anxiety, depression, digital health, family, gratitude, meditation, mental health, parenting, positive thinking, relationship issues, relationships, thoughts, trauma, young adults, young women anxiety, depression, digital health, family, gratitude, meditation, mental health, parenting, positive thinking, relationship issues, relationships, thoughts, trauma, young adults, young women

It’s Okay to Feel what You’re Feeling

How I first imagined using this time social distancing has had to change and evolve as news and my own reactions have changed (translation: I have NOT cleaned my baseboards). The effects of this pandemic are hitting everyone, and it affects people differently depending on different stages of life, personality types, family structures, socioeconomic status, occupation, living alone or with others, what was already going on in your life, etc.

It’s okay to feel what you’re feeling.

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anxiety, communication, depression, family, forgiveness, goals, gratitude, meditation, mental health, millennials, mindfulness, parenting, positive thinking, shame, therapy, thoughts, trauma, women, young adults anxiety, communication, depression, family, forgiveness, goals, gratitude, meditation, mental health, millennials, mindfulness, parenting, positive thinking, shame, therapy, thoughts, trauma, women, young adults

Befriending Our Ugly Parts

The best way to manage those unsightly parts of ourselves is actually to befriend them. Yes, even that one you hate. Hating ourselves for a certain reaction rarely creates change. 

“Parts” language comes from a therapy modality called Internal Family Systems. We can really get into the weeds on this, but the basic theory is that we all have many parts of ourselves that are performing different tasks for our overall good. The parts always intend well for us, even if their actions seem to backfire. Often these parts of ourselves are working to protect us in some way and fear that if they don’t do what they are doing (pleasing others, being critical, being a perfectionist, acting suspicious, etc.) that something bad would happen. 

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anxiety, boundaries, communication, family, goals, marriage, mental health, millennials, partners of sex addicts, recovery, therapy, trauma, women, young adults anxiety, boundaries, communication, family, goals, marriage, mental health, millennials, partners of sex addicts, recovery, therapy, trauma, women, young adults

What to Expect In Therapy in Dublin, CA

Going to therapy is an investment in yourself and an investment of your time & resources. Before you schedule your first appointment, there is often a time of “Should I go to therapy?...nah, I’m okay, I can wait…” before you actually take the first step. By the time you make the call, you’re ready to do the work. Maybe you’re considering jumping back into therapy, or maybe you’ve never been and have no idea what it’s like. Here’s what to expect when working with me as a therapist so you can get the most bang for your buck:

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anxiety, communication, depression, faith, gratitude, meditation, mental health, millennials, mindfulness, positive thinking, recovery, shame, therapy, thoughts, trauma, women, young adults anxiety, communication, depression, faith, gratitude, meditation, mental health, millennials, mindfulness, positive thinking, recovery, shame, therapy, thoughts, trauma, women, young adults

Growing Healthier Through Self-Talk

Words are powerful. The Bible compares the power of words to a spark that can cause a wildfire (perhaps a metaphor too close to home for us Californians) or a small rudder than can control an entire ship. Whether our words are spoken aloud or only thought, they have a huge impact on our emotions and behavior. Self-talk is the pyscho-babble term for how we speak to ourself (fancy huh?). Whether we speak kindly or harshly to ourselves can have a big impact on how we feel and act.

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boundaries, faith, family, goals, marriage, meditation, mental health, millennials, parenting, positive thinking, recovery, shame, teens, therapy, thoughts, trauma, women, young adults boundaries, faith, family, goals, marriage, meditation, mental health, millennials, parenting, positive thinking, recovery, shame, teens, therapy, thoughts, trauma, women, young adults

You Have the Right to Have Boundaries...really!

Successfully implementing boundaries requires believing you have the right to have them. Maybe you grew up in a family where you learned to ignore your feelings or minimize your needs and the idea that you deserve boundaries seems so foreign, even indulgent. Maybe you think boundaries are awesome for other people, but not for you. Build up your foundation by using the Bill of Rights list. This is a list of 25 personal rights adapted from The Anxiety & Phobia Workbook by Dr. Edmund Bourne.

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