A Guide to Building Intrinsic Motivation in kids.
Building intrinsic motivation is likely what you would love to accomplish but have likely never had the information to know how to do so. Parenting books often focus on extrinsic motivation, which teaches kids to complete tasks for an external reward or because someone else wants them to do it. Intrinsic motivation is the best […]
9 tools for building resiliency and happiness.
Resiliency is the capacity to withstand and to recover from difficulties.Happiness is a combination of enjoyment, satisfaction, and purpose.Building your resiliency can lead to greater satisfaction in life and aid in the process of creating overall happiness. Mindset shift for building resiliency and happiness. Mindset is a big component to building resiliency and happiness. Use […]
The how-to guide to resetting your nervous system.
When you experience chronic stress, your nervous system starts to malfunction. Chronic stress will require resetting your nervous system to help alleviate all the physical and mental symptoms elicited by stress. A stressful event activates the sympathetic nervous system which triggers the fight or flight response and pumps cortisol through your body. That cycle is […]
Stop underestimating the impact of stress on your physical and mental health.
Has your doctor ever said, “all your tests look normal, it’s probably due to stress.” And you’re thinking “uh yeah right, there is something seriously wrong here.” Well chances are you are both right. There is something seriously wrong, and it is likely due to stress. The impact of stress on your mind and body […]
Establish boundaries in adult relationships with these 5 boundaries.
If you missed my previous post on boundaries in adult relationships, you can read it here. If you identified with any of the 7 signs that you lack boundaries, please keep reading. I will first identify the 5 types of boundaries in adult relationships before I cover how to establish boundaries in adult relationships and […]
Setting boundaries in adult relationships: 7 signs you lack boundaries.
When you hear the word “boundaries” do you get an uneasy feeling in your stomach? Or maybe you start to get fidgety and uncomfortable. In my work, I have found that conversations about boundaries are often avoided. It is often a brushed over topic with my clients. They know they struggle with setting boundaries in adult […]
Meditation and mindfulness: the key to finding peace and joy.
For most of us, when we hear the words meditation and mindfulness we think, “uh no thanks.” Or “I don’t have time to just sit and do nothing.” Or maybe “I spend all day trying to avoid my thoughts, why would I voluntarily sit with them?” I too am at fault for not taking the […]
8 signs you are running from your emotions.
Why you are running from your emotions. There are a couple different things that play here. One being that you may not have been taught emotional awareness and proper emotional regulation tools so when you feel strong emotions, you may get overwhelmed and try to push them away by any means possible. The second piece […]
Your emotions have something to say. It is time to listen.
Your emotions are like your own personal traffic signal. They inform you about a situation and guide your behavior. For everything. I often hear, “I didn’t feel anything, I just did it.” Or “there wasn’t a feeling, just the thought to act.” Sorry to disappoint all of you logical thinkers, but there is an emotion […]
Why you need to regulate your emotions.
What is emotional regulation? Emotional regulation is the ability to acknowledge what you are feeling and identify appropriate tools to process the emotion. The ability to regulate your emotions is one of the most important tools for you and for you to teach to your kids. If you cannot identify what you are feeling, then […]
10 ways you can improve your mental health.
Lets be honest. Taking care of our mental health generally gets the back burner when life gets busy. Sometimes it is not always possible to carve out time to journal, meditate, go for a quiet walk, or just sit in the bathroom alone without little ones yelling at you from the other side of the […]
10 free tools for helping kids with ADHD.
Kids with ADHD face so many more challenges than a neurotypical kid. Being a kid in general is hard, but being a kid with ADHD can be extremely tough and a daily struggle. Brain development and learning. Kids are learning every moment of every day. Their brains are slowly developing as they navigate through home […]
Hyper-focus with ADHD and 4 tools for setting realistic limits.
Hyper-focus with ADHD can be a blessing and a curse. Hyper-focus is the intense fixation on a task. It doesn’t seem like it fits with something named attention deficit disorder, since it is an increase of attention. The piece to hyper-focus with ADHD is that all attention gets honed in on the one task and […]
8 tools to overcome imposter syndrome and ADHD.
