For some, the winter holidays aren’t all festivities and fun. They might be fraught with discomfort or distress. Experiences of grief, loneliness, anxiety, and an uptick in trauma symptoms are not uncommon. We’ve assembled some tips in this holiday coping guide to help get you through the season. Acknowledge your struggle. Acknowledge that this timeContinue reading Holiday Coping Guide
Exposure Therapy – Working with Phobias, OCD, Trauma, and Emotions
Defining Exposure True story: When we adopted my now one-year-old dog when she was just two months old, one of my sons had a fairly severe dog phobia. When exposed to dogs before her adoption, he’d scream and run away. When we first brought our new puppy home, he screamed and ran away – againContinue reading Exposure Therapy – Working with Phobias, OCD, Trauma, and Emotions
When Supermom Must Go Above & Beyond
You do it all – manage a home, a job, the children, and more. But now, with the spread of coronavirus and resulting school and activity closures, you’re being asked to do even more. Educate your children while you work from home and simultaneously cope with isolation, uncertainty, and other aspects of a pandemic? Check.Continue reading When Supermom Must Go Above & Beyond
Impostor Syndrome
Are you an impostor? You’ve accomplished a decent amount in your life. You’ve succeeded professionally. You’ve contributed something to others. You’ve realized a number of your goals. Maybe, you’ve even received accolades from those around you. But, you have a sinking feeling that you’re fooling everyone. You believe that if people knew the truth, theyContinue reading Impostor Syndrome
Health Anxiety: Managing Worry About Your Health
Health anxiety in Action: Ming is a 28-year-old woman who is afraid of air travel. She once read about deep vein thrombosis (DVT) resulting from long flight times and, after that, became significantly anxious when flying for work or to see her family. She’s worried that, on a long flight, she could develop a clot.Continue reading Health Anxiety: Managing Worry About Your Health
What-If Thinking and Anxiety
A while back, I ended up at an IHOP with my kids for our Second Breakfast. It was pouring rain, and the restaurant’s parking lot was full. After circling a couple of times, I ventured over to the lot next door, a tiny strip mall with plenty of open spots, as none of those stores wereContinue reading What-If Thinking and Anxiety
Coping with Grief
Love sorrow. She is yours now, and you must take care of what has been given. -Mary Oliver In the midst of loss, life can feel unbearable. Whether it’s the death of a family member, friend, or beloved pet; or the loss of a relationship, job, or dream; grieving the death, end, or closure toContinue reading Coping with Grief
Radical Acceptance: Reducing Suffering on Your Own Terms
The best thing one can do when it’s raining is to let it rain. –Henry Wadsworth Longfellow I have a confession. I dislike the phrase “It is what it is.” It seems reductive and invalidating. So, it might come as a surprise that I love the DBT skill, radical acceptance, which essentially embraces the “It isContinue reading Radical Acceptance: Reducing Suffering on Your Own Terms
Legal Drinking
Do Lawyers Drink More than Other Professionals? Over the course of 15 years of working with individuals who struggle with alcohol use disorders, I’ve heard plenty of stories of attorneys entertaining clients for hours on end, of bottles of hard liquor tucked away into desk drawers at the firm, and work cultures that normalize excessiveContinue reading Legal Drinking
The Psychology of Trapeze
A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to take a couple of trapeze classes, something I’d done maybe 10-20 times back in in the mid-late 2000s. Aging 10 years has delivered to me a larger body, a weaker core, chronic aches and pains, and a more exaggerated fear response, but I was determined toContinue reading The Psychology of Trapeze