Category: Self-Care

For one full calendar year today, life as we knew it, has been on hold.

On March 11, 2020 local news stations began announcing the first big changes due to COVID-19. Colleges would begin the transition of classes from in-person to online learning or suspension of classes entirely. News of colleges plans spread among the state, and shortly thereafter K-12 schools followed suit. By March 13, it was no longer safe to visit residential, health care or juvenile centers. Shortly thereafter, restaurants, gyms, coffee shops, hair salons, and many more small businesses were closed. And on March 23, 2020 the first statewide stay-at-home order for all non-essential workers was implemented.

As I write this blog on March 11, 2021, exactly one year since this pandemic struck our mitten state, Nation, and globe, I noticed the presence of one of my first deep exhales since this halt on “real life” h ...

The start of a new year can bring out hope, excitement, and a resolve for personal growth. Often people will enter the year with goals or resolutions. Wellness goals are some of the more popular types of goals. You may want to begin a new fitness plan, lose weight, try to eat better, or work towards mental wellness. Setting goals can inspire you to focus on your future aspirations and work towards that. An important but often overlooked aspect of wellness has to do with setting appropriate, manageable, and attainable goals.

If you are considering coming to counseling, I would encourage you to think about one or two goals for your mental health that you are hoping to achieve from the counseling process. A common goal in the counseling realm is called “emotion regulation”. This is an all encompassing term for being able to control our reactions to situations around us, to display emotions appropriately, and to effectively handle the many stres ...

As the New Year rolls around, many of us are reflecting on the past year and considering what we want to focus on during this next trip around the sun.  As I’ve spoken with clients and thought about my own goals, the topic of holistic, well-rounded self-care has come up regularly.  Self-care is paying attention to and making good choices for your mind, body, soul, and spirit.  Without being aware of this, we risk falling into complacency, remaining stuck in unhealthy patterns, and hindering our ability to live the kind of story we want to experience.

As you think about what kind of life you want to live this year, it can be helpful to separate the areas of your life into different categories in order to properly assess and plan.  Here are seven common categories of self-car ...