I've been hearing the term, Paradox of Choice, for a while and had a basic understanding of the concept. To my understanding, it's the idea that decisions become more stressful when we have too many options. I was thrilled when I stumbled across Barry Schwartz's book, The Paradox of Choice, and I'll be sharing some of those insights with you...[ read more ]

Today, I’m excited to share a guest post from my friend, Ashley Peterson. Ashley is a mental health nurse. She's also a mental health blogger at Mental Health @ Home.  She recently published her second book, Making Sense of Psychiatric Diagnosis. Today, she’s sharing about the unique ways that she tends to her mental health. While unfortunately, I haven’t had...[ read more ]

I'm not typically into self-help books, but The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey has been cited often and has been recommended to me a few times. Today, I am excited to share some of the insights that I gained from the book with you. Be proactive It's always better to be proactive (prepared) than it...[ read more ]

We're all aware that technology can become a pervasive force in our lives if we don't set boundaries. I have been hearing great things about Cal Newport's book, Digital Minimalism. Today, I'm excited to share some of those insights with you. Minimalism: A lifestyle based on the idea that better living can come from doing and having less. People born...[ read more ]

I suppose I’ve been on a minimalist journey for the past year and a half. Recently, I discovered the book, Essentialism, by Greg McKeown. I will be sharing some of the insights that I gained with you today. It’s no secret that we live in a world that never seems to sleep. Now, more than ever, people are pressured to...[ read more ]

Today, I'm sharing about radical acceptance, which is a concept that I use both personally and in my therapy work with clients. Radical acceptance can be both simple and difficult all at the same time. So let's dive in, shall we? Radical acceptance is the ability to acknowledge the reality of your situation without judging, blaming, or criticizing yourself or...[ read more ]

There are so many mental health benefits of meditation. Today, I'd like to share about two meditation apps that I've used both personally and in sessions at Panoramic Counseling. Both apps, Calm and Headspace, are user-friendly and can be downloaded for Android and Apple devices. They both offer a limited free version and have comparably-priced subscription plans. Calm Pros: Has...[ read more ]

Let’s take a minute to imagine the inner workings of the anxious mind: fears, an overactive fight-or-flight response, racing thoughts, and much more. As someone living with an anxiety disorder, these are all thoughts, behaviors, and feelings that I experience on an almost daily basis. List making is a skill that I’ve used in my own life to help manage...[ read more ]

I remember New Year’s 2017. I deemed it, “The year of the small circle.” Though I’m introverted and tend to keep a small circle, I had become aware that quality is better than quantity when it comes to relationships. Because we are human, we’re going to disappoint each other at times. In worthwhile relationships, those issues get worked out and...[ read more ]

We all learned in kindergarten about the Golden Rule, right? “Do to others what you want them to do to you.” The majority of us try to live this out daily to maintain some sort of social courtesy. A lot of mental health discussions focus on our environment. We try to be mindful of how we interact with others, how...[ read more ]