Centex Clinical Services

08/01/2024

Just because you’re strong, resilient, and successful, doesn’t mean you aren’t suffering. A wonderful news story was aired this morning discussing all the IOC has been doing for Olympic athletes to support their mental health. The fact that they are offering services up to 2 years post Olympics for free as well as a mental health center above the practice facilities, speaks volumes on the importance of mental health even when in peak physical form.

Strength and resiliency is often out of necessity. Just because you’re capable of enduring and powering through, doesn’t mean you should have to. If one of the GOAT’s can walk away when they have reached the peak of their career in the middle of the biggest point of their life long dream, perhaps we should reevaluate what “pausing, walking away” truly means and what strength it takes to do that.

I love the emphasis and awareness as well as acceptance of this area for folks in top physical condition. Just because you physically can do it doesn’t indicate your mental health can. Homeostasis creates stability and balance that allows us to reach our fullest physical and mental potential.

(If you or someone you know is in crisis or remotely close to feeling at their bottom, contact 988lifeline.org. They now have text or live chat as options also.)




https://www.dallasnews.com/sports/2024/07/22/sparked-by-simone-biles-athletes-at-paris-olympics-to-have-vast-mental-health-resources/

“The walls are coming down,” Dr. Jess Bartley, the USOPC’s senior director of psychological services said. “More and more athletes are talking about it.”

07/05/2024

Happy Independence Day! Don’t forget to be mindful of our Vets and our pets with fireworks!

04/24/2024

Don’t forget your Denim today!! Wear jeans with a purpose, support survivors, and educate yourself and others about sexual abuse & assault!

For the past 24 years, Peace Over Violence has run its Denim Day campaign on a Wednesday in April in honor of Sexual Violence Awareness Month. The campaign was originally triggered by a ruling by the Italian Supreme Court where a r**e conviction was overturned because the justices felt that since th...

04/23/2024

Periodically we all stumble across an amazing product and we rave about it to our closest people. It's not often I will post about one here, but today I am. Typically once I hear something three times from different sources, I tend to pay attention.

I have had a couple of clients recommend these earplugs to help with noise cancelling. Sensory sensitivities happen for more people than we think. However, today I had a college student relay how amazing these were and they were a game changer for exams. Given it is "finals season" and many folks need quiet to test, this is a wonderful option to look into! These earplugs are not just for deep focus but also for sleep. They can help you find sleep when your partner struggles with snoring despite sleep studies or when sick. There are multiple options of these earplugs that are targeted for specific environments; concerts, social gatherings, deep focus, sleep, commuting, and travel. Perhaps a small earplug can assist in building listening skills and decreasing anxiety at the same time! (No, I am not getting paid for this product rave, I just am impressed and love sharing solutions for folks! )

✅The power of silence can be so helpful for so many things! For mental health tool boxes, being able to calm the noise and focus on things like: breath work, good sleep hygiene, meditation, and listening skills for communication work - is essential to growth.

"In any relationship—at school, in the classroom, at home, or in the community—silence is an opportunity. Reflecting together can foster deeper understanding and, ultimately, greater unity.

Silence also encourages careful and deliberate listening to the voices, opinions, and beliefs of others. Listening without anticipating and articulating an immediate response provides space for understanding ideas, perspectives, and experiences that may differ from one’s own. In this way, deep listening and silent reflection can help eliminate fear, bridge perceived divisions between individuals, and serve to support conflict resolution." - Dana Weeks.

Experience life at your volume with Loop Earplugs! Dive into our innovative earplug collections, designed for sleep, focus, events, and more.

04/20/2024

Great quick article discussing root causes of why your kiddo isn’t listening. The idea of having a true connection and building trust with your children is so very important.

“Researchers propose that trust evolves through caregivers’ consistent display of sensitivity and responsiveness. Trust development is also a key element of secure attachment. Engage in activities tailored to your child’s interests, showing genuine enthusiasm for their passions. Make an effort to empathize with their perspective and validate their emotions, nurturing a deeper connection and increasing your child’s receptiveness to listening and cooperating.”

Consistent compassion and responsiveness ✅

2. They feel disconnected from you.

04/20/2024

Love Love Dr. Ramani! I couldn’t agree more with the power of the number three as a rule; First time it happens it happens, second time is a coincidence, third time is a pattern.

