Psychotherapy and Life Coaching
Did you know that September is Self-Improvement Month? The desire to grow and improve oneself is definitely one of the more commendable of human traits, and one I naturally fully support. But in today’s world there can be so much noise about what you can or should do to improve, how do you know what is right for you?
Read More2020 has been a year of transformation, change, and adaptation for a lot of people. With life shifts and constant uncertainty in the air, people have had to overcome challenges they’ve never experienced before. Between juggling the risks of COVID-19, job losses or changes, unplanned moves, and the rise of grassroots movements for systemic change, we’ve all been handed many balls to juggle. And now, many of us are about to take on another role as we enter the new school year…
Read MoreThere are different ways to acknowledge and celebrate Pandemonium Day, all of which are worth exploring. One way is to simply embrace the chaos of life. If the past few months have taught us anything, it is that chaos is an inevitable part of existence. Sometimes the universe blows up your plans and disrupts all the order you have carefully created in your life. It is important to realize that this is not necessarily a bad thing. It is unpleasant to our egos who want to control things and want everything in its right place, but chaos is actually part of the natural order of things…
Read MoreFor the final element of our series, and to me it is a fitting element to end on: earth. Let us all return to the grounding and security that earth affords us. Earth nurtures and nourishes us. It is associated with the warmth of late summer, the time of harvest. Just think of a garden full of vegetables. Throughout the ages, harvest time was a time of great celebration, as earth had blessed us with the foods that enrich and sustain us. Earth gifts us with abundance and supports us unconditionally. When our earth energy is out of balance, we end up in chronic stress, worry, anxiety and overthinking...
Read MoreDuring this time of social distancing, protecting your mental health is especially important because our sources of connection are more limited. Whereas before the pandemic, you may have relied on social gatherings, group activities, family events, or unwinding at the end of the week over drinks with friends, you’re now having to adjust those connections to video calls, phone calls, emails and text. Even the change from working at an office and being around the same people daily to working from home is an adjustment that can make us feel more isolated and alone…
Read MoreAs summer approaches, the element of fire moves into focus. Fire is the blazing sun that gives us life and illuminates our days. Like the center of our solar system around which all life revolves, it makes sense that the organ that corresponds to fire is the heart, the life-giving center of our bodies. Aside from the essential function of pumping blood throughout the body, delivering oxygen and nutrients to all its cells, the heart is the source of love, passion and connection with others. Healthy heart energy is expansive energy, full of enthusiasm and joy. The heart wants to go out into the world and engage fully with life…
Read MoreThis week we explore the element of wood, which is associated with the liver and gall bladder and also corresponds to the energy of springtime. Like the tree, wood energy is both rooted in the earth and reaches upward and outward in expansion. This pandemic presents a few challenges for wood, as when liver energy is activated within us at this time of year, the impulse is to move up and out, to burst forth with renewed robustness. As the emotion related to the liver is anger, it is no surprise that many people are experiencing anger, frustration and other related emotions as a result (aggression, irritability, etc.) But the wood element has much to teach us about how to weather this situation we are in…
Read MoreThis week we are exploring the element of water and how its properties can be particularly beneficial at this time. Water has always had a calming effect on me personally. When I was a teen, I lived near the ocean, and at that time in my life I remember how looking out at the sea always had an immediate calming effect on my restless soul. Now I live within walking distance of a river, and it still amazes me how the sight of it can lift my mood and make me feel instantly refreshed…
Read MoreAs COVID-19 has swept the globe, it has brought many of us back to the awareness of our cherished breath. The feeling of being able to fill one’s lungs with air from top to bottom and then have a satisfying release is not to be taken for granted. In the West many of us tend to habitually breathe rather shallowly as we rush from place to place and as we sit hunched over our computers. While the adoption of yoga and meditation by the mainstream have made us more aware of the importance of breath for health and mental clarity, there are so many benefits as well as layers of meaning that seem quite apt at this time when the pandemic has impacted all of us…
Read MoreAs April is Stress Awareness Month, I wanted to address this topic, especially as what is stressing us out this year has a different flavor than usual. National Stress Awareness Day was originally set for the day after Tax Day, so we could reflect on how much we had let the matter of filing and paying taxes stress us out, but this year that doesn’t exactly apply because that particular stressor has been delayed. There are any number of things you might be stressed about this April…
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