Building Self-Esteem

To some degree, we all face doubts and struggle at times with self-esteem. Thinking about improving your own self-esteem can seem daunting, overwhelming, and raise many other feelings, possibly even related to how you feel about yourself. While working with a therapist to understand how you feel about yourself and how you may have arrived to feel this way there are certain things you can do to help yourself along this healing journey. Below are some ways you can practice turning your self esteem toward a more positive direction.

Practice positive self talk. It is easy to talk critically to yourself, so instead try challenging a thought to a turn it into something more positive.

Try not to compare yourself to others.

Reflect on the accomplishments or times in your life you feel good about.

Get some physical exercise-  its quite empowering and reaps various physical and emotional benefits.

Set a small goal and achieve it. 

Don't beat yourself up: Talk to yourself as you would to a friend.

Focus on the things you can change/control, such as your reaction to certain experiences/events.

Spend time doing activities and things you enjoy.

Practice being in the moment, even for just a few breaths, or minutes.

Take care of you, you are the only one who truly can.

See if you can start with trying out one or two of the above self esteem building activities and check in with yourself about how you may feel. Small steps can lead to great gains to your self worth. If you find yourself struggling with self esteem or are thinking about how a therapist may be able to help you, contact us at Gaithersburg Counseling Center. You may reach us at healingllc.com, 240-274-5680, or admin@healingllc.com.

Tips to Help Calm and Manage Anxiety

Many of us experience anxiety on a regular basis. Anxiety can show up in various ways and times and sometimes at really inconvenient moments! Most individuals can identify with the physical and emotional symptoms that can be associated with anxiety, such as feeling overwhelmed, unable to think clearly, feeling panicky, shortness of breath, racing heart, difficulty sleeping, restlessness, shifts in mood, eating more or less than usual, irritability, to name just a few of the ways anxiety can manifest.

While learning to understand your anxiety with the help of a professional (where the anxiety may stem from and what it means), there are ways to help limit anxious feelings or symptoms when they arise. Acknowledging the presence of anxiety is an important place to start. Be mindful that you are feeling anxious and that the anxiety does not have to define you in the moment. While it may feel overwhelming, there are several tips to help you manage and take more control over anxiety producing situations. 

Tips to help manage anxiety in the moment:

-Deep breathing techniques--can be done in any place at most any time (take a deep breath in through your nose or mouth for as long as you are able and then push that breath out until you feel the need to breath in again; repeat for 10 long breaths in and out, counting each inhale and exhale as a completed deep breath. Continue as long as necessary until feeling more calm.

-Talk to someone-it can be helpful to talk about how your anxiety makes you feel and help you to feel not so alone in it.

-Distractions- turning your attention to something else is helpful to take you away from the anxiety; such as playing video games, Sudoku, word-finds, coloring books, listening and singing along to music, taking a walk outside.

While anxiety can be uncomfortable it does not have to stop you from enjoying your life to its fullest. If you find yourself struggling with anxiety and would like to see if meeting with a professional counselor could be helpful for you reach out to us at Gaithersburg Counseling Center 240-274-5680, admin@healingllc.com or www.healingllc.com.

Body Image and Summertime

Spring is here and that means summer is right around the corner. Gym ads, magazines, and clothing stores promote getting "beach body ready". The thought of this could be exciting for some; and leave others feeling "less than" thrilled about having more skin exposed. Most everyone has something that is less than desired about his/her own body; whether it be feeling not tall enough; not skinny enough; not buff enough; skin too pale; too many scars, ______ (enter your body insecurity here). 

If you have body image concerns, the idea of putting on a bathing suit can be overwhelming and bring up a lot of feelings. Being invited to a pool party or going to the beach can be anxiety provoking. Additionally, shopping for a swim suit or outfit to wear in the hot weather can feel dreadful. 

Regardless of your body size and shape you deserve to be able to feel comfortable on the beach and/or in the pool. So, here are a few tips and thoughts to consider when shopping for warm weather attire.

- Try to check the emotions at the dressing room door: keep focused on finding what fits comfortably and feels like it could work. Give yourself permission to try different sizes though don't get hung up on the number on the tag. The idea is to get what you need without moving into that easy to go to place of feeling bad or worse about yourself and your body. One way to leave your emotions at the door, is to first acknowledge whatever feelings you are having, and possibly even try to identify where these automatic feelings and thoughts come from. If you allow the feelings to be heard and acknowledged, they may be more willing to take a little break while you go shopping, and let you try on some clothing that might fit really well and feel really comfortable!

- Combat the negative self talk with thinking back to a place and time when you felt really strong and good (examples: recent work accomplishment, facing a specific fear, having a difficult conversation)  Really think about how you felt, how your posture was, what sensations did you notice on your body, and any particular sounds or smells associated with that time. Try to use your senses to embody how you felt when you felt strong and know you can conjure up that feeling, any time you need it.

-Find an accessory that you are excited about to pair with your swim wear, whether a fun necklace, cool baseball hat, funny t-shirt, or new flip-flops.

