Youniverse Therapy

08/05/2024

The Pursuit of Happiness, in our everyday Rat Race...
This short animation film absolutely touched me.
Thought- and emotions provoking.
Makes you wonder, what kind of rat you would rather be?🐭❤

The story of a rodent's unrelenting quest for happiness and fulfillment. Music: 'Habanera' by Bizet'Morning Mood' by Edvard Griegwww.stevecutts.comhttps://ww...

14/12/2023

Christmas is supposed to be a holiday filled with love, bliss, and joy.

And yet it isn't like that- not for everyone. For some people the holiday season may feel overwhelming or melancholic.

Christmas Blues, a mild form of depression, is actually a real thing and there are quite a few reasons for it.

It is essential to look after yourself during this holiday.

This blog post explores Christmas Blues and looks at some ways that you can cope with it.

This Christmas, focus on self-care! ❤️🎄🌟

Although for most of us the mere thought of Christmas brings instant warm and fuzzy feelings, and a sense of pleasant anticipation, for many

27/03/2023

Validation is the valuable antidote of invalidation, and the great news is that it is a skill that can be learned and improved!

You can learn to provide validation to others, but also towards yourself.

The focus of this new blog post is the concept of validation, its significance, and the 6 levels of validation- 6 different ways in which you can learn to validate another person’s, but also your own, emotions (according to Dialectical Behavior Therapy).

If I got your interest in the topic of validation, read the whole article below!

Validation is the act of recognition and acceptance of someone else’s thoughts, emotions and behaviours as understandable within their current life context or situation. Today we will focus on the concept of validation, its significance, and the 6 levels of providing validation to others, but also...

20/12/2022

Another Christmas special blog post today- this one is about Regression.

Especially if you live far away from your parental family, you may have experienced that during Christmas family gatherings it may feel as if you are travelling back in time?

Have you noticed that family dynamics may unfold how the used to in the Past, even though your life circumstances may have drastically changed?

This is the phenomenon of Regression, and it may make the Holiday Season feel threatening to many.

Does this ring a Jingle Bell to you?

Click to read on if so!🎄✨

When you get to your parental home for the holidays, you may find yourself regressing to older versions of Yourself and patterns of behaviour.

13/12/2022

The Christmas carols say it all:

“’tis the season to be jolly”

Well what if it isn’t, really?

While for many people Christmas is a time of bliss, joy and happiness, others get melancholic, and may even experience a mild form of depression, known as the Christmas blues.

In this blog post, we explore the reasons for the Christmas blues as well as some coping techniques to assist you during the holidays.

Keep reading if you are interested!🎄💖🌟

In this blog post, we explore the reasons for the Christmas blues as well as some coping techniques to assist you during the holidays.

25/11/2022

Do you know what is Trauma Bond?

It can easily be mixed with Love , yet the two are significantly different...

Here's a lovely educational video to enlighten the concept !

What does it mean to have a “trauma bond” with someone? Trauma bonding refers to the deep emotional attachment one might feel towards their abuser, and it’s ...

06/01/2022

Happy New Year!

Are you a New Year's Resolutions person?

This is a controversial topic, as many people consider the New Year's Resolutions meaningless and silly. They are often regarded as goals likely to fail.

Regardless if you are someone who likes to set goals (or resolutions) at the beginning of a New Year, or you prefer to set an intention for the year ahead, this post may hopefully inspire you by highlighting the benefits of setting goals at the beginning of a new era, as well as the reasons that many of us may fail in this process- and how you can succeed this time.

Setting goals may be especially relevant in the times we are living now, since many of us wish for just a better new year, and do not hold very high expectations.

If you are eager and curious of developing a Happy New You this year, this post is for you!

Did you set your New Year’s resolutions yet? Let's explore the 10 most common reasons they fail, and how YOU can succeed this year!

22/12/2021

Many people find Christmas stressful for a number of reason, and regression when back at the family home is one of them.

