Counseling Tips

New Year, No New Resolutions

New Year, No New Resolutions

We go into the New Year with the best of intentions, to make these goals actually happen. We feel excited, hopefully and even enthusiastic about the idea of working toward something new. But, for many of us, we often give up on our New Year’s resolutions or simply forget about them all together by the end of the month and revert back to our old habits. This can often make us feel shameful and guilty for not reaching the expectation that we had set out of ourselves.  So, this New Year, instead of putting pressure on ourselves to make an excessive list of all of the New Year’s resolutions you feel that you have to complete, what if you threw that all out the window? What if you didn’t set resolutions?

Post-Holiday Blues

Post-Holiday Blues

Getting back into the swing of things can come as a relief for many after the holidays. Jumping back into their comfortable routine and leaving the holiday stress behind is what actually brings much cheer to many. For others, the financially, emotionally and mentally stressful come down from the most wonderful time of the year can bring on post-holiday blues. 

Taking Your Inner Critic Off the Holiday Guest List

Taking Your Inner Critic Off the Holiday Guest List

You get caught up in the idea that you need to create the perfect holiday experience for yourself and for those around you. Each holiday season you set extremely high hopes that this year will *finally* be different. Yet, you often fall short of these expectations that you put on yourself. You often become overly stressed and anxious because of the added pressures of the December month. And while you had good intentions at the start of the month, you have set the stage for your inner critic to take the spotlight because you feel that you have fallen short. 

Addiction Recovery Series 2: Holding Space for Recovery During the Upcoming Holiday Season

Addiction Recovery Series 2: Holding Space for Recovery During the Upcoming Holiday Season

It is easy to get overwhelmed by the holiday season, especially when you are in recovery and trying to remain sober. However, there are many things that you can do to mentally and emotionally prepare yourself for the challenge of staying sober! Just remember to give yourself grace, use your sober safety tools, have a sober safety plan in place and remember to have fun.

7 Tips to Navigate Your Eating Disorder During the Holiday Season

7 Tips to Navigate Your Eating Disorder During the Holiday Season

The holiday season for many with an ED or in ED recovery can feel like the superbowl of negative thoughts and body image, anxiety, decreased self-esteem and even sadness. Which is why it feels impossible to try to keep your eating disorder from controlling your holiday season. It can feel easier to let the eating disorder voice win because it is so exhausting to keep your ED in check. And as exhausting as it is, you can still support yourself through the holiday season with the list of tips below. 

Managing Holiday Anxiety

Managing Holiday Anxiety

What if ‘the most wonderful time of year’ brings nothing but holiday anxiety? What if you feel overwhelmed and stressed during this season, rather than joyous like society tells us? And what if you don’t feel or want to be that cheerful this year? Well, I am here to tell you that this is completely natural.

Managing Post ThankSgiving Day (PTSD) Emotions

Managing Post ThankSgiving Day (PTSD) Emotions

By the end of Thanksgiving Day, you don’t feel like the confident adult you know you are, feel anxious, overwhelmed, annoyed and drained. You feel your old wounds reopened and you want to retreat inside of yourself because the comments you feel like you already dealt with, still hurt you. You are still bothered by the family drama that you find yourself dragged into, even though you thought you set that boundary. You're angry and even upset because you thought that this year would finally be different.