Mental Health Blog in Northwest Arkansas — Living Better Lives Counseling LLC

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How to set and honor your intentions for the new year

How to set and honor your intentions for the new year

2020 wasn’t easy; an unforgettable year with so many challenges, changes, and hardships. This year also showed us how resilient humans can be, and what truly matters in life. Maybe this year you looked inward, disrupted generational wounds, rethought our criminal justice and policing systems, stood against injustice, explored and checked your privilege, created healthy boundaries, stayed home for the safety of the collective, asked for help, realized self-love is attainable, or maybe you just slowed down. Throughout it all, here we are! We’ve survived and that alone is worth celebrating. A new year does not mean you have to create a new you, but it can be a great opportunity to give yourself permission to turn a new page, to reconnect with what you value, and to feel better.

4 Things To Keep In Mind This Holiday Season

4 Things To Keep In Mind This Holiday Season

For most people, the holidays look very different this year. As we continue to adjust to our current reality, it’s important that we also work to maintain our mental health. From fears of the pandemic, the isolating effects of social distancing, confronting and relearning racial injustice in the U.S., natural disasters, financial struggles, and the stress of the presidential election, it’s no surprise that anxieties are high for many of us. Even without the pandemic to consider, we have to acknowledge the inevitable stress, anxiety, and depression that can come up for many people during the colder months and the holidays. This time of year is hard, and if you’re struggling right now, this is for you. Today we share 5 tips to help protect your mental health during and after the 2020 holiday season.


Coping with loneliness during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Coping with loneliness during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Humans are social creatures, and many of us find comfort in staying connected. When we are deprived of these deep social connections, we have a tendency to feel lonely or isolated. The longer this isolation and loneliness last, the higher our risk is for mental, emotional, and physical problems. Typically, loneliness is a signal to a depressive episode and is seen as an individual problem treated with things like exposure therapy. Now, isolation is a lot more nuanced. Because we are social distancing due to a global pandemic, “treating” loneliness and isolation behaviors takes a little more creativity.

Isolation makes you think that you are the only one, and you’re the only one who’s feeling alone and that’s not true. This is NOT a normal situation, and you’re already handling it - however that looks like for you. As this pandemic continues, we want to give you a few tools for coping with these hard feelings, because you really are not alone in this.

Setting Boundaries for the Holidays

Setting Boundaries for the Holidays

If the holiday season is triggering or stressful to you, you are not alone! While this time of year can be so hard for so many reasons, we want to reach out and say we see you, and we want to gift you a few helpful ways to get through this season without being emotionally, physically, and mentally exhausted by the end of it. How? Boundaries of course!

Finding emotional balance in 2020: The power of "AND"

Finding emotional balance in 2020: The power of "AND"

2020 has been a difficult year for many of us. People are experiencing higher levels of stress, anxiety, and depression related to Covid-19, racism, and the presidential election, among other things like the environment, lack of stability, healthcare, and the economy. That’s why we want to talk to you about finding emotional balance as we near the end of 2020.