Consent Preferences

Self Esteem

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CBT-based Strategies for Managing Depression

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CBT-based Strategies for Managing Depression

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) involves using your Thoughts to help manage your Emotions which in turn affect the way you either impulsively react or appropriately respond to a crisis or any situation. This is considered a CBT triangle- Thoughts, Feelings, and Actions. Depression may be described as feelings of "emptiness", "hopelessness", or "sadness". There are many different experiences of depression as there is uniqueness in people. Be aware of the following symptoms of Depression. Depression can show up as bodily and physical symptoms ( aches and pains that don't respond to traditional medical treatments); exhaustion; overeating or having 5 percent weight loss without intending to do so; excessive sleeping or unable to sleep enough; feeling more fidgety. Psychological symptoms include feelings of hopelessness and emptiness, maybe even anxiety. Suicidal ideations are not unusual. Social symptoms involve loss of interest in usual activities and avoiding others.

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DBT- Based Strategies to Manage Anxiety

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DBT- Based Strategies to Manage Anxiety

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) is seeing both sides or in shades of grey in a situation rather than from an all-or-nothing perspective. One of the bases of DBT is using positive distraction strategies. The following are some ideas to manage Anxiety with positive distraction to get your mind focused on something other than what is bothering you.

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Journal with T.I.M.E.

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Journal with T.I.M.E.

The act of journaling has many known benefits for cognition and overall mental health. Journaling helps to reduce stress, set goals, increase overall mood, cope with daily problems, reflect, and increase your memory. While journaling does have these benefits, a lot of times it is hard to know where to start when beginning this process. You may be wondering, what do I write about? While there are no set requirements for journaling because it is an avenue of personal expression and reflection, but seemingly this process can still present as intimidating.

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Intimacy In Relationships: Myths vs. Facts

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Intimacy In Relationships: Myths vs. Facts

Intimacy is a cornerstone of any close relationship. This intimacy can come from many different parts of a relationship and look very different from one another, but they all have one thing in common; trust and vulnerability. Whether this relationship is between you and your parents, best friend, or romantic partner, if it is a close relationship then they know the real you and you trust them not to hurt you with that information. It is here that we let our walls down that would otherwise be up with other people. Having your walls down is the vulnerable state that makes these relationships so strong and meaningful. There are many myths and misconceptions about intimacy that regularly affects the quality of a relationship.

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Creativity & Coping: How Your Imagination Can Be A Great Tool For Your Mental Health

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Creativity & Coping: How Your Imagination Can Be A Great Tool For Your Mental Health

Humans are among a very small percentage of creatures that have the documented capacity to imagine vivid and complex ideas. We can engage in fun fantasies like driving our dream car, traveling to exotic locations, and finding our true love in the most romantic way. We can also imagine worst-case scenarios like our heaviest concerns for the day coming to pass, imagining coming face to face with a specific phobia, or picturing exactly how that argument with your partner will play out later.

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Take a Break!: Tips on taking a mental reset after a stressful day

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Take a Break!: Tips on taking a mental reset after a stressful day

After a stressful day it can be difficult to turn off our negative thoughts and feelings. It can be easy to bring stress home after a long day at work, an argument with a friend, or whatever it may be that brought you down. It is important to take care of yourself after a stressful day by checking in with yourself and allowing a mental reset. Taking a mental reset can help in better managing your stress and not allowing it to continue the remainder of the day into the next. The following are ten tips and strategies you can use to help unwind after a stressful day:

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Valuing Your Values

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Valuing Your Values

This may seem like a silly title. How can a person do anything but value that which they identify as valuable to them? It is true that many people make time and commit energy to the things they hold in the highest regard such as family, relationships, success, education, etc. However, like so many things, this can become an unconscious endeavor and your values can easily fall away from your focus as you find yourself building different routines. If one is neglecting their values, they may be unconsciously reinforcing depression, anxiety, grief, or anger. So how do we interact with our values in such a way that our lives feel meaningful and our goals are effectively achieved?

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Care in 2022: Self-Care Techniques As We Grow and Learn

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Care in 2022: Self-Care Techniques As We Grow and Learn

We hear the term self-care often. With many stressors in our personal lives and around the world, impacting all of us, the idea of self-care is even more prominent as the world changes and shifts. You have probably heard about many strategies to cope, such as: taking a walk, taking a nap, writing down positive thoughts and others. Let’s explore additional self-care strategies you might try.

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New Year New Goals: Setting New Years Goals on Your Own Terms

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New Year New Goals: Setting New Years Goals on Your Own Terms

New Years resolutions are part of celebrating the new years for some people. Making a list of goals and a plan to start on the 1st or the first Monday after the New Years is the usual norm. Rather than making a list of new goals this year, how about trying a different way to contemplate your goals and having a way to gauge your goals?

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G.R.A.P.E.S. for Depression: When Life Gives You Lemons, Make G.R.A.P.E.S.

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G.R.A.P.E.S. for Depression: When Life Gives You Lemons, Make G.R.A.P.E.S.

Grapes are nutritious and delicious, however we are referring to the acronym G.R.A.P.E.S. commonly used to address and combat depression. Symptoms of depression often include having feelings of sadness, even hopelessness, and lack of motivation. During times of depression, it can be helpful to follow these guidelines with the help of the following acronym, and to practice these regularly to reduce the possibility of experiencing depressive symptoms.

