5 Tools to Help You Embrace Change

Experiencing a change can cause us to wonder if we have the capacity to handle change. Can we handle the unknown or a new experience? Change is an opportunity to utilize a positive mindset and look forward to something new and different.

Here are a 5 tools to help you towards positive change:

1. Patience with yourself - Experiencing a change allows us to take a pause and assess what is going on in our life. We can give ourselves permission to slow down and practice patience in a new situation. Give yourself grace to experience something new. It takes time to adjust and become used to a new job, new move, or even a new family member.

2. Vulnerability with others - Going through a change with someone else allows us to be vulnerable to our needs and the needs of others. Opening up to someone else is a great way to learn more about what we are capable of and where we can improve emotionally. Communicating what you need and how you feel can help others better understand how you feel about change.

3. Mistakes that are forgiven - Change is not perfect, so learning from mistakes and new experiences is a great way to expand our skillset, build confidence and practice grace toward ourselves and others. By realizing you expect to make mistakes, you make the standard for yourself much more attainable and less daunting. Making mistakes is a major part of growth and growth mindset. Without mistakes many inventions and things we use everyday would not even exist.

4. Aim for progress, not perfection - It is important to try, make an effort and learn. Knowing that perfect does not exist, can help you be more open minded to trying new positive things. Always try to make progress and know that you are aiming for a realistic goal. Nothing will ever be perfect, and that is completely fine.

5. Stay in the moment - Be present with yourself and try to enjoy the process. Understanding that every ending has a new beginning, is a beautiful thing. Not every day is the same, and even in challenging times we can find things to be grateful for. Find something to always be thankful for.

Every new change is a chance to grow, to learn about ourselves and those around us. If we are open to new possibilities we have the potential to become a better version of ourselves. This is exactly what we need to aim for, be kind to yourself and you will get there.

How Therapists Believe Change is Positive

Every ending has a new beginning. Change does have a bad reputation but change can actually be the introduction to a new chapter. Without change we would be stuck in a constant loop of the sameness, this could feel draining and boring. The only constant in life is change.

Here are some ways change can be positive:

1. Change gives you a new perspective - A new way of completing a task, a different job or moving to a new city are all opportunities for you to figure out how new circumstances play into the values and morals of your life. This is a great way to see what is important to you and helps you to evaluate how change can play into your existing lifestyle, thought patterns and even life goals.

2. Change can help you learn to be flexible - It is easy to fall into set patterns and a routine, but change allows you to become open to new ways of thinking. One small change can open your mind to make changes in other areas of your life.

3. Change can improve your attitude - Sometimes, a change can be just the thing you need to get out of a rut and improve your outlook on life.

4. Change can help you grow - Accepting change is not always easy, but learning to deal with change can help you grow. This in turn can make change become easier to accept and to build confidence in your ability to try something new.

5. Change allows you to reflect on progress - When a change is presented to you, it is a chance to reflect on the past and become excited about the future. Thinking ahead to what you can accomplish when a change is introduced to you is a chance to become renewed by the potential awaiting you.

Change can be a rewarding and exciting experience if we open up our minds to the positive possibilities. Thinking of change as a new opportunity to expand your thinking will help you to look at change in a positive way.

4 Ways to Reduce Your Back to School Stress - From Our Therapists

School coming to a start can add pressure for everyone. It is important to take the time to focus on ways to make the transition as smooth as possible. Having a plan on how to tackle the new school year is important.

Here are 4 ways you can make sure this school year is smooth.

1. Create a routine - Did you know that predictability sends soothing messages to the brains of those that struggle with stress? Setting up a routine such as a regular bedtime, a daily gym session, or even a music playlist or audiobook that you listen to on the drive to/from school can help you solidify a routine. Something that will allow your brain to not be so stressed throughout the day.

2. Communication is key - When it comes to children, if you as a parent have changes in plans you should communicate that to your child as soon as possible. A child can become very stressed and anxious if they are unsure of how they’re getting home or where they are going. If they are caught up in the mix of complicated changes, it ends up being very difficult to focus on their learning.

3. Connect through questions - Go ahead and try connecting with your child through questions such as how their day went, who they sat next to at lunch, if anything funny or exciting happened throughout the day. You can even chime in with your own experiences when you were going to school and what caused you a lot of stress and anxiety. With that, you can end up asking them if there is anything that may be causing them a bit of anxiety with school.

