personal balance counseling

May is Mental Health Awareness Month! #morethanenough

Posted by Michelle Conrad, LCPC, DBTCon May 3, 2023in Uncategorized

It’s Mental Health Awareness Month! The #morethanenough campaign is going strong with the help of NAMI (National Alliance of Mental Illness) and with today’s social climate, we can’t help but think this is a great reminder for all of us.

Here at Personal Balance Counseling, we know you matter and recognize you are #morethanenough even when you don’t believe it. We often find low self-esteem and beliefs like “I’m unlovable” and “I’m unworthy of happiness” stem from the world around us. We’re here to remind you that you can’t believe everything you think!

Low self-esteem, often resulting from negative core beliefs, can make anxiety worse, exacerbate moods, and lead to a sense of hopelessness and unhappiness; directly affecting your mental health.

Negative core beliefs are rigid beliefs a person holds over time that influence how they view the world and themselves and typically have very little evidence to support themselves. Ultimately, negative core beliefs aren’t true! These beliefs often develop through adverse childhood experiences, invalidation from adults, and unhelpful thinking patterns. Think TRAUMA! Trauma can impact a person in several ways including aiding in the development of negative core beliefs.

When we are living our life with low self-esteem and negative core beliefs, we may see the world as depressing and waiting for “the other shoe to drop,” we may engage in self sabotaging behaviors, and we might act out our anxiety.

Who wants to live like that?! Truthfully, nobody! Unfortunately, challenging a negative core belief is difficult and uncomfortable. We have to remind ourselves every day that we can’t always believe what we think and we are #morethanenough.

Look forward to our next post on Challenging a Negative Core Belief!

Personal Balance Counseling offers a comfortable therapeutic experience for those seeking balance in their everyday lives. We can help you overcome low self-esteem, feelings of hopelessness, and beliefs that you are not worthy of happiness. Reach out to us at newclientinfo@personalbalancecounseling.com or use our Contact us page!

Difficult conversations with difficult people: Use the DEARMAN approach.

Posted by Bridgeton March 9, 2023in Family Therapy, Individual Therapy

Have you ever felt strongly about how someone’s behavior affects you and then find it hard to discuss it with the other person? Are you non-confrontational or passive with your communication? Worried about how the other person might respond or if you can communicate it the way that you want?

I find these are common difficulties for individuals in their personal and professional lives. Trying to convey what we want, or need can be difficult when there are emotions attached to it. When using the DBT interpersonal effectiveness skill, DEARMAN, we can practice assertive communication.

Eating Disorder Awareness Week (February 27^th-March 5^th)

Posted by Dawn White RDN, CEDSon February 27, 2023February 27, 2023in Individual Therapy

This week (February 27^th-March 5^th) marks the annual Eating Disorder Awareness Week where we recognize the struggle of eating disorders and disordered eating and bring awareness to the prevalence and signs of eating disorders.

This year’s theme celebrates Strength through Experience and Knowledge by recognizing that It’s Time for a Change. So often, those with eating disorders struggle in secret while the effects of the disorder lead to health and life changes. Eating disorders have the second highest death rate for all mental illnesses second only to opioid use.

New Year Resolutions

Posted by Dawn White RDN, CEDSon January 13, 2023in Individual Therapy

This is the time of year where many of us will look at what is important and what commitments we want to make in the New Year of 2023. In the midst of this, health and wellbeing goals are some of the top goals, many of which include diets and weight loss. According to a survey by Statista the top three resolutions for 2023 are exercise, eat healthier, and lose weight. All around us, there are ads for diets, exercise programs, supplements, and wellness.

Finding the Time for Self-Care

Posted by Megan Maiero, LCPC, MAon December 27, 2022in Individual Therapy

Many of my clients can easily recognize their barriers to self-care. No money for the spa, no time to take a break from work or family responsibilities, little energy to see friends. When we look at self-care, we need to look beyond the “day at the spa” mentality or night out with our partner or friends. These are great things to plan and look forward to, but not something most people can do consistently with our busy lives or financial barriers. So how can we explore daily self-care to help regulate moods and stress more consistently instead of waiting for the build up?