Regression is the phenomenon of travelling back in time, once back with your family - as if time has not passed.

In this article, we discuss what regression is, and why does it happen.

And even if you have to expect to regress, there are still things to be done, in order to have a nice Holiday with your family.

As a therapeutic Christmas gift, I have put together a Mindful Survival Guide for the Holidays, to help you ensure that your Christmas be Merry and Bright!🎄✨❤️

When you get to your parental home for the holidays, you may find yourself regressing to older versions of Yourself and patterns of behaviour.

07/12/2021

~New Blog Post!~

What is invalidation?
What impact can it have on a person's development of Self, self-image, identity and self-esteem?
What types of invalidating family environments are there?

Read the article to find out!

What is invalidation, and what impact can it have on the self-image, identity and self-esteem of the person?

15/11/2021

We all live by a deeply rooted list of shoulds, rules that guide our behaviour and lives.

Yet, are these shoulds always helpful? Sometimes they may be holding you back, strengthening the voice of your Inner Critic.

It may benefit you to just drop the shoulds, and focus on your next steps, with compassion about your shortcomings.

Our "shoulds" sometimes limit and control us, keeping us away from the Present moment...

25/10/2021

Overprotective parenting is definitely done with the purest intentions. When someone has a child, they want to make sure that they are protected from harm in order to grow into capable, resilient and self-confident adults.

Unfortunately though, quite the opposite effects are created in children of overprotective parents, that follow them well into adulthood.

In fact, overprotective parenting does more harm than good, and this is the focus of this post.

Keep reading if you are interested in exploring 8 adverse effects of overprotective parenting on adult children.

Overprotective parenting is definitely done with the purest intentions, but it actually does more harm than good...

11/10/2021

~New Blog Post!~

Have you ever heard of D.O.S.E.?

This is an acronym for your brain's happy chemicals:

Dopamine

Oxytocin

Serotonin

Endorphins


Our focus today is how to hack your brain’s chemistry and maintain adequate levels of happiness, therefore improving your well-being and mental health.

Keep reading, if you would like to find out how to give a boost to how happy you feel! :D

Tips to boost D.O.S.E. - acronym for Dopamine, Oxytocin, Serotonin and Endorphins in your brain.

07/10/2021

"On a larger scale, it seems like we've all been traumatized and we aren't really acknowledging the mental toll it's taken on us personally and societally. Add in the likelihood that a lot of our social support systems have completely vanished, friends have fallen off, families have been torn apart, and regular support we used to get from our work friends is non-existent now. Of course, this only makes things harder and lonelier.
As therapists, we have a very good understanding that our brains are not equipped to handle this type of prolonged crisis. "

YES, this therapist says it like it is

A mental health directory and resource made with love. Our mission is to make finding the right therapist or counselor as painless as possible.

01/10/2021

The importance of expressing - or journalling 😃

Decompress, let it all out on paper ! You'll feel lighter and more balanced after.

Especially if you tend to suppress your emotions , journaling can be a great way for you to slowly start changing that. Step by step.

For some of the reasons why therapeutic journaling can be so helpful, and how to get started , you can have a look at the link in the comments section 🖋️🧡📒

16/07/2021

"Trauma is not the bad things that happen to you, but what happens inside you as a result of what happens to you".

If you are interested in watching a wonderful documentary on trauma, attachment, and the mind-body connection, then THIS IS IT.

You will watch the wonderful Dr. Gabor Mate in psychotherapy action, and I guarantee you it will change the way you understand trauma, addiction, and probably parts of your own life.

The next screening of the movie will be July 28 – August 1, 2021. Sign up for updates at: https://thewisdomoftrauma.com/Please beware of pirated versions fou...

15/06/2021

This is one of my favorite mental health-related comic artists , The Awkward Yeti - Nick Seluk. He's always trying to show the infinite struggle between Mind and Heart.

