You don't have to give 100% every day. And you wouldn't expect your best friend or someone else that you love to givee 100% every day. We all know that if you only have 80% to give and you give that you are doing great, but we don't tend to believe that of ourselves. Truthfully, this past week I did not have 100% to give, nor did I have 80%. I was closer to the 60-65% range. I showed up, I met with my clients, and I got a little bit of documentation (my least favorite word) done. Not a single one of those sessions did my clients leave thinking, "Wow! That was the best therapy session I have ever had! I feel so incredibly enlightened! I am cured now!" nor did any of them think "Well that sucked, Megan is the worst therapist ever, I'm never coming back." And that's ok. There is nothing wrong with showing up as much as you can when you can, even when that doesn't feel like much. It's ok to allow yourself some grace and take a rest. It's ok to meet your needs first. Need a therapist (one who is able to give 100% sometimes when she is well rested) I'm accepting new clients and I would love to meet you! #mentalwellness #holisticwellness #holisticcounseling #wellnesscounseling #holisticmentalhealth #mentalhealthcounseling #selfcare #spoons #itsoktonotbeok

Having goals is super important to a healthy life. Without meaningful goals brains start to go kind of haywire. Without goals we start to focus only on the negatives. Having goals helps us focus on what baby steps we are taking in a positive direction. People who have more goals are usually more optimistic. Without goals we tend to focus on unhealthy things like what other people are thinking or doing instead of what we are doing. Without goals we tend to repeat the past because we are not challenging ourselves to try new things. Without goals we tend to think less about big ideas and instead get bogged down in the minor problems. Goals help us to grow and make positive changes in our lives, but they also keep our brains active and healthy as well. Think you have some therapy goals you want to work on? I am accepting new clients and I would love to chat. Message me! #mentalwellness #holisticwellness #wellnesscounseling #holisticmentalhealth #mentalhealthcounseling #goals #TherapyGoals #smartgoals

Grief can not be easily summed up in words. The modern definition of grief is: deep sorrow, especially that caused by someone's death. The roots of the word are different in a meaningful way. Latin: Gravare: to make heavy Gravis: to weigh down Old French: Grever: to burden, afflict or oppress Grief: Injustice or misfortune I think it helps to know that the roots of the word are about how it feels to grieve. It is a painful experience, it weighs us down and makes doing any task 100 times more challenging. Grief is oppressive and all consuming. Grief often feels unjust or unfair. Are your grieving? Are you thinking about getting grief counseling? I am accepting new clients. #mentalwellness #holisticwellness #holisticcounseling #wellnesscounseling #holisticmentalhealth #mentalhealthcounseling #grief #griefsupport #griefandloss #griefcounseling

We have all had a conversation with someone who doesn't understand domestic violence or controlling relationships. They assume that getting up, walking away, and leaving should be simple and easy. They assume that the person who is experiencing the abuse can see their worth and know that they deserve better. They assume that no one would put up with that type of treatment. And they would be very wrong. It's anything but simple and it can be easy to put up with abuse if it's all you have ever known. Children who grow up witnessing domestic violence are three times more likely to either be a victim or perpetrator of domestic violence in adulthood. Growing up with domestic violence is the number one predictor of whether or not someone will engage in domestic violence. There are a number of reasons for this but part of the problem is that childhood trauma results in lower self-esteem. People with lower self-esteem often have unhealthy attachment styles and this can lead to a sever fear of abandonment. This causes people to fear leaving, a new unknown situation, more than they fear being hurt. They will instead spend an exorbitant amount of time and energy trying to convince their abuser not to hurt them. If you feel like you are tired of trying to convice others to stop hurting you, whether thats a partner, a boss, a parent, or someone else, counseling can help. Contact me, I would be honored to support you. #mentalwellness #holisticwellness #holisticcounseling #wellnesscounseling #holisticmentalhealth #mentalhealthcounseling #ptsdrecovery #domesticviolencesurvior #domesticviolenceawareness #childhoodtrauma #traumahealing #traumarecovery

We all internalize messages we pick up from the way that our parents interact with us when we are children. When you have emotionally immature parents some of the messages you might have learned are: 1. I am an annoyance, 2. I am not worthy of love, 3. I am always to blame, 4. I can't trust anyone, 5. My needs don't matter, 6. I am a burden to others 7. There is something inherently wrong with me, 8. I'll never be good enough, 9. I don't deserve success, 10. I need to always be perfect. None of these messages are true, no one should ever believe these things about themselves. But an emotionally immature parent can not teach a child positive self-worth because they don't possess it themselves. Thankfully you can unlearn these beliefs as an adult. Therapy can help. Are you ready to try therapy and unlearn the harmful beliefs you have about yourself? I am accepting new clients and I would love to talk to you and see if it would be the right fit for you. #mentalwellness #holisticwellness #holisticcounseling #wellnesscounseling #holisticmentalhealth #mentalhealthcounseling #selflove #selfesteem #selfworth #cptsdrecovery #cptsdhealing #cptsdsupport #emotionallyimmatureparents

