Lauren Hansen 3 posts 0 comments

By Lauren Hansen, LCMHC The last month has been hard. Really hard. My life, as I have known it, has been flipped upside down. My children no longer go to school, my husband no longer goes to work, I am trying to figure out online learning platforms, we are all inside of our home 24 hours a day; I feel like I’m in a pressure cooker. If I allowed my emotions to rule, I would be a complete wreck. When I step back and take a deep breath, I can recognize how grateful I am — even when the future seems uncertain. Not everything…

As a mental health therapist, it has been part of my education, training, and work, to encourage self-care. Taking care of oneself can be such an abstract idea and isn’t as black and white as other things. What defines self-care? I believe that varies individual to individual. If I could define self-care, it would be anything that fills you, gives you perspective to see things more clearly, and gives you the space to re-engage in your every-day responsibilities. When I meet with clients, by in large, the most important…

Are you SAD? You’re not alone. Seasonal Affective Disorder is more common than you may think. In the winter months, is it more difficult to get out of bed? Do you have less energy or motivation? Do you experience a decreased mood, have difficulty sleeping or struggle to concentrate? Do you feel agitated, lose interest in the things you typically enjoy or feel like you want to crawl into your bed for the entirety of winter? If so, you may struggle with SAD. Seasonal Affect Disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that…