Anne McGuire Therapy

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Barnstable, MA
Anne McGuire Therapy

Helping you create a balanced life, have fulfilling relationships and develop healthy coping skills

11/11/2023

Thank you to all of those who have served, and thank you to their families. 🇺🇸

10/23/2023

The advice to set boundaries is not as easy as it sounds, especially when we do not address our beliefs about boundaries and what they mean about us.

We have spent years without boundaries or without intentionally setting them, so it makes perfect sense that it will not be easy and that we will have to do a little work to get to a place where we feel confident enough to set and stick to a boundary.

If you are struggling with setting boundaries, notice the thoughts and emotions that come up when you think about the boundary you would like to set, when you try to set a boundary, and when someone disregards your boundary. What is coming up?

This is an excellent topic to journal about. To learn more about what is behind the block that is making boundary setting difficult.

🪴 Looking for a therapist in Massachusetts, click the 🔗 link in my bio.

👉 Follow me for more content on trauma, anxiety, and all things mental health.

Disclaimer: content is for educational and entertainment purposes. It is not therapy and not individual advice.

10/20/2023

Anxiety and fear can make us think and start believing that things are scary 👻 and dangerous ☠️. Often, anxiety goes after the things we value and love ❤️ . Anxiety and fear can shrink our world as we try to protect ourselves from danger. Sometimes, we have experienced things in our past that were scary and dangerous, and our bodies hold on to those memories, reminding us constantly that there is danger close by. Pushing ourselves to do scary or uncomfortable things is hard, especially if we lack the coping skills to regulate our nervous system and emotions.

When you are ready to tackle anxieties and fears that are tripping you up and getting in the way of what you want or who you want to be, working with a therapist can be helpful. You can learn strategies to help you deal with uncomfortable emotions, reframe negative thoughts, and learn more about yourself.

Therapy might be one of those things that scare you! The more you go, the less scary it will be!

🪴 Looking for a therapist in Massachusetts, click the 🔗 link in my bio.

👉 Follow me for more content on trauma, anxiety, and all things mental health.

Disclaimer: content is for educational and entertainment purposes. It is not therapy and not individual advice.

10/18/2023

Is your anxiety through the roof?
Is your nervous system on high alert?
Are you unable to sleep? Or sleeping too much?

Are none of your coping skills working?

Take a moment to look at what you are doing. Most likely, you are doing things to help regulate emotions, soothe your nervous system, and distract you from anxious thoughts- are you scrolling Instagram? Binge watching a favorite TV show? Eating ice cream? Va**ng? Having a couple of glasses of wine?

Try to also include:
🛏️ Rest- You need it. You are not lazy.
🥛 Hydrate: Make sure you are drinking enough fluids, not caffeine, as that can mimic the feelings of anxiety and panic.
🌮 Eat: Sometimes eating seems impossible, and sometimes it may be your only relief. Incorporating some nutrition-dense foods can be a huge help- fruit, soup, bagged salad, frozen breakfast sandwiches.
☎️ Connect: Reach out to a friend or family member. Can you tell them you are having a hard time? Chat for a bit on the phone, or go for a walk?
🧡 Compassion: Remind yourself that you are doing your best in this moment.

🪴 Looking for a therapist in Massachusetts, click the 🔗 link in my bio.

👉 Follow me for more content on trauma, anxiety, and all things mental health.

Disclaimer: content is for educational and entertainment purposes. It is not therapy and not individual advice.

10/16/2023

Are you avoiding therapy?

The idea of going to therapy can be uncomfortable, stressful, or scary.

Take the risk. You are braver than you think.

Or have you gone to therapy and had a bad experience?

Try again.

Therapy depends a lot on the connection you have with the therapist.

Find a therapist. Look at their website. Check out their social media.

Healing is possible.

10/15/2023

Anxiety? Trauma? Which is it? Is it both?

Have you tried to determine if your anxiety is a trauma response? Or if what you (or someone else has labeled as trauma) is anxiety?

Trauma often co-occurs with an anxiety disorder- generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, and phobias.

But let's take a look at the differences between generalized anxiety and trauma.

Generalized anxiety is looking ahead and worrying about "what if scenarios" that may or may not have a factual basis.

What if I lose my job?
What if a tornado hits our house?
What if my partner dies?

Trauma induced anxiety is a worry about something that has happened and that you fear might happen again. You have experienced the event, and you are re-experiencing it through nightmares, flashbacks and other triggers, and are

Both generalized anxiety and trauma based anxiety have overlapping symptoms:

fatigue
lack of focus
trouble sleeping
racing heartbeat

Therapy can help with both trauma and anxiety.

If you are looking for a therapist and live in Massachusetts, click the link in my bio.

Follow me for more content on trauma, anxiety, and all things mental health.

Disclaimer: content is for educational and entertainment purposes. It is not therapy and not individual advice.

10/14/2023

Can you do nothing?

Can you just be?

Try taking time to do nothing.

See what comes up.

What do you notice?

Is it impossible to sit with yourself?

Set a goal.

Breathe through the anxiety, the boredom.

You are healing.

Follow 🪴

Disclaimer: content is for educational and entertainment purposes. It is not therapy and not individual advice.

10/13/2023

Taking care of your mental health is so much more than therapy.

Work on creating a life that nurtures your heart, mind, and soul.

Create a comfortable home.

Awaken your senses.

Start small. You can pick up a bottle of essential oil, drink herbal tea, or create a bouquet of fall foliage.

Follow for more mental health tips

Disclaimer: content is for educational and entertainment purposes. It is not therapy and not individual advice.

10/12/2023

Too much to do?

No time for a break?

A break will help you complete your tasks!

A break will help quiet your mind!

Set the time and TAKE THAT BREAK!

Follow me for more mental health reminders 😊

10/11/2023

Your body responds to the traumatic event or events the best way it knows how.

There is no right or wrong way to respond.

If the traumatic event is not processed, you may experience these nervous system responses for years afterward.

Unprocessed trauma leads to long-lasting emotional responses.

Do you recognize trauma symptoms in your current life? Long after the traumatic event or events occurred?

Or are you experiencing ongoing trauma?

If you need help and support to heal trauma, contact a therapist specializing in trauma-informed care.

🪴 Follow me for more information on trauma and healing 🪴

Disclaimer: content is for educational and entertainment purposes. It is not therapy and not individual advice.

10/10/2023

Is your inner critic beating you up today? 🥊 🥊

Negative self-talk can lead to:

Lack of motivation
Depressed mood
Stress and anxiety
Perfectionism
Relationship Problems
Low self-confidence and self-worth

Practicing compassion and counteracting negative self-talk with supportive statements can improve overall well-being. It may feel uncomfortable initially, but it will become second nature with practice. You've got this!

10/09/2023

⚠️ Are you struggling with shame or guilt?⚠️

These two words are often used interchangeably.

Shame and guilt are not the same.

Shame is often part of trauma.

Shame is feeling you are wrong. You are the problem. The issue is you. This can show up for someone who has trauma as internalizing the traumatic event or events against you, feeling you deserved it, that you are worthless and inadequate.

Guilt is feeling bad that you did something you view as unfavorable. Such as promoting to help a friend move and not helping, either on purpose or because you forgot. Or saying something mean to someone and feeling bad that you hurt their feelings. In both cases, you understand that the behavior does not indicate you are bad or unworthy, and you can make amends. Survivor's guilt is an example of how guilt can show up related to trauma.

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Barnstable, MA

Website

http://www.annemcguiretherapy.com/

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