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 …
Depression zaps energy and motivation. Learn how to motivate yourself when you’re depressed using a combination of self-compassion and accountability. It’s hard to motivate yourself when you’re depressed. Karen was having an off day, feeling depressed, and totally unmotivated. You know the kind — when you just feel like crawling back in bed. We all …
Setting boundaries is hard work! You may be wondering if they’re really worth the effort. How are boundaries going to make my life better? What are the benefits of setting boundaries? I can’t promise that setting boundaries will be easy. But I want to share six benefits of setting boundaries. I hope that when you see …
Criticism can hurt, especially if you’re a perfectionist or sensitive person. In this article, you’ll learn effective tips to deal with criticism. Criticism hurts. Nobody likes criticism, but some of us are particularly sensitive to it. Do you take it personally if your boss tells you to be quiet during a meeting? Does it ruin your …
No one thinks about themselves and others objectively. We all put our own “spin” on what happens and sometimes our thoughts get twisted up, distorted, and overly negative. You can challenge unhelpful thoughts, or cognitive distortions, and replace them with more realistic and accurate thoughts using the cognitive behavioral therapy strategies presented in this article. …
If you’re feeling sad on Valentine’s Day, you’re not alone. Valentine’s Day can be a depressing holiday for a lot of people. We all know that we don’t need a special day to express our love or cherish our partners. Valentine’s Day may be a “Hallmark holiday”, but none the less, most people expect their …
Grounding is a simple, quick, and accessible way to reduce symptoms of anxiety. In this post, you’ll learn how to use this anxiety-reduction strategy. What is anxiety? Anxiety is one of the most common mental health problems in the United States. Even if you don’t meet the clinical criteria for an anxiety disorder, I’m sure …
Breathing is my favorite strategy for anxiety and stress relief. It’s quick, easy, free, and you can do it anywhere. I’m going to teach you three very simple breathing exercises to reduce anxiety, but you don’t actually need any particular technique to relieve stress. You can simply slow down, breathe deeply and fully. The additional …
Learn how to stop people-pleasing and start speaking up for yourself. Codependency and people-pleasing can cause you to “lose yourself” when you try to please and appease others. Kyle is a classic people-pleaser. He’s been dating Lucy for four years and hopes to marry her. From the beginning, Lucy has been clear that she wants Kyle to attend church …
6 Problems with People-Pleasing (and How to Stop People-Pleasing) Read More »
Our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are interconnected. But sometimes our thinking isn’t helpful or accurate. In this post, you’ll learn about common types of cognitive distortions and begin to identify your negative, automatic thoughts. What are cognitive distortions? Cognitive distortions are also known as thinking errors, thinking distortions, irrational thoughts, distorted thoughts, and negative automatic …
