Holiday Family Anxiety and Boundaries: Part 4
In this blog series, I introduce holiday family anxiety, how it relates to childhood emotional neglect, and how boundaries with family can start creating change. The post below will conclude this series by highlighting the benefits of holiday boundaries, not just for clients personally but also for their families. Clients create boundaries with their families…
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Holiday Family Anxiety and Boundaries: Part 3
In the previous posts from this blog series, I introduce the concept of holiday family anxiety as it correlates to childhood emotional neglect. Maintaining family connections with unresolved childhood emotional neglect is exhausting and takes enormous energy. It’s like running a marathon every day. In families with unhealthy dynamics, the demands on children will continue…
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Holiday Family Anxiety and Boundaries: Part 2
Most of my clients would like family holidays to be different and more on their terms. In the previous blog, I explain how my clients’ families have high expectations of their time and attention. However, when given, there’s no reward of family fun and connection—instead, my clients end the holidays with exhaustion and hurt. One…
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Holiday Family Anxiety and Boundaries: Part 1
For my clients, the holidays bring on additional anxiety, starting long before any event occurs as they prepare for time with family. They worry about meeting family expectations and get stuck in overwork and perfectionism. This stress quickly leads to burnout. Being around their family is exhausting as they spend gatherings overwhelmed by pretending they…
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Why Can I Not Stop People-Pleasing?
Those who struggle to stop people-pleasing often go through life feeling stressed with a neverending task list. They are waiting until things let up so they can take a break. But things don’t let up, and this waiting often leads to burnout and depression. When my clients first attempt to change their people-pleasing behavior, they…
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Things to Do Before Meeting With An Online Therapist in Illinois
My clients already do a lot of work by the time they schedule their first appointment. They research anxiety to find new ways to treat it. They also read self-help books and try to live healthy lifestyles. But despite their knowledge and best efforts, they still find themselves in the anxiety and burnout cycle. They…
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Tips for Stress Relief From An Illinois Therapist
When I find myself stressed, I often wish I could freeze time. I want extra space to escape, catch up to the moment at my own pace, and recover without any negative consequences for anyone. Unfortunately, there is no magical time advantage like this to give us some stress relief. And no amount of efficiency…
Read MoreBack To The Basics of Stress Relief & Self-Care
Being an online therapist, I’m a big self-care advocate. However, I also have a history of overworking in all areas of life. I know the negative consequences of putting off my needs, so taking care of myself and not burning out has become a priority, and I have adopted some simple strategies to help with…
Read MoreHow to Stop Being A People Pleaser
Some people-pleasing behavior is understandable. For example, using people-pleasing behavior with an unreasonable manager or boss can make sense if it means lessening your work stress or keeping your job. Not All People Pleasing Is Bad This form of people-pleasing behavior will be occasional and specific to a setting or person. Additionally, people-pleasing can prove…
Read MoreSelf-Worth & Compassion in the Face of Anxiety & Perfectionism Pt. 4
In previous blogs, I introduce the connection between perfectionism and anxiety. As a perfectionism therapist, I also explain this connection as a fear of failure and the pain of not feeling good enough. I further show how my clients try to avoid the accompanying feelings of guilt and shame with procrastination. As well as how…
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