This post isn't for everyone, obviously some of you still very much need to be in survival mode. But many of us are no longer in the middle of the crisis and can take a deep breath finally. For people who grew up in constant crisis it is easy to remain in constant crisis because it is our homeostasis and it's just what we know. If you are an adult, safe and secure now, it's time to learn how to actually live. Let yourself relax and enjoy the little things. It's time to rejoice and celebrate your wins. Need support in doing that? Contact me, I'm taking new clients! #mentalwellness #holisticwellness #holisticcounseling #wellnesscounseling #holisticmentalhealth #mentalhealthcounseling #ptsdrecovery #survivalmode

being in a body can be really hard sometimes. I know I'm not the only person who struggles with body image or body dysmorphia. In a culture where bodies are highly judged and critiqued, often for aspects that are outside of a person's control, it can be really difficult to be grateful for what you have. But practicing gratitude for your body is the fastest way to improve self-image. In my daily gratitude practice I often find something, even something small, to be grateful for in my body. I do this because my body deserves the gratitude, and because it helps me recognize all of the positives that this body has to counteract all of the negative thoughts I have about it throughout the day. Some examples are; I am grateful for my strong legs, I am grateful for my healthy heart, I am grateful for my confident smile, I am grateful for my immune system kicking ass every day. The more you practice this, the easier it gets, and the more effective it is. Gradually you will find, that you are better connected to your body and more in control of your negative thoughts and beliefs about yourself. Think you need more help with body image problems? I am accepting new clients and I would love to help! Please reach out! #mentalwellness #holisticwellness #holisticcounseling #wellnesscounseling #holisticmentalhealth #mentalhealthcounseling #bodypositive #bodyimage #bodydysmorphiarecovery #gratitude #gratitudepractice

I don't hate on ranting. whenever someone appologizes for going off on a rant in a therapy session I like to remind them that they have often not had the space to safety say what they are thinking and going off on a rant is a sign that they are healing. When you were a child you might have been taught that it was better to be seen and not heard, you might have been punished whenever you used your voice. So going on a rant now, as an adult, is a good sign that you feel like you CAN use your voice now. I believe that trauma recovery involves lots of long-delayed and well-deserved "rants." You deserve to have your moment, to take up space, to get it off your chest, or to be heard. And if you can't rant to your therapist, who can you rant to? Looking for a therapist! You are in luck becuase I am accepting new clients! Contact me! #holisticmentalhealth #holisticcounseling #holisticwellness #wellnesscounseling #mentalwellness #mentalhealthcounseling #traumahealing #traumarecovery #ptsdrecovery

Self-acceptance can be hard to achieve for many of us. Self-acceptance is defined as "an individual's acceptance of all of their attributes, positive or negative." That means embracing your entire self. For some of us, it is easy to accept our positive traits, but very difficult to accept (especially with kindness) our negative ones. But for others, it isn't easy to accept our positive traits. It can be hard to believe in ourselves. Here are some suggestions that might help. Start by reframing your beliefs, picking your people, shutting down your inner critic, practicing confronting your fears, being compassionate to yourself, and learning to let things go. I know none of those things are simple or easy to do. But counseling can help! I am accepting new clients and if you are looking for help with self-love and compassion I would be overjoyed to help teach you how to do that! Contact me! #holisticmentalhealth #holisticcounseling #holisticwellness #wellnesscounseling #mentalwellness #selfacceptance #selflove #selfcompassion #mentalhealthcounseling #counselorsofinstagram

If you were told you were an "old soul" as a child, you might have been dealing with some trauma. True social-emotional maturity comes from a healthy and happy childhood. However, a lot of kids who are acting older than they are are doing so because they have to in order to survive, not because the adults at home are teaching them by demonstrating healthy emotional regulation. Children who are being traumatized at home are often put in the role of parents and have to attend to other people's emotions before their own, so they appear very thoughtful, considerate, polite, and mature. They aren't actually masters of emotional regulation who never get upset, they are masters of acting as though they never get upset. There is a significant difference. These children are often told that they are "old souls" because they seem wise beyond their years, they seem like adults who still have to dress from the juniors department. I remember being one of these kids, who felt very comfortable and confident having conversations with adults, interested in adult topics, and would rather socialize with people older than me (unless they were less mature than I was). Does this ring a bell for you or sound familiar? If you are thinking it's time to process your childhood and you are looking for a counselor, contact me! I am accepting new clients! #cptsd #ptsdrecovery #mentalwellness #traumarecovery #holisticwellness #holisticcounseling #wellnesscounseling #HolisticMentalHealth #mentalhealthcounseling #holsiticwellnesscounseling #oldsouls #childhoodtrauma