronger and more prominent they can become. We are quick to label our feelings and situations as “good” or “bad” and can take a judgmental stance when it […]
How to Form and Keep Habits
By Carolyn Simon, LPC Recently, one of the most significant topics in personal and mental health care has been habits. Habits make up all sorts of our behaviors and can influence our productivity, movement, health, actions, well-being, stress levels, and more. Many individuals attempt to create new habits and can grow frustrated when they don’t […]
The Two Types of Coping Skills
By Carolyn Simon, LPC Coping skills are a helpful way to provide strategies and relief from common feelings and issues such as anxiety, depression, overwhelmingness, trauma, obsessive urges, sadness, grief, stress, and more. There are so many different ways and skills out there to aid with difficult emotions and can help name, address, and reduce […]
A Gut Feeling
“Trust your gut,” “go with your gut,” “a gut reaction,” – all are idioms which reference to listening to our digestive tract. But do we? And if we are listening, what’s it saying? Researchers have now begun to call our stomach our “second brain.” Within this brain are millions of neurons communicating with each other […]
Attached at the…Neurons?
“Attachment” often gets a bad rap in Western individualistic cultures. We tend to think that being attached or dependent upon others is a weakness that will lead us to be needy or annoying. Thanks to decades of research, we now know this to be false. Having a secure attachment to others allows us to grow […]
Your Body on Stress
Imagine that you are in the middle of the forest all by yourself. You are enjoying the scenery, the sunshine, and the greenery surrounding you. You snap a selfie. You pop some trail mix. Suddenly, on the trail you spot a female black bear and her two cubs eyeing you up. She doesn’t look pleased […]
Vulnerability and Shame
In case you’re the one person left on earth who hasn’t watched Brené Brown’s “Ted Talk,” do yourself a favor and go check it out. I’ll wait…Ok, now let’s talk about it. Since June of 2010, her talk, “The Power of Vulnerability,” has been viewed over 34 million times. Go ahead and add yourself to […]
Rethinking Anger
When was the last time you got angry? Like really angry? What did it feel like in your body? How did you react? We all have a different relationship with our anger. Some of us shy away from it and some of us love expressing it. Some people resort to violence while others turn it […]
Thinking of Seeing a Therapist? 4 Questions to Consider
1. How will I pay for it? Let’s just get this one out of the way as it can be the most important. Therapy can be expensive, but it’s an investment into your wellbeing and overall happiness. Therapists differ in regard to which, if any, insurance plans they take. If you would like to use […]
Surviving Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving. A joyous time for some, but for others, it can be filled with dread. This time of year can bring about feelings of nostalgia, warmth, and happiness. People tend to gather more with friends and family, maybe even attend or host a “Friendsgiving” event. However, for some, this time of year brings about anxiety, […]