Happy Spring! March is often the time when our thoughts shift toward more sunshine, longer days, birds singing, and flowers blooming. After a long winter of staying indoors, turning inward for reflection, and focusing on warmth and comfort, we are often excited to return to the outside world with renewed energy, joy, and purpose. We engage in spring cleaning at home, doing extra projects to help our living spaces feel fresh and rejuvenated. I’d also like to invite you to do an internal spring cleaning to clear the clutter in your mind and realign with your values and goals.

As I reflect on how codependent tendencies show up in my daily life, I notice that sharing my full authentic self with others can still be a challenge for me. I have a tendency to keep the focus off myself, asking others questions about themselves and not providing many details about what is happening in my own life. I am so accustomed to caring what others think of me and wanting to present as the person who “has it all together,” especially because I am a mental health provider. In truth, no one has it together 24/7 because that is not realistic for humans going through the ups-and-downs of daily life. And I know that deep, genuine, and meaningful social connection occurs when we are vulnerable with one another. That is how we relate to others and feel less alone in this world.

As Mother’s Day approaches, I wanted to take this opportunity to celebrate ALL types of maternal relationships - moms, step moms, chosen moms, grandmothers, new moms, adoptive moms, grieving moms, pet moms, single moms, those people who miss their mothers, those with a painful and/or strained relationship with their mom, and those longing to be a mom themselves. I truly honor, respect, and celebrate all of you! I know this holiday can bring up a lot of intense, overwhelming, and even unexpected emotions for people. No matter your situation, please be sure to treat yourself with extra kindness, compassion, and love as Sunday approaches. YOU deserve it that day and everyday!

When I share about overcoming codependency, people pleasing, and perfectionism, people often respond with concerns that making these changes will lead to them being disliked, rejected, and even abandoned. If I ask my partner for what I need, they might leave me. If I don’t agree to pick up a shift for my coworker, they might not want to be friends anymore. If I make a decision that my family doesn’t like, they may criticize and reject me.

While spring may seem far away for those of us living in the Northeast, March is often the time when our thoughts shift toward more sunshine, longer days, birds singing, and flowers blooming. After a long winter of staying indoors, turning inward for reflection, and focusing on warmth and comfort, we are often excited to return to the outside world with renewed energy, joy, and purpose. We engage in spring cleaning at home, doing extra projects to help our living spaces feel fresh and rejuvenated. I’d also like to invite you to do an internal spring cleaning to clear the clutter in your mind and realign with your values and goals.

Dear Lo,

I was recently on the path to graduate college and get a full-time job with a company that I have been working part-time for all four years of college. However, due to a rash decision that I made, I am no longer on track to graduate this semester and I lost my relationship with the company that I worked for previously. I feel like I cannot trust myself to make decisions anymore, and I constantly find myself thinking about the past when I had it all. I developed severe anxiety and depression as a result of the events that happened, and I constantly catastrophize everything in my life. What can I do to get better?

~Anonymous

As this year draws to a close, I want to take a moment to celebrate YOU. Why you ask? Because you have done incredible things throughout this past year. Big things, little things, hard things, easy things, surprising things, and things that have led you to being the amazing person that you are in this moment now. I’m proud of you and have truly enjoyed being part of your journey throughout the past year. And you should be proud of you too! To help you tune into and recognize your success, I’d encourage you to look over these journal prompts and consider them. If you do nothing else, I invite you to identify 2-3 things that you did well this year or that you’re proud of – doesn’t matter if they are big or small. They are all an important part of our journey and they’re all worth celebrating. Happy New Year!

The holiday season and end of the calendar year can bring with it a lot of joy, fun, excitement, and tradition. However, it can also be a time of stress, overwhelm, and exhaustion, especially for those of us who are parents and caregivers. We often believe we need to show up at every event, clean and decorate our homes, bake treats, cook big meals, buy a lot of gifts, and have endless energy and enthusiasm. My goal today is to normalize the presence and intensity of these overwhelming emotions AND share some tips on how to take care of yourself in these next few weeks (and beyond!).

While the winter and holiday season can be a time of joy and excitement, it can also be a source of stress, overwhelm, and exhaustion for many. The pressure to please and make everyone happy can be compounded by our own grief and loss, nostalgia for past memories, health issues, and concerns about the uncertainty of the world right now.

Despite the pressures, I strongly encourage you to prioritize your wellbeing over the holidays, especially if you are someone who tends to neglect yourself, push through, and over-function at this time of year. Here are some questions to reflect upon as we dive into the busy month of December and finish out 2022.

Fall has arrived....at least for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere :) Here in Pennsylvania, the leaves are starting to change, it’s getting darker earlier in the evening, and there is a chill in the air. I like to periodically utilize journal prompts for reflection, especially when a change in seasons occurs. Regardless of where you're located, it can be helpful to check in with ourselves every so often, examining how far we've come and where we'd like to go moving forward.

Explore the ways in which your relationship expectations may be leading you to feel hurt, stuck, angry, and resentful. And discover how to manage your expectations to create satisfying, fulfilling relationships with others in all parts of life. Read on for more details!

Learn specific ways to regulate your nervous system and create emotional safety from within through somatic practices. It is possible to increase your vagal tone through consistent vagus nerve stimulation, which will allow you to manage stress when it occurs. Read on for more details!

Learn to challenge the common codependent thought error of personalization to stop taking things personally, over-apologizing, and assuming responsibility for things that are out of your control.

A unique way to silence your inner critic voice with gentleness and compassion.