Blog, News, & Updates
Avoidance vs. Distraction: Riding the Wave of Emotion
Many people come to therapy believing that the goal is to get rid of uncomfortable emotions—anxiety, sadness, anger, shame. It’s an understandable hope. When emotions feel overwhelming, our nervous system naturally looks for escape. But not all ways of coping with...
The Difference Between Growth and Self-Criticism
How “Self-Improvement” Can Quietly Turn Into Self-Rejection Many people come into therapy saying they want to work on themselves. They want to grow, feel better, and change patterns that no longer serve them. On the surface, that sounds healthy. But for many people,...
PART 2: Why Winter May Not be the Time for Big Changes
In Part 1, we explored the emotional pressure many people feel at the start of the New Year. In this post, we’ll look at what’s happening in the body and nervous system during winter and why your lack of motivation right now may actually be wisdom, not failure. From...
Part 1:The New Year Without the Pressure
As the New Year approaches, there’s a familiar shift that happens for many people. Calendars reset. Conversations turn toward goals and resolutions. Social media fills with plans for change, discipline, and becoming a better version of yourself. For some, that feels...
Surviving the Holidays: A Therapist’s Guide
Let’s be honest. The holidays are complicated. For some people, they bring warmth, tradition, and connection. For others, they stir up stress, exhaustion, grief, or emotional landmines they didn’t see coming. And for many, it’s both at the same time. As a therapist,...
Why We Avoid Emotions and What to Do Instead
Emotional avoidance shows up in everyday ways that often go unnoticed. It’s staying busy so we don’t have to think, scrolling on our phone when anxiety starts to rise, shutting down during conflict, or telling ourselves we shouldn’t feel a certain way. Most of the...
Holiday Conflict & ADHD: Repairing Old Patterns With Care
When Stress Makes Old Patterns Show Up... The holiday season tends to amplify everything: joy, pressure, expectations, family dynamics, and emotional reactivity. For couples navigating ADHD in the relationship, this time of year can also magnify old patterns, the ones...
When Rest Feels Uncomfortable: Why Rest May Trigger Anxiety
As winter arrives, many people picture cozy blankets, warm drinks, and quiet evenings. But for others, slowing down doesn’t feel peaceful at all. Instead, it brings uneasiness, guilt, restlessness, or anxiety. If rest feels hard for you, you’re not the only one. This...
Build Better Sleep, Build Better Days
Sleep influences far more than how tired you feel. It shapes the way you think, how you respond to stress, how well you regulate emotions, and how connected you feel to the people around you. For many people, sleep is the first thing sacrificed when life gets busy. We...
How Men Experience Postpartum Depression and What Helps
When most people hear the phrase postpartum depression, they picture a mother struggling after the birth of a baby. But postpartum depression does not only affect women. Men experience it too. Research shows that as many as one in ten fathers struggle with postpartum...
Going Home for the Hellidays (I Mean, the Holidays)
“It’s the most wonderful time of the year!” “There’s no place like home for the holidays!” That might be true for some, but for others, going home for the holidays can feel more like emotional boot camp. Why is it that returning home, even for a few days, can bring up...
When Fall Feels Heavy: Coping with Utah’s Seasonal Shift
There’s something beautiful about fall in Utah. Golden leaves cover the mountains, mornings turn crisp, and there’s a quiet stillness in the air as the days grow shorter. Yet for many, that same shift brings something else: heaviness. As the light fades, you might...