What do updating your resume, folding laundry, and paying bills all have in common?
The answer: All are tasks that many of us procrastinate.
Procrastination is often attributed to laziness or poor self-control. However, there are several other reasons why you may find yourself procrastinating that have nothing to do with willpower. Understanding the reasons you procrastinate helps you create strategies for getting things done in a reasonable amount of time.
Read MoreWhether you are in a relationship, married, or single with most of your relationships being with friends, family, or coworkers, you’ve probably noticed how often other people do things that bother you. Maybe you really hate when someone speaks to you in a condescending tone of voice or when people are late. Or maybe it’s your partner never taking out the trash that’s been boiling your blood lately.
Read MoreI don’t know about you, but sometimes, I feel like society sends us nonstop conflicting messages. Lately, I’ve been thinking about productivity, goal-accomplishment, self-care, and what it really means to live a fulfilling life.
Read MoreIn a world that seems to value appearances and social media followers above much else, it’s easy to believe that the best way to make friends is to put your best self out there- to make yourself seem as attractive as possible in hopes that others will be drawn to your appearance, engaging personality, or clout.
Read MoreIf you’ve ever been through a breakup, you know how painful it can be. Breakups often include intense feelings of grief, loss, loneliness, rejection, sadness, and hopelessness. When it comes to breaking up, these feelings are often an inevitable part of the healing process, but there are several things you can do to both cope with the pain and prepare yourself for greater things to come.
Read MoreAdulting can be hard for many reasons. One of the toughest challenges, which I’ve talked about with almost all of my clients at one point or another, is friendship. Busy schedules made up of parenting responsibilities, long work hours, housework, and meal prepping can often leave little time for hanging out with friends you already have, let alone making new ones.
Read MoreNo matter how much you love your family, it’s safe to assume that at one point or another, you’ve felt they were being a little too…
Intrusive
Critical
Overbearing
Opinionated
Or even just downright cruel!
Read MoreWhat would you say if a friend told you that every morning, you need to stop by their house before work, so they can look at you, assess whether or not you look fat, and tell you how you should feel about yourself for the rest of the day?
Crazy, right? Who would agree to such a thing!?
Every morning, millions of Americans do almost exactly this. They get out of bed and go directly to the bathroom scale, where a set of numbers will determine how confident, attractive, and successful they feel that day.
Read MoreImagine that you’re in a relationship, and one day, you discover that your partner was unfaithful. You might immediately ask yourself, “Am I not good enough?” or “What’s missing in this relationship that they had to go somewhere else to find?” Many people believe that if their partner cheats, it must be due to a shortcoming either in the relationship, sex, or worse- in themselves. But what if I told you that it’s possible none of those things were the problem?
Read MoreHave you thought about your goals for 2021? After 2020 turned out to be completely different than anyone expected, setting goals for next year might feel pointless. Although no one knows for sure what will happen in 2021, setting achievable goals can help restore a healthy sense of purpose and control in your life.
Read MoreYou know that old saying, “They always come back”? Always is quite an overstatement, but that saying definitely didn’t just come out of nowhere. In March, 25% of people reported receiving contact from an ex. And that was just the beginning of the pandemic.
Read MoreIf you are a career-driven person, you might be wondering if it’s possible to be successful at work while dating or maintaining a romantic relationship. Society constantly sends messages that make it seem like you have to choose one or the other. You can work, or you can be a mom. You can be a devoted husband, or you can travel for business. Our brains like this kind of “either-or” thinking because it makes information easy to categorize. However, in a world full of shades of grey, dichotomies like these are rarely ever true. You can, in all actuality, have both.
Read MoreI have had a passion for psychology since I knew what it was. The human experience has always fascinated me. When asked why I became a mental health counselor, I often share a funny anecdote I remember about when the local high school counselor came to my middle school to talk to us 8th graders about selecting our 9th grade classes. I remember seeing in the course handbook that Introduction to Psychology was only allowed for sophomores and above. Hoping this was some kind of misprint, I raised my hand and asked the visiting counselor if this was really true. She confirmed, and I, disappointed and determined, resolved that at the end of my freshman year, I would be the first to sign up.
Read MoreWhat do home decorating and mental health have in common? According to experts, a lot! Most obviously, decorating is a form of self-expression. Color and pieces of art can be used to express emotions or interests. Pictures of friends and sentimental objects in a home reflect values and what is important to the person who lives there.
Read MoreWhen Christian clients reach out to me looking for faith-based counseling, I typically find that they are looking for a place where they can do one of three things: 1) process major life decisions with spiritual implications, such as getting married; 2) talk about day-to-day issues, such as work stress or dating, through a spiritual perspective; or 3) explore their values in the context of their beliefs, often when personal values and scripture seem to be conflicting.
Read MoreAround this time every year, young adults pack their bags and head off to college for nine months of research, writing, and unsupervised fun. Of course, this year is different. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many universities have decided to hold classes remotely, thus limiting opportunities for any kind of hanging out on campus. Similarly, nightlife, live music events, and Chicago’s well-known street festivals have all been put on hold.
Read MoreEverybody has their vice. For some, it’s plush covers and fluffy pillows. Sleep, one of mental health’s most important ingredients, can be overdone like anything else.
Read MoreHave you ever had one of those nightmares where you’re expected to perform a task at work you have no idea how to do? If so, you’re familiar with the panic and humiliation that comes from being completely unprepared. Maybe this has even happened to you in real life! Nobody wants to go into something important without preparing first. Whether it’s school, a new job, or a race, adequate planning and training can help you feel more confident and perform better.
Read MoreSo you’re thinking about talking to someone. Great! Maybe you’ve been thinking about it for a while and now all the crap that 2020 has had to offer has pushed you to take the step. You’re feeling ready (or at least willing) to start the journey and work on things that might have been piling up for years. If this is you, I commend you for your courage.
Read MoreDrip, cortado, pour-over, Sumatra, fair-trade, draft nitro cold brew- twenty years ago, these terms might have easily been confused with those of a foreign language, but for Millennial coffee drinkers, such are part of standard vernacular. Millennials drink about 44% of coffee in the United States, and with smartphones delivering neverending emails, an obsession with productivity, and lucrative side hustles, it’s no wonder they need the extra boost.
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