Category: Self-Care

The Imperfect Storm

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Everyone deals with challenges to their mental health. 

At this moment you may not feel lost in a cloud of depression or ready to jump out of your skin with anxiety, but you may be in the middle of a really hard day, or a series of hard days.

Sometimes we are blindsided by a crisis. At other times, the little things just add up. 

Imagine your alarm didn’t go off, you woke up late for work and your kids were crying through the night so you only slept a few hours. On your drive to work, you suddenly notice a large pothole ahead of you. Someone is tailgating you so you can’t slow down, and someone is next to you in the adjacent lane, so you can’t move over.

You make it to work with a flat tire, but at least you’re there, and thankfully nothing stressful can happen at work. 

Within a very short time, your typical daily stress-load has been amplified, and you feel that it’s bey ...

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Posted in:

  • Coping
  • Emotions
  • Exhaustion
  • Practice
  • Self-Care

Tags:

  • Emotions
  • self-care

Self Care in Action

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Self-care is often easier said than done, but a lot of times it can be hard to define what self-care even is. Self-care has become a buzzword in our culture, but the act of self-care is never really clarified. I think this is because self-care is not a one-size-fits-all. One might find running outside to be a great form of self-care whereas I groan when I must do any form of cardio. So where do we even begin? Well, first I want to highlight the many challenges to making self-care a practice within daily life.

For starters, it is important to note that there are both personal and occupational challenges that stand in the way of self-care. A personal challenge towards self-care can simply be a feeling of selfishness. For me, my childhood was always on the move, there was no rest until all the chores were done. If there was a chance for relaxation that moment was plagued by thoughts such as; “Why are you wasting time sitting a ...

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Posted in:

  • Self-Care

Tags:

  • balance
  • body care
  • self-care

Rest and Relaxation (the difference, and why we need them!)

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Springtime always seems to bring with it an energy and a busyness that comes out of nowhere, at least for me! Out of the darkness and chill of winter, life bursts forth, and suddenly I’ve got a million items on my to-do list and a full calendar. Our culture certainly supports this mindset of productivity, and I feel programmed to rate the success of my day based on how many things I’ve accomplished. And yet, in both the counseling office and my personal life, I continue to be challenged to re-examine my ideas about doing and being, about productivity, relaxation, and rest.

As I often discuss with clients (and have shared about here in a previous post as well), taking intentional care of ourselves is so important to our health and well-being. Sometimes self-care looks like meeting a goal or getting something done, but sometimes it looks like taking a day off or doing something we enjoy. Human beings were not made to operate at full speed 24/7 ...

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Posted in:

  • Rest
  • Self-Care

Tags:

  • mindfullness
  • present
  • relaxation
  • self-care
  • stillness
  • stress
  • unplug

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