I’m not sure where the narrative began that avoidance and disconnecting from yourself is a bad thing. I mean, if all you are doing is avoiding life and you don’t even realize when you are doing it…yea that will likely result in some other life challenges. For myself, I actually really enjoy taking a break from my deeper thoughts and momentarily jumping out of my emotions. Intentional avoidance and distraction help us to move further away from a feeling that is daunting or overwhelming - knowing that we will process those feelings later

In today’s fast-paced world, where stress, anxiety, and overwhelming daily demands are all too common, finding a way to take care of your mental health can often feel like an extra chore on your to-do list. But what if self-care didn’t feel like a chore at all? What if it was fun, engaging, and—dare I say—game-like? That’s exactly the experience I had with Finch, a self-care app that combines the power of gamification with mental wellness practices to help you stay consistent and motivated in your self-care journey.

As a therapist my preference is to not assign homework to clients but there are occasions where I feel it can actually be helpful. One assignment I like to invite clients to complete is creating a list of self-care activities meeting a set of criteria. The goal is to help folks break the narrative that they do not have enough time for self-care or that it takes financial resources that they don’t have. Follow the steps below to help build a tangible list of self-care activities you can reference frequently. All you will need is a piece of paper and a pen or your notes app on your phone. 

Are you ready to start investing in yourself this summer? Discover how sports, sex, and saunas can help you feel good in your relationship with yourself.

For some folks, the inner critic is loud and pervasive. For others, it is a mere annoyance, a pest, like a stubborn mosquito that just won’t leave you alone. Each of us has our own unique version–different scripts with different voice actors. (Tangentially, what if your inner critic had the voice of Morgan Freeman? Or David Attenborough? That would be something.)

For me, this topic hits close to home. I’ve walked through much of life with a pervasive and ruthless inner critic…

After a long day all I really want to do is listen to music. It is an unmatched, easily-accessible form of self care that helps me to both move towards and away from my feelings.

Your soul does not need habits. Your soul needs play and imagination and pleasure!

Enter in what I hope to persuade you into reading more of: smut. You may have heard of smut because it’s a growing category of popularity in the Bookstagram and #BookTok areas of the internet.

Similar to the Sunday Scaries, the Sunday Angries is a series of judgmental thoughts and perfectionism around having wasted time. Read this blog from a therapist about combating perfectionism with a practice of beginning again.

Love, connection, friendship, romance, pleasure, and joy are worth so much more than a single holiday…There is room for love in every relationship, every action, and every day. Read on for an individual and couple therapist’s suggestions for 5 ways to honor love and romance this Valentine’s Day and learn about how these methods will support you.