And this one from him is sooo relevant these days .

So many people wonder if they are overreacting , if they are feeling too much , if they should be doing better .

If you're one of them, please know that it's ok to feel overwhelmed .

These have been really unprecedented circumstances that we have all been experiencing since last year.

The global stress of the pandemic, the measures and all its consequences is a very heavy load to carry. It's really A LOT.
And the stressors can trigger past trauma as well, among other things.

Be kind and gentle to yourself❤️

We are all moving through this , but eventually this too shall pass.

12/02/2021

Edit : How we feel in 2020 AND 2021.
Absolutely accurate.
One of the brighter sides of these difficult years in my view, is the often increased sense of connectedness, relatability and empathy between us all.
We are all in this together.
And it is OK to have a whirlwind of different emotions about all that is going on.

This is what it means to be human, after all.💖

22/12/2020

Excellent post by the loved colleague Vassia Sarantopoulou of AntiLoneliness

Shall we introduce a new word to our vocabulary?
A word that emphasizes how strongly we focus on Perfectionism to a degree that it affects our relationships, and our idea of Self in our relationships.
PERFECTION-SHIP: the search for the perfect relationship and the need to be (with) the perfect partner. The futile and endless search.
We want to find the perfect relationship.
Why?
Because we want to make sure we will not get hurt.
Because we want to make sure that we are not going to be rejected.
Because we want to be sure we will be accepted and loved.
However, we get exhausted in this search:
We focus on the not-so-important qualities of the relationship or the partner and we dismiss the important ones
We communicate through criticism and not through acceptance
We disconnect from our loving feelings
We forget about kindness, forgiveness and compassion
We want more and more efforts, change, progress, and it seems like nothing is enough.
We punish ourselves for not being "perfect"
We feel scared our partner will leave us if we make a mistake
Perfection-ship doesn't work in the end.
Let's change that.

11/12/2020

This will be a different Christmas for all of us.

Especially this year, remember the ones mostly in need.

Now is our chance to live the REAL meaning of Christmas, aside of parties and consumerism: Spread the Love ❤

Especially to the lonely ones ❤

What if we replaced fear and anxiety with kindness? For many people, "the most wonderful time of year” is looking a little less joyful than usual. The pandem...

30/11/2020

The post about mindfulness goes back a while ago, yet it seems to me more relevant than ever to repost now. So here you go.

Why?

Because, in my view, right now mindfulness is a survival tool.

In the midst of all that is happening globally, practising mindfulness nowadays:

🌈equals safeguarding our mental health
🌈increasing happiness and gratitude of all that we have
🌈focusing on the things we can control, instead of all those numerous things that are just beyond our control, and
🌈experiencing life as it really is, instead of suffering by thinking how we would like life to be

The basic premise of mindfulness is just one: Be Here Now.

That's all we have✨

Being mindful essentially means being fully aware and present in whatever experience lies ahead of you, and there are only benefits to gain from it.

24/11/2020

After more than 6 months: New Blog Post!🥳

We are in this pandemic for too long now- it is exhausting.

We miss our lives before, and we don't even know when we'll get them back.

Today let's talk about pandemic fatigue- this profound feeling of exhaustion, that seems like a burnout, or a mix of depression and anxiety always being in the background😷

Does it sound familiar?

*I promise it's not just psychobabble- you'll find tips on self-care too!🌈

The pandemic requires us to live in survival mode for a prolonged period of time. This creates a profound exhaustion. This blog offers some ways that you can practice self-care, in order to combat pandemic fatigue.

17/06/2020

On collective grief.

We just need to hang in there💖

The coronavirus pandemic has led to a collective loss of normalcy.

01/05/2020

New Blog Post!

We are all riding the waves of collective trauma, loss, and grief during this global pandemic.

This blog post is longer than usual, matching the extraordinary circumstances we are all going through.

Are you wondering how trauma, loss and grief are connected to COVID-19?

