Perspectives

Perspectives Monthly Journal Exercise – October

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Journaling can be a therapeutic exercise.  In therapy, Johanna may encourage you to journal or keep a diary in a specific way, to raise awareness of specific activities, thoughts, or feelings.  This monthly journal exercise is in no way individually prescribed, but meant to offer food for thought that may be useful for anyone.

October’s monthly journal exercise:

Wherever you are, try to write down 2-3 descriptions for each of the five senses (sight, smell, taste, touch, hear).  Now turn your attention internally, and write down 2-3 descriptions for your thoughts, your emotions, and how you are feeling physically.  Try to do this without judging your observations as good or bad.  You may use this writing exercise for mindfulness work as well, since mindfulness is rooted in observation and awareness.  This is not meant to be a polished piece of writing but rather an exploration of yourself in the current moment and your current surroundings.

Upcoming workshops: Wellness Through the Holidays

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Wellness Through the Holidays: A workshop on self-care
 
Join Johanna Bond, LMHC, NCC, for a workshop on managing stress and improving personal wellness during the holiday season.  Johanna will cover topics such as improving sleep, addressing emotional stress and negative thinking, and turning off the “to do” list in order to be present for the holidays.
Take an hour and a half to learn these strategies and give yourself the gift of self-care!
Dates and times:
Thursday, November 12th from 5:30-7:00pm
OR
Thursday, December 10th from 5:30-7:00pm*
Cost: $20
Location: 721 Ridge Road, Webster NY 14580
To sign up: stop by or call (585)406-3012
*NOTE: Space is limited for each workshop.  Please inquire for further details.

 

October’s Mindfulness Exercise

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Mindfulness is something that everyone can incorporate into daily life.  Mindfulness involves observing and accepting the things around and within us, without judgment.  In therapy, Johanna may involve mindfulness skills to build awareness of various issues and to develop coping strategies.  If you are interested in group or individual therapy for mindfulness, please call the office.  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.

 

October’s mindfulness exercise:

Set a timer for three minutes.  Start by taking three deep breaths and notice each inhale and exhale.  Do a mental scan of your body from head to toe.  Starting at the crown of your head, try to bring your awareness from the top of your scalp all the way down through the fingers and to the toes.  Notice where you might carry tension or pain, and where you might feel more relaxed.  If you still have time left before the timer goes off, choose one area to bring your awareness back to.  When your timer goes off, take a deep breath and stretch before returning to your day.

NOTE: This is not intended to replace therapy.  Please contact Johanna at (585)406-3012 if you are interested in individual or group therapy.

Perspectives Monthly Journal Exercise – September

~ JB ~ 1 Comment

Journaling can be a therapeutic exercise.  In therapy, Johanna may encourage you to journal or keep a diary in a specific way, to raise awareness of specific activities, thoughts, or feelings.  This monthly journal exercise is in no way individually prescribed, but meant to offer food for thought that may be useful for anyone.

September’s monthly journal exercise:

September tends to be a time of transition.  Kids go back to school, and we begin to head towards autumn.  Take five minutes to do a “free write,” where you write without stopping.  Only stop if your hand hurts or if you find yourself feeling overwhelmed emotionally.  Write about transitions in your life, and how you connect to the transition of the season from summer to autumn.  This may be through personal events in your life or through your connection to nature as it changes.  At five minutes, stop and put down your pen, wherever you are in your writing.  This is not meant to be a polished piece of writing but rather an exploration.

September’s Mindfulness Exercise

~ JB ~ Leave a comment

Mindfulness is something that everyone can incorporate into daily life.  Mindfulness involves observing and accepting the things around and within us, without judgment.  In therapy, Johanna may involve mindfulness skills to build awareness of various issues and to develop coping strategies.  Johanna is also running a six-week mindfulness group.  If you are interested in the next group cycle for mindfulness, please call the office.  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.

