Anxiety has this quirky little habit of going, "BUT HOW?! HOW ARE YOU GOING TO GET THERE?!" Anxiety is the intolerance of uncertainty, so of course an anxious brain wants to know exactly how something is going to unfold. Lately I've been thinking a lot about how this obsession with the how really gets in our way and can trip us up. What...[ read more ]

There's this quote about the greatest loss is a creative who doesn't create. I can't remember the full quote and I also can't find it after googling it, so TAKE MY WORD FOR IT -- there is a quote like this. And it's true. When someone feels the call to create, and they don't listen for a handful of reasons,...[ read more ]

Holidays can be difficult during a typical year. This year is not typical due to the pandemic we're living through. So, the holidays may be extra hard this year. You may have decided to do a virtual Thanksgiving, or a very small, pared down affair. You may not be seeing family members who you desperately miss. You also may be...[ read more ]

Let's talk about anxiety. Fun fact for the day: Anxiety is an emotion. The APA defines anxiety as "an emotion characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts and physical changes like increased blood pressure." Notice that the APA includes the physical changes associated with anxiety. It's like whoa your palms are sweating, your heart is racing, and you're breathing fast...[ read more ]

Okay, I am the first to admit that I really find personality tests (and a little Human Design -- oops) amusing. That moment when you read a sentence that is so you that you laugh out loud? It's fun, and oftentimes insightful. The caveat I always have for personality tests is it's almost impossible to capture the complex nature of being...[ read more ]

So hey, people! In case you didn't know (if you've been living under a rock; or built a log cabin in the middle of the wilderness and decided to leave society forever, for good, good bye!), there's an election coming up in a month. As partisanship grows in our country, it's likely that there are people in your immediate family...[ read more ]

Let the doomscrolling commence! It happens before you even realize it -- you are doom-scrolling. What is doomscrolling? An article from The Los Angeles Times defined doomscrolling as "an excessive amount of screen time devoted to the absorption of dystopian news." (Check out this handy article about the word "doomscrolling.") Have you been there recently? Have you found yourself scrolling through Twitter...[ read more ]

So lately I have realllyyyyyy gotten into Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). There are 6 processes that ACT teaches in order to foster psychological flexibility. One of those 6 processes is called acceptance. The goal of acceptance is to allow emotions, thoughts, and other sensations and experiences to simply be there -- rather than fight or try to get rid of them....[ read more ]

It's September and life still looks radically different from before the pandemic began. We are entering the phase where it feels like it will never end and days seem to have a monotonous, monochromatic feel to them. I was lamenting this fact to a friend this weekend (because I've been feeling it too*) and she had a really lovely insight....[ read more ]

IT'S TIME FOR A BOOK RECOMMENDATION! I read All About Love: New Visions by bell hooks over the weekend and it's all I have been thinking about since I finished it last night. The book talks about defining love, and how love is an action not a feeling. bell hooks beautifully walks through the different aspects of love, and the actions we...[ read more ]