We’ve all had those moments when our gut says “don’t do it”—but we’re not sure if that’s wisdom speaking or fear disguised as protection.For trauma survivors and highly sensitive people especially, it can be tricky to tell whether a strong internal signal is intuitive knowing or a conditioned survival response. Let’s unpack how to discern the difference so you can trust yourself more deeply. 1. Understand What Each One Is Intuition is a calm, grounded knowing. It comes from a

As a therapist specializing in trauma, I’ve seen firsthand how the impact of emotional and psychological wounds can manifest in the body, often as chronic pain. The body and mind are intricately connected, and trauma—whether it be physical, emotional, or psychological—doesn’t just leave a mark on our minds. It can deeply affect our physical well-being as well. Chronic pain is a common issue for those who have experienced trauma, and the relationship between trauma and pain is

The election season can be a highly emotional and stressful time, no matter where you land on the political spectrum. Once the results are in, whether they align with your hopes or not, self-care is essential. Emotions may run high, and uncertainty can create anxiety. Here are some ways to care for yourself in the days following the election and find ways to ground, recharge, and stay connected with yourself and others. 1. Take a Break from the News and Social Media The nonst

People often tend to place more significance on the loss of a romantic relationship than they do on the loss of a friendship. But in many cases, losing a friendship can be more difficult than losing a significant other, especially if the friendship had lasted for many years. With romantic relationships, we usually know that there’s always the possibility of a breakup, but we typically imagine friendships lasting forever. So when we have a falling-out with a friend, it can tak

If you’ve ever worked in a toxic environment, you know how taxing it can be. Conversely, when colleagues have positive working relationships, it can: Increase productivity and efficiency Allow you to trust one another Make you feel more empowered to suggest ideas Reduce stress levels Make your work experience much more enjoyable Whether you’ve just started at a new job or you’ve been employed for a while but are still finding your footing at the company, here are some steps y

Do you have trouble balancing work and your personal life? If so, you’re not alone. According to Mental Health America (MHA), almost 40% of U.S. adults who are employed full time reported working 50+ hours a week, and 18% work 60+ hours. Despite how common it is for people to work long hours, having a healthy work-life balance is critical. Working too many hours—especially if it bleeds into your evenings, weekends, and holidays—can cause you to: Feel stressed and burnt out St

At some point in their life, many people will face a mental health crisis. Perhaps it is the stress from a divorce, anxiety from a move, or grieving the loss of a loved one. There are numerous ways we can tackle mental health to make our entire well-being a priority. But one method that not nearly enough people speak about is gratitude. Gratitude, or a feeling of thankfulness, is a powerful alchemist. It can instantly and dramatically change your mood. When one is feeling gra

If we’re honest, most of us would admit we look at some form of digital screen more than we do the face of our friends and loved ones. From our phones to iPad, laptops and flatscreen TVs the size of an entire wall, screen time for most people is definitely on the rise. But what exactly are the mental health effects of all of this screen time? Sleep Deprivation Without realizing it, many of us are hampering our natural sleep cycle with so much screen time. Our electronic devic

Immigrating to another country in search of a better life is incredibly stressful. While you may, in fact, have more access to education, healthcare and jobs, becoming part of a new culture and making a home is overwhelming to say the very least. Therapy is a wonderful way to seek some guidance and resources to help you through this transition. Sadly, many immigrants come from cultures that look unfavorably upon therapy and mental health in general. Therapy is seen as somethi

Your nervous system runs and powers every organ and every other system, from your brain to your digestion, breathing and beyond. But what many people don’t consider is that the natural aging process, toxins and diseases can damage your nervous system, and therefor your overall health and well-being. What does the nervous system do? Your nervous system is a bit like the Internet. But instead of nodes, your nervous system is a large network of specialized cells called neuron

Gender-affirming care focuses on an individual’s physical, mental and social health needs. This care is absolutely lifesaving for transgender, gender diverse, and nonbinary people. In order to fully understand what gender-affirming care is, we must first understand what it means to have a “gender identity crisis.” Gender crises happen when someone’s internal sense of gender is different from their sex or when they do not fit into the traditional expectations of gender ident

Gender dysphoria, formerly known as gender identity disorder, describes intense and persistent feelings of identifying with another gender. Individuals with gender dysphoria often take measures to live in harmony with their internal gender identity. This may include dressing and using mannerisms associated with the gender they identify with. In order to be officially diagnosed with gender dysphoria, a person must experience significant distress. Gender VS Sex The terms gender

When you think about it, modern women are really like superheroes. Not only are they obtaining college degrees and climbing corporate ladders, they’re doing so while also raising families. They may also find themselves taking care of aging parents at the same time. While some women are able to manage juggling all of these big responsibilities, many women, over time, will experience burnout and mental health issues such as depression and anxiety. A Gold Medal for Prioritizin

Body positivity is a movement started by the idea that all human beings, regardless of their size, should feel good about themselves. Body positive advocates encourage others to celebrate their bodies and accept themselves the way they are, instead of trying to squeeze themselves into a physical mold that society has deemed “attractive.” But is it possible to be body positive and still manage your weight? The two concepts appear, at first glance, to be contradictory. I am of

One of the things most of us are taught as children is to never judge others. “Don’t judge a book by its cover!” And yet, despite our best efforts, many of us fall into the trap over and over again. Why do we do it? Here are four common reasons that explain this particularly bad habit of judging other people. It Lets Us Feel Superior Tearing other people down is one way people prop themselves up. By judging others harshly, we compare ourselves to them and find ourselves super

For better or worse. Those words seem easy to say at the time, but when worse gets really bad, many couples are ready to throw in the towel. That’s because they didn’t seek help in time and let things get out of hand. The Stigma of Counseling It can be hard to make the decision to go to couples counseling because it means you have to face your problems and admit you and your partner are on shaky ground. That can be incredibly scary to admit. It’s not dissimilar to thinking so

We live in a society that values things that appear perfect. And I suppose there are things that can be perfect. Architects can draw the perfect straight line, mathematicians can solve an equation with a perfect calculation, and a chocolate cake can be perfectly moist. But as human beings, we can never reach a state of perfection because we will always be a work in progress. Perfection indicates a finality – a finished product – but we as humans are always growing and changin

Most human beings have implicit biases. And that’s okay, as long as we are aware of them and aware of how our attitudes affect others. In the United States, black people have lived through a long history of violence and social injustice. With the recent deaths of George Floyd and Rayshard Brooks, the Black Lives Matter movement has organized many protests around the nation, inspiring people from all walks of life to take a long hard look at themselves and their own beliefs. T