Three Lessons on Loss and Grief
Andrea Brandt2020-08-03T13:25:56+00:00For days, weeks, or even months after losing someone, you may wake up in the morning with an overwhelming sadness. It can feel like a heaviness pushing [...]
Healing Shame: 5 Steps to Self-Forgiveness
Andrea Brandt2020-07-29T10:57:34+00:00We feel guilty when we believe we have done something wrong, but we feel shame when we believe that we are wrong. In other words, guilt is about a [...]
Healing Guilt: 7 Steps to Self-Forgiveness
Andrea Brandt2020-07-29T10:53:29+00:00Your ability to forgive yourself and practice self-compassion is a vital element of self-esteem. When you carry feelings of guilt and shame, it’s impossible to feel good [...]
4 Fun Ways to Combat Anxiety During a Pandemic
Andrea Brandt2020-05-19T11:03:58+00:00Much of the advice therapists usually offer to people suffering from anxiety doesn't work anymore. In normal times, I would tell you to go to the beach [...]
4 Fun Ways to Combat Anxiety During a Pandemic
Andrea Brandt2020-07-29T10:15:58+00:00Much of the advice therapists usually offer to people suffering from anxiety doesn't work anymore. In normal times, I would tell you to go to the beach [...]
The Healing Power of Gratitude
Andrea Brandt2020-05-19T10:52:55+00:00Asking “what are you thankful for?” during a global pandemic might seem absurd. Every day the news gets grimmer. We hear sirens outside our windows. We read [...]
The Secret to a Happy Relationship Is Empathy
Andrea Brandt2020-05-19T09:45:32+00:00Everyone has met a couple like this: She loves sushi; the smell of raw fish makes him nauseous. He loves horror films; she finds even mildly scary [...]
11 Signs You Use Passive-Aggressiveness in Your Relationships
Andrea Brandt2020-02-17T11:20:55+00:00How do you know if you use passive-aggressiveness in your relationship to express your hidden anger? When you’ve hidden your anger from everyone, including yourself, it can [...]
Childhood Emotional Neglect: What It Is and How to Heal
Andrea Brandt2020-01-24T14:51:45+00:00Physical abuse can leave physical scars, while emotional abuse leaves psychic ones, but what about emotional neglect? The absence of emotional support in childhood can be as [...]
How to Set Boundaries in the Age of Oversharing
Andrea Brandt2019-12-04T13:51:33+00:00Scroll through your Facebook or Instagram feed and you’ll see photos of friends’ children, weddings, and perfectly lit meals. You’ll see updates about careers and relationships. Something [...]
Unexpected Sources That Could Be Triggering Your Anxiety
Andrea Brandt2019-10-07T10:47:24+00:00According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, anxiety disorders are most common among Americans with mental illness. Anxiety affects just over 18% of the population [...]
To Heal from Trauma, You Have to Feel Your Feelings
Andrea Brandt2019-10-24T10:52:18+00:00At any age, in any life stage, you can change. Whether you’re 77 years old or 17, you can learn, grow, adopt new habits, and make new [...]
When the first grandchild arrives, a happy family needs healthy boundaries
Andrea Brandt2019-09-06T09:46:10+00:00Who knew you would ever be as old as your grandparents seemed to you! But now it’s happened. You’re going to be a grandma or grandpa. Amid [...]
Why You Should Consider Yoga and Meditation
Andrea Brandt2019-08-20T09:44:24+00:00Yoga and meditation are more than just a way to calm down and stay flexible. Both practices have powerful and long-term benefits for both the body and [...]
Improve Your Mood Now
Andrea Brandt2019-09-06T09:42:12+00:00Some things you do to improve your mental health take time, planning, and often money. There are 12-step plans and 3-month goals, therapy bills, and emotionally-exhausting hours [...]
4 Secrets to Finding Purpose and Community After Retirement
Andrea Brandt2019-09-06T09:39:13+00:00No matter how much you look forward to retirement, you may wake up the morning after your last day at work and feel sadness or anxiety. For [...]
3 Steps to Treat Your Anxiety Using CBT
Andrea Brandt2019-09-06T09:34:08+00:00If you’re someone who struggles with anxiety, the process of finding a therapist can feel overwhelming. Since therapists often specialize in treatment methods, finding the right type of [...]
Understanding the Difference Between Feeling Blue and Depression by Melissa Howard
Andrea Brandt2019-05-30T13:31:06+00:00Life is hard at times, and we all know that. But how do we know when it’s “too hard” and we need help? The signs aren’t always [...]
Is Our Culture to Blame for Our Unhealthy Anger?
Andrea Brandt2019-05-23T12:53:44+00:00We tend to think of emotional reactions as universal. The way I react to an event is the same way everyone does, we tell ourselves. But study [...]
The Dangers of Perfectionism
Andrea Brandt2019-05-23T10:38:14+00:00Do you often feel like you need things to be perfect to be satisfied? Is accepting flaws or failures in yourself or others impossible? Do you feel [...]
6 Signs It’s Time to Seek Help for Your Anxiety
Andrea Brandt2019-03-11T13:51:16+00:00Like all emotions, anxiety is healthy, and we’re all prone to feeling it sometimes. Anxiety can become a debilitating problem, though, when the stress you feel is [...]
Heal Your Anger Mindfully
Andrea Brandt2019-02-05T12:30:25+00:00PODCAST - If you’ve been troubled by how to express anger in your life – and yet, you seemed filled with it at times – this one’s [...]
To Manage Your Anger, Give It a Name
Andrea Brandt2019-03-11T13:47:41+00:00Giving your partner the silent treatment, breaking a water glass in the middle of a fight, responding to criticism with the meanest thing you can think to [...]
How to Keep a New Year’s Resolution
Andrea Brandt2019-03-11T13:44:28+00:00There are many reasons why it’s hard to keep a New Year’s resolution, and why over 50 percent of them fail. Many of us make goals that [...]
How to Stop Feeling Shame
Andrea Brandt2019-03-11T13:40:21+00:00Shame is one of the hardest emotions to talk about. It can also be the hardest emotion to recognize in ourselves, and it can feel the most [...]
Silence Negative Self-Talk In Just 5 Minutes a Day
Andrea Brandt2019-03-11T13:36:03+00:00Your pattern and style of self-talk most likely originate from the way your parents or caregivers spoke to and treated you. If your mother was overly critical, [...]
The Gifts of Loss
Andrea Brandt2018-10-12T08:03:06+00:00We’re talking about death and other losses. Sounds fun, right? Well, actually…our return guest, Dr. Andrea Brandt says death is really just a good way to get [...]
How Reactive Behavior Damages Your Relationships
Andrea Brandt2019-03-11T13:28:13+00:00When you’re reactive, your feelings depend on external events outside your influence or control. Whether you have a good or bad day depends entirely on what happens [...]
Learn Empathy in Just 5 Steps
Andrea Brandt2019-03-11T12:09:48+00:00Your relationship with others determines much of your happiness and success in life. How you get along with coworkers, bosses, family, friends, and romantic partners often depends [...]
Coping with Loss as We Age
Andrea Brandt2018-08-22T11:51:09+00:00One inevitable feature of life is coping with life as we age. Some losses are minor; some are massive. We lose physical characteristics, abilities, and loved ones—our [...]