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Mental Health and First Responders
First responders work hard to protect our communities and maintain our safety. Their work often involves engaging in very stressful and traumatic situations. They often encounter difficult situations many times a day. Frequent encounters with those struggling with mental health issues can cause compassion fatigue. Compassion fatigue is a mental response to helping others in stress. These encounters can also create misconceptions about individuals with mental health challenges. Misconceptions can create a stigma surrounding seeking mental health support for first responders. Even though a stigma exists, many first responders struggle with mental health difficulties. Reports show 85% of first responders have experienced symptoms of mental health disorders. Depression and PTSD…
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Escaping the Avoidance Trap
When the summer heat made its way into town this year, I was excited about getting to cool off in my above ground pool. But, there was a problem. The pool was a murky, dark lagoon of sticks, leaves, and algae. Plus, it smelled terrible. Now if you are thinking, “How did she let her pool get that bad?” Please know, it’s a question I asked myself many times. The truth is the pool didn’t turn into a murky mess overnight. It was a slow progression over a period of 10 months. It all started with me missing cleaning it once one week which turned into two weeks then two…
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5 Benefits of Premarital Counseling
Deciding who you will spend the rest of your life with is one of the most serious decisions you will ever make. Planning a wedding requires a lot of time, energy, and money to get all of the details for your big day just right. However, planning for an actual marriage goes far beyond the wedding day. If you and your future spouse would like to build a love that lasts a lifetime, consider the following benefits to seeking premarital counseling: Provides an Opportunity to Address Issues Oftentimes, having necessary conversations about serious marriage topics can be uncomfortable and challenging for couples to navigate alone. Premarital counseling is a great…
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Athletes and the Mental Game
Embracing a Mind-Body-Spirit Connection to Create Your Best Performance Why Did I Feel This Way? Not once in my training had I ever even come close to the required swim pace I would need for this race. IronMan regulations give you 1 hour and 10 minutes tops to complete the swim distance or you are not allowed to move on to the bike and run portion. My fastest time as of yet was something like 2 hours. The day before the race, I became completely depressed. Panic and hopelessness were close behind, and shut down wasn’t too far after. What had happened to all the courage I had felt? My…
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4 Ways To Cope With Anxiety
Have you ever woken up and felt anxious? Almost like there is a weight on your chest that you can’t explain? You dread starting the day and want to crawl back in bed and hide from the world around you. Do you find it hard to cope with anxiety? This is the whisper (or yell) of anxiety trying to creep its way in. In my own life and work as a therapist, I have found that anxiety, in some form or fashion, is something many people struggle with. With everything happening in the world, it’s not surprising. For some anxiety is debilitating, for others it is a small feeling that…
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4 Reasons to Seek Couples Therapy
Relationships are hard work. This is often easy to forget in the beginning when the relationship is fresh and new. So often we become involved with others and think that because we love them, that is enough to conquer all. Love is amazing and it is wonderful to be in love with another person. We often forget that relationships live on more than love. We need communication, connection, compassion, forgiveness, and love to make a relationship work. It usually isn’t until we start struggling in our relationship that we realize this. It can be very difficult to accept when our relationship may be unhealthy. This is even more true in…
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3 Reasons to Consider Online Therapy
Have you ever thought about talking to a counselor or mental health professional? If so, then online therapy could be a way to get the help you need from the comfort of your own home. Here are 3 reasons to consider online therapy. This year has been tough. And if a pandemic wasn’t enough, add two hurricanes, winter weather, and life struggles into the mix, and naturally stress levels go up. When everything shut down last year, to help individuals navigate the uncertainty and emotions of this new reality online therapy moved to the forefront of mental health care. Before COVID, online therapy (also called teletherapy) was starting to become…
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Love the One You’re With
When February 1st hits, we know Valentine’s Day will soon be upon us. Walk into any store and you will see flowers, boxed chocolate hearts, and “I love you” cards, reminding us that “love day” is coming. Valentine’s Day is the one day of the year that reminds you to love the one you’re with. Yet, this shouldn’t be the only day of the year that we acknowledge and show love to your partner. Love your partner. Being intentional about finding ways to show your partner they matter each day of the year can go a long way in making your relationship deeper and more meaningful. Unfortunately, as a relationship…
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Online Therapy for Depression
If you are feeling depressed, you may wonder if online therapy is right for you. There are many benefits of online therapy for depression. Finding help can often be the turning point to help you get from hopeless to hopeful. What is depression? We all go through various struggles, losses, or events in our life, leading us to feel down, sad, or overwhelmed. However, depression is more than just feeling down. Depression can change how you think, feel, and act in your day to day life. It causes feelings of hopelessness or despair that won’t go away, inferring with your ability to work, sleep, eat, engage with others, and enjoy…
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Journal Through a Pandemic
When you’re stuck at home during a pandemic, where does your time go? A recent statistic stated the average number of hours Americans are streaming videos through mediums such as Netflix, Hulu, or YouTube is approximately 8 hours a day. Think about that for a moment: 8 hours a day! Kind of shocking right? In fact, Netflix added 15.77 million more subscribers globally this quarter, many of them added after the onset of quarantine. During this time it’s important to spend time unwinding. If streaming the latest video series helps you do that, then that’s okay. However, if you are feeling stressed, overwhelmed, anxious, or depressed, streaming shows can become…
