Power of Poetry
The month of April is the National Poetry Month and was created in 1996 to celebrate the importance that poetry–and poets–have in our lives. Poetry’s place in mental health is long and storied, and you don’t have to look hard to find that connection.
Love for Journaling
As a professional listener - a therapist is nothing if not a person that listens, right? – I found the act of writing to be foreign. Not since college had I really written consistently. But all of a sudden, I was being asked by my therapist to start writing.
A Therapist’s Perspective on Telehealth
Therapy is such a sacred experience filled with rituals for many of us. We so often are greeted warmly by our therapist in the waiting room and quickly escorted to their office. While an office is perhaps a room, just like any other, it has a special meaning that is built over time.
Learn Something New Every Day
There is that old adage, You learn something new everyday. Sometimes, this is said in jest, though I earnestly believe that we can take this to a new level of meaning. Right now, we have an opportunity to rethink how we use our time, and our minds, for the greater good.
Loss and Grief
Many of us are no stranger to grief and the many forms that it takes. Loss, similarly, is a term that is applied to many different contexts. While traditionally the idea of grief and loss refers to the death of a loved one, the concept can extend far beyond this.
Coping with Coronavirus in the LGBTQIA+ Community
Lately, it feels like the whole world is talking about vulnerable populations. The elderly, the immuno-compromised, and people with pre-existing health conditions such as diabetes. For the LGBTQIA+ community, the concept of vulnerable populations is anything but new–in fact, it’s a daily experience of living in insecurity for housing, food, and access to mental health care.
The Grateful Mind
Millions of Americans reflect on their thankfulness each year in November on Thanksgiving. It’s a tradition that often involves being surrounded by as many family and friends we can cram into one home. The more the merrier–a saying that rings as true for the food as it does for the guest list.
Paying it Forward
The images of people vying for supplies and food in the aisles of the supermarket, or the short-staffed hospital workers without access to proper protective equipment are etched in our minds these days.
Cultivating Serenity
With many of us stuck at home, it is becoming harder and harder to find the line between healthy boundaries with work, sleep, and play. The dreamy days of going to yoga, or meeting up with friends after a hard day of work seem a distant memory to many of us now.
Beyond Social Distancing: Importance of Boundaries
Given the level of uncertainty recently, it’s felt nearly impossible to avoid a near constant stream of bad news. As we begin to settle into new patterns, I thought it would be helpful for us to address some ways that we can get a head start on upending our usual ways of responding to uncertainty.
Say Goodbye to Unhelpful Worries: Coping with the Unknown
If you’re anything like me, you LOVE certainty. When we are certain about something, we can plan, we can relax, we can enjoy. Yet as you know, life is not always certain. We are unsure of when we will be able to freely leave our homes and interact with others in the ways that we used to, among many other lingering doubts.