Many people tell me that it is difficult to love themselves. I agree, so let’s just drop that idea for right now and go with something different. Psychologists can pinpoint how trauma and certain personality traits can lead a person to self-loathing or feelings of insecurity. But what do you do when there is nothing to point to? No trauma or bad experiences, no bullying or poor performance in life tasks?

There is a theme that runs through just about every story with every person who comes into my office for an individual session or for a group program: self-judgment.  We are always our own worst critics.   From beating ourselves up for something we have said or done to harassing ourselves to do better or be more productive.

Part 3 in a series on anxiety. People have thoughts, lots of them.  It is estimated that people generate about 20,000 to 60,000 thoughts per day.  If you are female my guess is the higher number! ☺  When someone has anxiety think about how many of those thoughts are related to feeling insecure, anxious about taking a test or going someplace in public. Worry and distress are rampant, and can take over our lives in just a short time.  Good news, there is something you can do to help change your thoughts.

It is hard to change paths. Our minds can easily be set on a default pattern that continues on its’ own without any conscious effort on our part. The brain is programmed for default patterns. We like routine, we like structure. But what do we do when that routine is not in our best interest? How do we change the patterns?

Each day we have suffering of some sort or another. Each day contains its’ own challenges, and carries its’ own burdens. And each day gives us opportunity to continue in our path of troubles or to create a new experience of being kind to ourselves.

Part 2 in a series on Anxiety. I want to give you some suggestions for reducing your anxiety. I know that it can be overwhelming when anxiety rushes in, but there are some things that can be useful to you in the moment as well as preventatively. When therapists treat anxiety we tend to focus on some basic skills that can be addressed, then we move into more specific issues.

Part 1 in a series on Anxiety. Fighting with voices of worry, insecurity, leading to a lot of anxiety? Trouble taking tests? Tend to choke when you need to perform at your best? These are a lot of the problems that people with ongoing anxiety tend to complain about. Sometimes we have these problems randomly even when we don’t have ongoing issues.