How to Support the Women in Your Life

Being a woman is hard work. We live busy lives and are expected to have multiple responsibilities. We are always on the go, trying to do more to satisfy the people around us. The expectations placed upon on us by our kids, families and society can be greatly consuming. Our world is not always the most empathetic place towards people who want to slow down, take a break or recharge.

Here are 4 ways to support women and lift each other up:

1. Set realistic expectations:

   Having expectations that are realistic can help encourage everyone to do the best they can without creating unwanted pressure. The pressure we feel as women to navigate both home and work life is already daunting. Having boundary that gives us space to navigate home life and work life at different times of the day, can help create a better balance and let us take a moment to focus on one task at a time. This can in turn make us more productive and reduce stress.

2. Ask them if they need help:

   It is okay to see your mom or wife and ask them if they need help. It is also okay for a woman to say yes to accepting help. Sometimes we get so caught up in our own needs and self worth that we forget we can pause and ask for help. Asking for help is a sign of self awareness and it means you are more in tune with your needs.

3. Ask them how they are feeling:

   On the same note, it is okay to ask a woman how they feel. Sometimes giving us space to talk about how we actually feel can help ground us and reconnect us to what is actually important. When we get caught up in the everyday go, go, go of life we forget to pause and enjoy the life we have created and the people around us.

4. Remind them to take a break:

   Tell the women in your life the importance of resting, reseting and relaxing. We are told that our society only values the constant worker and the one who does the most. The opposite is actually needed at times. the more we learn that everything we have is in the right here and right now, the more fortunate we can actually see that we are. We do not need anything more, we have it all and now can take a moment to rest.

Women are at times undervalued and this can present setbacks for many of us. We are the doers, the go getters, the soccer moms and caretakers. Women are known to neglect themselves. By realizing that taking time to rest and support each other can actually be healthy and healing, we can become the best version of ourselves.

Do you want more support from women like you? Come join our Women’s Group, every last Friday of the month from 6 pm to 7:30 pm.

Our Therapists Confirm, Asking for Help is a Sign of Self Awareness

Life is full of unexpected turns and zigzags. Sometimes life presents us with more than we can handle. We start to feel overwhelmed, sad, angry, confused or hurt. Accepting help may make you feel vulnerable, this is absolutely normal. When we open up and face our true feelings, we do become vulnerable. This vulnerability is what can help us heal, grow and show us just how strong we really are. When you ask for help you are able to accomplish more and feel better about yourself. When things start to become too heavy to carry an extra pair of hands can help. How do we know we need help and how do we get that help?

Knowing when to ask for help may be hard to figure out. It all starts with a little bit of insight, awareness and connecting with yourself. In society we are taught to be independent and to do things on our own. What society sometimes forgets is that everyone needs a little help, guidance and empathy.

Some signs you may be overwhelmed and needing more self awareness include:

1. You are easily upset:

   Our emotions are often pushed to their limit when we try and handle too much so the smallest things could cause an emotional response whether it be crying or becoming angry.

2. Forgetting things:

   Forgetting appointments or to call someone back; small things add up and could mean that you are not giving your attention to what needs it. On the other hand when we do recognize when we need help actually accepting it is another hurdle.

3. Feeling run down or empty:

   When we are overwhelmed with negative thoughts or emotions, our tank runs on empty and we begin to feel to feel down. This can cause fatigue and burn out.

4. Being hurtful towards yourself or others:

   As our emotions peak, we may not find relief. Sometimes this can lead towards behaviors that are destructive. We may take things out on ourselves or the people we love the most.

Here are some ways to start finding help, and therapy can be part of that help:

1. Research your options:

   What exactly do you need help with? There are many resources available to you when looking for help.

2. Know you are not alone:

   Sharing your problems and worries with someone else alone helps take the burden off of you.

3. Know others want the best for you:

   Some people may be eager to help because they have your needs in mind. It is okay to set boundaries in this regard.

4. Recognize that asking for help, is a sign of self awareness:

   Society may not recognize that asking for help is a game changer for many of us. Asking for help means we recognize we can not do everything, we need guidance and we are ready to grow.

Asking for help is a great step in feeling supported, loved and connected. When you ask for help, you are asking for empathy and validation. This is a sign of your own inner strength!

5 Ways to Spring Clean your Mental + Physical Health

See ya, Florida winter!

it is basically summer here, so what does that mean for us? 