September’s Mindfulness Exercise:

Today, when you are going through your daily routine (either at the start or end of your day, or while engaging in a mundane chore such as washing dishes) I want you to bring your full attention to the task at hand.  Oftentimes we act on “autopilot” and wander away in our minds from the activities we are doing.  Today while doing a chore, try to notice every aspect of the chore.  What are you doing, how are you doing it, how do you feel physically and emotionally, what thoughts are going through your mind, and what is happening around you?  You may be surprised how many things you can notice while brushing your teeth.  Try to notice without judging as good or bad.

 

NOTE: This is not intended to replace therapy.  Please contact Johanna at (585)406-3012 if you are interested in individual or group therapy.

Perspectives Monthly Journal Exercise – August

~ JB ~ Leave a comment

Journaling can be a therapeutic exercise.  In therapy, Johanna may encourage you to journal or keep a diary in a specific way, to raise awareness of specific activities, thoughts, or feelings.  This monthly journal exercise is in no way individually prescribed, but meant to offer food for thought that may be useful for anyone.

August’s monthly journal exercise:

For a week, try to write down at the end of each day three things you did during the day, and what emotion you felt while doing it.  See last week’s post on emotional awareness if you get stuck for ideas on what emotions to use.  At the end of the week, look through the journal and notice what emotions tend to go with which activities.

Webster Herald

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For those of you in Webster, check out this week’s edition of the Webster Herald!  You can find it at Wegmans or other local stores.  There’s a great article on Perspectives and the other businesses (Goshorn Acupuncture and Body Balance Massage Therapy) that have recently opened up at 721 Ridge Road.

August’s Mindfulness Exercise

~ JB ~ Leave a comment

Mindfulness is something that everyone can incorporate into daily life.  Mindfulness involves observing and accepting the things around and within us, without judgment.  In therapy, Johanna may involve mindfulness skills to build awareness of various issues and to develop coping strategies.  Johanna also runs a mindfulness group – call the office if you’d like to sign up!  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.

August’s Mindfulness Exercise:

Set a timer or an alarm for three minutes.  Start by taking three deep breaths, noticing how it feels to breathe in and out.  Next, bring your attention to your thoughts.  Just as you might notice clouds in the sky drifting past, I want you to notice your thoughts as they drift past.  Some might hang out up there, some might threaten with an impending storm, and others may drift quickly by.  What thoughts come up for you?  Without judging them as good or bad, just notice what thoughts are there.  If you find yourself drifting away WITH the thoughts, come back to your breath.  Do this until your alarm sounds and then expand your awareness to your surroundings.

 

NOTE: This is not intended to replace therapy.  Please contact Johanna at (585)406-3012 if you are interested in individual or group therapy.

Upcoming Mindfulness Workshops

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You may have goals for your health and wellness – mindfulness can be a strong building block to start making positive changes in your life!  Mindfulness is the nonjudgmental awareness of the present moment.  Come to learn more about how you can use mindful skills and practice mindfulness exercises with Johanna Bond, LMHC, NCC of Perspectives Mental Health Counseling.

Thursday, September 17th, 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm

OR

Saturday, September 26th, 10:30 am – 12:00 pm

To sign up, call Johanna Bond, LMHC, NCC, at (585)406-3012 or add your name to the list at 721 Ridge Road or Goshorn Wellness!

Cost: $10

Location: 721 Ridge Road, Webster NY 14580

Perspectives Monthly Journal Exercise – July

~ JB ~ Leave a comment

Journaling can be a therapeutic exercise.  In therapy, Johanna may encourage you to journal or keep a diary in a specific way, to raise awareness of specific activities, thoughts, or feelings.  This monthly journal exercise is in no way individually prescribed, but meant to offer food for thought that may be useful for anyone.

July’s journal exercise:

For five minutes, try to write without stopping.  Only stop if your hand hurts, or if you find yourself becoming emotionally overwhelmed.  Write about where you draw your energy from in day to day life and where you draw your energy from when facing stress and adversity.  This is not meant to be a polished piece of writing but rather a stream of consciousness from continuous writing.