Distraction can be a great way to cope with anxious thoughts during the day but what happens when it is time to sleep? Do you start engaging in mental activities such as counting sheep? Perhaps scrolling through social media out of boredom but find your mind overstimulated and even more “cluttered”. Do you check the time and realize you “should” be sleeping by now? Focusing on difficulties falling and staying asleep can make things even more stressful! Mindful Meditation is a great practice that can be combined with other strategies such as guided imagery to help get a better night’s sleep. Meditations that utilize mindfulness-for-sleep may include sensory rich details of relaxing images of places such as the beach or a mountainside with softly drifting clouds or gentle flowing water. While these techniques incorporate an element of distraction, these serve more as relaxation strategies because they can shift one’s focus to positive distractions as part of a relaxing meditation. A body scan meditation brings mindful awareness to different parts of the body, noticing the different sensations as one scans each part of the body. It is common for one’s thoughts to wander. Be kind to yourself as you gently bringing back your awareness to your breath and body. Focusing on breathing can help create a sense of calm as one is doing the body scan. Techniques such as breathing in calm and breathing out tension are often practiced with a body scan meditation as we help our bodies naturally relax. Noticing worrisome thoughts and placing these on an object such as a leaf on a gently flowing stream or a cloud and watching it drift away is a strategy that incorporates mindfulness with cognitive diffusion that many clients find helpful. With mindfulness, whatever worrisome thoughts are present, including the anxiety of not being able to sleep, practicing letting these go, allowing and trusting the body’s ability to relax. The Sleep Foundation has an excellent list of Nine Mindfulness Principles. Thought patterns consistent with these principles (rather than focus on the negative) can help reduce anxiety and promote a better night’s sleep. These include: a beginner’s mind in your approach to thoughts about sleep/ expectations, non-striving as sleep is not a result of a forced effort, it just happens. Letting go which include letting go of judgments or non-judging, and acceptance. Sometimes you may get a good night’s rest and other times you may not. Trust in your body’s ability to regulate sleep and have patience in the process. Finally, gratitude, allowing yourself to focus on the good things and showing generosity to others can be positive distractions that can re-shift focus. Meditation can help when it is used regularly before bed and getting into the habit of daily meditation can help receive optimal health benefits. Written By: Charlotte Johnson, MA, LPCC We’re Here to helpOur wellness experts will be happy to take care of you. You can CLICK HERE to schedule an appointment now or call (612)223-8898. Meet CliniciansWe’re united by our commitment to providing effective, relevant, and innovative mental health support at all stages of your journey. Click Here to find out more about who we are, where we come from, and how we live out CARE’s mission every day. The professionals at CARE are actively collecting and creating resources to help with what you need. We’re Here for You. The post How Meditation Can Help With Getting A Better Night’s Sleep appeared first on Care Counseling : Minneapolis Therapists. from https://care-clinics.com/how-meditation-can-help-with-getting-a-better-nights-sleep/ from https://careclinics.weebly.com/blog/how-meditation-can-help-with-getting-a-better-nights-sleep
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How To Show Yourself Kindness and Those Around You
What steps can you take to show kindness to yourself and those around you? Here are some areas of reflect on for Random Acts of Kindness Week (February 14-20, 2021). Take time to Notice and Express Kindness
Be Gentle with Yourself and Others by Practicing Self-Compassion• Use gentle, kind, and affirming words that build a strong sense of self. Show Kindness to Yourself by Taking Care of Your Body• Eat healthy nourishing foods, exercise, rest, and treat physical and mental health. Learn to “Let Go” and Forgive• Let go of judgment, perfectionism, unrealistic standards, control, or other areas. Be Generous• Consider how you choose to spend resources such as time and money; challenge yourself to use resources towards random acts of kindness. “Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all which have the potential to turn a life around”. Written By: Charlotte Johnson, MA, LPCC We’re Here to helpOur wellness experts will be happy to take care of you. You can CLICK HERE to schedule an appointment now or call (612)223-8898. Meet CliniciansWe’re united by our commitment to providing effective, relevant, and innovative mental health support at all stages of your journey. Click Here to find out more about who we are, where we come from, and how we live out CARE’s mission every day. The professionals at CARE are actively collecting and creating resources to help with what you need. We’re Here for You. The post How To Show Yourself Kindness and Those Around You appeared first on