What is imposter syndrome? Imposter syndrome and ADHD are commonly seen together. Imposter syndrome is defined in Webster’s Dictionary as the “persistent doubt concerning one’s abilities or accomplishments accompanied by the fear of being exposed as a fraud despite evidence of one’s ongoing success.” What this means is that you are constantly fearful that you […]
The 3 reasons why people with ADHD take long showers.
I have heard on several occasions from parents of my clients with ADHD; “my kid takes hour long showers!” “I can’t get my kid out of the shower!” One client told me she regularly takes 3-hour long showers! This intrigued me, so I started doing some digging. It seems to be that there are 3 […]
4 causes of low self-esteem with ADHD
If you have ADHD or know someone who has ADHD it’s probably nothing new to hear that people with ADHD struggle with low self-esteem. The ADHD brain works very differently than a neurotypical brain. This isn’t a bad thing; it is just different. You can read more about the positives to ADHD here. Low self-esteem […]
Target you motivating factor with ADHD.
In my last post, I talked about why people with ADHD struggle with motivation and identified some tools to help get the momentum needed to start going on tasks. You can read about that here. Expanding on motivation a little more, there are four things that tend to be high motivating factors for people with […]
Motivation with ADHD: 6 ways to increase your motivation!
Many people with ADHD know the struggle to find motivation to complete daily tasks. It can be discouraging to feel a lack of drive to complete normal daily tasks or even a project that you have been wanting to get done for so long. It may be something that seems so simple like making a […]
A free guide through how your ADHD brain works.
It’s still uncertain, the complete cause of ADHD and research is still being conducted to further explore how the ADHD brain works. Current research has found there appears to be a defect with the DRD2 gene which impairs the brain’s ability to respond to dopamine. There are several articles out there that will tell you […]
Coping with trauma: 10 Trauma grounding techniques
I side stepped in my trauma series blog posts to talk about the importance of self-compassion and how to build self-compassion. I will wrap up my trauma series by sharing how to cope with trauma with trauma grounding techniques. Triggers. Trauma can be triggered by people, places, media, situations, sounds, smells, thoughts, and feelings. I […]
Building Self-Compassion
In my previous post I talked about the importance of self-compassion for your mental health. I also touched on why you may struggle with self-compassion. We are very tough on ourselves. Many of us tend to set unrealistic high expectations and negative self-talk ensues when we fall short. You can read more about that here. Building […]
The importance of self-compassion for your mental health: 3 factors that destroy self-compassion.
The importance of self-compassion for your mental health is often overlooked as a fundamental piece in your healing process. You may initiate therapy thinking, “I need to fix my depression so I can get out of bed” or “I need to be able to go to the grocery store and not be triggered.” Those can […]
8 steps to healing from your childhood trauma.
The process of healing from your childhood trauma is not a one-size-fits-all process, but there are several key components in the healing process for each person. Below are eight steps on how to heal from your childhood trauma. Each step is essential in your healing process. Healing from your childhood trauma: Find the right therapist. […]
9 tools for coping with trauma related dissociation.
Dissociation is a broad term for feeling disconnected from yourself or the world. The APA states “dissociative disorders involve problems with memory, identity, emotion, perception, behavior and sense of self.” It is a way our mind and body cope with stressful and overwhelming situations. What constitutes a stressful situation varies depending on the person. I touch […]
Are you in a trauma bond?
**This post contains information that may be triggering for some individuals.** A trauma bond is a strong attachment to a person who causes you harm. It is typically formed in romantic relationships where the cycle of abuse is present, although it shows in other relationships such as child and abusive parent. I will dive more […]
10 trauma survivor strategies for healing your relationship.
It can be devastating to see your relationship deteriorate. What’s worse is you feel like you’re the reason. Trauma survival mode kicks on and now a part of you keeps pulling away while another part of you longs for the connection and intimacy. You feel stuck fighting with yourself. Overcome your trauma and rebuild your […]
How trauma survival mode impacts your relationships.