4. Listen - Our natural tendency when we hear that someone is stressed is to try and fix it. However, when we go ahead and try to do that, we end up invalidating the other person's feelings and in turn not really helping them at all. Instead of trying to fix whatever it is that has them stressed. Try asking questions such as “How can I support you right now” or “Would you like to talk about what’s currently bothering you?” Once you listen to them, if you have a thought that you feel may be helpful, go ahead and ask them if it’s okay for you to share it.

As we all transition back to school, remember to take care of yourself too. The best support a child can have is an adult who is taking care of their own well being and mental health too!

Back to School Ready - From Our Therapists

Having great organizational skills is the key to success! This is the key to having a great school year as well. No one is born being organized, we can all brush up on our skills. The first thing you have to remember is to be patient with yourself while you learn a new routine. Learning takes practice and the more you practice, the easier it will become.

Here are a few tips to get your children (or yourself) ready for the new school year:

1. Use checklists - Using checklists to post assignments, chores or even reminders of what materials your children might need for class is a good habit to have. Purchase a small planner or notebook for your child and dedicate it specifically to listing homework assignments. Once they are done with homework assignments, projects or any other tasks have them cross them off. This list will give them a sense of accomplishment!

2. Break down tasks - By making tasks smaller, we make them more manageable. This makes it easier to feel accomplished, thus boosting our confidence. Use this boost to help you complete the entire project. Baby steps need to be celebrated to increase your motivation to complete your school work.

3. Organize homework assignments - Encourage your child to do their homework assignments in the order that they should be completed. A good way to structure this is by starting with the shortest or “easiest” assignment first and then moving to the longest assignment. Any bigger assignments or projects that aren’t due right away can be worked on in smaller chunks than typical homework assignments.

4. Designate a study space - Having a designated workspace and/or study space allows for consistency. Your child should ultimately have a designated work space for studying and doing homework that is quiet and away from most distractions. Ultimately, having their school supplies and materials nearby would also be best. It would also help for them to have designated study times that aren’t too long.

5. Take breaks - Having time to eat, relax and play are also important in helping us finish assignments. Taking a mental time out from learning and doing things helps us recharge. This is helpful in helping us complete an assignment, think of it as a reward for the work you have been completing.

Going back to school is never easy. Sure you may have some excitement but it is usually combined with worry. By being more organized and prepared you can make some of that worry go away. Have a great first day and month of school!

Mindful Nutritional Habits for Your Mental Health

What if I told you that consuming fewer processed foods could lead to the betterment of your emotional and mental health? Would you consider making small changes to your diet? We definitely would!

Did you know that a lot of the processed food we eat on a day to day basis stimulate the dopamine centers in our brain? This area of our brain is associated with pleasure and reward.

Meaning that it becomes highly addictive to the point where we need these foods to feel good, but lets be honest, we only ever feel good for a quick moment. It never truly helps us in the longterm neither emotionally, mentally or even physically.

Here are a few healthy eating tips that can help you make small changes:

1. Create a healthy shopping list and stick to it.

2. Do not go shopping while hungry! When we are hungry we are more likely to grab everything that looks appetizing at the time. Typically causing us to make unhealthy choices and a lot of impulse purchases. Try to have a small meal or snack before your next trip to the grocery store.

3. Incorporate healthy fats such as avocado oil, olive oil, and coconut oil into your diet to help support brain function.

4. Do your best to limit processed snacks such as potato chips and soda. These can impair your ability to concentrate and tend to cause your energy levels to fluctuate. (It is perfectly okay to still enjoy these foods in moderation! Simply do your best to have them in moderation.)

5. When you’re hungry do your best to opt for a healthier option instead of the donuts or the chips sitting on your kitchen counter. Hard boiled eggs, fruits, or even nuts are all great options and will give you more energy than processed foods.

6. Try to be aware of when and where you eat. Do you usually eat in front of the television? Doing so can distract you and before you know it you’ve overeaten. Do your best to find a place where you can sit, relax and really acknowledge the food that you’re putting into your body. This will allow you to stop eating when you’re full because you will actually be aware of the food you’re intaking and listening to your body’s signals!

Although it may seem difficult to start changing your nutritional habits for the better, we promise you that taking small steps will ultimately help you jumpstart your journey to better nutrition and overall better emotional, mental and physical health.

How to Love Your Body - From Our Therapists

Poor body image can affect so many of us in so many different ways, including in many of our relationships, careers, and our overall quality of life. A lot of the time we tend to hyperfocus on specific parts of our bodies such as our stomachs, noses, thighs, and more. At the end of the day, we are the only ones that truly notice the “imperfections” that we think we have. If we were to ask anyone else they’d tell us we look great, amazing and lovely. Yet, we choose to not believe them.