Care Counseling : Minneapolis Therapists. from https://care-clinics.com/how-to-show-yourself-kindness-and-those-around-you/ from https://careclinics.weebly.com/blog/how-to-show-yourself-kindness-and-those-around-you Tune Into Your Body To Increase Resiliency and HappinessRather than just focusing on the neck up, therapists are incorporating body work by taking a more holistic approach and integrating the rest of the body! Specialized therapeutic approaches such as somatic psychotherapy utilize the mind-body connection to bring awareness to one’s body and integrate the body within the healing process. The nervous system plays a key role in body work; tuning-into-your-body-can-make-you-more-resilient. Amid threat, our body goes into “fight or flight”; this serves as a protective, survival response. The sympathetic nervous system plays a key role in triggering this response whereas the parasympathetic nervous system works to calm the body’s response. Our body works hard to keep us safe, healthy, and calm! Body-based interventions can help soothe our body when our brain is sending out signals of distress. By increasing somatic intelligence, one can better understand the-stress-response and learn techniques that help regulate stress responses and contribute to overall healthiness. BREATHING & RELAXATIONOne of the first places we can focus on regulating our nervous system is through breathing by using deep abdominal breaths which is known as diaphragmatic or belly breathing. Breathing can be paired with deep sighs or humming to calm. Breathing can also be combined with soothing words or images as part of meditation and guided imagery relaxation exercises. Check out this link for steps how to do deep breathing exercises to include diaphragmatic breathing, rib stretch breathing, and numbered breathing: https://www.healthline.com/health/diaphragmatic-breathing#steps-to-do PHYSICAL TOUCHThere are many benefits-of-touch in response to reducing stress and calming the nervous system. This includes the body’s release of the hormone oxytocin which is released during activities that utilize physical touch such as hugging, massage, cuddling, and sex. Soothing activities such as petting an animal also offer these benefits. Meditation activities that incorporate touch and self-compassion such as placing one’s hand on their heart and offering kindness is another intervention that utilizes physical touch. MOVEMENTUse of movement and therapeutic approaches that use movement such as yoga and tai chi often combines deep breathing along with fluid rhythmical movements that help calm the nervous system. Incorporating mindfulness for “mindful movement” with activities such as walking or yoga helps relax both the mind and the body. Simple movement activities such as shifts in posture and stretching also easy activities that you can do anywhere. INTEGRATE ALL THREE!Breathing/ relaxation, touch, and movement can be combined. A technique called grounding is helpful with moving through distress (especially with trauma) as it helps one feel connected to the ground/ earth. This can be paired with sensory-soothing interventions to feel fully connected and present such as physical touch and eye contact in addition to breathing. We’re Here to helpOur wellness experts will be happy to take care of you. You can CLICK HERE to schedule an appointment now or call (612)223-8898. Meet CliniciansWe’re united by our commitment to providing effective, relevant, and innovative mental health support at all stages of your journey. Click Here to find out more about who we are, where we come from, and how we live out CARE’s mission every day. The professionals at CARE are actively collecting and creating resources to help with what you need. We’re Here for You. The post Tune Into Your Body To Increase Resiliency and Happiness appeared first on Care Counseling : Minneapolis Therapists. from https://care-clinics.com/tune-into-your-body-to-increase-resiliency-and-happiness/ from https://careclinics.weebly.com/blog/tune-into-your-body-to-increase-resiliency-and-happiness How to Practice Mindfulness and How Shame Can Affect Your Eating Habits
Shame is an emotion that can greatly affect eating habits whether it be mindless eating, restricting, binging, purging, struggles with weight and/ or body image. Feelings of shame are often present with behaviors that are done in secret and may be associated with rigidly held beliefs including “food rules” that affects-eating-habits. Mindfulness can help bring awareness to unhelpful thoughts that contribute to feelings of shame. Mindfulness can help us sit with the discomfort these feeling bring, being present in the moment and approaching eating habits with curiosity. In our moments of pain and suffering may we find compassion for ourselves. Oftentimes it is much easier to show compassion for others while the inner critic is unleashed on the self. Offering yourself kindness and compassion during a difficult situation is a great mindfulness practice which can help work with feelings of shame. Here are some guidelines how to practice mindfulness while eating that incorporates simple-practices-for-daily-life.1) Notice What You are Eating. Make mindful choices that nourish the body and soul. 2) Savor Your Food. Take time to notice the aroma, taste, and texture. Allow yourself to connect and enjoy these sensations. 