Posts in portland
self love and happiness

Happiness does not come from others, items, or circumstance. 

Happiness comes from a deep commitment to loving yourself and accepting the world as it is. 

Happiness is not easy to achieve some days. I hope everyone out there can find a few things to love about themselves today- make it a daily practice to show gratitude for yourself!

Share something you’re thankful for about yourself here! ⬇️

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i over-think, therefore, I am...

Often clients come in overthinking, ruminating, worrying too much, and not being able to “turn off” anxious thoughts. I wish there was a quick and easy fix I could give them to manage anxiety and overthinking- but the reality is that it takes a lot of hard work from YOU! Trust me, I’ve had to do the work too! 🔨

Here’s part of my strategy to manage anxious thoughts: 

1. Awareness- Notice when you’re experiencing anxious thoughts. Notice them nonjudgementally, just let them exist and take inventory of the content. 

2. Challenge - Challenge your thoughts. I like to ask, “what evidence do I have that these thoughts are true?”. Be a detective, don’t trust your thoughts outright.

3. Problem Solve- Is there something you’re worried about that you can actually do something to change? If so- focus on what you can do to solve the problem in the future. If there’s nothing you can do to change it, let it go. ✅

4. Mindfulness- Practice mindfulness daily. These skills only work if you practice them! Be present with yourself and your thoughts, know they can’t hurt you and that the uncomfortable feelings will pass. 

This strategy takes a lot of hard work- but it WORKS! 

Let’s work together to put this strategy into action. What other strategies work for you? 💕

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radical acceptance: what is it and how do I use it?
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Radical acceptance means that you look upon yourself, others, and the world in an entirely new way. 

You must be willing to let go of your ideas about how the world “should be” and simply accept things the way that they are in the present moment. When you radically accept something, you are completely releasing judgment of it and avoiding any attempts to fight against or change it. 

When you are able accept a painful reality, your thoughts, emotions, physical sensations and attitude all shift to make room for you to fully experience your present reality. This shift creates the opportunity and ability for change. 

As Carl Rogers once said, 'The curious paradox is when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change.'

To practice radical acceptance, we need to:

1. Accept what is ☀️ 
2. Realize what we can control and what we can't
3. Look at our situation from a nonjudgmental perspective 👓 
4. Acknowledge the facts of our situation 📚 
5. Learn how to live in the present moment despite our pain

Curious about radical acceptance? Reach out!