Tag: reflection

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 ...

Read more

September is Suicide Awareness Month.

Death is a horrible topic. It shouldn’t exist to begin with. Even grieving death hurts deeply. But what happens when you want it, death? When the beauty within yourself turns ugly and all you know is the ashes of broken life?

Logically, we see suicide as the murder of oneself. It goes against common sense. But more than murder, on an emotional and physical level, it’s a soul’s cry of hopeless desperation.

Why would someone want to take their own life?

 The reasons are a million and one, but it comes down to this, the world is not as it should be right now. And encounters with that brokenness that has reached the depths of who we are and escaping the pain of that brokenness can be consuming.

Suicide is like a volcano; the very core and foundation holds the danger. When a volcano goes off, the effect is not only the ash and molte ...

Read more

The Stages of Change

Do you remember what it was like when you were learning to ride a bike?  How to play an instrument, or drive a car?  The first few weeks and months may have been a struggle, but the results were so sweet!  Mastering a new skill brings a sense of freedom and accomplishment like none other — but there is a process involved.

Many people enter counseling because they are ready for change.  They want to get from Point A to Point B, learn new skills, and write the next chapter of their story.  What some clients don’t realize is that making changes in mental and emotional health and lifestyle is almost never a “quick fix.”  Learning and developing new patterns of thinking, feeling, and behavior takes time.  If you are willing to engage in that process, you can enjoy lasting, meaningful changes in your life.  Here is a brief rundown of The Stages of Change — they ar ...

Read more