3) Create a Pause. Activities to slow down and then enjoy the food such as breathing or a prayer before eating can help with the transition to meal time. 4) Be Mindful of Where You are Eating. Do you eat on the couch in front of your TV, at your desk while working, or in bed? Take the time to prepare a special place for meal time, even if it is a place setting for one. 5) Listen to Your Body Signals. Learn to recognize and appropriately respond to signals of hunger and fullness. The Center for Mindful Eating provides some great information on mindful eating as well as mindful meditations: https://thecenterformindfuleating.org/FREE-Meditations If you are struggling with shame around eating habits, please schedule a time to talk to a therapist with specialty working with eating disorders https://care-clinics.com/ or a specialty clinic that provides treatment for eating disorders. Melrose Center: https://www.healthpartners.com/care/specialty-centers/melrose-center/ The Emily Program: https://www.emilyprogram.com/ Written By: Charlotte Johnson, MA, LPCC We’re Here to helpOur wellness experts will be happy to take care of you. You can CLICK HERE to schedule an appointment now or call (612)223-8898. Meet CliniciansWe’re united by our commitment to providing effective, relevant, and innovative mental health support at all stages of your journey. Click Here to find out more about who we are, where we come from, and how we live out CARE’s mission every day. The professionals at CARE are actively collecting and creating resources to help with what you need. We’re Here for You. The post appeared first on Care Counseling : Minneapolis Therapists. from https://care-clinics.com/15882-2/ from https://careclinics.weebly.com/blog/untitled3136670 Supporting Teachers and The Work They are Doing
In a survey conducted at the end of March 2020 by the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and Collaborative for Social Emotional and Academic Learning 5,000 teachers were asked to describe in their own words, the most frequent emotions they felt each day. The top five emotions reported were anxious, fearful, worries, overwhelmed, and sad with over 95% of the feelings reported being rooted in anxiety. In fact, anxiety was the most frequently reported emotion. Common causes of teacher stress and burnout include the following:• Lack of strong leadership and/ or lack of support from leadership Now add in the new stressors of becoming proficient in distance learning and responding to the needs of students and families during these challenging times! The Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence advocates that emotions matter for attention, memory, and learning, decision making, relationships, health and well-being, and for performance. Social and emotional training is an important component that was identified how to support teachers right now. Educators’ emotions matter. Here are Four Strategies to Support Teachers:
Written By: Charlotte Johnson, MA, LPCC We’re Here to helpOur wellness experts will be happy to take care of you. You can CLICK HERE to schedule an appointment now or call (612)223-8898. Meet CliniciansWe’re united by our commitment to providing effective, relevant, and innovative mental health support at all stages of your journey. Click Here to find out more about who we are, where we come from, and how we live out CARE’s mission every day. The professionals at CARE are actively collecting and creating resources to help with what you need. We’re Here for You. The post Supporting Teachers and The Work They are Doing appeared first on Care Counseling : Minneapolis Therapists. from https://care-clinics.com/15856-2/ from https://careclinics.weebly.com/blog/supporting-teachers-and-the-work-they-are-doing This Valentine’s Day, Forget Chocolate – Practice Mindful SexFeeling alone on Valentine’s Day. Yet again…You find yourself scrolling through social media and before you know it, you find yourself “doomsturbating“—doomscrolling while masturbating. This outcome is not too much different than other self-soothing activities we tend to find ourselves doing while stressed, anxious, depressed, lonely, or just plain old bored. How about watching TV while mindless eating? You may find yourself eating past your comfort level and making choices that contribute to feelings of guilt and shame. By incorporating mindfulness, it helps one to fully enjoy pleasure in the moment in activities whether it be eating chocolate or having sex. Mindfulness is about being fully present. Mindfulness can offer a wonderful sense of freedom when practicing mindful-sex. Have you ever experienced anxiety before, during, or after sex? What is it like to have sex with a partner(s) when you are pre-occupied and insecure about your body, orgasms, or overall performance? Biological, psychological social/ environmental and cultural factors are all important aspects that affect sexual health. Sexual relationships struggle when they are impacted by feeling detached, preoccupied, unsatisfied, or even numb to pleasure. What would it be like to feel mentally, emotionally, and even spiritually connected while having sex? Many individuals that seek help for relationship concerns, especially around intimacy and sex often struggle with communication. Sex