Blog
Money as life energy: A mindful approach to money.
Money. The topic of much stress, avoidance, conflict, and sleep loss. Sound familiar? We spend far too little time talking about the role of money in our lives and creating a healthy relationship with our finances. As parents, we often spend too little time educating our children on the value of money. As educators, we fail to teach basic financial skills that are critical to our well-being as adults. Money is considered a taboo topic in our society, which further adds to avoidance and distress. And to some extent, after our survival needs and some comforts are met, it doesn't matter how much money we have or make.
Values: Why they are important and how to identify them.
Life can feel confusing when you are unsure of what's important to you. Perhaps you've taken on values of your family, society, or religion without realizing it and are feeling stuck. Values are directions that you want to go in life. They are unique to the person, so your values are likely a bit or maybe a lot different from my values or from your loved ones' values. As humans, we can easily get on autopilot and fail to take the time to ask ourselves "am I living a valued life?" And by that I mean a life consistent with your values! We often feel the most at peace with ourselves and with our lives when we are living according to our values.
Coping: Post-Election Conversations with Family
While the election has been called, the stressors of Election Day (more like an Election Week this year) and the current political and social climate are still impacting many people across the country. We have also entered a holiday season that will look very different from past holidays due to the ongoing pandemic. Whether gathering in-person or virtually, the election (and politics) are likely to come up during holiday gatherings, so how do we handle these conversations when our families may hold very different views?
Understanding Anxiety as a Messenger
Did you know that anxiety disorders are the most common mental health concern in the United States? The past year prevalence rates for anxiety disorders are higher for women (23.4%) than men (14.3%). (1, footnote.) If you were drawn to this post due to your own anxiety, I hope you pause with the weight of this statistic and understand that you are not alone. My hope for you is that after reading this post you come to find a different way to relate to your symptoms and experience of anxiety.
Seasonal Self-Care
As daylight savings time ends and the weather grows colder, you might find your mood changing and your motivation waning. Here are a few tips that might be helpful as you prepare for the change of seasons and the upcoming holidays:
Mindfulness in Everyday Life
How many times have you gone through your day on automatic pilot - and then wondered where the day went? This happens to everyone in many ways. Maybe you had a conversation with a friend and realized you didn't even know what they had just said to you because your mind was somewhere else. You might have been driving and suddenly noticed that you missed your exit because you had been so caught up in your thoughts.
Mindfulness of Emotions Meditation
Want a new skill to practice that will help you feel less overwhelmed by your emotions? Try this mindfulness of emotion meditation. It's one way to practice making some room for unwanted emotions. When you allow difficult emotions to be present, they have less control over your behavior. The purpose of this practice is give you space to slow down and observe your inner experience. Emotions can be the scariest when you become focused on running away from them. In this exercise, you have the opportunity to practice doing the opposite. Over time, with continued practice, emotions or fear of emotions no longer have to drive your life!
Are you concerned about your anger? Learn how ACT can help.
Anger is a commonly experienced human emotion that can cause significant suffering and requires compassion on the healing journey. Sometimes anger presents differently for women - it may be internalized more and taken out on oneself. In my work as a psychologist, I’ve found that “ACT on life not on anger: The New Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Guide to Problem Anger” provides a fantastic framework for understanding and healing anger. The book is based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) which, in a nutshell, guides healing through 1) acceptance of thoughts and feelings, 2) valued life directions, and 3) taking actions based on values.
Women's fertility. It's not just about biology.
Trying to get pregnant can be quite a stressful endeavor. Perhaps just thinking about the "ticking biological clock" raises your anxiety. Or maybe you've actively been taking steps to conceive and finding that the harder you try, the more distressed you feel and the more difficult it is to conceive. Due to advances in society, medicine, and culture, women are waiting longer to start growing their families. In many ways, waiting to start a family can be empowering and beneficial for a woman. However, society has also evolved faster than biology. There are real limitations on women's reproductive capacity that occur over time. But it may not be as black and white as you think...
Review of “Women Who Run With the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype”
"Women Who Run With the Wolves" by Clarissa Pinkola Estes is a book I recommend to women at any point on their healing journey. Visit my full review published on allthingshealing.com, where I discuss how this book has impacted me professionally and personally.
Mind, Body, Spirit. Yes, it's all connected.
Have you ever experienced pain or an illness that just wasn't going away with physical medical care? There are many scenarios I can think of here. Perhaps you have chronic migraines and your prescription medication just isn't working. Maybe you live a busy life and tend to get colds or the flu easily and are unsure why.