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SOUL FOOD SUNDAY #1
After Are You Feeding Your Soul? went live, many people chimed in with their favorite self-care practices and soul food. So far, #soulfoodsunday has dominated IG with posts of food and comfort dishes. Let’s reclaim the hashtag with a different twist! In honor of the *new* Soul Food Sunday, Rise and Thrive will be sending off the weekend with a list of 10 soul food tips and tricks, including those suggested from readers throughout the week! SOUL FOOD SUNDAY: 10 IDEAS Practice meditation. Bring out the essential oils. Fan faves: lavender, sacred frankincense, cedarwood, or blends such as peace & calming, tranquil, & stress-away Go for a walk! Suggestions included…
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Are You Feeding Your Soul?
You feed your body every day… … to sustain optimal performance. … to enjoy the taste of foods you love. … to maintain physical health. … to provide yourself comfort and support. Feeding our bodies is crucial to healthy living, but why do we not put the same importance on feeding our mental and spiritual selves? It’s not selfish to love yourself, take care of yourself, and to make your happiness a priority. It’s necessary. Mandy Hale Soul Food: A Definition Just like our physical bodies, our minds also need care to sustain optimal performance and maintain our mental health. Our mind needs for us to provide it with “food”…
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Consent: Check Yes or No?
April is sexual assault awareness month, and this April marks the 18th anniversary of SAAM, the sexual assault awareness month campaign organized by the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC). Throughout the month, organizations host social media challenges, weekly themes, and local events to support and promote sexual assault awareness (see end of article for a couple noteworthy links and common social media tags). Trigger Warning: This article contains sexual themes and references to sexual assault. The Hype about Consent First, it is important to understand the relationship between sexual violence and consent. Sexual abuse is unwanted sexual activity, with perpetrators using force, making threats or taking advantage of victims not…
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Mindful Mini #1
Need a little spring pick-me-up? 👉🏼 Try this Mindful Mini: Imagine you are holding a beautiful, fragrant flower (or use a real one, if possible). Notice the scent of the flower. Let the fresh fragrance fill your nose, your lungs, and your body as you inhale deeply. As you exhale, imagine your breath gently blowing on the flower’s petals and leaves. Check in with your mind and body. Notice how you are feeling. Repeat as needed.
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In the Market for a New Therapist? A Guide to Letters and Licenses
What is the difference between a counselor and a therapist? How about a psychologist and psychiatrist? Better yet, what type of provider should you be looking for as you start your search? And what on Earth do those little letters after their names mean? If you glimpse at the pie chart below, you can see the pool of mental health providers is diverse. The letters after a provider’s name (their credentials), their title, and the license(s) they hold can be really helpful if you know a little bit about them. The following sections provide a brief guide to the mental health providers you will most likely encounter during your search.…
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In the Market for a New Therapist? Three Points to Consider when Searching for the Best Fit
Choosing a therapist can be intimidating, confusing, and flat-out hard. Even knowing what you are looking for can be difficult, especially if it is your first time going through the process. In last week’s post, we explored three questions to ask a therapist to help you find the best fit (read the full post here). However, finding a therapist that fits your needs may mean more than just how you mesh in a therapy session. It may also mean finding a therapist who can accommodate your preferences, your financial needs, and your availability. Whether you are trying to decide between two therapists or are just starting your search, here are…
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In the Market for a New Therapist? Three Questions to Help You Find the Best Fit
It is okay to “shop around” to find a therapist. Just like you would not want to see a back specialist for your knee pain, finding a therapist that fits your needs is important. In fact, the relationship between the client and therapist has been found in numerous research studies to be one of the most important factors in effective therapy. Asking the therapist these these three questions during the first point of contact, whether meeting face to face or talking over the phone, may be helpful in choosing a therapist that is the best fit for you. Can you tell me a little more about you/your practice? This question…
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The Parenting Chronicles: Struggling with the Baby Blues
Bringing a baby into this world should be one of the most exciting, beautiful moments of your life. You should be bathing of the afterglow of childbirth and all of your baby’s firsts that are beginning to happen. Right? Wrong. The reality is that, while childbirth can certainly be beautiful and wonderful, it may not necessarily be the most exciting, joyous time of a mother or father’s life. Unfortunately, many parents believe it should be, and they are often left with embarrassment and shame when it is not the case, only deepening their despair further. The statistics are staggering. They show us that it is actually more common to be emotionally struggling after…
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Give yourself the gift of gratitude
It’s that time of year again. The holiday hustle and bustle is in full-force. Reminders of the cheerful, joyous holiday atmosphere are everywhere. And, with that, are expectations of gratitude. On the surface, the idea of practicing gratitude may sound cheesy, like an overused holiday punch line. The truth is practicing gratitude can actually significantly enrich your life – and even help ignite your inner happiness. Often times, we may find ourselves focusing on what we don’t have in comparison to others. When we do this, it’s likely we are left with bitter feelings such as unhappiness, disappointment, low self-worth, and resentment. Feelings that aren’t exactly uplifting, to say the…
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An Autopilot Life
Have you ever driven somewhere, seemingly completely unfocused, just driving on “autopilot” to your destination? Failing to notice the buildings, people, or landscape passing by you. Maybe you’re not even aware of the song on the radio. Losing track of the world around you… with maybe the exception of the traffic signals. In this same way, we can “drive” through life stuck in autopilot. Every once in a while we hit a traffic signal that may momentarily bring us back to the present, but the moment is fleeting and gone all too soon. When our minds are focused on the future to come or the past we have already lived…
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Mind Full or Mindful?