and sexuality are important aspects of what makes us human. Good communication can lead to sexual satisfaction and improved mental health. Communication and consent are vital to practicing mindful, hot sex. This Valentine’s Day, no matter your “relationship status”, I challenge you to treat yourself to pleasure. It does not need to be sexual, although if you choose to have mindful sex, prepare yourself for something even better than chocolate! Here are Steps to Get Started:• Set aside an intentional time to practice mindful sex. • Enjoy a multi-sensory experience. Indulge the senses with sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. • Be fully present to experience the moment rather than focus on performance. • Practicing loving and nurturing yourself. Learn first how to be comfortable with and in your body. Discover new erogenous zones. • Increase your comfort level to communicate. Talk to your partner(s) about what you want. Finally, do not be afraid to talk to your therapist about your sexual health concerns. Yes, it is OK to talk about sex in therapy! Not only is it OK, but it is also encouraged. Written By: Charlotte Johnson, MA, LPCC We’re Here to helpOur wellness experts will be happy to take care of you. You can CLICK HERE to schedule an appointment now or call (612)223-8898. Meet CliniciansWe’re united by our commitment to providing effective, relevant, and innovative mental health support at all stages of your journey. Click Here to find out more about who we are, where we come from, and how we live out CARE’s mission every day. The professionals at CARE are actively collecting and creating resources to help with what you need. We’re Here for You. The post This Valentine’s Day, Forget Chocolate – Practice Mindful Sex appeared first on Care Counseling : Minneapolis Therapists. from https://care-clinics.com/this-valentines-day-forget-chocolate-practice-mindful-sex/ from https://careclinics.weebly.com/blog/this-valentines-day-forget-chocolate-practice-mindful-sex How to Maintain Friendships When Feeling Depressed, Anxious, Etc…Friendship is a beautiful thing—childhood friends, friends from school or college days, friendships formed through work, and other stages of life. Sometimes friends are made in the least expected places, bonding through pain, hardship, and times of suffering. Reaching out for help is not easy, nor is reaching out for social support when struggling with depression or anxiety. When one is struggling with mental health, it can be difficult to maintain friendships. Yet, this is a time when we need support from friends. If you are feeling anxious or depressed, who are three people that you could call right now? When is the last time that you reached out to someone? Has it been in the last day, last week, last month? We all have a need for social connection, through the good times and through the bad. It is especially important to maintain friendships while feeling depressed, anxious, etc. Here are Three Ways to Maintain Friendships:
“You are a piece of the puzzle of someone else’s life. You may never know where you fit, but others will fill the holes in their lives with pieces of you.” -Bonnie Arbor Written By: Charlotte Johnson, MA, LPCC We’re Here to helpOur wellness experts will be happy to take care of you. You can CLICK HERE to schedule an appointment now or call (612)223-8898. Meet CliniciansWe’re united by our commitment to providing effective, relevant, and innovative mental health support at all stages of your journey. Click Here to find out more about who we are, where we come from, and how we live out CARE’s mission every day. The professionals at CARE are actively collecting and creating resources to help with what you need. We’re Here for You. The post How to Maintain Friendships When Feeling Depressed, Anxious, Etc… appeared first on Care Counseling : Minneapolis Therapists. from https://care-clinics.com/how-to-maintain-friendships-when-feeling-depressed-anxious-etc/ from https://careclinics.weebly.com/blog/how-to-maintain-friendships-when-feeling-depressed-anxious-etc Why Every American Should CARE About Black History MonthFeaturing Jonathan Palmer with Hallie Q. Brown Community Center History Matters. Black Lives Matter. Dr. Carter G. Woodson, influential author, editor, publisher, and historian (December 1875 – April 1950), is known as the “Father of Black History”. One the biggest challenges is how to stay engaged beyond the month of February. By only caring about Black history during the month in February, we downplay the contributions of Black Americans in history. Dr. Woodson strongly believed the importance of recognizing, recording, and reflecting on the significant contributions of Black Americans in US/history. Woodson undertook recording these tasks by establishing the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (now called the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH)), the Journal of Negro History, and Negro History Week which was first celebrated in 1926. Woodson’s message was that “Blacks should be proud of their heritage and that other Americans should also understand it”. Woodson’s goal was to increase the visibility of Black history by proving to a White America the important roles Black Americans had in creating history; therefore, Black Americans also