The way we form attachments is one of the most enlightening topics we can explore in therapy. If unexplored, our bad habits can run rampant and leave us disconnected from the relationships that matter the most to us.  But with the newfound awareness we often come to in counseling, we can break free of our […]

When we’re depressed, we don’t usually feel like undertaking any sort of project, much less a DIY art project. When you have to ration your energy just to accomplish the bare minimum each day, why would you spend that precious energy on something “unnecessary” like making art?  But in reality, making art is utterly necessary. […]

There are a lot of counselors in St. Petersburg who are jockeying to offer you advice. It seems you can’t throw a fistful of sand around here without hitting a life coach, yoga teacher, or mental health counselor. And those people can offer a lot of great advice in the long term, once you’ve built […]

Feeling overwhelmed by finals week? Approaching the finish line of each semester can be a test of our endurance, lifestyle, and emotional wellbeing. Any mistakes we’ve made are now readily apparent, and putting yourself in a state of hypervigilant distress about it comes all too naturally. But if we are highly upset, highly burnt out, […]

Without the ability to self-soothe, our emotional trajectory will inevitably trend downwards. In an ideal world, we’d always feel great and we’d have no need to cultivate the skill of self-soothing. The reality is that there will always be events in our lives that upset, deter, trigger, or unravel us, and it’s our responsibility to […]

Family gatherings can often be far more uncomfortable than we’d hope. Our families are the ones who mold and raise us, so we naturally come to the table with certain baggage. It’s all too easy to jump in with heavy expectations and find yourself disappointed at every turn. Conversely, if our expectations are too low, […]

In my previous article, Why the Creativity Cycle is Like an Outstanding Cup of Coffee, I discussed the necessary ingredients of the creative process, such as the importance of protected time, a culture that supports creativity, constraint within the creative process, and not taking the process too personally. In this article, I’ll explore the creative cycle and […]

Have you ever felt like a passenger on your own train of thought? When our mindfulness is a distant memory, intrusive thoughts have a knack for wrapping their little claws around our poor, undeserving subconscious. These intrusive thoughts are immediately and obviously time-consuming, upsetting, and ultimately unproductive, but even if we’re able to recognize the […]

Full body wellness is the often elusive state of having both mental and physical vitality. We may categorize these two distinct types of wellness as being independent of one another, but the truth is that they’re more intertwined than we realize. The connection between the mind and the body is a powerful thing, but to […]

Hard work is actually an essential element of a satisfied life. As humans, we crave the feeling of working hard and seek it out when we don’t find it naturally. But hard work is exactly what it says on the tin: it is hard, and it is work. So that means even though hard work […]