Nostalgia: Why Thinking About the Past Can Be Good for You
Andrea Brandt2022-08-09T09:09:59-08:00I went to dinner recently with a group of old friends with whom I’d fallen out of touch. After the usual catching up on what we’d missed [...]
I went to dinner recently with a group of old friends with whom I’d fallen out of touch. After the usual catching up on what we’d missed [...]
“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” — Norman MacEwan [1] As long as you live, you have [...]
Our natural go-to response to painful feelings is to stuff them out of sight. If your mind were like a tunnel and unwanted feelings could slip out [...]
You’re probably already familiar with individual therapy. Whether you’ve done it weekly for years or you’ve never walked into a therapist’s office, you know how it works. [...]
Joy is a level above happiness. It's fulfillment on top of happiness, triumph on top of happiness, elation on top of happiness. Happy is how you feel when you [...]
Joy is a natural part of us, and we’re wired to feel it. If you’ve spent any time with a child, you’ve witnessed how much joy we’re [...]
This past year has been hard. Really, really hard. Social distancing, everything canceled or closed, sickness, death, some over-worked and some out of work, and let’s not [...]
A lot has changed in our lives over the past year. We’ve changed the way we dress (hello, face masks), the way we work, the way we [...]
Even in a year of huge stressors, where almost every day there’s a breaking news story that can make us feel awful, the arrival of Election Day [...]
For 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 [...]
Your 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 [...]
Asking “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 [...]
Scroll 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 [...]
Yoga 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 [...]
Some 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 [...]
Life 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 [...]
Do 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 [...]
Shame 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 [...]
Your 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, [...]
“Building the best life does not require fealty to feelings in the name of authenticity, but rather rebelling against negative impulses and acting right even when we [...]
“You are a failure.” “You look ugly today.” “Everyone’s life is better than yours.” Have you ever said these things to a close friend? How about a [...]
Living mindfully means living in a state of awareness. You savor every flavor, admire every sunset, cherish every moment with loved ones—always grounded in the moment instead [...]
What is the difference between a mistake and a learning experience? Perspective. When we see mistakes as learning experiences, regret transforms from a painful emotion into a [...]
4. Think Beyond Fixing a Problem Set your sights higher than mere solutions to problems, and focus on what you really want, says Andrea Brandt, Ph.D., a [...]
So you’ve done something wrong. You’ve hurt someone else or yourself, and now you feel angry, guilty, sad, or ashamed. If someone else had wronged you, you’d [...]
When you love yourself, you don't rely on others for your self-esteem or self-image. When you love yourself, you feel comfortable in your skin and accept yourself [...]
Positive Outlook Whether it's January 1 or June 30, every day is one in which you can make a resolution to improve your life. Every [...]
Don't Just Survive the Holidays, Enjoy Them It's that time of year again. The displays of small potted Christmas Trees and poinsettia greet you at [...]
Therapists like myself spend a lot of time talking about self-love. But if you’re like many of my patients, you might not know what self-love means exactly. [...]
When a client comes to you in emotional distress and you sense that childhood wounds are the cause, your instinct is to spring into action. I’ve spent [...]