SPRING CLEANING for your mental health! 

Maybe this means cleaning those top shelves that are too difficult to dust, getting outside and freshening up your flower bed, or clearing out some space in your mind for more room to bloom, this time of year calls for reorganization, decluttering, refreshing and cleaning! 

This month we are going to talk about building effective workout and mindfulness habits. It is often difficult to enjoy working out your body, the same way it may be hard to sit with your emotions while working out your mind. To maintain a balance within our lives, it is necessary to promote healthy lifestyle behaviors. 

Here are 5 Ways to Improve Your Mental and Physical Health:

1. Declutter your social media account: it is okay to remove and delete influencers and friends who are dampening your online space. Being on social media can be fun, educational and healthy if you follow the right people. Remember to take breaks, and not overwhelm yourself with comparisons.

2. Reorganize your pantry: taking the time to donate and recycle foods that you do not eat, or foods that may cause you bloating, inflammation or just plain make you feel blah are a great idea. Sometimes having access to unhealthy options makes it easier for us to choose those foods. If you limit what you purchase, you can make better choices on what you eat. What we eat has a great impact on both our mental and physical health.

3. Grow new friendships: making new friends takes bravery, going out of your comfort zone, common interests and knowing your value. Try initiating a conversation with someone who has similar interests and values. You never know, this might be the start of a great, new connection.

4. Spruce up your exercise routine: you can make time to make your exercise routine fun and different. By using different muscles and exercises you grow both mentally and physically. Since the weather is nicer, you can take your routine outdoors or maybe even the beach.

5. Clean out your negative thoughts: take the time to connect with your thoughts and process how you are thinking. Sometimes we fly by our day not realizing how much negativity we carry. Take the load off and journal, meditate and change these thoughts.

Having a new perspective and the time to build new habits can help us feel more in control of our lives. By balancing your mind, body and soul you are able to grow in a balanced direction. This can make stress easier to manage, boundaries easier to set and relationships more positive.

Therapists Agree, You Can Make Change Happen

Routines are hard to maintain. They are healthy because they keep us organized and help us maintain some sense of normalcy. But what happens when there is a glitch in our routine? What happens when we have to make a change?

Now, change can be a very broad term. We can change many things like the color of our hair, the clothes we wear, the way we act or even the way we think.

Each form of change comes with one common factor: the unknown.

Every time we make a change we take a risk, no matter how small or how noticeable this change may be. The changes that are the hardest to make though are those that come from within, rather than those that appear on the outside. Working to make an inner change is hard and it is completely normal to not know where to start or how to go about it.

Let’s talk about some examples of what making an inner change looks like.

It is healthy for us to notice our negative qualities and want to adjust them.

A bad trait we sometimes have is addressing ourselves with a negative tone. By this I mean you wake up in the morning, get ready for work, walk past a mirror and think “yikes” to yourself as you walk out the door because you’ve had better hair days before and today was just not cutting it.

We can start by taking baby steps toward the changes we wish to make that will create an overall happier version of ourselves.

Step 1: Identify the problem. What is causing you to be upset? When you go through your daily routine, take note of the things that make your day better and of the things that make you feel uncomfortable. By identifying the underlying causes of our feelings and insecurities, it becomes easier to change these behaviors slowly over time.

Step 2: Create a plan to make things better. If you notice every day you do happen to be that person that tells yourself you don’t look that great when you walk out the door in the morning, make it a priority to find something about you that you DO like. Look at yourself and find one thing to compliment. This will help build self-esteem and help us realize that no one is perfect so we must love our imperfections.

Step 3: Surround yourself with support. If you feel uncomfortable around a group of people, you feel like they are not good for your mental health, find a way to fix it. This does not always mean kicking people out of your life or cutting them off but, instead, try to find other grounds to talk about, other common factors. Learn to listen, rather than talk for a more positive outcome.

Step 4: Maintain a routine. Once we have identified the things we wish to change and come up with a plan to enact this change within our daily lives, we must find a way to keep the positivity prevalent.

As I’ve said before, being human is hard. It is not always easy to know right from wrong. It is not always clear what steps we should take to make ourselves feel happier. Change is ultimately inevitable. So, if we can learn how to maintain a sense of normalcy while going through a change that we decide on, it will make it easier to cope with the changes in our lives that are out of our control.