When you’re stuck and can’t find a solution to your problem, you can stimulate your brain to come up with solutions by simply making a choice – a choice to believe there is a solution somewhere nearby - waiting to be discovered. Belief determines what we see and don’t see, in part, because it affects where we are willing to look or not look for solutions. One particular Friday morning, I was getting...
I can always recognize when negativity is weighing on my body, mind and spirit as I feel extremely heavy in all areas. My mind becomes foggy. My disposition becomes depressed and/or agitated, and my spirit feels imbalanced and I become lazy and very sluggish. My view of things becomes quite pessimistic and, although I know the methods in which to purge these toxins, it sometimes takes me a few spilled...
Everything we do stems from our belief systems. Your self-image is responsible for all that you do. Take a step back and think about how you feel about yourself and then take note of how you live. Can you see how your deepest thoughts and feelings are reflective in your life experiences? - If you see yourself as “fat” then your body will manifest that which you believe, resulting in wanting to eat...
It's that time of year. Halloween has just passed, the once abundant supply of Snickers bars, lollipops and Tootsie Rolls now nothing more than empty wrappers and the eclectic mixture of smells in a pillowcase. Now we have Thanksgiving, Christmas and a season's worth of birthdays to contend with as we try to navigate our way to a healthier body. However, lurking under all of these obvious triggers...
America, the beautiful, has some not-so-beautiful ways of perceiving health problems that surround us. Our country doesn’t have the best track record when it comes to shaming behaviors and that is, to put it lightly, disappointing. Judgemental attitudes, stereotyping, and other negativity can be prominent in certain subcultures. It is extremely important to view both mental health and physical health...
Are you ready to lose the "weight" that slows you and often keeps you down? Do you want to lose the weight that makes you anxious, fearful, short-tempered at work and home, and robs you of enthusiasm? If "yes" is your answer, you're ready to go on the pressure-less diet. The pressure-less diet - it's based on research that concludes most people experience daily feelings of pressure akin to a weight...
It is an exciting time for healthcare as it evolves into the connected age, and it is no surprise that mental health is joining the telehealth revolution as well. Increased access to mental health services means better health care and higher quality of life for patients in any location. According to the National Institute for Mental Health, in 2012 there were an estimated -43.7 million adults- in the...
Our culture is abuzz with the benefits of mindfulness meditation and the idea of “meditation for at least 20 minutes a day” as a bare minimum upon which to start your practice. For busy people with busy lives, calming, and ideally quieting your mind for even 10, let alone 20 minutes sounds like a far cry from reality. Don’t get me wrong, I wholeheartedly support meditating for 20 minutes. But, what...
As a therapist of 20 years, I am always amazed by how many people come to me anxious and depressed, yet not realizing why they are feeling that way. Maybe they have lost a loved one, or were in an accident, or were bullied or abused in some way as a child. Maybe their family doctor put them on antidepressants, or antianxiety medication, maybe they have seen a therapist, but they still don't feel really...
Like it or not, we live in a society that promotes superficial, unrealistic beauty ideals. That’s both good news and bad. The good news is that such a perspective creates lots of choices that can help you be your most healthy, best self. The bad news is that some people take it too far and try to conform to beauty ideals that are truly unrealistic and may actually harm their relationships, financial...