We live in a worrisome time. COVID-19 and all its related concerns — from health to finances to social isolation — has created fertile ground for stress, anxiety and excessive worry. The concerns of life pre-virus have likely not faded away. There are some new trending behaviors, e.g. hand-washing, social distancing, and sheltering-in-place. Daily COVID-related…

Take a scroll through your news feed and you’ll see no shortage of posts about “positive mental attitude.” This can be a good trend but it rarely delves into the nuances of how our minds work. We don’t have a positive/negative switch that can be flipped at will. In fact, if we want to maintain…

We frequently throw the word “depressed” around when we’re feeling bummed out, much like we use “starving” when we’ve had too little lunch to sustain us until dinner. It’s much easier to know if you’re actually starving (and what to do about it) than if you’re actually depressed. Some signs of depression can even be…

“Get over it!” If you’ve ever heard those words, you know how frustrating it is when others underestimate your struggle. Getting over it isn’t as simple as it sounds, especially when you’re facing depression. The journey to recovery can seem like a mountain looming in front of you. Despite the enormity of the obstacle, it is possible…

We’ve all heard the saying “we’re our own worst critic,” and in most cases it couldn’t be more true. Most of us have negative thoughts, and this is normal. Having negative thoughts isn’t the problem, the problem is that we start believing them. Get those negative thoughts out of your head! Here’s how to get…

Christina has always cared deeply for others. As a child, she befriended lonely children in her class. She often encouraged her friends to help her make cards and drawings for classmates who were ill. Now Christina works as a social worker for the elderly. One of the things she loves most about her job is…

Just like happiness or stress, loneliness is a complex state of mind. Loneliness can be the product of any number of conditions in your life; how you feel lonely might look different than it does for someone else.   Whatever the cause or the manifestation of your isolated feelings, loneliness is the alarm that rings…

What Are Core Beliefs? Core beliefs are deeply buried assumptions that guide our behavior, how we see ourselves and perceive situations. These beliefs impact how we feel, how we relate to others and guide our success and satisfaction with life and relationships. Core beliefs are just that, core to our identity. They can feel as…

Negative Self-Talk Impacts Our Mood Our negative automatic thoughts can impact our mood and the way that we feel about ourselves and others. Often, negative self talk results in shaming ourself or others, which leads to further disconnection and lack of motivation. Shaming into action really doesn’t work. Next time you’re having all or nothing…

It’s that time of year again…that time when nearly anything standing still is covered with garlands and strands of lights…when commercials bombard us with images of jovial families celebrating together and somehow not rolling their eyes at one another…that time when websites, magazines, and tv shows put everything in terms of countdowns and lists of…

How to Get Control of Out of Control Thoughts, Feelings, and Behavior We all have one. An inner voice that expresses criticism, frustration or disapproval about our actions – the inner critic. It might sound like, “you should…”, “why didn’t you”, “what’s wrong with you?”, “why can’t you get it together?”, etc. The actual self-talk…