gratitude Archives - Heather Edwards Mental Health Counseling

Pandemic Life: 3 Conversations

June 2, 2020

Does it feel like you’re in a time warp? Is making decisions and prioritizing a challenge? Are you easily upset? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you might be living in a pandemic. Lately, therapy conversations related to the threat of COVID-19 revolve around three main concerns. 1. An altered relationship to time. 2. A reevaluation of needs. 3. How the central nervous system reacts to the pervasive threat of death. Let’s start with time. Your normal routine is up-ended. The people you saw, places you went, and appointments you kept are just a memory. You’re not rushing to catch a train, changing your clothes to go to the gym, or squeezing in a visit to a doctor’s office during the workday. You’re losing track of the hours in...

COVID-19: Seeking a silver lining

March 31, 2020

Anxiety

COVID-19 is frightening. Most of us are wondering what COVID-19 will mean for our future. Not knowing what to expect is stressful. In fact, the three largest contributors to stress are: 1. uncertainty; 2. lack of information; and 3. lack of control. I’d say the Coronavirus has checked all three boxes. Many people are struggling with boundaries, privacy, and managing emotions while quarantining at home. Negotiating space, finding ”me time” for self care, and sitting with the uncomfortable feelings challenge even the best coping strategies. So, let’s get back to basics. There’s no magic bullet but perhaps the closest thing is gratitude. Take a breath, get grounded in the now, and connect with your core values. Look around you and notice how many have manifested in your...

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2020 Vision: 29 life-balance tips

January 7, 2020

Stress Management

Make 2020 a breakthrough year. Stress, fatigue, and overwhelm can keep your head spinning and your to-do list growing. Get off the hamster wheel in 2020 and begin taking corrective action. It’s counterintuitive but, it all starts with slowing down. Make 2020 the year of YOU. Follow these simple tips to hit the reset button. Build clarity, energy, and focus...

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Mindfulness: attention with purpose

March 29, 2018

Articles

Sleepily, I tiptoed to the kitchen to make my morning tea. As I gripped the bright yellow lemon my attention noticed it’s firm, dimpled outer rind. I wondered for a moment about the hands that picked it and the tree from which it came. I acknowledged the sunshine, clouds, rain, and earth that provided the conditions to make it grow. I rinsed it and watched the drops of water cascade around its surface. I cut into its middle and witnessed the nectar escaping to the countertop and bursting toward the sky. It’s citrus aroma exploded, filling the room and my nostrils with its unmistakable tart bounty. With each breath the anticipation of its delightful flavor built as my mouth began to water. Is your mouth watering?...

Happy Holidays: Quick Survival Tactics

December 21, 2017

Articles

The Holidays are upon us! They can bring a host of joys and sorrows with them. Use these quick tips to skate through the Grinch’s and Gremlin’s efforts to sabotage your holiday spirit. When the dinner rolls are burning and the kids are screaming, reach out for help. Delegate. Your partner and sister could enjoy having a task assigned to them. They’ll have a sense of ownership and purpose, and you’ll have a sense of relief. When Aunt Sally teams up with Negative Nancy to criticize the gifts, dinner, or activities take a deep breath. Hit your pause button and reflect on what could be motivating her behavior - her aches and pains, poor sleep, “h-anger” (hungry-anger)...

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Gratitude in Tragedy: Practicing hope

December 13, 2017

Articles

Have you noticed that it's difficult to focus on abundance? Gratitude seems like a chore, and being thankful with so much hardship in the world seems frivolous? Gently ask yourself this question - How does my suffering relieve the suffering of others? Pause, breathe, and take a break just for a moment from the pain of the world to notice what is abundant in your life. You deserve and need hope. You deserve and need moments of relief. You deserve and need to feel grateful so that you can continue to shine your light to make this world a better place for everyone - one person, one interaction, one gesture at a time. When you function from a place of love, honesty, and nonjudgement you open yourself to limitless possibilities. Fear, anger, and judgement shut down creative processes and keep you small. Let...

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5 Signs You’re an Overanalyzer: And how to kick the habit

November 21, 2017

Articles

Are you plagued by indecision? Do you overanalyze whether or not there's a hidden meaning behind someone's words? Do you look for the possible trap or snafu that will make everything blow up in your face and leave you riddled with regret or shame? These thinking patterns can be debilitating if you run away with them. When you simply observe, rather that get consumed by them, you can keep a healthy distance and choose a different path. Here are five signs that you could be an over analyzer. Your friends keep saying, ”Just let it go.”. You feel more stressed, instead of less stressed, by trying to make the right decision. Your default internal monologue is, “I don’t know what to do.”, and you mentally go in...

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Scarcity to Abundance – Healing from loss

April 12, 2017

Articles

“How do you want to die?” These are the haunting words spoken by her doctor after being diagnosed with stage four cancer. Three months after her passing, I’ve turned toward and through my grief and loss seeking peace. Grief takes time. It can feel overwhelming and eternal. But it eventually changes. The cloud lifts. Clarity and lightness return. Our love for those who have passed before us never dies and perhaps that’s what keeps us moving forward. They’re never really gone. They live on in memories, moments, and a felt sense of connection to them. While sitting on the edge of loss and wholeness, I’m struck by the flood of ideas about cultivating a robust authentic life. It’s an integration of real science from multiple areas of...

Adulthood Sucks… or does it?

September 29, 2016

Articles

Last Friday I was sitting in the dentist’s chair chuckling between tooth jabbings with the hygienist, Jessica. She told me she bought a T-shirt for her friend who's fallen on hard times. It reads, “I'm not a gynecologist but I'll take a look.”. We laughed and I replied that I just bought a T-shirt for my sister that reads, “Sorry I'm late. I didn't want to come.” We relished each other’s sense of humor & noted how serious adulthood can be, if you let it. And how extra important it is to be silly & have fun, and acknowledge emotional pain and indulge your dreams. Later that day I attended another doctor appointment and then took a long drive out of state to a dear one’s funeral....

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When Did Life Get So Hard? 10 Reasons Why & What to do …

April 22, 2016

Articles

1. When you stopped believing you are worthy - and quit taking inspired action. Tune into what you value about being you and write it out. Give yourself credit. If you don’t see it, who will? Dig deep into your core self and embrace what matters most. 2. When hardship took over - and you stopped leading with your heart. You gave up your power and lost trust that things will get better. Like a Tsunami of overwhelming emotion, things may seem unbearable now but, this too shall pass. 3. When you started avoiding, numbing, or ignoring the pain - you dampened the opposite, too - joy, love, & positivity. You must tolerate the darkness to see the stars. 4. When you forgot the glass was beautiful -...

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gratitude Tag

Pandemic Life: 3 Conversations

COVID-19: Seeking a silver lining

2020 Vision: 29 life-balance tips

Mindfulness: attention with purpose

Happy Holidays: Quick Survival Tactics

Gratitude in Tragedy: Practicing hope

5 Signs You’re an Overanalyzer: And how to kick the habit

Scarcity to Abundance – Healing from loss

Adulthood Sucks… or does it?

When Did Life Get So Hard? 10 Reasons Why & What to do …

Heather Edwards LMHC

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