The bottom line is to allow yourself be able to enjoy being in the summer moments as much as possible despite how you might feel about your body. You can practice being more present and enjoy the moment when you are thinking and worrying less about how your bathing suit fits. If you find it difficult to move past some of these ideas and are struggling with body image and want to see if meeting with a professional therapist could be helpful, contact us at Gaithersburg Counseling Center at admin@healingllc.com or 240-274-5680. Or you can visit our website at www.HealingLLC.com.

When life hands you lemons…

You don’t have to make lemonade. You can make lemon bars, lemon cookies, or you don’t have to make anything at all! You can hold them, look at them, throw them, squeeze them, juggle them, give them away, peel them, or anything else you might imagine! In this day and age opportunities may seem endless, and while that might sound wonderful to some, the abundance of choices may lead others to feel overwhelmed and stressed out. So if lemonade sounds good to you, then start squeezing! Others may want to weigh out other options before deciding what to do with their lemons.

The great thing about life and choices is just that: you have the choice! YOU get to choose! So if that choice feels more like a trap ask yourself what are the possible best and worst anticipated outcomes? Usually, life falls somewhere in the middle.

If the choices feel too overwhelming or you want support dealing with stressful times, counseling can help. Email us today for more information at AnotherLook@HealingLLC.com.

Take Good Care,
Amy Hooper, LCSW-C, CEAP
Director, Another Look at Healing, LLC Counseling and Wellness Center for Women and Families

*Free Depression/Anxiety Screenings in October*

I wanted to take a minute to let you know about a couple of our exciting Fall events. This includes a free anxiety and depression screening and low-cost therapy group that I thought might be of interest to you. Please feel free to pass the information along to anyone who might be interested.

As you may know, depression and anxiety affects many people and often goes untreated. Each year, depressive disorders affect around 18.8 million American adults, that’s 9.5% of the US population over 18. However, due to stigma and other factors, less than 1/2 of those suffering actually seek treatment.

To help fight the stigma around depression and help identify the problem, Another Look at Healing, LLC is conducting free National Depression Screening Days in October. As part of the program, participants will have the opportunity to complete brief, anonymous screenings for depression, bipolar disorder, generalized anxiety disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. Participants will be able to learn about the symptoms of depression, and how to help a friend or family member who may be at risk. Participants will also have the option of talking to a health care professional about any concerns they may have and they will receive multiple referrals to local treatment services.

Screenings will be offered from 9am to 9pm, Monday through Saturday, by appointment during the month of October. For more information about the screenings or to set up an appointment, contact Amy Hooper at AnotherLook@HealingLLC.com or call the main office at 240-274-5680.

In addition to the free screenings, we also offer individual, couples and family therapy. We have added on lost-cost therapy group for individuals who want support working through their interpersonal difficulties, including, but not limited to, depression and anxiety. I have included a flyer for our upcoming Personal Growth Therapy Group, as well as details about our practice for your review.
I look forward to collaborating with you in the future!

Take Good Care,

Amy L. Hooper, LCSW-C, CEAP
Director, Another Look at Healing, LLC
www.HealingLLC.com
AnotherLook@HealingLLC.com
240-274-5680

Thanksgiving Tips – Food for Thought!

Each year, we look at why the holiday season is such a difficult time for many people. A few of the reasons we over viewed were: Family Time, including the in-laws, Traveling Issues, Long To Do Lists and of course Holiday Meals. In this blog, we will look more specifically into a few of these topics and discuss some specific steps to help relieve holiday stress.

“I always overeat during the holidays, how can I stop?"

1. Mindfulness! During the meal, be present and pay attention to yourself.
Are you filling your plate to the brim just because that’s what everyone else does? Are you drinking alcohol to “loosen up”, if so, identify what is making you feel uncomfortable and address it directly. Are you actually tasting each bite, or just the first few and then you slip into robotic eating mode? Do you eat to quickly to even give yourself time to feel full?

2. Treat Yourself! Allow yourself permission to feel good both before and after the meal. If you always end up feeling so stuffed it is painfully uncomfortable, or you feel guilty afterwards, treat yourself to the gift of feeling good. Know that you can eat a wonderful meal, and even have dessert without completely filling yourself until you want to pop! Take less food – you can always go back for seconds if you are still hungry. You earned the right to feel good.

3. Enjoy Nature! Take a Walk. After the meal, get the family together or a special relative to take a walk with. This will give you some time to talk, get some fresh air, use your muscles and energize.

4. Match Making! If you feel like eating cassarole, don’t eat salad and expect to feel satisfied. If you want a slice of pie, don’t restrict yourself from doing so or you could end up eating the whole pie 2 hours later! It helps to check in with yourself and your body to see what you are hungry for – does your body feel like it needs carbs, protein, sweets? If you eat what your body wants you to eat – make matches between what you want and what you have – then you are more likely to feel satisfied after each meal.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving! Meanwhile, I would LOVE to hear your feedback! Send an email to AnotherLook@HealingLLC.com with any questions or comments, and let me know what helps you de-stress over the holiday season. All communication will remain confidential. For more information, visit www.HealingLLC.com/therapywork for details.

Thanks for checking in!
–Amy L. Hooper, LCSW-C, CEAP
Director, Another Look at Healing, LLC