Americans’ Mental Health Ratings Sink to New Low
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Americans’ latest assessment of their mental health is worse than it has been at any point in the last two decades. Seventy-six percent of U.S. adults rate their mental health positively, representing a nine-point decline from...
Coping through COVID Pandemic with Stephen Walters
Stephen Walters , M.Div., M.A.
While this year’s COVID-19 pandemic has threatened our physical health, it has also deeply impacted our mental health. Rev. Stephen Walters of the Summit Counseling Center in metro Atlanta shares his thoughts on coping through Covid, dealing with anxiety,...
My Plate is Too Full – How to Manage Stress and Anxiety
Alice D. Hoag , Ed.D.
Right about now, Covid fatigue is setting in. According to Dr. Kotwicki of Skyland Trail in Atlanta, statistics from his psychiatric facility are showing an increase in anxiety-related admissions (2020). Many people are being admitted for physical manifestations of...
Flexibility & Adaptability: Channeling New Strengths
It is no surprise that the year 2020 has brought each of us a multitude of emotions: fear, anxiety, loneliness, frustration, and confusion to name a few. Change has been an ever-present concept this year, placing us in situations...
Managing Stress & Anxiety
Maddie McGarrah , M.Ed.
As I am sure we have all felt, the past months have brought on multiple stressors. In dealing with the global pandemic, working from home, your child’s school schedule changing, an economic depression, racial injustice, and many more, it...
Calming the Rush of Anxiety
Madeline Redetzky , M.S.
Anxiety can seem to be a never ceasing rush of rapids. It can lead us on a journey that takes away control and adds fear. Our anxious thoughts can cause us to feel we need to hurry and solve...
Growth Through Gratitude
During extraordinary times like these, it can be difficult to cultivate gratitude. Our brains are not designed to lean towards scanning for the positives. For biological and survival purposes, we are created to search for threats. Unfortunately, having an...
Distracting from Racing Thoughts
We have all experienced racing thoughts that seem uncontrollable or impossible to untangle. Many times it can be helpful to reframe the thought or return to a calming mantra to feel grounded. These skills can work for many situations,...
Understanding Ecotherapy
Can digging in the dirt and soaking up sun rays improve your mental health and wellbeing? According to Ecotherapy, the answer is YES! Ecotherapy is an activity or program used to improve health by connecting with nature. It...
Cultivating Courage
“Courage is like—it’s a habitus, a habit, a virtue: You get it by courageous acts. It’s like you learn to swim by swimming. You learn courage by couraging.” -Brené Brown Courage is like a muscle, the more you use...
Waiting on the Unknown
The past month has been a difficult and scary time to say the least. As we are entering in our second month of COVID-19, it can seem like our current situation is endless. Everyone has made drastic changes: From...
“You’re Not Working from Home, You’re Home Working Through a Pandemic.”
This quote has been my mantra during this unpresented time of COVID-19. Every time I feel unmotivated, I remember this quote. Every time I reach for that extra cookie or pack of fruit snacks, I remind myself of this...
Comparing Yourself To Others
On social media, I’ve been seeing a lot of people posting how they are spending their time at home. There are posts like workout videos, cooking new recipes, deep cleaning and organizing, and trying new hobbies. It is wonderful...
Daily Mental Health Maintenance
Big changes start with small steps. Daily mental health check-ins are small, but essential steps for maintaining wellbeing and balance. Mental health check-ins are not mental health assessments or diagnostic tools, but rather a moment to collect your thoughts...
What I Have Learned While Sheltering in Place
Throughout our time staying in to flatten the curve, I’ve had the opportunity to pause and reflect on what I have learned during this time. Connection is key – Humans find meaning and joy through connection, we thrive when...
Tele Play Therapy – How Could This Work?
Covid-19 has plunged the world into a period of unknowns. Our sense of what is normal has been completely turned upside down and some days, it’s difficult to know what day of the week it actually is. In the...
Continuing or Starting Counseling During COVID19
Social distancing and stay at home orders during the COVID19 pandemic can make life feel foreign, scary, and weird. Like most of us, you may be thinking you had a lot of life stressors going on prior the pandemic...
How To Establish Healthy Personal Boundaries: Part 1
This topic may seem a little strange given the circumstances the world is currently facing, but given the forced personal boundaries that have become a must to help stem the tide of the COVID-19 pandemic, I thought I would...
Feeling In Control During COVID-19
Over the past few weeks we all have felt powerless, scared or confused at some point. We have lost much of what we can control in our day-to-day lives… and that never feels good. As humans, we thrive when...
Home from College
The Coronavirus has changed how most of us conduct our day to day life and most of us found ourselves trying to quickly adapt to many fast changes. If you are a college student, you may find yourself in...