Anxiety as a Runner: Why It Shows Up, How It Holds You Back, and How to Finish Stronger

Anxiety can show up even when life looks “fine” on the outside (racing thoughts, a body that won’t settle, or that constant sense that something might go wrong). Whether it’s performance anxiety before a big run, generalized worry that drains your energy, or anxiety tied to past trauma, I help clients understand where it comes … Continue reading Anxiety as a Runner: Why It Shows Up, How It Holds You Back, and How to Finish Stronger

Owning Your Story: How Self-Compassion and Self-Love Lead to Healing

It isn’t always easy to own our story and to love ourselves, but the process of acceptance and moving forward with healing is one of the most important things we can do. It takes courage (real courage) to look honestly at the chapters we’d rather close forever and still choose to write the next ones … Continue reading Owning Your Story: How Self-Compassion and Self-Love Lead to Healing

Three Ways to Improve Emotion Regulation When You are Stressed

In order to regulate emotions, we need to exercise the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) part of the brain. The ACC is involved in emotion regulation, solving emotional and cognitive conflicts (for example, when you feel torn about what to feel or think), and detects performance errors. After someone goes through a traumatic event, the ACC … Continue reading Three Ways to Improve Emotion Regulation When You are Stressed

Exercise, Yoga, and Qi Gong for Managing Anxiety and Depression

I'm going to be sharing with everyone some recent research findings on a few exercise-based therapies for depression and anxiety. Hopefully some of this will be useful. Mental health, which includes emotional, psychological, and social well-being, affects the way that a person acts, thinks, and feels. It is now well-established that mental health issues can … Continue reading Exercise, Yoga, and Qi Gong for Managing Anxiety and Depression

Hyperarousal VS Hypoarousal: Regulate your nervous system after trauma

What is trauma Trauma is a deeply disturbing or distressing experience that can impact people physically, psychologically, and emotionally. The emotional distress following experiencing a traumatic event can be greater than someone's ability to cope. Whether the trauma is a single catastrophic event, like a car accident and a terrorist attack, or a long-term exposure … Continue reading Hyperarousal VS Hypoarousal: Regulate your nervous system after trauma

Build Better Habits: The difference between people who succeed and who fail

Have you read Atomic Habits by James Clear? I recommend this book and workbook to most of my clients. This information is a summary from both books. Towards the end of the article, there are actionable steps that you can take. My clients and I like to walk through the actionable steps together and discuss … Continue reading Build Better Habits: The difference between people who succeed and who fail

Distress Tolerance Coping Skills (DBT)

What is Distress tolerance? Many people try to cope by getting into behaviors that provide relief, but the behaviors can be unhelpful or harmful. Examples of ineffective coping behaviors are drug and alcohol use, gambling, spending money, overeating, and self-injury. We can learn distress tolerance skills to replace the ineffective coping behaviors in order to … Continue reading Distress Tolerance Coping Skills (DBT)

What Happens if I Don’t Know What to Talk about in Therapy?

Don't be afraid to ask your therapist questions. "What happens if I don't know what to talk about in therapy?" is a common question that people are afraid to ask their therapist. Your therapist would be happy to answer this question, and others, so ask away. Let me provide an answer to this one... A … Continue reading What Happens if I Don’t Know What to Talk about in Therapy?

What I Mean When I Ask, “Have You Considered Seeing a Counselor?”

https://youtube.com/shorts/DvVOXdtFF-E?feature=share Thank you for supporting my YouTube channel. When I ask, "Have you considered seeing a counselor?" I'm not saying, "You're so messed up only a professional can help you." What I'm saying is: "Have you considered that you're worthy of an unbiased, safe and productive opportunity to process your experiences?" Has anyone ever awkwardly … Continue reading What I Mean When I Ask, “Have You Considered Seeing a Counselor?”

Worried About Whether You Will Be Able To Handle Potential Problems?

When you are feeling worried about how things are going to go for you, there's one way that you can change that... Ask yourself: ▪︎ Who do I want to be? ▪︎ What quality of presence do I want to bring to any challenges I face? Note the shift that occurs when you go from … Continue reading Worried About Whether You Will Be Able To Handle Potential Problems?