Would you like to read about some insights that came up from this situation, as well as some tips on how to navigate it?

Then this post is for you😷

We're all in this together💖

Nowadays, the number one topic in our lives is this unique, extraordinary global situation that we are all experiencing due to the pandemic of COVID-19. Aside from the risk of infection itself and the huge economic consequences, we are all undoubtedly affected by this situation, and the aftermath is...

15/03/2020

New Blog Post!

Even a Lockdown has a Silver Lining 💕

This pandemic is transformative. Just like any experience of loss, pain and change; it transforms us all in some way, whether we like it or not. It may even be bringing something out for the better in all of us. Take a moment to consider this: this is a worldwide situation that touches us all. A pub...

16/12/2019

Home for Christmas!✨🎄💕

It sounds warm, cozy and ideal- but there's also a downside.

It's called Holidays Regression- the phenomenon that you revert to a younger version of yourself, the moment you walk into your parental home.

It is as if the well-established family dynamics take full control over you again, and you act and are treated like a younger version of yourself.

In this article, we discuss Why does regression occur, but also include a Mindful Survival Guide for Christmas at home, to ensure that your Christmas be (more) merry and bright!

When you get to your parental home for the holidays, you may find yourself regressing to older versions of Yourself and patterns of behaviour.

02/12/2019

If a strange melancholy overbears you during the Christmas Season, maybe you get the Christmas Blues.

In this post, we first discuss Why Christmas may be a challenging period for you, and then a few tips are suggested, to increase your chances of having a more mindful and authentic Christmas this year.

You deserve to be happy, even during Christmas! 🎄🎁💕

In this blog post, we explore the reasons for the Christmas blues as well as some coping techniques to assist you during the holidays.

25/11/2019

New Blog Post!

A lot is said about narcissism nowadays.

What is narcissism, what is Narcissistic Personality Disorder, and what are the main subtypes of narcissism?

This is the focus of today's blog post.

In it, you can read all about prosocial and antisocial narcissism, as well as the three main narcissism subtypes: Exhibitionist, Toxic, and Vulnerable.

This post is about narcissism and the different types of narcissism: prosocial and antisocial, as well as the 3 main subtypes: exhibitionist, toxic and vulnerab

11/11/2019

Do you know that writing in your journal can be very therapeutic?

If you have never done it, maybe it's time to give it a go...

And no, it is not just like writing in your journal!

Actually this is one of my most favorite blog posts, because I am a great advocate of therapeutic journaling myself (obviously). You have to practice what you preach!

So let's keep it simple:

If you would like to read more about 10 of the reasons Why therapeutic journaling may be a excellent option for you, as well as some solid tips (12 of them, in fact) to inspire you and get you started on How to do it...

Then just click to read on! 😃📓🖊

Do you know that writing in your journal can be very therapeutic? If you haven’t tried it yet, maybe it’s time to give it a go...

04/11/2019

*New Old Blog Post*!

As we are approaching the end of the year, often the workload at many workplaces increases rapidly, thus making the risk for a burnout higher for many individuals.

Burnout is a reaction to prolonged occupational stress characterized by exhaustion, disconnection and reduced work performance.

In this blog post 9 tips are discussed that focus both on increasing your job satisfaction and thereby avoiding burnout, and on employing self-care and maintaining a good work-private life balance.

Interested?

Click to read the whole blog post!

9 Tips to Keep Burnout Away: Increase Job Satisfaction, Respect your Boundaries and Attend to your Self-Care

28/10/2019

*New Old Blog Post!*

There are many situations in life that require you to decline, to just say no.

Yet this is much easier said than done.

Saying no is a challenge to many, but why is it so difficult?

Four reasons why it is difficult to just say no are discussed in this blog post, as well as 10 tips to help you in this process.

Interested? Click to read on!

Being able to say no is another aspect of assertive communication, but it is often hard to do so effectively.