Little Gems
Growth and healing rarely occur in one grand transformation. Change happens bit by bit. In therapy, each insight and emotional shift moves us along the path toward greater freedom.
While a blog is not therapy, here I offer little gems of practical information and hard-won wisdom that I hope might spark something for you — an insight or emotional shift to move you along your own path.
The Dual Process Model of Grief: Permission to Zone Out Sometimes
Instead of moving through grief in stages and facing the full force of our difficult feelings, many of us may feel that we are constantly zigzagging between focusing on our loss, building a new life post-loss, and dealing with regularly, day-to-day demands. This is the dual process model of grief.
Finding Freedom from Our Phones, Part 2
Why we stay stuck in our current patterns, and practical suggestions to interrupt them. Reset your relationship with your phone to one that better serves you.
Finding Freedom from Our Phones, Part 1
Much of the time we end up spending on our phones feels unconscious, uncontrolled, even involuntary.
The Emotions Series: Your Anger Loves You
From childhood, we’re taught that our anger is not welcome, But rather than fear anger as a way of losing our connection to others, let’s honor it as a way to reconnect with ourselves.
When Your Kind of Grief Doesn’t Come with a Sympathy Card
In the midst of wrenching loss, many of us get the message from our culture or from those around us that we’re doing it wrong. Ambiguous loss and disenfranchised grief are both ways that social and cultural expectations add complexity to our grief experiences.
Better Sleep for Better Mental Health
Sleep is indisputably a cornerstone of good mental health. If you have the core aspects of sleep hygiene all dialed in and you’re still struggling to fall asleep, there are a few more things you can try.
Estrogen and ADHD
As estrogen levels (and therefore dopamine levels) fluctuate throughout a woman’s life, the symptoms and severity of her ADHD may change as well. Instead of a “set it and forget it” approach to their ADHD, women may need more awareness of what’s going on in their bodies, more tools, and more proactive ADHD management.
The Emotions Series: The Feelings Wheel
The feelings wheel can help guide us from our general feeling down into the specific experience we are having. And knowing what’s really going on inside can help us see what we might need in that moment.
Practicing Self-Compassion with ADHD
Things will go wrong; outcomes won’t match intentions. In the face of this, self-compassion is essential.
How to Love Someone Well When They’re Grieving
Let’s not let uncertainty or self-consciousness stop us from showing up for the people we love or care about.