Affirmations
Ivy Griffin
Check out these positive affirmations for a boost of encouragement or a helpful daily reminder.
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This blog is written by a therapist in midtown Sacramento and focuses on the concerns and struggles of highly sensitive people (HSPs) and of kids, teens and adults struggling with depression, anxiety or just trying to figure out what they want for themselves. There's help and hope through counseling and therapy!
Filtering by Category: self-care
The Power of Words: Self-poisoning with negativity
Ivy Griffin
We’ve all had moments where we’ve been less-than-kind to ourselves. We might have struggled to accomplish something and called ourselves either out loud or internally things like failure, lazy, stupid or even worthless. In the moment, it probably doesn’t feel like such a big deal, we might even feel like we deserve it, or we minimize and tell ourselves it isn’t so bad since we only did it once or twice. But the fact of the matter is that word choice is a powerful thing, and every time we direct harsh negativity towards ourselves we are essentially feeding ourselves poison.
Read MoreWhen Relaxation feels triggering: Hypervigilance and CEN
Ivy Griffin
“I want to relax but I feel constantly anxious, like the other shoe is about to drop.”
Hypervigilance can be draining and painful and sometimes makes us feel hopeless. We long for respite from the constant physical tension and the marathon of thoughts running through our heads. How do we swap our experiences of frequent anxiety and fleeting calm for more frequent calm and fleeting anxiety?
Read MoreLetting Your Anxiety Rest
Ivy Griffin
“I am so tired but I can’t sleep.”
“Sometimes I don’t realize how tense I am until something starts to hurt.”
“I feel like I’m ALWAYS planning, always trying to anticipate the next thing.”
Simultaneous exhaustion and nervous energy are common experiences for people who struggle with feelings of anxiety. You desperately want to relax but your body and mind just can’t let go. We think to ourselves “If I could just plan enough, do enough, be enough, THEN I can relax.” But this rarely ever happens. How do we get out of this cycle so we can rest?
Read MoreQueer Joy For All
Ivy Griffin
Many of the folks I have the privilege of working with struggle with the belief that being queer is ‘not normal,’ is something to hide or be ashamed of, or is flat out wrong. These messages are rooted in societal fear and apathy, and say more about the lack of collective compassion and acceptance than most anything else. These external beliefs can then form internal beliefs commonly known as internalized homophobia. What is internalized homophobia? Internalized homophobia is the negative beliefs and feelings about one's own sexual orientation that can develop as a result of societal stigma, discrimination, or negative experiences. Working through internalized homophobia can be a challenging process, but it's an important step toward self-acceptance, self-love, and living authentically as an LGBTQ+ individual. Here are some steps to help you work through it…
Read MoreThe Importance of Grieving Relationships
Ivy Griffin
One of the hardest things we can experience in life is the realization that a relationship is not working out. I’m not just referring to romantic relationships but our relationships with friends and family as well. You’ve tried your best to communicate with the person, you may have even sought therapy for yourself or as a pair to try and resolve your struggles, but things just aren’t getting better. Or, if things do get better, it’s only for a short while and before you know it, you’re back to feeling anxious about talking with them, frustrated at not being listened to, or saddened that you’re just not able to be yourself around them.
Read MoreOpening Up Options for Fulfillment
Ivy Griffin
Do you find you’re pretty hard on yourself? Do you tend to set high standards for yourself that are almost impossible to achieve? Many of us receive spoken and unspoken messages that only certain outcomes in life are acceptable: good grades, always saying “yes” and being helpful to others, being in the right relationship, looking a certain way, having a certain job, the list goes on. If we don’t meet these standards, we feel like failures, like we’ve let everyone down, or like maybe there’s something wrong with us.
Read MoreStopping the Cycle of Overwhelm
Ivy Griffin
It’s all well and good to bust out your arsenal of coping tools when you’re already overwhelmed, but how do we lessen our chances of being overwhelmed in the first place?
As HSPs, our urges to please others, make their lives easier, and keep things calm can be quite strong. We will do almost anything to maintain peace and harmony in our environment. But sometimes this can come at the expense of our own well-being and we find ourselves exhausted, stressed out and depleted.
You are what you read
Ivy Griffin
Since the start of the New Year, I’ve been noticing a lot of ads for exercise equipment and diets promising to help you shed those holiday pounds. This is a prime selling time for these types of goods and services as we may have overindulged over the holidays. I’m not a fan of exercise and diet fads as they tend to play off of people’s insecurities and sometimes perpetuate unhealthy and unrealistic ideals. This is why I am more apt to recommend a media diet which may help you to achieve a different type of health and wellness.
Read MoreTis the season . . . for stress?
Ivy Griffin
How many times have you said, “this year I’m going to start preparing for the holidays early,” only to see mid-December roll around and have nothing done? You are not alone! Most of us are so busy throughout the year that we’ve broken that promise over and over again. Then, inevitably, the stress level raises and we rush through the holiday season, documenting memories through social media posts, and completely missing out on being fully present with our family and friends. Suddenly, Valentine’s Day is upon us and we shake our heads in disbelief that yet again that ‘special and magical’ time of year passed us by.
Read MoreA little kindness, please
Ivy Griffin
Have you ever stopped and really paid attention to the thoughts running through your head? Ever really listened to what your thoughts say to you about you? Notice how it can feel like you have the harshest critic in the world living in your own head? Our thoughts can be total jerks! As human beings, we have this tendency to talk to ourselves in ways we would never dream of speaking to anyone else, and this is especially true for us HSPs (highly sensitive people).
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