Mike and Joan were fighting about the mess in the kitchen. Mike perceived his wife’s criticisms as if they were attacks and he was defending himself against her. Joan felt threatened and was protecting herself against his defenses. She was feeling unappreciated and unloved. They were both repeating the behavior
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Shared by Aaron Karmin, LCPC, Contributing Blogger February 15, 2019
Think of the last time you felt caught up in a distressing emotion. Your body may have felt tense, your mind may have been dwelling on the past or anticipating problems in the future and there is an intensity or urgency in the moment . Many have developed unhealthy strategies
Read More Shared by Aaron Karmin, LCPC, Contributing Blogger February 15, 2019
Mindfulness is a state of awareness. It is cultivated by systematically focusing attention on bodily sensations, emotions, thoughts, or the surrounding environment. Mindfulness can help you detach from emotional pain (e.g., anxiety, anger, sadness, self-harm). It is basically a way to distract yourself by focusing on something other than the
Read More Shared by Aaron Karmin, LCPC, Contributing Blogger February 15, 2019
You walk into your home, or maybe into a certain room. You look around, scanning the entire space, and suddenly feel so heavy. You feel tense and tired. You feel powerless and helpless. You feel disappointed in yourself. Your eyes immediately zero in on the piles of random paperwork, and
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Shared by Margarita Tartakovsky, M.S., Contributing Blogger February 10, 2019
We tend to set intentions without really listening to ourselves. We set intentions without actually going within and identifying what we genuinely need and desire. Instead, we set intentions that we think we should. I should be more productive. I should earn more. I should meditate. I should change my
Read More Shared by Margarita Tartakovsky, M.S., Contributing Blogger February 8, 2019
Stress is always seen as a negative, awful thing. And sometimes it really is a negative, awful thing. After all, stress is rough on our bodies. It might raise our heart rate and blood pressure. It might trigger headaches and tension. It might prevent us from being able to rest
Read More Shared by Margarita Tartakovsky, M.S., Contributing Blogger February 6, 2019
Nine years ago, Julie Kraft’s doctor uttered the words, “you have bipolar II disorder.” Immediately, images of unhinged film characters, sensationalist tabloid headlines and shocking news stories flooded her mind. All these things are now associated with me, she thought. Kraft felt embarrassed, ashamed, sad—and afraid. “I was fearful of
Read More Shared by Margarita Tartakovsky, M.S., Contributing Blogger February 5, 2019
You didn’t get much sleep because your toddler was up half the night. You woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Just because. You got to work way too late, and it feels like nothing has been going right since. You had a misunderstanding with a friend that
Read More Shared by Margarita Tartakovsky, M.S., Contributing Blogger January 26, 2019
33,000 lives end by guns each year in the United States. Two-thirds of gun deaths in the United States every year are suicides. The next-largest set of gun deaths — 1 in 5 — were young men aged 15 to 34, killed in homicides. These men were most likely to
Read More Shared by Aaron Karmin, LCPC, Contributing Blogger January 22, 2019
There was once a small community of Buddhist monks. The oldest and wisest of the monks was the Abbot who came from a long line of abbots. However, in the monastery there was a novice, the youngest of the monks, and the first of his family to enter the monastic life.
Read More Shared by Aaron Karmin, LCPC, Contributing Blogger January 22, 2019