The core of self-compassion starts with treating yourself with kindness, care, and empathy. It involves unconditionally accepting yourself in any given situation. Self-compassion includes a tremendous amount of kindness, to yourself. This allows us to have balance in our lives and accept every situation for what it is, while being nice to ourselves.
Read MoreAre you craving calm? A sense of peace won’t suddenly appear at your door. To find calm in your life, you’re going to have to create it for yourself. Luckily, it’s not hard to do! Start by blocking out a routine time for you. Maybe it’s after the kids go to bed, or on a weekend morning before soccer practice. Make it a time that you will focus on your well-being without distractions. Use the time to take care of yourself by practicing self-soothe. We’ll help you get started…
Read MoreWhen you think of mindfulness, do you think, “That doesn’t work for me”? This perception is more common than you’d think. It’s totally relatable to think that mindfulness won’t work for you because you can’t sit cross-legged, tuning out the world, in a complete internal silence. Here’s the good news: to practice mindfulness, you don’t have to do that at all! If you are someone who also cannot imagine tuning out the world and your daily stressors, try to TUNE IN instead. To truly practice mindfulness is to take notice of the body, thoughts, and emotions in the present moment and without judgment. And one of the best ways to begin a successful mindfulness practice is to practice outdoors. We’ll explain how you can get started…
Read MoreIn moments of fear and panic, you may not know what to do. Your mind is racing, your heart is beating rapidly, and you may start to sweat in response to the intense emotions. You may not realize it, but you have a tool handy at all times to reduce these powerful—and at times, overwhelming—emotions. You don’t need to pack it with you, because it automatically goes wherever you go. What is this tool, this key to soothing fear and panic? It’s your breath. Your breath is your lifeline. It sustains you without you even thinking about it, and it can help you in times of crisis too. Your breath can help regulate your body physically, mentally, and emotionally. All you have to do is be mindful of it. Here’s how it works…
Read MoreWhen you’re battling a mental health issue such as depression or bipolar disorder, it can be hard to maintain proper hygiene. Depression may make it difficult for people to get out of bed and face the day, let alone shower and brush their teeth. On the opposite end, anxiety and OCD can cause people to obsess over hygiene on a daily basis. But what role does hygiene really play with our mental health? How important is it to set up physical hygiene check ups with ourselves? And how can we strike a healthy balance with hygiene in our lives? Let’s explore…
Read MoreIf you struggle with anxiety or if you have ever felt overwhelmed, you may know some tricks to calm yourself down. A common tactic is to hold your hand over your chest and apply pressure, which reminds yourself to stay grounded and acts as a soothing gesture. If you’d like to amplify this calming affect, try using a weighted blanket! Weighted blankets can be very helpful to people who struggle with anxiety, panic attacks, sensory overload, and more because they are a form of pressure therapy. Applying pressure to your body, like when you hold your hand on your chest, contributes towards feelings of calm. Here’s some additional information on weighted blankets and their benefits…
Read MoreAre you struggling with the demands of the ongoing pandemic? Do changing guidelines, reinstated mandates, and other COVID updates have your head spinning? Well, you aren’t alone. With new cases of COVID causing closures and limiting travel once again, it may feel as if your emotional reserves are running out of gas. In fact, you may be dealing with COVID burnout. Here are some tips to help you stay afloat during this challenging time…
Read MoreIt’s that time of the year again! Our schedules are jam packed with plenty of to-do’s like gift lists, travel plans and family gatherings, amongst others. For some people, it can be an exciting and joyful time. For others, it can be a very stressful time that causes a sense of overwhelm. Regardless, setting up expectations beforehand can help ease the potential stress of the holidays. Here are some tips…
Read MoreDo you feel like life is busier than ever before? Are you spending so much time on family, work, and other high-priority items that you forget to make time for yourself? When things are stressful, you may put yourself on the back burner. However it’s important to recognize the importance of maintaining a healthy well-being. Take care of yourself (even when things are busy!) by practicing self-care. Here are some suggestions to get you started…
Read MoreWhen you think about yourself, do negative thoughts instantly come to mind? Do you put yourself down over every little mistake you make? If you experience thoughts like this, you are engaging in negative self-talk—and you are not alone. Negative self-talk may not seem to be a big deal, but over time, they can make an impact on how you view yourself and how you feel. Your thoughts are powerful, and they will influence your emotions and behavior in the long run. Therefore, it’s important to manage negative self-talk so that you’re avoiding increases in anxiety and negative self-image. Here are some tips for managing negative self-talk…
