Photo by sydney Rae on Unsplash

Hello,

Just, wow... Who knew that when we began 2020 that EVERYTHING in our lives would change in just a few short months? COVID-19 was definitely not anywhere on my goals and plans for the year. However, I am incredibly grateful that, so far, my family and loved ones have been healthy. 

As of the publication date of this blog post, I continue to see all clients through telehealth. Please see my previous blog post (1) for more in depth information on current telehealth services. I will post when any changes to services occur, and when I will see clients in the office again. ​​A huge thank you to all of my clients who have been so patient, understanding, and flexible during this time. You rock!

With the far reach of COVID-19, I have often been thinking about all my clients and their loved ones. As therapists, we go into this field because we really do care about people. I hope you and your loved ones are safe and healthy right now. Not just physically, but psychologically too. We ALL need a little extra TLC and support during this time. That is why today I pulled together a list of 5 articles to help you manage the increased stress from COVID-19.

Like I say to my clients, read the articles but focus on the light bulb moments. We cannot possibly apply everything we read (or watch), but laser focus in on the golden nuggets. What are these light bulb moments you say? Well, think about what solutions in the articles apply to your situation right now. What has been on your mind a lot lately? Use your emotional pain points as a filter whenever you are learning about psychological or relationship concepts.

I think this approach of scanning for solutions to specific problems is beneficial for several reasons. It really helps you to get the most out of the time and effort spent on reading growth articles (or reading books or watching videos). This approach is also a great way to better remember what you have learned. Finally, it helps you to avoid getting overwhelmed and attempting to change everything all at once (which is dooming yourself to failure).

​Just pick one small area to work on. Consistent small changes lead to big results in your mental health and in your relationship health! Then, after you make those changes, focus on maintaining them. Don't just skip to the next thing; ignore any itches to add more changes. Maintaining progress IS progress!

5 Articles To Help You Manage The Increased Stress From COVID-19

Can Your Relationship Survive the Togetherness of a Pandemic? Here Are 11 Things Couples' Therapists Recommend (2) - Article from TIME (3)

Keeping Your Relationship Healthy During the Coronavirus (4) - Article from Psychology Today (5)

How to Protect Your Mental Health During the Coronavirus Outbreak (6) - Article from NAMI (7)

Parenting During Coronavirus: You Are Enough (8) - Article from PBS Kids for parents (9)

Keeping up kids' mental health during coronavirus (10) - Article from National Geographic (11)

During times of increased stress, we all (us and our kids) tend to regress to earlier stages of functioning and lean on unhealthier coping habits. Like the article from PBS Kids says, "you are enough." Some days, and some moments are really hard; we are all struggling in different ways.

​It's okay to admit that you are having a tough time. It's okay to say, "I'm having a hard day." Reach out to your loved ones, your friends, or anyone you trust for support. You can get the love and support you need, and you might even inspire someone to be vulnerable too, and share what they are really going through. Let's do what we can to take care of ourselves and each other.

Stay healthy and well friends! I know this has been so hard, on so many of levels. To my clients, I will see you soon online. And, you might see my cat too... Do you know how many I have??? I sure have enjoyed meeting your pets.

​Have a great weekend everyone!  

All the best,
​Holly ​

PS - Can I send you an email about once a quarter? The email will have a link to my latest blog post in case there is a topic you are interested in. As the business grows and I add more products and services, I will mention in the email what has been added.

References and Links
(1)https://moxiepsychologylegacy.com/blog/current-clients-please-see-important-updates-and-changes-due-to-covid-19
​(2) https://time.com/5811146/coronavirus-married-relationship/
(3) https://time.com/
(4)https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/love-lies-and-conflict/202003/keeping-your-relationship-healthy-during-the-coronavirus
(5) https://www.psychologytoday.com/us
(6)https://www.nami.org/Blogs/NAMI-Blog/March-2020/How-to-Protect-Your-Mental-Health-during-the-Coronavirus-Outbreak
(7) https://www.nami.org/home
(8) https://www.pbs.org/parents/thrive/parenting-during-coronavirus-you-are-enough
(9) https://www.pbs.org/parents
(10)https://www.nationalgeographic.com/family/in-the-news/coronavirus/kids-mental-health-coronavirus/
​(11) ​https://www.nationalgeographic.com/

​Photo by JESHOOTS.COM on Unsplash

Hello Friend!

How are you??? Hope you are having a good week. Two topics in today's blog:

1. Holiday hours.
   
2. Dealing with family and stressful situations over the holidays. I have a helpful podcast episode I found and want to share with you in case you are looking for some helpful strategies to survive awkward or stressful get-togethers. 'Tis the season!

First, holiday business hours:

• The week of Christmas: Closed on Tuesday, 12/24/19, and Wednesday, 12/25/19. Open regular hours on Monday and Thursday.
• The week of New Year's: Closed on Tuesday, 12/31/19, and Wednesday, 1/1/20. Open regular hours on Monday and Thursday. 
• No blog or newsletter during the week of Christmas, and the week of New Year's. 

Second, the podcast:

• Holiday Survival Guide: Family Style (1) from NPR's Life Kit podcast (2). 
• Dr. Andrea Bonior was interviewed in the podcast (3). Dr. Andrea is a psychologist, author, and speaker. 

My thoughts:
Well, maybe a little random, but I love Dr. Andrea's voice! So soothing! She does a great job showing empathy for different parties and also with demonstrating validation (even in the short interview). I notice these things as a fellow therapist I suppose.

Next, I like how Dr. Andrea talks about finding ways that we can personally derive meaning and joy from the holidays instead of feeling like we are just at the whim of whatever others plan, or whatever drama unfolds. I think that is great advice!

We have a lot of power to create our own traditions and to do things that we care about and enjoy. We also have the choice to attend, not go at all (if an environment or person is abusive and toxic), and to leave when we want to from an event. We can choose to focus on people at the event we enjoy chatting with, and we can choose to participate in activities at the event that we like. A little planning ahead on our strategy can really help. 

Dr. Andrea talked about finding little gestures to be inclusive to people of different beliefs, dietary needs, and personal concerns. I love this too. My family can relate being gluten-free (my daughter has celiac disease). Even a very small gesture of someone trying to understand and provide gluten free food means the world to us; small gestures can be quite big and meaningful!

It may just take a little brainstorming (and genuine curiosity) to think about how at a get-together more people (of different beliefs and needs) can be included in little ways in the schedule of events. I really liked how Dr. Andrea emphasized shifting your focus to the little steps that can CAN be done, instead of focusing on all the things that won't work. That is really great advice. I think we all sometimes get mired in what can't be done, instead of finding one or two little things I can do?

What stood out to you? Anything you will use or really liked? Comment below!

Thanks for joining me today. Talk to you next week! 

​All the best,
​Holly 
​
PS-Can I send you an email about once a week? The email will have a link to my latest blog post in case there is a topic you are interested in. As the business grows and I add more products and services, I will mention in the email what has been added.

References and Links
(1) ​https://www.npr.org/2019/11/11/778296959/holiday-survival-guide-family-style
(2) https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510338/all-guides
​(3) ​https://drandreabonior.com/about