Part of what I do as a counselor is help people identify and use their strengths and God-given gifts to improve their mental health. That work is not about pretending everything is fine. It is about seeing what is already working in you, then using it on purpose. How do we find the strengths and … Continue reading How to Use Your Strengths Every Day
Tag: Mental Health Awareness
How We Think About Ourselves Matters
Mindset matters. What do you think about yourself? You are as creative as you think you are. You’ll be as successful as you think you’ll be. You can handle as much as you think you can handle. Most of the time, it comes down to what you think of yourself. Mindset is important... not in … Continue reading How We Think About Ourselves Matters
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
The First Step to Digital Detox
Digital detox is a great topic that many of my clients are asking about, so let's talk about it. Our phones and screens can cause significant distress because they are frequently grasping for our attention. When we turn to them, we can lose touch with reality and the importance of self-care and emotional well-being. About … Continue reading The First Step to Digital Detox
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
Retrain Your Brain and Release Yourself from the Effects of Trauma
My two intentions for writing this article are one, to give trauma survivors a couple of body-based interventions to release themselves from the effects of trauma, and two, to share with you that you can purchase this valuable information for yourself. These train your brain techniques to heal trauma and build resiliency were developed by … Continue reading Retrain Your Brain and Release Yourself from the Effects of Trauma
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)
Exercise, Sleep, and Anxiety: Rewire your brain
Lifestyle habits can have a strong influence on your amygdala. If you engage in regular aerobic exercise, especially exercise that uses large muscle groups, the positive effects on both your amygdala and your cortex can help improve your mood. Regular aerobic exercise can also improve your brain's neuroplasticity, making both your amygdala and your cortex … Continue reading Exercise, Sleep, and Anxiety: Rewire your brain
How to follow through when you’re not automatically good at something
I wasn't always good at weight lifting, I enjoyed it, and knew that it played an important role in my health, but it can be difficult to stick with something until you are good at it. Over the years, I stuck with it, and then I wouldn't, and then I'd get back into it... I … Continue reading How to follow through when you’re not automatically good at something