Working with human nature, not against it.
Most people have heard of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) but a lot of people have never heard of Complex PTSD. The type and length of the trauma is generally what differentiates them. Let’s discuss some more specifics about what makes them different. With both PTSD and CPTSD, it starts with a traumatic event,...
People use the terms panic attack and anxiety attack interchangeably, and although they may appear to be similar, they really are very different. You might mistake a panic attack for an anxiety attack (in someone else, or yourself) if you are not aware of the differences in their causes, symptoms and impact, so let’s...
Vacations are supposed to be relaxing, but if you’re reading this, you know that going on vacation involves stress. Sometimes it’s stress before, during and/or after. But you can take action and cut down on the stress. Let’s break this down so you can get ahead of the curve and actually relax on your...
Every year as summer comes to a close, we transition into fall and then immediately into the holiday season. It seems to happen pretty quickly and for some people it is exciting and they thrive on the energy and hustle and bustle but for others, it can be a stressful time that they would...
Hard conversations make everyone sweat a little. Especially if there weren’t great examples for how to handle hard conversations growing up. So, because they’re unpleasant, it’s tempting to try and avoid them. But ultimately, sometimes not having the conversation requires more work than actually having it. Let’s talk about why this is true and...
If you’ve read self development books, been to therapy, studied psychology or follow emotional intelligence, therapy or trauma informed accounts on social media, chances are you’ve developed a good deal of self awareness about your “stuff”. We’ve all been handed experiences or circumstances in our lives that are traumatic or deeply challenging in some...
If you find yourself being long winded, can’t fit your written response into the allotted space, you use lots of parentheses when you write, you find the need to explain every no or if someone double texts or emails you because you didn’t respond… this blog is for you. Over-explaining can be used to...
Being emotionally drained and physically drained sometimes feel the same but they are not! Because they are not the same, we are often left wondering what’s wrong. We ask this question because being THAT tired and overwhelmed doesn’t make sense when you add up all the “activities” or “requests” that are happening. I first...
When I first started practicing as a therapist, many people that reached out for therapy were in crisis. They were in dire need of help. We saw people in our practice who were dealing with intense depressive or anxiety symptoms, severe trauma, life crises and intense substance use. I’m so grateful people did reach...
In our last post we discussed nervous system regulation and how it can impact your mental and emotional health. Now let’s cover how to support your nervous system and develop habits to cope before stressful situations occur. How to Know your sympathetic nervous system is activated If you pay close attention to your...