When a Blue Mood Becomes SAD Now that the holiday season is over and the time for friends and family and togetherness has slowed, we could be feeling more alone than ever. It is important to be honest with ourselves about how we are feeling and what could be contributing to our mood. If you’re…
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Archive for January 2015
Mental Wellness: A Possibility or an Ideal?
Mental Wellness: A Possibility or an Ideal? According to the Psychology Today website (psychologytoday.com), January is Mental Wellness Month. That seems like an admirable cause to bring awareness to, however, it begs the question, what the heck is mental wellness and is anyone actually mentally well? The World Health Organization defines mental wellness as, “A…
Read MoreGetting Motivated
Getting Motivated If you are anything like me your motivation level tends to vacillate from, “I’m super pumped, let’s do this!” to, “Can’t I just lay on the couch one more day?” It is important to understand the things that affect our motivation and how to overcome them. These six factors of motivation will help…
Read MoreHow anxiety, irrational fear, obsessions and compulsions are maintained
How anxiety, irrational fear, obsessions and compulsions are maintained When we experience anxiety, fear, obsessions and compulsions that keep us from being our usual, charming selves, we are curious about “how we got this way?” Sometimes the answer can be obvious, for example, a trauma or the presence of a long-lasting stressful time could be…
Read MoreSetting SMART Goals
Setting SMART Goals This time of year everyone is talking about their New Year’s resolutions and trying to maintain a New-Year-New-Me attitude. While it is important to set goals for ourselves and to strive to be better with each passing year, we must also know how to maintain our motivation [see our blog on motivation…
Read MoreFacing Your Fears
Facing Your Fears Common sense seems to hold that we can best overcome fears by facing them head on. Admonitions like, “If you get bucked off, you got to get back up” encourage us not to give up due to fear. Recently, Jessica Cleveland and I presented a workshop to about forty other counselors on…
Read MoreDid I do something that caused my kid to have this anxiety or OCD?
Did I do something that caused my kid to have this anxiety or OCD? The answer would almost always be “no” to this questions. Some parents do place a lot of pressure on their children. Some are emotionally or physically abusive to their kids and these actions can cause fear or anxiety reactions. OCD or…
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