Monkey Business
Monkey Business Mind monkey or monkey mind, from Chinese xinyuan and Sino-Japanese shin’en 心猿 [lit. “heart-/mind-monkey”], is a Buddhist term meaning “unsettled; restless; capricious; whimsical; fanciful; inconstant; confused; indecisive; uncontrollable”. The Buddha referred to the mental state as “kapicitta”. We all have a monkey mind that causes us to ruminate on fears and stressors. They sound like; “my boss […]
Hygge
Hygge Pronouced Hoo-gha, Hygge is a Danish term that means a quality of coziness and the feeling of contentment that comes from warm spaces and enjoying the good things in life with those you care about. Hygge is a means of enhancing our well-being. It is about atmosphere and experience. It is a felt sense […]
The Benefits of Crying
The Benefits of Crying Are you comfortable with crying? Countless people are not. In my role as a therapist, I hear people daily apologize for their tears (and for the record: tears are always welcome with me). Adults are quick to shut down the crying of children byway of distraction (“look, here’s a toy!”), minimization/invalidation […]
Seven Types of Rest
Seven Types of Rest to Consider When You are Feeling Depleted PHYSICAL. Allows the body to relax, repair, restore. Try adding an extra 30 minutes of sleep when you are feeling depleted. MENTAL. Helps alleviate ‘brain fog’; restores concentration; reduces cynicism, irritation, apathy. Taking even a 5-minute (device-free!) break can help restore concentration. Go for […]
Counter-Dependence
Counter-Dependence Most people are familiar with the term “co-dependency”. Co-dependency often presents as a caring individual supporting another individual to a detriment to both themselves and the person that they are trying to “help”. The co-dependent person loses connection with Self (putting their overall wellbeing at risk) and the person they are trying to “help” […]
Reframing Anger
Reframing Anger Many of us have been led to believe that anger is a bad thing; a “sin”, even. Instead of viewing anger as a bad thing, it is helpful to recognize that anger is an intense reaction to an unmet need (think: a need for validation, a need to be understood, a need to […]
Shadow Work
Shadow Work In psychology terms, the term “shadow” is used to describe the parts within all of us that we may try to hide, suppress or deny. It was originally coined by psychoanalyst and psychiatrist Carl Jung (1975-1961). Our “shadow” comprises aspects of our personality that we deem to be shameful such as childhood traumas […]
The Silent Treatment
The Silent Treatment The silent treatment is the act of ignoring and excluding a person or group by another person or group. The silent treatment is one of the forms of ostracism that most of us have experienced. In addition to the silent treatment, physical examples of ostracism are having written communication (text, email) not […]
The Art of Living
The Art of Living Living in a time of reduced social interactions due to COVID might be making you feel an overwhelming sense of pressure to do more. Maybe you had big plans to renovate your house, increase revenue by starting that side-gig, take that online course, or write that book…but those intentions and your […]
Healing is Personal, Relational, and Societal
Healing is Personal, Relational, and Societal I strive to be intentional about discussing race, gender, class, culture, and sexuality with clients as I believe the therapeutic space is an environment to discuss how personal and societal elements impact our well-being and ability to thrive. As a white therapist, I chose to help white clients lean […]