Many people, even young children can express concern about body weight. Thankfully many children do outgrow these worries as time goes on. It usually happens most with children as young as 8 who are most likely reacting to peer pressure which in turn causes self-consciousness rather than a true disorder. A more distorted sense of self can definitely be more real for pre-teens all the way through adulthood, with more women suffering than men.

Most of the time these feelings are caused by children seeing their parent’s relationships with their own bodies. The way parent’s see themselves can definitely influence and molds a child’s ideas about their own bodies. Women are also more likely to suffer with distortions of body image due to the constant photoshopping that we see on social media and current beauty standards.

Thankfully, we are slowly branching away from the photoshopped images and people are beginning to appreciate themselves more for who they are which is allowing for many of us to truly feel more comfortable in our own skin.

Take these steps to start loving your body more:

1. Curb social media, and platforms where people are constantly pushing unrealistic beauty standards. We can even stay on social media but maybe unfollow all of those people who make you feel bad about yourself, and start following those that empower you instead. Take in media that shows you what real people and real bodies look like.

2. Do the things that make you feel good about yourself. Eat things that make you feel good and get your body moving to give you energy and flow.

3. Remind yourself every morning that you are beautiful, unique and deserving of love and good energy. Create an affirmation that you are happy to wake up to every morning. No one deserves to wake up daily and feel horrible about living in their own body.

4. Get out in the sun and absorb some rays. This will help you feel better, Vitamin D has been proven to boost positive moods.

5. Be realistic and grateful for your able body. Having gratitude for what your body can do is a great step towards loving yourself.

If you feel like you are currently dealing with poor body image, you can reach out to us and schedule an initial session with our counselors to set up a plan to help you overcome the emotions you may be feeling towards yourself. Growth isn’t linear, but we are always here to help.

5 Self Care Practices - From a Mental Health Counselor

Many of us equate self care to a yoga session, meditation, or even a spa day. What we don’t realize is that no amount of stress relief activities are going to help us if we aren’t properly taking care of ourselves. Going to a yoga session, but getting barely any sleep is simply going to cause us to fall asleep. Similarly, not eating well and regularly does not allow us to fuel our bodies with nutrient-dense foods that would allow us to hit the gym at full throttle and relieve necessary stress.

Below we will be discussing different types of self care and why they are so vital in our day to day lives.

1. Physical Self Care:

If you want your body to work efficiently you need to take care of it. There is a very strong connection between body and mind. When you are actively taking care of your body by fueling it with nutritious food, sleeping well, being active, and caring for your physical needs your mind will also follow suit because you are overall feeling good about yourself and probably more energized too! Making sure to attend your medical appointments and take any necessary medication or vitamins is also a very vital point in good self care.

2. Social Self Care:

We humans thrive on social interaction. It’s no surprise that socialization is also one of the key components to great self care. Although it’s difficult to make time for friends and your relationships due to work and other obligations, it’s necessary to do so! Having close connections in your life is extremely good and important for your well being. You don’t need to force yourself to devote hours on end to your friends or even work on your relationships. It truly depends on what your social needs are. The key here is to figure out what your social needs are and to create time in your schedule to create the best social life for you.

3. Mental Self Care:

The things we constantly think about and fill our minds with will greatly influence our mental well being. Taking care of our mental health typically includes doing things that get your mind going. Do you want to learn a new subject or maybe try some new tabletop games? How about reading a new book or watching a musical that not only inspires you but gets your mind thinking. Mental self care as a whole simply involves doing things that help you stay mentally healthy. Simply practicing acceptance and positive affirmations helps you maintain a healthier inner dialogue.

4. Spiritual Self Care:

When spiritual self care is mentioned it mostly involves nurturing your spirit, but does not necessarily have to involve any kind of religion. It would simply be something that allows you to develop a deeper sense of meaning and understanding or even a connection with the world, universe, or nature. You can work on your spiritual self care by meditating, attending a religious service, or simply being in nature with yourself.

5. Emotional Self Care:

Emotional self care usually includes activities that allow us to not only acknowledge but express our emotions in a more safe and regular way. It is important to foster healthy coping skills that allow us to deal with uncomfortable emotions such as sadness, anxiety, and even anger. Whether you speak to a close friend, relative, or a partner about how you feel or you decide to set time for yourself to disconnect and process your emotions, it is very important to incorporate emotional self care into your life!

Self care is all about prioritizing your different needs. It is about making a strong internal foundation, so that you are able to provide this same love to others.