A long time ago (longer for some of us than others), we were all children under the responsibility of our caretakers. Throughout adolescence, we are conditioned (by ourselves, but also the world around us) to draw a line in the sand between our forming adult personas, and the child we were in our youth, even […]

When something goes wrong, blame is a natural human impulse.  Having someone or something to blame allows us to avoid being vulnerable and feel like we have more control than we really do. However, blaming never works, and it causes inevitable suffering. Instead of allowing yourself to ruminate on guilt, shame, and blame, what if […]

The year is winding down, and it seems like we were just celebrating the start of 2021. The New Year is a big reminder for us all that time continues to pass us by. We all want to grow, expand, and feel like we are living our lives meaningfully. When you feel stuck or stagnant, […]

The Holidays are meant to be a time to relax with the people you love the most in the world. For many of us, however, this can be an incredibly triggering time. If you spend too much time around what triggers you and not enough on self-care, you can burn out and become bitter and […]

Stressful situations are unfortunately a part of life and can come at any moment.  If our bodies didn’t have a stress response, humans would not have been able to survive this long–our ancestors were able to get away from a saber tooth tiger because the stress response triggered their adrenaline, allowing them to act quickly […]

The most effective way to heal yourself is to learn how to love and accept yourself unconditionally. Loving and taking care of yourself should be your number one priority.  When we accept all aspects of ourselves, even the parts we would rather not look at, we allow ourselves to heal from the pain of not […]

Mindfulness is all about returning to your body and allowing yourself to just be. If you struggle with anxiety and depression, being present with your emotions will help you move past the discomfort and learn from the messages your feelings send you. Developing your own mindfulness practice will help you when you are feeling overwhelmed […]

Self-awareness is important to develop on your healing journey, and it is a vital skill to have if you want to have a fulfilling life.  “Self-awareness is the ability to focus on yourself and how your actions, thoughts, or emotions do or don’t align with your internal standards. If you’re highly self-aware, you can objectively […]

At Integrative Counsel, we draw from many schools of learning, and Taoism is one of them. Taoism is both a religion and a philosophy of life, focusing on ‘Wu Wei”, which refers to a state of being where you find peace in acceptance and stillness. This, in Taoism, is our true essence. In today’s culture, […]

Are you stuck in a cycle of self-criticism? Do you have constant negative, internal thoughts about yourself? Do you beat yourself up when you make mistakes? Having unrealistic expectations of yourself is a form of self-betrayal because you are setting yourself up for failure. This gets you stuck because you immediately cling to the idea […]