As humans, we are wired for connection. It is an innate drive to find a partner because we are not meant to be alone through life. Being in a relationship means being vulnerable. You must share parts of yourself with your partner that gives them the power to help lift you up but can also […]
8 ways you are trauma blocking.
Trauma blocking is an intentional effort to avoid the thoughts, feelings, and memories of past trauma. Some people can process through the traumatic experience(s) after the event(s), but other people may find they are too overwhelmed and flooded by the experience(s) and efforts to avoid the thoughts, feelings, and memories are initiated. Trauma blocking may […]
8 common trauma triggers.
Some context on memories. All memories take on a spiderweb-like fashion. You have the core of the event, the crash. What branches off that are the people around, details of your surroundings, sounds, smells, thoughts, etc. If something causes you to recall any part of that spiderweb, it will likely lead you back to remembering […]
Chronic trauma: psychological and physical impacts.
In my previous post I covered how our brain and body respond to big T and little t traumatic events. You can read about that here. I briefly mentioned that chronic trauma creates different problems for our mind and body. I will expand on that in this post. I also explained in my previous post how […]
Big T trauma vs. little t trauma, what’s the difference?
Trauma is any adverse experience that generates a stress response and activates survival mode. Notice I said it is the experience. Trauma is not the event itself, it’s how your brain and body experience and respond to the event. Trauma can be broken down into two categories, big T trauma and little t trauma. Big T […]
8 signs you have HPA Axis Dysfunction.
What is stress? Stress is any circumstance that triggers the alarms that there is a threat to our body’s homeostasis. We need the release of cortisol when we are faced with danger and must run away or fight to make the environment safe again. A situation like this allows our body to use the cortisol […]
Is Neurofeedback therapy right for you?
Although Neurofeedback Therapy is only recently gaining attention as a therapeutic treatment option, it is a technique that was developed in the late 1950s. Over the years, neurofeedback therapy has become more refined and effective for treating several different mental health concerns. The foundation of neurofeedback therapy. Neurofeedback therapy is a non-invasive treatment that utilizes […]
The positives to ADHD that are often overlooked.
Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has long been a diagnosis that many individuals dread hearing. It often leaves individuals more confused due to the contradictory and inconsistency with ADHD research and criteria according to the Diagnostic Statistical Manual 5th edition. For one, it is puzzling to call it a disorder, because there are so many positive […]
Learn the truth about your depression.
Signs of depression: Depression is more than a chemical imbalance The general understanding of depression is that it is a chemical imbalance in your brain. While that is true, it is not necessarily the root reason or cause for depression. There are several other factors at play being faulty mood regulation, genetic vulnerability, stressful life […]
Why we need anxiety.
The human body is programmed to survive. When our ancestors woke up and walked to the front of the cave, they may have found themselves face-to-face with a hungry bear. When they saw the bear, their bodies would sound the alarms of “threat!” The body responds by shooting out adrenaline and cortisol so they could […]
Understanding the 8 phases of EMDR therapy.
To better understand Eye Movement Desensitization and Repressing (EMDR) Therapy, it is helpful to know how trauma affects the brain. Trauma results from exposure to an event(s) that is emotionally disturbing or life-threatening. When an event this significant happens, the brain reacts in a way to self-protect. The fight or flight system of our brain […]
ADHD and Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria.
First, lets quickly cover the most common symptoms and signs of ADHD before diving into Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria. The most known symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) include being easily distracted, forgetful, lack of attention to detail, trouble keeping attention on tasks, failure to follow through on instructions, difficulty with organization, avoidance of tasks […]
The harsh truth behind Intergenerational Trauma.
As if trauma was not already complicated enough. Intergenerational trauma, also referred to as multigenerational trauma or transgenerational trauma explains why we may have adverse emotional or behavioral reactions even though we never directly experienced a traumatic event. If you want to learn more about trauma due to traumatic events you can read that here […]
What should you expect when initiating therapy?
If you haven’t been to therapy before, don’t worry, you are not alone. It takes courage to reach out for help, and you did it! So, what should you expect? After you submit the contact form I will reach out via phone or email and we will spend some time talking about what you are […]