Olive Branch Psychology

06/24/2025

Aho!

06/24/2025

You are not your to-do list.
You are not your productivity level.
You are not falling behind.

In a work culture that often celebrates constant output, it’s easy to forget: your worth isn’t measured in checkboxes, calendar invites, or how much you "got done" today.

You’re a human being—complex, thoughtful, and deserving of care.

Some days are for deep focus.
Others are for deep rest.
Both are valuable.
Both are necessary.

You don’t need to earn the right to slow down. Taking care of your mental health isn’t a reward—it’s a requirement.

Your value doesn’t decrease when your output does.

Let’s normalize rest, boundaries, and self-compassion in the workplace. 💙
Read more about maintaining healthy work / life balance here https://cal.mn/balance

06/24/2025

06/24/2025

Keep taking extraordinary care of yourself. You’re needed. You matter. Your life matters.

The person to please is the one looking back in the mirror.🤍

(Learning to be alone and enjoy my own company was one of the most powerful things I ever did.-)

06/24/2025

That sticky thought that just popped in? 👀
It feels urgent. It feels scary.
But guess what? That doesn’t make it true… or dangerous. 💭✨

You don’t have to argue with it. You don’t have to push it away.
Instead, practice gently noticing it—like a cloud floating by—and return your focus to what really matters. 🌥️➡️🌤️

This is the work of OCD and anxiety recovery. Not perfectly, just gently. Again and again.

I am sending you so much love!! ❤️

What helps you move through a tough intrusive thought? Share your go-to strategy or drop a 💭 in the comments to let me know you’re doing this brave work too!

05/13/2025

Have you ever wondered how hope works?

Hope is not a feeling that simply happens to you: it is a mindset that allows us to envision a better future, and to believe in our capacity to influence this future. It is distinct from just wishful thinking, it is a strategic response to hard times.

According to Hope Theory by Snyder (2002), there are three main components to hope:

🌟Agency - The motivational aspect of hope, it symbolizes someone’s perceived ability to work towards a goal. it is a belief that someone possesses the ability to shape their own future.

🌟Pathways - The preparatory aspects of hope. It includes the ability to create different paths to accomplish goals and manage adversities. It involves flexible and creative thinking when things do not go as planned.

🌟Goal - The final objectives of hope, they provide direction and they are the key to motivation and moving defining pathways to get there. In turn, achieved, and unachieved goals both feed emotions back to the system. It influences how hopeful we will be in future scenarios.

But why does hope matter?

Hope is a powerful predictor of psychological wellbeing. It contributes to resilience, better physical health and stronger relationships. There is research that shows that hope supports all sorts of executive brain functions as well: better decision making, focus, planning and emotional regulation. 

Hope also protects against helplessness and disengagement. It reawakens agency, and allows us to reframe challenges as meaningful steps in our journey.

Would you like to learn how to be more hopeful? Then comment ‘GOAL’ to receive three free hope cultivation exercises from our brand-new tool pack!

05/13/2025

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, a reminder to take a moment for ourselves when stress strikes. Our natural threat response can often lead to fight (self-criticism), flight (isolation), and freeze (rumination). But self-compassion offers a powerful antidote, helping us downregulate these responses and cultivate peace within.

By practicing kindness, mindfulness, and connecting with our shared humanity, we activate our care system (the tend and befriend response), reducing stress and fostering resilience.

Research shows that this shift into self-compassion can lower cortisol levels and increase heart rate variability, making us less defensive and more balanced.

This month, let’s prioritize mental well-being and show ourselves the kindness we need. Take a pause, place your hand on your heart, and remind yourself that you are worthy of care and compassion.

05/13/2025

😍🥰😘

05/13/2025

Let the doing come out of being!

#

10/08/2024

Getting to the root of the problem is the key to preventing the same issues from reoccurring. You cannot put a band-aid on significant issues. You cannot insert new people without working through what happened with the old ones.

Moving on without working through your stuff leads to you carrying issues from relationship to relationship.