Tag Archives: life

May!!!

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This month is Mental Health Awareness Month. Small Steps. Big Impact.

Read more: May!!!

Some days may be more difficult than others. All you can do is make the next best choice. Whatever that is for you. I think we all do the best that we can with the information we have at the time. Sometimes that means only being able to do the bare minimum on activities of daily living and that is okay. In fact, it is okay to not be okay sometimes! I know, shocking right, in a society where one may be expected to work 40+ hours, be present with family, engage in social events, fitness, and keeping the body nourished all without slowing down. Breathe.

Overwhelm can be described as trying to spin too many plates on sticks at once. This month, if overwhelm creeps up, or any emotion gets too intense, I highly recommend feeling it. What does that mean? Experience the sensations in the body that go along with the feeling. For example, when some folks get anxious the stomach can feel like one has butterflies or the chest can seem tight. Noticing these sensations and noticing them shift is processing. To feel it is to heal it I think someone once said. This is different than stewing. Sitting in unnecessary anger is only going to increase one’s internal distress. For anger, it is okay to avoid the person/place/thing that elicited that emotion for at least 30 minutes to reduce the intensity of the emotion before proceeding mindfully. Try not to go more than 24 hours when using avoidance skillfully as that can be a slippery slope into sweeping things under the rug (not advised).

One tip I’ve learned over the years it to picture a light, like you know how a copy machine has the light that scans the document? You can imagine a light scanning your body and you can go head to toe or toe to head, whichever you prefer. This is called a body scan. Notice the sensations and notice they will pass. Emotions are temporary. They will pass. Well, if you choose to feel it. Choose to shove it down, and it may persist for days, weeks, months or even years.

Mental health matters. You matter. Whether you believe it or not. Try taking the next small step that will make a big impact for you, whatever that it.

See below for a pdf that has a day to day by TherapyAppointment of what you can do this month to take small steps that have a big impact.

Check out my Podcast on YouTube, Spotify, or where ever you listen. New content weekly.

TAMentalHealthAwarenessMonthDownload

Exploring Emotions Series

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Knowing what we are feeling is healthy and necessary. Only by experiencing our emotions can we regulate them effectively. Stuffing or bottling up feelings can lead to explosions. I think of it like a soda bottle that is shaken up and opened quickly, it explodes everywhere! As humans, we do not have the option of whether to get shaken, it will happen, and we must find a way to release our emotions slowing to avoid an explosion.

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“Unplugging” – 4 Benefits

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We spend countless hours in front of some sort of screen or listening to electronics. Myself included, right now I have Hulu on, I am on my computer and my phone is at the ready right next to me. If I am not careful, almost all my waking hours will be filled with technology. With the abundance of technology, it takes effort to find time to unplug from it all. Below are four benefits I have found in taking the time to get away from technology sometimes. Continue reading

Three Relaxation Techniques That Can Smooth a Transition in Life

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It is your first day at your new job. You walk in and get introduced to everyone in the office, knowing you will not remember their names. The boss shows you to your work area and you see the plain, empty desk ready to be piled with mountains of work. Within the first week you are already swamped and worried about asking too many questions. You begin to question your fitness for this job. Maybe even start questioning your chosen career field. Continue reading

Three Relaxation Techniques That Can Smooth a Transition in Life

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It is your first day at your new job. You walk in and get introduced to everyone in the office, knowing you will not remember their names. The boss shows you to your work area and you see the plain, empty desk ready to be piled with mountains of work. Within the first week you are already swamped and worried about asking too many questions. You begin to question your fitness for this job. Maybe even start questioning your chosen career field.

Don’t let this be you. By using three simple relaxation techniques, you can eliminate a mountain of stress in your new job. Any big change is going to be stressful, but how you respond to that stress can make or break you.

1.     Take three deep breathes.

Deep breathing is what I hear a lot of exasperated sighs about. People say “it doesn’t work for me” or “it makes it worse.” If that is the case, then it is not being done correctly. When you take a proper diaphragmatic breath, you stomach should expand more than your chest and contract when you release. I will not get into the nerve your diaphragm wall presses on or the chemical reactions in the brain, but this is a biological process. This is not hocus pocus or hippie breathing. Deep breathing and counting can smooth those hectic first few weeks at a new and demanding job.

2.     Go for a walk.

This is another biological process as well as a psychological one. Simply removing yourself from your surroundings allows you to regroup your thoughts and get focused for the next task. Whether you walk around the office or run up and down the stairs, your breathing will change, your thoughts will change, and your stress will lower.

3.     Bring your favorite scent to work.

Our brains respond to certain scents and can evoke an emotional response. In a high stress environment, bringing in your favorite smell can activate your calming response and lead to a relaxing and peaceful workplace. I usually do this in the form of lotion. It does not have to be an overpowering smell that the person across the hall can taste, just something subtle that you notice and brings a smile to your face.

Stop the stigma

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Dr. Seuss provides simple but meaningful sayings in all of his work. I try to remind myself of this in all areas: mind, physical, soul, financial, education, etc.

I was listening to one of Dave Ramsey’s podcasts today where he talked to millionaires that told their stories of how they got there. One man described how he went from homeless to millionaire in the course of his adult life. The main thing everyone kept coming back to was focus.

Whatever your goal, stay focused and motivated and you can lose that 20 pounds, get that raise, get a degree, find that peace of mind. If you don’t have a goal, that’s when you should make one.

Paths can be found in therapy if you are stuck in any area of life. I have been to therapy and I am a therapist. There’s no shame in talking about everyday problems or not so everyday things. There’s no shame in therapy.

Share to stop the stigma.

Evolving Into The Solution Focused Brief Therapy Mindset

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Prior to meeting anyone in the field, my understanding of Solutioned Focused Brief Therapy was that it is a modality. That’s it. I honestly did not know what to expect. Arriving in Colorado for the SFBT Training with Teri Pichot, I noticed awesome new landscapes that I had never experienced before. My hope for SFBT is that it would be one more tool in my box of therapy knowledge. I thought it was right alongside Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, etcetera. I was WRONG. This new type of therapy is much more than just another way of therapy, it is a new way of thinking and approaching consumers.
Most clinicians are taught from a problem solving point of view, this is also true for myself. Learning to focus on solutions instead of problems is proving to be very difficult, but I am confident it is doable. I am currently attending the 2016 Annual SFBT Expo, where I am meeting a multitude of clinicians all with their own experiences of SFBT.
The more I hear, see, and practice the principles of SFBT, the more of a reality I see with consumers. Almost fully licensed, (I just have to submit my hours) I have decided the areas of focus I am interested in include substance abuse, trauma, lgbt issues, prison inmates, and life adjustments such as divorce, moving, work stress, weight loss, etcetera.
I am not yet sure how to fulfill all of my interests while working primarily with chemically dependent consumers, but I am determined and willing to work weekends. My best hopes for the next year is to implement the solution focused mindset effectively with consumers and with myself.
“Problem talk creates problems – Solution talk creates solutions”
Steve de Shazer (1940-2005)