Embracing Mental Wellness Blog

There’s a particular kind of busy life that arrives as the holidays approach. Trees and lights go up. Calendars fill. The world seems to move in a synchronized rhythm of gathering. But maybe your rhythm is different this year. Maybe something inside you is weary. Maybe you're grieving. Maybe you're changing. Maybe the old traditions don't feel like home anymore. Or maybe they never did. No one teaches us that it's okay to let the holidays evolve. We inherit a script before we

Many of us experience self-criticism. Our culture fans the flames of this voice. It whispers judgments, measures worth in productivity, and speaks as though kindness must be earned. This voice doesn't usually shout. It seeps in. It sits quietly at the edges of exhaustion, convincing people they are supposed to be better, stronger, more together. Behind all that noise, there is another voice: soft, patient, steady. It isn't trying to prove anything. Self-compassion's simply wa

In a profession built on holding others, we often forget that we, too, have bodies that carry stories: aching knees, foggy mornings, neuropathic pain, or the deep fatigue that settles in the bones after too many "just one more client" days. For therapists, especially those who are disabled or chronically ill, rest and self-care are not luxuries. They're the foundation of ethical, sustainable, and humane practice. Learning the Hard Way When I first became a therapist, I believ

Mental health stigma continues to create unnecessary barriers to healing, connection, and care. It shows up in subtle and overt...