Mindfulness can improve self-acceptance by helping you stay present focused, connected to your feelings, and grateful. What is mindfulness? Mindfulness is the practice of staying in the moment, of being in the here and now rather than focused on the past or the future. Many of us aren’t fully experiencing our lives because we’re spending …
Try using these 3 tips to stop comparing yourself to others–and increase self-acceptance. How to stop comparing yourself to others. Comparison feels bad. In high school, my older sister was very popular and athletic. I was neither of those things. I realize now that I had plenty of strengths, too, but at the time they …
Growing up in an alcoholic or dysfunctional home After I wrote about growing up in an alcoholic family, I got a lot of requests for additional reading suggestions. We are fortunate that there are many helpful books for Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACOAs) on healing codependency, trauma, and relationship challenges. Below are some of my …
Are you drawn to people with serious problems, who tend to “under function”? Do you feel lonely in your relationships? Do you feel like no one listens to you or no one cares about you? Are you tired of having the same arguments over and over again? Do you feel invisible or insignificant? Do …
Enabling doesn’t actually help anyone. Codependents can learn to stop enabling and controlling by setting boundaries, detaching with love, and managing anxiety. What is codependency? Codependency is a dysfunctional relationship pattern. People who identify as codependent usually play the role of “rescuer” in a relationship with someone who is impaired, addicted, or ill in some way. …
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HARMS is an acronym that I use to remind my clients of 5 key areas to attend to in managing depression – health, activity, relationships, mind, & spirit. Depression is a disease of the mind, body, and spirit. It has the potential to impact all areas of your life — emotions, relationships, physical health, work, and productivity. …
I’m often asked what the difference is between perfectionism and OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). It’s actually a fairly complex question and one that realistically this article will only be able to address on the surface. This article isn’t meant to diagnose any mental conditions and isn’t an exhaustive study of OCD or any other mental …
Spring is a time of new beginnings, growth, and hope. It’s also the time of year to clean out the garage and the closets–to discard what’s broken or obsolete. Like many of you, I have a love-hate relationship with spring cleaning. Cleaning isn’t exactly at the top of my list of weekend fun. But I …
Are family relationships important to you? If so, try using these five ideas to strengthen your family relationships. Everyone I know is busy! It’s hard NOT to cram our schedules to the brim with our kids’ activities, volunteer projects, work, religious services, and social engagements! We all know that it’s easy to let our family …
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Journals aren’t just for teenagers trying to hide their private thoughts from their parents’ prying eyes. Journaling is a helpful therapeutic tool. It’s not going replace mental health treatment from a qualified professional, but it can be a useful addition or way to accelerate your healing. What is journaling? Journaling is a process of writing …
