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Author: Heather Edwards

Heather Edwards Mental Health Counseling / Articles posted by Heather Edwards (Page 9)

Turn Toward the Enemy – Mastering negative emotions

You feel stuck. Trapped. Immobilized. When in the therapy and coaching room, conversations about fear, regret, disappointment, and frustration arise and take center stage.  It’s easy to fall prey, be guided and controlled by negative emotions, even feel consumed by them. It's an uncomfortable place. It's dark, heavy, constricting. It can hold you hostage. And it can intensify before it dissipates. Recognize negative emotions not as your enemy but as your informant. Acknowledge them. Accept them. Be open to them. Question them. Break them down. Look those unsavories in the eye. Release their grip. Identify the building blocks of negativity. Uncover the hidden messages. Initiate a plan designed for empowerment. When you turn toward your anger, fear, and sadness you validate the experience of the pain. You soothe and comfort, rather than avoid...

Psychology Today – The Narcissistic Injury

This is a re-post of my article published in Psychology Today on December 7, 2015. You Feel Stung, and Badly: Someone says or does something that hurts deeply. You feel unseen, betrayed, invalidated, or simply criticized. You may feel it’s unfair or that you deserve it. Either way, you are having a tough time recovering. It eats at you. The hurt somehow sticks. You feel ashamed that you can’t just let it go. Or respond in a healthy way. So you either nurse the wound privately, or you lash back in an over-reaction. This is the Narcissistic Injury. It’s common – and you need not be a Narcissist to feel its sting. In this post, Heather Edwards(link is external) gives us ways to recover. OUCH! It hurts!  Like a psychological punch in the gut. It...

3 Steps to Achieve the Life You Desire

You chose the path of least resistance. When starting college at age 17, I did the same. You followed the protocol. A real no-brainer. It’s what your parents or friends wanted for you. But it wasn't YOUR dream. And you didn't even realize it then. According to Forbes.com, a Mercer survey of 30,000 workers worldwide showed that between 28% and 56% of employees in 17 spots around the globe want to leave their jobs. In the U.S., 32% said they want to find new work in a Right Management survey. Those employees reported they were either somewhat or totally unsatisfied. Many spend years studying, training, and working in a job that’s not fulfilling. They did what their parents prescribed or chose what was available to them at the time. While noble because...

7 Paths to Peace Amidst Terror

Anger. Fear. Helplessness. Rage. Suspicion. Guilt. Despair. These are just a few of the negative emotions felt all over the world since the Paris and Beirut terror attacks last week. Like a suction cup, you're glued to the TV, Internet, and radio. You are scared. And you’re angry that you’re scared. Layering feelings upon feelings. It means they won. You want this to go away. Yet you obsess about what’s next and what it means for your future. It marks the beginning of World War 3. It’s something you didn't foresee in your lifetime. Questions abound. Is it best to stay home? Should I avoid the city? Are the subways safe? Can I freely discuss my concerns? How do I know if the person next to me is...

8 Tips for Combatting SAD – Preserve your energy and spirit

Welcome to daylight savings time! It’s that time of year when days get shorter, darkness grows longer, and your energy and spirit can be eclipsed. SAD abounds. According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, “About 4 to 6 percent of people may have winter depression. Another 10 to 20 percent may have mild SAD. SAD is four times more common in women than in men. Although some children and teenagers get SAD, it usually doesn't start in people younger than age 20.” That equals a whopping up to 63,780,000 people in the U.S.A. with SAD and/or mild depression in the winter! In case you’re wondering if you have S.A.D. (Seasonal Affective Disorder) here are a few symptoms: decreased energy increased appetite (for sweets & starches)   weight gain reduced socialization increased sleep lower productivity less...

3 Ways YOU are Like Your SMARTPHONE

Unfinished business. Open loops. Running Apps. Depleted energy. Less productivity. Divided attention. Ugh. It’s downright overwhelming when you take a moment to realize how many tasks are competing for your time and focus every minute of every day. Ironically, ignoring them only creates more stress, and tackling them all at once creates overwhelm. So how are you like your smartphone? You’re Multi-Talented  - After all, we are the creators of phones and apps. You can manage your homefront, a job and freelance work, your own business, self care, social commitments, romantic curiosities, attend that class at the gym, and learn an instrument in one fell swoop. You’re Uber Productive - You can do laundry while listening to a podcast and writing a blog, calling your mother, emailing your...

Heather Edwards Coach Gestalt

Get Down With Y.G.G. (Your Glorious Gestalt)

When was the last time you woke up on the wrong side of the bed? You know - one of those days you wanted to pull the blankets up over your head and grumble, “Hell no!”. You were feeling run down, unappreciated, and not so inclined to jump back into the grind. You just want to say, “WTF!” - and go back to sleep. Stress is a sign that you need a change. Don't run. Don't hide. Turn toward it. Respond proactively. Take an inventory of your self care practices. Where do you stand with exercise, healthy eating, adequate sleep, socialization, romance, fun, or a sense of accomplishment and higher purpose? Honor all the areas of your life that comprise you. The Gestaltists claim that, “The whole is...

Fear Sucks. Doubt Debilitates. Stress Kills.

Fear sucks, doubt debilitates and stress kills. Loneliness isolates and worry permeates. Anger enrages and sorrow depletes. Yearning drives and hope transcends. Joy eases - all or most of the pain, at least for a moment. Darkness and light. Greatness and shame. Brilliance and defeat. Ecstasy and despair. Two sides of the same coin, right? They're separated only by a the velocity of a spin or gravitational pull from our Mother Earth. Unavoidable. Unmanageable. Unimaginable. Or not? These are the feelings you will inevitably experience as a living, loving, breathing, growing, evolving human being. They're scary. They're jarring. They're life changing. They're normal. At times, they force you to look them in the eye and realize the limits of your comfort zone. They reveal the distinction between being passenger...

Start Your Day Right: 3 Tips for the Perfect Journal Entry

Start your morning right with a journal entry. They say the day is shaped by the tone of your morning ritual. So make it productive, uplifting, and grounding. There are many benefits of journaling. It's an emotional cleanse, a refocusing on the positive, and a reminder of your purpose and vision.  Try these tips to maximize the potential for your day and to keep you on target with your goals...