Mental Health

I’ve been a self-help kind of gal that likes to read books and take accountability. If I wanted something, I worked hard to earn it. I have evaluated ways that I could improve myself often. I’d assess my choices but then I would do them all for fear of making the “wrong” choice. Choices like, “Should I go for a walk right now or spend time with my family?” “Should I take a shower right now or clean the kitchen?” “Can I get a moment to breathe or should I go read a bedtime story to my child?” became the norm.   When I found myself working harder than ever and feeling as though my days were running together without feeling...

Throughout my career as a therapist, I have uncovered a couple of topics that always come up in sessions. Self-care ranks in the top three, easily. Self-care is the intentional choice to do something for yourself to preserve yourself. Self-care is restorative and mandatory if you are going to thrive. Often my clients ask, what are some examples of self-care? Well, since you asked, here are 101 ideas for self-care. Watch a sunset. Take ten deep breaths (on purpose). Attend a yoga class. Take a bubble bath. Listen to your favorite music. Take a Walk. Work out. Go paddle boarding. Bake a treat. Spend a few minutes on the swing.                                  Do a...

What is a Default Parent? If you have to think about who the default parent is in your household, chances are it's not you. You'd know. I am the default parent in my home. It is clear as day and I may as well have it tattooed to my forehead. I am the parent that is in charge of the emotional, logistical and physical needs of my children. I am the manager of anything that requires an appointment. I am the meal planner, extracurricular coordinator, and CEO of the family calendar. Truthfully the list is never-ending. All. Day. Every. Day. I handle the needs of all 4 children: school schedules, orientations, open house, school uniforms, dentist, doctor, birthdays, haircuts, and rotations...

In 2022, we’re all aware of the need for self-care. Whether it be a corporate office pretending to give a crap by extending lunch breaks or a spouse that feels they exemplified selflessness by “letting” a mom shower in peace, there’s a lot of pretending out there when it comes to self-care. Self-care in Motherhood It shouldn’t even be such a buzzword in motherhood because the idea around self-care when you’re a mom is to simply take tiny bits of time to “recharge,” just to go back to motherhood. When will society accept moms are people, too? The thing is, while there’s a ton of support around taking care of yourself, even as a mom *gasp*, there’s a lot of judgment in the...

There are so many emotions tied with breastfeeding: joy, exhaustion, accomplishment, and even sadness. I love the bond it gave to me and each of my sons, starting my journey was a steep mountain to climb, and I miss every second of every bit of it. Thanks for hearing about my journey, I hope you can be encouraged. The dream Seven years ago I was pregnant with our first son. The most I knew about pregnancy was from my mother's stories. She had four unmedicated childbirths and I believed that was the typical experience for women. Once I became a teenager I watched Hollywood movies and was then fearful of what childbirth could be. It was then that I decided I...