deserving equal treatment as citizens. Dr. Woodson’s excellent historical research not only recognized and recorded the contributions of Black Americans, but forced the recognition of their legitimate place in US History. This is the fundamental point that needs to be recognized:Black history is history, period. When Garrett Morgan invented the gas mask and the three position traffic signal, they weren’t only used in Black communities. When Marie Van Brittan Brown invented the first home security system, security systems weren’t put into only Black houses. Black Americans from Crispus Attucks through Barack Obama and beyond have been a part of and contributed significantly to our country and our history, yet because of the prevalence of systemic racism woven into the fabric of our society, they are largely ignored, denied or dusted off and hauled out in February only to be shelved on March 1st and forgotten. We do a disservice to everyone in this country, and in fact the world, by continuing this practice. It is far past time to remove the blinders and barriers and accept Black history as history. Black History Month does still have a place though. It is a great opportunity to do a deeper dive into topics, to elevate and highlight people, places, events and more so that they can be studied and taught beyond February. Black History Month is a great time to celebrate the contributions as we integrate them more fully into our knowledge and practices. Further, as we seek to balance the scales and right the injustices of Slavery, Jim Crow, Segregation, the unwarranted killing of Black people and so much more, the attention focused on an effort helps to validate and elevate the idea and principle that Black lives do matter and have value, and the impact that makes for young children of color is immeasurable. There is another very important reason why every American should care about Black History Month that is often overlooked: the impact on White people. White has been incorrectly considered the default for so long in this country that it is often undistinguished from “American”, we don’t study “White history”, there is no “White Entertainment Television, and outside of the KKK and Proud Boys we don’t refer to organizations as “White”, but we do have Black History Month, Black Entertainment Television and Black organizations, all because they are defined in contrast to White as being the default. This imparts and inherent superiority and segmentation that subconsciously elevates White people while reducing all other ethnic groups. It creates a power imbalance that reinforces systemic racism. And it has become so inured in our culture, that a growing number of White people don’t understand the dynamic and instead decry that it is unfair that we have these efforts and complain that we don’t put the same focus on White people that we do on BIPOC people. They actually complain that there is no “White Entertainment Television”. This is the impact, the lack of awareness of Black history has. Not merely the resentment and hostility of overt racism, but the subtlety of friendships never gained, significance not understood and people undervalued. We do a disservice to the very nature of our society by omitting a crucial part of OUR history and culture. Black history is an integral part of America and until we fully embrace and understand this, we won’t really be the UNITED States of America. Black History month has been officially recognized in both the United States and Canada, but beyond that, it has in recent years been celebrated in Ireland, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. While the US and Canada observe it in February, the other countries observe it in October. We are at the foundation of this crucial cornerstone of culture and we have the ability to lead the way. Woodson inspired other great researchers and continues to inspire Black Americans and others including educators, scholars, philanthropists, and companies committed towards diversity and inclusion. Every American should care about Black History Month because it began with us and can continue to be our gift to the world.
Black history is history and EVERYONE should care about it.Written by: Jonathan Palmer, Executive Director We’re Here to helpOur wellness experts will be happy to take care of you. You can CLICK HERE to schedule an appointment now or call (612)223-8898. Meet CliniciansWe’re united by our commitment to providing effective, relevant, and innovative mental health support at all stages of your journey. Click Here to find out more about who we are, where we come from, and how we live out CARE’s mission every day. The professionals at CARE are actively collecting and creating resources to help with what you need. We’re Here for You. The post Why Every American Should CARE About Black History Month appeared first on Care Counseling : Minneapolis Therapists. from https://care-clinics.com/why-every-american-should-care-about-black-history-month/ from https://careclinics.weebly.com/blog/why-every-american-should-care-about-black-history-month |
AuthorHello its me Lisa Johnson i am 32 years old from Mission, TX. I am professional family therapist and i also deals in adult therapy and children’s therapy. Archives
April 2023
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