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Author: Heather Edwards

Heather Edwards Mental Health Counseling / Articles posted by Heather Edwards
Holiday stress

Making Magic Out of Holiday Stress

November 26, 2025
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Managing the Holidays, Stress Management

The holiday season. Making magic out of holiday stress is the dream. It's a time for joy, connection, and celebration. Yet for many people, it becomes a perfect storm of work deadlines, family obligations, financial pressures, and social commitments that leaves you feeling more drained than delighted. If you're nodding along, you're not alone. The gap between the "magic" we're told the holidays should bring and the reality of what we actually experience can be particularly challenging for those of us juggling demanding careers, relationships, and the countless expectations that come with this time of year. Strategies for Managing Holiday Stress 1. Practice Mindfulness in Everyday Moments Mindfulness isn't about achieving a zen-like state or meditating for hours. It's simply about being present with what is, without judgment. During the...

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EMDR Love

Can EMDR Help You Find Love?

July 23, 2025
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Uncategorized

Imagine this. You want love, but intimacy is dangerous. You want connection, but closeness feels cringey. You want a life partner & soul mate, but you can trust no one. Can EMDR help you find love? Forget about the limited dating pool, your trauma is limiting the odds of finding love before even saying, “Hello.“. Here’s how trauma can affect love and relationships: Abuse, neglect, bullying, perfectionism and overachieving can all be a cause or symptom of trauma. When trauma happens whether physical, emotional, or sexual, it sends your central nervous system into overdrive.  This survival function keeps your safe. Thank your body for that! But, when it remains elevated, even when safe, outside your window of tolerance, you feel jittery, stressed, anxious, or sleepy. If you are constantly on...

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difficult relationships

Difficult Relationships 101: Want to scream into the void?

March 27, 2025
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Relationships

As a therapist, I spend my days helping clients develop essential skills for healthy relationships—setting boundaries, practicing assertiveness, managing emotions, and communicating effectively. But like everyone else, I’m human, and lately, I’ve found myself challenged in all of these areas. It’s particularly difficult when someone close to you struggles with the fundamental qualities that make relationships work. It's as if they're treating basic emotional intelligence like an optional upgrade they refused at checkout. So, if you’ve ever found yourself clenching your jaw, contemplating a dramatic life change, or Googling “how to remain unbothered when people test your patience,” welcome to the club. Here’s how to handle difficult relationships with grace, integrity, and just enough sass to keep your sanity intact. 1. Feel Your Feelings (But Don’t...

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How Setting Boundaries is a Love Language

January 22, 2025
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Anxiety, Relationships, Stress Management

Blurry Boundaries: There’s a quiet tension in undefined spaces. Seeing clear boundaries as a love language is counterintuitive. Let’s be real: we’ve all been there. You don’t want to say “no” because it feels mean or harsh, so you give a half-hearted “sure” or just leave things up in the air. And what happens? Everyone’s confused, tensions rise, and you end up feeling drained. Spoiler alert: trying to “soften the blow” by avoiding clear boundaries doesn’t work—it just makes things worse for everyone. Here’s the hard truth: blurry boundaries are messy. They tap into three of life’s biggest stressors—lack of information, uncertainty, and lack of control. If you’re avoiding the “no” because you think it’s kinder, you’re actually creating a situation where nobody knows what’s happening, and...

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holiday survival Heather Edwards

Oh, it’s on! Your holiday survival guide

November 28, 2024
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Anxiety, Lifestyle, Managing the Holidays, Stress Management

Okay, let’s be real for a second—this year feels weird. Autumn in the Northeast is giving us summer vibes, and Thanksgiving is super late. Is it just me, or does it feel like the holiday season popped up out of nowhere? One second we’re sipping iced lattes in October, and the next, we’re defrosting turkeys and hunting for Black Friday deals. Whiplash anyone? Holiday survival guide, please. And now it’s time to head to Aunt Sally’s for the annual family extravaganza. You know the one: the same casserole dishes, the same arguments, and somehow, the same side-eye from Cousin Linda about your “life choices.” Family, am I right? But don’t worry—I got you. Whether it’s navigating surprise political debates, fielding awkward comments about your love life...

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EMDR therapy

EMDR: A Life Changing Choice

October 9, 2024
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Anxiety, EMDR, Lifestyle, Self Esteem, Trauma

Have you ever been stuck in a mental loop, replaying painful memories like a bad song on repeat? Or you've had moments where past trauma sneaks up on you, disrupting your present with anxiety, self-doubt, or emotional overload. If so, you're not alone—and there's a surprisingly effective tool that can help you break free from those patterns. EMDR: A life changing choice. What Exactly Is EMDR? EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. Sounds technical, right? But don't worry, it’s not as intimidating as it seems. In essence, EMDR is a type of psychotherapy designed to help people heal from the symptoms and emotional distress caused by disturbing life experiences. The magic lies in how it helps your brain reprocess traumatic memories so they no longer...

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Empathy Cape

Empathy: Your Greatest Superpower That You Rarely Use

June 4, 2024
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Relationships

Grab Your Cape. Let's heal the world. In a world where scrolling through memes and cat videos consumes more time than meaningful conversations, it’s easy to overlook a superpower that we all possess. No, it's not flying or invisibility—though that would be cool. I'm talking about empathy. Empathy is like Wi-Fi for the soul: it connects us to the inner networks of other people's experiences and emotions. When working properly, it can create understanding, compassion, and, dare I say, world peace. Yet, much like Wi-Fi, it can sometimes be frustratingly unreliable. Picture this: You're at a party. You don't know many people, and you're nervously clutching your drink like it’s a life preserver. Suddenly, someone approaches and strikes up a conversation. Instead of the usual small talk, they...

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Heather Edwards LMHC

Heather Edwards, LMHC, LPC, NCC, BCC is licensed in NY, RI, PA, & FL. She is an EMDRIA Certified EMDR Therapist, Life Coach, & Board Certified Counselor.

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