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Navigating Therapeutic Support: Strategies to Support Growth Between Sessions

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Navigating Therapeutic Support: Strategies to Support Growth Between Sessions

During a therapy session you have the space to talk about your emotions and stressors, confront your problems, and be provided with helpful feedback to support positive changes. The time spent in a therapy session can feel empowering, but this is only a small portion of your week. There are 168 hours in a week, less than one of those hours are spent in therapy. A common misconception is that attending your weekly therapy sessions is all that is needed, but the time in between therapy sessions also holds an important space to continue to progress. So the real question is, what do you do in the time in between therapy sessions? While there is not an exact science or formula that is guaranteed to work, the following are helpful tips and ideas to help you in between sessions.

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Grounding Oneself: Coping Strategies to Reduce Anxiety

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Grounding Oneself: Coping Strategies to Reduce Anxiety

Symptoms of anxiety consist of both physical and mental symptoms, which oftentimes can feel incredibly overwhelming and difficult to manage in the moment. While there are many different techniques and tricks to combat these symptoms, a helpful group of skills fall under grounding techniques. Grounding techniques work to bring awareness to the present moment and what is happening in the world around you. These help to distract from anxious thoughts and symptoms. In bringing awareness to the present moment, it can provide feelings of safety and create a space between you and your feelings of anxiety. Grounding techniques can include both physical and mental techniques to provide distractions. The following are examples of grounding techniques that you can begin to use and practice.

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Valuing Your Values

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Valuing Your Values

This may seem like a silly title. How can a person do anything but value what they identify as valuable to themselves? It is true that many people make time, and commit energy, to the things they hold in the highest regard such as family, relationships, success, education, etc. However, like so many things, this can become an unconscious endeavor and your values can easily fall away from your focus as you find yourself building different routines. If one is neglecting their values, they may be unconsciously reinforcing depression, anxiety, grief, or anger. So how do we interact with our values in such a way that our lives and goals feel effective and meaningful?

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Positive Mindset: Mindfulness Techniques for Stress Management

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Positive Mindset: Mindfulness Techniques for Stress Management

Being mindful is about remaining in the present moment and being aware of your current surroundings, thoughts, emotions and feelings. It is a practice often used in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy but also across different types of therapies. Read on for ways that mindfulness can support your overall wellbeing, particularly when it comes to managing stress.

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Talk To Me: Differences in Communication Styles & How This Impacts Relationships

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Talk To Me: Differences in Communication Styles & How This Impacts Relationships

Do you ever realize some conversations that you walk away from end on a positive note, where others can feel daunting and discouraging? To break this down, everyone has a unique way in which they communicate and express themselves to others. It is important to be aware of how you communicate with others because it can make it easier in navigating conversations. These habits impact how others perceive you and your needs. There are four basic types of communication styles, all of which can promote different outcomes of a conversation.

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G.L.A.D. Technique: An Engaging and Effective Grounding Skill for Depression and Anxiety.

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G.L.A.D. Technique: An Engaging and Effective Grounding Skill for Depression and Anxiety.

When one is feeling depressed and anxious, the G.L.A.D. technique is a grounding skill one can use to be more mindful in the moment and to experience positive distraction until strong negative emotions pass, as to reduce the possibility of impulsive reactions as impulsive reactions may not be an effective response in the moment. Try this practice out daily in order to notice positive shifts daily.

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Harnessing the Power of Your Habits

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Harnessing the Power of Your Habits

I don’t know about you, but sometimes throughout my day, I have a moment where I stop and think about what it is I am doing because part of me does not remember making the decision to do it in the first place. Some of these behaviors or actions I find myself doing are productive, some are neutral, and some are ones that I wish I didn’t do as much, especially without thinking about it. According to the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, about 43% of what most people do every day is out of habit (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol. 83, No. 6, 2002). This is almost half of your daily life decided for you based on routine. Once again, if you are anything like me, there are parts of that 43% that I would rather be different, so here are some tips to better understand how habits work.

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Wishing Love and Kindness to the World= Your Increased Quality of Life

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Wishing Love and Kindness to the World= Your Increased Quality of Life

Having challenges with your quality of life can come from many sources. When you take what happens to you and combine it with your reactions (thoughts, feelings, beliefs, choices, etc.) you get the formula for your quality of life. Most of what happens to us lies outside of our control, which can influence thoughts and feelings we often feel initially, in new situations. However, it is important to understand that the subsequent thoughts and feelings we have, and the beliefs they form, are very influential on our overall quality of life. It is here that a skill referred to as Loving Kindness was developed from eastern meditative practices as a way of reducing stress-reinforcing beliefs and improving overall quality of life.

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Flourishing Into Fall

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Flourishing Into Fall

Flourishing is a term within the field of positive psychology that focuses on a multi-dimensional, complex approach to what true wellbeing and happiness look like. There are a lot of factors that make up flourishing, from personal development, self-love, self-awareness, financial freedom, and more. You might experience flourishing when you are trying new things, exploring a new hobby, and spending time with loved ones. Flourishing isn’t just one of these areas, it’s focusing on all of these pieces of the puzzle; a complete picture of wellbeing and happiness.

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Coping for All Occasions: Why a Self-Care Tool Kit Is Crucial

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Coping for All Occasions: Why a Self-Care Tool Kit Is Crucial

We know we all need to engage in self-care. It makes us feel good, it helps us destress, and we know that there are long-term benefits for our mental and physical health. However, in difficult moments, it’s often difficult for our brains to remember all the self-care activities we know as our nervous systems take over and attempt to fight or flee. Thus, developing a self-care toolkit for any moment can be helpful. By having these on hand, you can use them anytime you feel stress or need something to help you regroup.