|
The real reason why social media might be making you feel bad by Victoria Pitz, LPMHC  Cognitive dissonance is the feeling of discomfort one feels when your thoughts or feelings about ourselves do not align with our actions.
Social media tends to exacerbate this phenomenon at an overwhelming rate. It perpetuates the feelings of “should”. I should be having more fun, I should be doing what they’re doing, I shouldn’t be feeling the way that I feel…It can be difficult to recognize the direct damage social media does to your self-esteem because it has become so ingrained in our daily lives. So how might social media trigger cognitive dissonance? Perhaps you are not feeling your best lately. Things just don’t seem to be going your way; maybe you experienced something that shook you up. Life just feels awful and overwhelming right now.You scroll through social media when you're bored. Half the time you don’t even realize how long you’ve been scrolling for. But your brain is taking note: "Wow. So-and-so went to Paris; why can’t I do that?" "Look, this person got their dream job, but I’m still stuck in one that I hate." "How nice, this person goes out every weekend and has a blast, here I am, feeling like cr*p."
0 Comments
by Janet Whyte, LCSW  It is no secret that regular exercise has numerous health benefits. Aside from the more obvious physical benefits, there are many ways in which exercise is found to improve mental health. Exercise is proven to help decrease symptoms of anxiety, depression, improve the body’s ability to respond to stress, increase self-esteem, improve sleep, and improve memory. Recently, a study published in the Journal of Physiology found that six minutes of high-intensity cycling could delay the onset of neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. Exercise releases endorphins, or “feel-good” brain chemicals that can enhance your sense of wellbeing and therefore reduce feelings of depression and anxiety. Exercise can help improve sleep, and this in turn has a positive impact on mood, attention, and memory. Additionally, mindfulness can be incorporated into your exercise routine as you pay closer attention to the feeling of your feet hitting the ground, the pace of your breathing, or the feeling of your muscles as they are working hard. When you are focused in on your body during a workout, this may help shift your focus away from any anxious thoughts.
By Melissa Laks, LMSW  Grounding is an effective way to calm anxiety symptoms. It is a self-soothing tool that you can use when you are having a bad day or dealing with a lot of stress and anxiety. The purpose of grounding techniques allows you to step away from negative thoughts, worries, and feelings and helps keep you in the present and focus on what is going on in the here-and-now. By focusing on the present surroundings, you can become more aware of your safe surroundings and start to feel calmer.
In this first grounding process, you identify objects around you to help your brain recognize where you are and that you are in a safe space. by Rukiya Symister, M.A.
Video Blog by Victoria Pitz, LPMHC
Learn more about Victoria or make an appointment with her hereBy Caroline Rudin LMSW, MS.,Ed  “Fight or flight.” “Rest and digest.” We’ve heard these terms over and over since high school biology class, but, how can we access the latter physical response in the right times? Each of us as individuals have experienced intense levels of stress within the past two years alone living through pandemic times and some of us are still trying to cope with the changes that have occurred. Let’s tap into your personal resiliency and introduce a few different methods of reaching a state of calm that you may not have thought of before.
by Janet Whyte, LCSW  What is mindfulness? To some people, it may sound like something that only “hippies” do. The truth is, everyone can benefit from practicing mindfulness in their daily lives. According to the American Psychological Association, practicing mindfulness comes with many proven benefits including reducing stress, reducing rumination, improving attention, decreasing emotional reactivity, and increasing cognitive flexibility as well as relationship satisfaction. All in all, mindfulness can contribute to better mental health and wellbeing.
How do you actually practice mindfulness? by Jayoti Chabra, LMSW  Personal boundaries are the limits and rules we set for ourselves within relationships. A person with healthy boundaries can say “no” to others when they want to, but they are also comfortable opening themselves up to intimacy and close relationships.
A lot of people have difficulties creating boundaries, at home, work, and/or in their social life. I know I do and I’m working on it. It's hard saying no to the mother-in-law that wants to help in your kitchen and you don’t want them to, or to the friend who shows up when you just wanted a day for yourself. It can make you feel like you have to choose between disappointing someone else or disappointing yourself. by Melissa Marconi, LMSW  Healthy dieting has long been associated with benefits like, fitting better in our jeans, improved skin and hair, and reducing chronic illnesses. But, did you know that the foods we eat can also be important to our brain health? Read on to find out what foods can improve your brain health, and what might make it worse.
 Changing habits is not a simple or linear process. It takes time, effort, and dedication, which can seem difficult with busy schedules. The great news is that it's never too late to break or change an old habit and create a new healthier habit in its place.
Learning how to break or change bad habits can be daunting, as habits are often associated with negative emotions. We may get angry or upset with ourselves about everything we’re not doing, or feel like we’re doing wrong, but it’s often those feelings that identify wanting a change. The trick to breaking or changing bad habits is to find an approach that works for you and the habit that you would like to change. Every habit is different, so they can’t all be changed the same way or at once. |
