Gardening Improves Mental Health

Some people love gardening, they love getting in the dirt, being outside, the cultivating, and the rewards. Our ancestors' ancestors' succeeded through working the land. That positive behavior and impact on our reward systems is there and ready to be used. Even for novice gardeners, gardening improves mental health. Research reflects that there's a possible … Continue reading Gardening Improves Mental Health →

Managing Anxiety and Deciding with Uncertainty

Manage anxiety by deciding with uncertainty. When you're making a tough decision, all you can do is make the best choice for what you know right then and there. Our brains like certainty, we are creatures of habit. We rely on pre-existing patterns that are familiar, which is safe and effortless. Many of our behaviors … Continue reading Managing Anxiety and Deciding with Uncertainty →

Painted Rocks for Inspiration and Positivity

Moraine State Park Bike Path Have you ever noticed painted rocks with nice messages on your walk, hike or at the park? The idea behind painting rocks and leaving them about in nature is for people to find them and to feel inspired or to receive a positive reminder. The person who finds a rock … Continue reading Painted Rocks for Inspiration and Positivity →

Let’s Talk about Anxiety with Sam Becker and Shannon Mick, NCC, LPC

Before we dive into a seriously good conversation on anxiety, here's some background information about Sam and Shannon. Sam Becker Sam Becker Sam Becker, born and raised in Los Angeles, California, is a Mindset Business Coach and creator of Entrepreneur With... After suffering through mindset issues of his own for 10+ years, he finally decided to … Continue reading Let’s Talk about Anxiety with Sam Becker and Shannon Mick, NCC, LPC →

Amy the Amygdala: A silly way to remember the function of the amygdala and how to calm it

What is the amygdala and what does it do? Anxiety comes from two places in the brain. One is the cortex and the other is the thalamus. We receive information about our environment through our eyes and it goes to the cortex and thalamus. The cortex is usually the part of the brain that people … Continue reading Amy the Amygdala: A silly way to remember the function of the amygdala and how to calm it →

Keeping Distance in Our Relationships in Order to Manage Anxiety

https://youtu.be/uB7_8IMdhhY We have ways to manage our anxiety by distancing ourselves from others, which may be a quick way to relieve stress, but the behavior comes with consequences. We stay late at work to avoid our spouse, we might not share our true beliefs with friends out of fear that they will disagree, and due … Continue reading Keeping Distance in Our Relationships in Order to Manage Anxiety →

5 Ways that You Can Set Boundaries without Explaining Yourself

A lot of times we dread or feel anxious about when we need to set a boundary because we feel like we have to explain ourselves or worry that we're going to hurt the other person. These are 5 ways to go about setting boundaries without having to explain yourself and saying them in a … Continue reading 5 Ways that You Can Set Boundaries without Explaining Yourself →

Be Your Own Sunshine: Make changes

"You cannot expect to meet new goals or move beyond your present circumstances unless you change." Les Brown Sometimes you have to be your own sunshine. We can't fully control our environment and what's going on around us, but we can change what's going on within us. Ugly weather, pandemic, dealing with grief, loss, depression, … Continue reading Be Your Own Sunshine: Make changes →

Primary Care Physicians Are Not Mental Health Professionals

Primary care physicians (PCP) aren't mental health professionals although people, myself included, have visited their PCP for a mental health concern. Fortunately, we're moving away from this trend as more people are learning and understanding that they should see a mental health care professional to address their concerns. As a society, we're increasing our awareness … Continue reading Primary Care Physicians Are Not Mental Health Professionals →

Stay Hydrated to Reduce Stress, Anxiety and Depression

One healthy habit that I've been working on is staying hydrated. I'll admit, I'm not the best at remembering to drink water, but I do try. Over the past few months, I've been filling a cup up with water and taking it to bed with me. I set it on my night stand. When I … Continue reading Stay Hydrated to Reduce Stress, Anxiety and Depression →