How are your Thoughts Influencing your Emotions?

Do you ever find yourself jumping to a worst-case scenario or the worst possible conclusion? Do you ever feel like you are a failure if you received a low letter grade on one test, or received a little negative feedback at work? Maybe you and your partner got into a fight, and you immediately think that they are going to break-up with you? It’s more common that you think for people to experience these distortions in thought, or what’s referred to as a cognitive distortion. Cognitive distortions often lead to stronger emotional reactions than we’d like. Luckily, we have the power to control these cognitive distortions and in turn, minimize our emotional reactions. How can we do this? Let’s dive in…

What is Toxic Positivity?

We live in a culture that boasts “toxic positivity.” Toxic positivity is a belief that no matter what difficult or upsetting situation you may experience, you should maintain a positive mindset. Consider the popular phrase “good vibes only.” While “good vibes” are not a bad thing, “good vibes only” negate all other human experiences that do not involve positive feelings. The phrase makes it seem like negative experiences or negative emotions should be avoided at all costs. As humans, we experience a wide range of emotions; we’re not always happy or positive and that is okay. In fact, it’s normal to have a mix of good vibes and bad vibes throughout the day. Learn more about toxic positivity and what you can do to get through challenges without suffering from the effects of toxic positivity…

How to Practice Gratitude

Are you interested in practicing gratitude? Have you heard about the benefits of doing so, but you’re not sure where to start? Let’s talk about gratitude. Gratitude is actively noticing and appreciating aspects of your life that you are thankful for. It’s sometimes like second nature to focus on the negative. When you think about the negative, it’s easy to forget about the things that you’re grateful for. So how can you overcome that tendency and shift your focus to one of gratitude? Here are some tips to increase gratefulness in your life…

Parenting Without Judgment

Do you ever find you’re hard on yourself as a parent? Do you tend to assume the worst about yourself when the situation unfolds differently than planned? Judgments are FUEL on emotional fire. Although you need judgments in order to stay safe, negative judgments may impact your self-efficacy and how you view yourself in the parenting role. In Dialectical Behavior Therapy, acting non-judgmentally is essential to avoid mistaking your opinions or emotions as facts. Take a vacation from judgment and parent effectively by adopting a non-judgmental stance. Let’s explore how you can identify your judgments and replace them with a non-judgmental, neutral stance…

How Radical Acceptance Can Help Teens During a Pandemic

It’s totally understandable for teens to be feeling heightened emotions lately. The current situation may seem crazy, unfair, or just plain frustrating to your teen. While it’s valid to see things this way, constant negative thinking can take its toll on your teen’s mental health. It can get them stuck in unhappiness, anger, shame, sadness, bitterness, or other painful emotions. Let DBT skills like radical acceptance help you and your teen through this challenging time. Radical acceptance skill of accepting the things that you cannot change. It doesn’t mean that your teen has to like the current situation or agree with it. Instead, When your teen cannot solve a problem or change how they feel about the problem, encourage them to try acceptance as a way of reducing their suffering.

Eight Summer Songs to Cheer You Up

Summer is the time of year to get outdoors and enjoy some well-deserved downtime. Sometimes, the free time and changing family schedule can make you feel depressed. If you feel down or bored this summer, try listening to Buzzfeed’s playlist of uplifting songs from over the years. Here are some suggestions...

Seven Ways to Cultivate Gratitude

Some definitions of gratitude are "a feeling of appreciation or thanks" or "the quality of being thankful." Human beings were originally created to survive, with a built-in fight or flight response, therefore we aren't hard-wired to be grateful. Studies show that practicing gratitude can have a very positive effect on our health, happiness and social lives. Here are seven simple ways to cultivate gratitude in your life today...

Is Your Thinking Causing Your Negative Results?

A self-fulfilling prophecy = a prediction bound to become true as a result of behavior caused by its being expressed. Read on to see if your thinking could be causing your own negative outcomes....

Helpful Tips