Here’s a TIPP for Stress Management

Posted by Megan Maiero, LCPC, MAon August 10, 2022August 10, 2022in Individual Therapy

Have you ever sat in the moment and noticed the physical sensations you are experiencing when you get stressed? Many people feel such intense physical pain when they are under extreme stress, frequently bringing them to their primary care physician’s office, an emergency room, or the urgent care. When we are anxious, scared, angry, or experiencing any other uncomfortable emotions, our body has a physical reaction. Our brain and nervous system signal to our body to respond physically when we are under stress. It’s part of our nervous system’s innate response to protect us when it experiences something it perceives to be a safety risk (think of our early ancestors trying to stay safe from carnivores while hunting or foraging in nature). Common physical responses to stress include increased heart rate, muscle tension, increased body temperature, or sweating. Any of this sound familiar? When I sit with my clients and we explore their uncomfortable emotions, I ask them, “What do you feel physically while experiencing that emotion?” This awareness helps us to move forward and address physical stress held within the body. Once we have an awareness of our how body is responding, we can implement one of my favorite Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT, developed by Marsha Linehan, 1993) techniques for distress tolerance – TIPP.

When You’ve Got a Case of the Shoulds

Posted by Megan Maiero, LCPC, MAon December 22, 2021December 24, 2021in Individual Therapy

Many of my clients identify their goals for treatment as the following: 1. Improve their overall moods. 2. Develop better coping skills. Eventually, many of my clients articulate that they are still struggling with their depression, anxiety, or overall stress management despite trying to utilize these coping strategies. This is where we start to explore their thought patterns to determine if unhelpful thought patterns (frequently referred to as cognitive distortions) are contributing to their depression or anxiety related symptoms.

Aaron Beck developed Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in the 1960’s and the basic concept is that our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are all related and impact each other. If you have more frequent negative or unhelpful thought patterns, you might struggle with regulating your moods and have unfavorable responses to stressful situations. By increasing awareness of these unhelpful thought patterns, an individual is more likely to be able to alleviate their mood and adjust their response to stressful situations.

Setting Boundaries During the Holiday

Posted by Stephanie Weissmann, LCSWon December 9, 2021December 24, 2021in Individual Therapy

Do you often feel rushed or anxious during the holidays? Hopping from one family party to the next? Getting the spotlight questions about your love life at the dinner table while everyone chows down on the holiday ham? Political debates?

Family gatherings can be physically and emotionally exhausting. Throw your partner or kids into the mix, the holidays can become juggling the expectations or traditions of multiple families – it can get rough. So how do we manage the demands and creating room for new customs of our own? Setting boundaries. Boundary setting allows you to feel comfortable, set limits to what you feel comfortable being involved in and allows you to have more freedom to make choices that are right for you. Boundaries are about setting limits that are right for you. Boundaries can be liberating, powerful and the best form of self-care.

Self-Compassion: Do you talk to yourself as you talk to your friends?

Posted by Stephanie Weissmann, LCSWon September 1, 2021September 1, 2021in Individual Therapy

“Treat those around you as you would like to be treated.”

That golden rule we have all known and heard of. But how often do we apply the same rule to ourselves?

It was 9:15 and I had an appointment that started in 10 minutes. My alarm went off but I on today of all days I snoozed it. I quickly threw on some yoga pants, ran a brush through my hair and while looking at myself in the mirror that bully that I know all too well started to appear.

Back to School: Tips for Families to Help Adjust to Another Unpredictable School Year

Posted by Megan Maiero, LCPC, MAon August 24, 2021in Individual Therapy

This year many parents are looking forward to in-person learning for their kids. Maybe you’re also feeling a little nervous with all the unpredictability of the pandemic. I’m with you! We’re talking up first grade to our recently homeschooled kindergartener as well as getting our pre-schooler ready for his first school year. We are pulling out all the stops to help with the inevitable separation anxiety we are likely to face after no child care for 17 months, no structured school schedule, and two self employed parents tirelessly balancing work with our children’s demands.