Read MoreSocial media has become a significant part of our daily lives, as we check apps like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok on a daily basis. While there are many positive aspects of social media, there are drawbacks to these platforms as well. Social media can affect our mental health; when we compare ourselves to others and see how much happier other people appear to be, it can make us feel depressed or anxious, among other feelings. That’s where self-care comes in to combat the negative effects of social media. If the content on your news feeds is negatively impacting your mental health, here are a few tips to practice social media self-care…
Read MoreAre 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…
Read MoreAre you feeling burnt out? Are your emotional batteries running on empty? This summer is the perfect opportunity for you to take time for yourself and recharge your emotional batteries. After long days of fulfilling all of life’s responsibilities, it’s easy to forget to care for yourself. However self-care is a key part of healthy living. Making time for the things that you enjoy on a routine basis, even if it’s only for a few minutes each day, will help you to feel better. Here are some tips to get yourself feeling 100% charged again…
Read MoreParenting has its ups and downs. When your children are getting along and they’re in good moods, it’s wonderful. But when one child is misbehaving, or another child’s behavior is out of control, you may naturally feel frustrated, concerned, and unsure of how to respond. While there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to parenting, there are ways to reduce stress and help your children grow. One option is conscious parenting. Conscious parenting is a mindful, parent-focused approach. The central idea is that in order to help your children, you must first help yourself. Let’s learn more about how to be a conscious parent…
Read MoreIs it tough for you to balance having a good time and prioritizing your mental health? Does one have to come at the expense of another? The short answer is no: you can keep yourself busy with plenty of enjoyable experiences while making time for taking care of your health. Here is the key to keeping your focus on both: having fun is a part of self-care. It can become an integral part of prioritizing your mental health. If you need some inspiration to find your positive summer mental health vibes, here are some tips…
Read MoreOften times, perfectionism is romanticized by our society. People are praised for being particular, hyper-detail-oriented, and exceptionally thorough in school, at home, or at the office, etc. While goal-setting and having high standards is beneficial in most settings, there can also be a dark side to perfectionism. Perfectionism can have a negative effect on people’s mental health in a variety of ways. Consider the following reasons as to why striving to be perfect can become dangerous…
Read MoreDid you know that you’ve had five skills to help tolerate distress your whole entire life? These are skills that everyone has at their fingertips, yet many people don’t know about them! All you have to do is integrate your five senses. Through self soothing, you utilize your five senses in order to cope with stressful moments. Instead of looking for comfort externally, it is important to practice and learn how to comfort yourself. This skill can be used in any situation. Whether you’re in an argument with a friend or becoming frustrated with your partner, use vision, hearing, smell, taste, and touch to lower your distress level. Here are some ways to incorporate self soothing with the five senses into your daily schedule…
Read MoreDid you know that changing your body chemistry can help calm your emotional state? When you’re in a crisis or difficult situation (whether internally or externally) your state of mind can cloud your ability to make wise decisions. By learning to tolerate distress, you will improve your ability to regulate your emotions and act accordingly. In the distress tolerance module, the TIPP skill helps to create a bodily reaction lowers your emotional response. By activating your parasympathetic nervous system during distress using TIPP, you’re able to process and respond to your emotions more rationally. Here’s how TIPP works…
Read MoreDo you ever wonder why you sometimes find yourself acting up or lashing out from intense emotions? It’s possible that you’re being triggered by your emotional vulnerabilities. Vulnerabilities are underlying factors that make it more likely for a person to act emotionally. Parents can be especially vulnerable to their emotions because they’re investing more time in their children and less time in themselves. When healthy self-care practices are neglected, it can leave people more emotionally vulnerable. Luckily, learning how to manage these specific vulnerabilities can help you avoid acting in irrational ways. Start managing your emotional vulnerabilities with the PLEASE skills…
Read MoreAre you happy with the body you live in? Do you often criticize your appearance? These are all questions related to body image. Body image refers to your personal relationship with your body, not what you actually look like. It is connected to your beliefs, perceptions, feelings, thoughts, and actions surrounding your physical appearance. It’s more challenging to accept yourself when you have difficulty liking your physical looks. Body dissatisfaction is a common problem; in fact, millions of people struggle with body dissatisfaction or issues with body image. There is good news though! An unsatisfying or negative body image can be changed to a positive one. There are ways to achieve self-acceptance. Here are some tips you can use to work towards a healthier body image…
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