In my latest blog post for Psychology Today, I address how to manage the mental health impact (particularly, anxiety) of a COVID positive test result or the start of a COVID illness.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/more-diagnosis/202012/diagnosed-covid-now-what
How do you know when it’s time to start or return to therapy?
In a first session, I often will ask a client how they knew it was time to come in. Sometimes people are coming in at the encouragement of a friend or family member; sometimes they know they need an outside perspective to explore an issue; sometimes it is clear that anxiety, depression or other symptoms are getting in the way of day-to-day life.
For therapists, it is easy to know when we need to go to therapy. When our own stuff starts coming up for us in the midst of counseling others, or if it’s at all getting in the way of facilitating psychotherapy, we know we need to talk to colleagues or get our own therapy. It’s like how doctors need to be healthy in order to treat their patients; counselors need to be emotionally healthy in order to treat our clients.
For everyone else, it can be harder to answer this question. Generally, I encourage someone to come to counseling when they have issues that are getting in the way of living their life the way they want to. (This could be due to any number of things: a stress response that is out of proportion to the stressor; difficulty sleeping; low mood; overwhelming thoughts; relationship difficulties; adjusting to a traumatic medical diagnosis or event).
When you feel you need a safe person to talk to, to process recent events or explore a part of your identity, it’s a good time to come to therapy. When you need to voice the loss you’ve experienced or the secrets that weigh on you, it’s a good time to come to therapy. When you feel ready to build on the strengths you’ve got and develop additional coping skills to face the challenges or burdens of your life, it’s a good time to come to therapy.
I always tell my clients that therapy is about balancing challenge and support. So, when you feel you need extra support in your life and you are ready to be challenged to grow – that is the time to come to therapy!
Mindfulness involves observing and accepting the things around and within us in the present moment, without judgment. In therapy, Johanna may involve mindfulness skills to build awareness of various issues and to develop coping strategies to reach optimal wellness. The exercise below is not individualized to your needs as it may be in therapy, but is rather intended as a general exercise that you may find useful.
January’s Mindfulness Exercise:
It’s a new year, so let’s go back to the basics – starting with the breath.
Sit or stand as comfortable as you can, allowing your arms to rest at your side. Take a nice inhale through your nose, and exhale through pursed lips. Notice the feeling of expansion as you breathe in, and release as you exhale. Pay attention to the air as it passes through either your nose or your mouth.
Notice also how the rest of your body shifts with each breath in and out. Do your shoulders go up and down? Does your chest rise, or your belly expand? Bring your awareness inward to notice the details of each breath. Check in also with the muscles that might be holding tension, such as your jaw or shoulders. Do they shift when you inhale, or exhale?
As best you can, focus solely on the minute details of each breath – you have been breathing all day, perhaps without noticing it. Try to take 5 to 10 intentional breaths with this level of awareness.
Today’s exercise is intended to increase your emotional awareness, both regarding what you are experiencing emotionally as well as what you do with it. As always, if this feels overwhelming, please call Johanna to set up an appointment.
NOTE: This is not intended to replace therapy. Please contact Johanna at (585)406-3012 if you are interested in engaging in counseling for optimal wellness.
Mindfulness involves observing and accepting the things around and within us in the present moment, without judgment. In therapy, Johanna may involve mindfulness skills to build awareness of various issues and to develop coping strategies to reach optimal wellness. The exercise below is not individualized to your needs as it may be in therapy, but is rather intended as a general exercise that you may find useful.
June’s Mindfulness Exercise:
This month, we are going to bring our awareness to the endcaps of the day. Pick either the morning or the evening, and every day write down the first thoughts that pop into your head in the morning, or the last thoughts that run through your mind at the end of the day.
We can’t control what first pops into the mind, but we can control what we do with it and the habits we shape around our thoughts. After tracking your thoughts for several days, notice if there are patterns to your thinking. Those first or last thoughts of the day – are they what you’d want to have in your mind?
If they are, carry on. If they are not, take a moment to reflect on what kinds of thoughts you would like to have at the start or end of your day. Write down on a piece of paper or post-it what you’d like them to be, and place them next to your bed. Every day, before you close your eyes to end the day (or get out of bed to start the day), review the piece of paper.
In doing so, you are bringing mindfulness to your thoughts and training your mind to take the thought paths you would most prefer!
NOTE: This is not intended to replace therapy. Please contact Johanna at (585)406-3012 if you are interested in engaging in counseling for optimal wellness.
Mindfulness involves observing and accepting the things around and within us in the present moment, without judgment. In therapy, Johanna may involve mindfulness skills to build awareness of various issues and to develop coping strategies to reach optimal wellness. The exercise below is not individualized to your needs as it may be in therapy, but is rather intended as a general exercise that you may find useful.
January’s Mindfulness Exercise:
This month, we are going to use our mindfulness exercise to explore the topic of control. Begin by noticing your breathing and without judging it or changing it, check in with your thoughts at this moment, your emotions, and how you are feeling physically.
What is in your control in this moment? Notice your thoughts as they pop into your head. Notice where your thought path takes you.
What is outside your control in this moment?
As you breathe consider these two questions without engaging in any active change. Continue to breathe and practice mindful awareness. After a few minutes, return movement to your body by wiggling your fingers and toes.
Take one more minute to notice how you feel after completing this exercise, and what (if anything) you might like to do differently as you go about the rest of your day.
NOTE: This is not intended to replace therapy. Please contact Johanna at (585)406-3012 if you are interested in engaging in counseling for optimal wellness.
Johanna Bond, LMHC 