work stress

Why Am I Being Singled Out?: Understanding Bullying and Its Impact on Mental Health

Bullying can take many forms, and these days, it seems to be even more ubiquitous. I am fortunate that I haven’t experienced too many instances of peer bullying myself. As a child, I was mainly able to blend in, and as a teen, I chose to lean into and really embrace being different. I was usually kind to others; they were generally kind to me.…
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Will I Ever Trust Again?: Understanding the Cost of Betrayal and Conceptualizing Recovery from Betrayal Trauma

Romantic partners have betrayed my confidence, I have felt deeply hurt and wronged by the actions of trusted colleagues, and I have friends that I am no longer in contact with due to feeling betrayed. Not a single incident is easy to recall or write about, but I can still feel the sting and remember the nights spent ruminating. I would stay up trying to…
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How Do I Know if I Need Therapy?: Exploring the Benefits of Psychotherapy for Mental Health and Finding the Right Therapist

I have heard people say that therapy is a human right, and I have heard others call it a luxury. In Los Angeles, therapy can be costly if you’re hoping to see someone immediately or looking for a therapist with a specific specialization. Conversely, it can be really difficult to find a provider who is in-network with your insurance company and has availability (and availability…
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Do I Have ADHD?: Understanding ADHD, What It Looks Like, and How to Befriend It

This morning, I started making my bed. In the middle of making it, I looked at the closet and noticed that my overnight bag was in the wrong place, so I picked it up to put it away in the other room. On my walk to the other room, I noticed I hadn’t finished washing the dishes, so I put the bag down to clean…
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What’s With All the Burnout?: Defining Burnout and What You Need to Recover

Recently I keep seeing the word “burnout” in the headlines of articles and in stories on the radio. People are talking about work burnout, parenting burnout, even social burnout. It seems that one thing we can all agree on is that as a society, we are burnt out with a capital B.  So what is burnout? Burnout occurs when a person has met their limit,…
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Why Am I So Tired?: A Case for Rest

When I ask the people in my life how they’re feeling, one of the most common responses I receive is, “Tired.” And I can’t tell you how often I will set my sights on having an early night, only to find myself sitting in front of my laptop and television (simultaneously) way past my bedtime.  In our busy and hectic day-to-day lives, it has become…
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Getting Past the Inner Critic

Can I Move Towards My Goals While Resisting Perfectionism?: Getting Past the Inner Critic

This past fall, we moved some things around in our previously neglected backyard. We thought having a dedicated play space would help our kids, as well as afford us more breathing room during the pandemic. I began starting evenings with vision boards, shopping lists, and poring over Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace for deals. I wanted to make sure anything we bought fit the greater “vision.”…
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5 Tips for Learning How to Accept Help

Do You Worry That You’re A Burden?: 5 Tips for Learning How to Accept Help

“I don’t want to bother anybody.” “I don’t want to be a burden.” “I should be able to do it myself.” We are currently experiencing many layers of loss and overwhelm. For most of us, it’s a loss of normalcy in general: we don’t have the activities or the routines we’re used to. We may be feeling stretched by new work demands and remote school…
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You’re Worth it Too: Self-Care for Caregivers

Self-care is exactly what it sounds like: caring for yourself. It sounds simple in theory, but in reality, sometimes caring for yourself is a very difficult endeavor. The people for whom practicing self-care may be most challenging may be caregivers. This could be individuals who have taken on a caregiving role (such as being a parent, being an adult child who is caring for an…
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Self-Care and the End of the Year: Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

By now, all of us have heard the term “self-care.” We may have even said it under our breath to ourselves while trying to schedule in time to go to the gym or while stocking up on bath bombs. But during the last couple weeks before the New Year, exercise and bath bombs might not be cutting it. We might be experiencing anxiety about another…
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