04/19/2024

🎼❕Let’s all take a moment and revel in the magic of music therapy. As millions listen to Taylor Swift’s newest album drop last night (❤️), a theme resonates throughout that highlights an extremely important relationship stage.

-💀The post mortem🪦-

Why is it so important to perform your relationship autopsy when it ends? You’re looking for the underlying choices, behaviors and actions that lead to the demise of that relationship…including your own! How often I have heard in therapy sessions, “It was so good when it started…how could it end like this?“… My first question is usually, “But was it REALLY so good in the beginning or were you ignoring the red flags?”

Many times people are so busy “getting so caught up in the idea of something that you have a hard time seeing the red flags, possibly resulting in moments of denial and maybe a little bit of delusion.” - Taylor Swift.

No matter what the reason for the breakup, the reality is there were two of you in that relationship. Which means that two of you contributed to the coupleship. So, while it is tempting to skip over the self-reflection and decide that your ex is the one who has the ‘issues’ or you just decide to jump into something else that immediately feels better and instantly validating – doing a relationship ‘post-mortem’ is an act of empowerment.

Bottom line is, when you do an actual post mortem, you ideally are able to OWN your own errors and repeated patterns that contributed to the demise of that relationship. Post mortems are the only way to come to terms with the idea that the only common denominator in all of your relationships is you. The value of taking stock when a relationship ends is that it teaches you a lot about who you are and what developmental tasks (what you’re trying to learn, develop and grow from) has been. If you pause to evaluate your old relationships, you can see what YOUR next developmental tasks will likely be. Working on those developmental tasks in order to not continue repeating over and over your unhealthy patterns, takes time! This is why it is essential to pause for a good amount of time for that post mortem and subsequent work on self. Some experts suggest on average one month for each year of the relationship. If you find yourself dating someone immediately after a breakup, or you yourself haven’t taken the time to work on your own developmental tasks, that inherently is its own red flag for you and the new partner. If nothing changes, nothing changes…that’s how patterns continue!

What went wrong with your previous relationships? How do you expect to move forward if you haven't taken a close look?

04/19/2024

04/19/2024

04/17/2024

For years and years I’ve talked about meal prep how-to’s and shown I do indeed practice what I preach! The benefits of meal prepping far outweigh the drawbacks.

I stumbled upon this article and while reading the list below, a few stood out to me!
For example: 1. Having themed days helps you plan meals without getting overwhelmed. I can speak to how effective this strategy is. I’ve had themed days since day one and it’s so much easier to decide what meal to plan for each day of the week. Taco Tuesday doesn’t mean it has to be tacos. You can make oven nachos or burritos or fajitas! 2. Another thing that helps you stay successful is including everyone in the home on menu planning! By doing this everyone will feel like part of the team and invested in meals and prep. It also prevents us from having tons of leftovers and wasted food. 3. I regularly do this and it saves so much time! Utilizing crockpots, food sealers, and instapots for common recipes we all know, such as ribs that get finished in the oven, is very helpful to save time! Technology in this way is such a blessing👍🏼

The take away? Sometimes it’s helpful to review and evaluate yourself and learn new ideas and skills (even if you feel you’ve mastered something). Feeling successful helps our mental health exponentially. Take a quick 4 minute read of the article below. Who knows, maybe some of these common mistakes folks make when meal planning and prepping hit home and you can learn how to improve this area in your life! Being realistic and consistent is what creates habits that stick!

How to create a meal plan that you will stick to! Avoid these common menu planning mistakes, and create an easy simple healthy meal plan for your family!

04/17/2024

Have you ever been frustrated with your child refusing to set down the controller or phone and engage in conversations or even dinner? Do you or others often notice your child games excessively? 🤔

What makes it so difficult for kids to step away from video games sometimes? 💡It has to do with the way games address basic psychological needs.

According to Drs. Edward Deci and Richard Ryan, people need three things to flourish.
1. Competence—the need for mastery, progression, achievement, and growth.
2. Autonomy—the need for volition and freedom of control over our choice.
3. Relatedness—the need to feel like we matter to others, and that others matter to us.

Unfortunately, many kids aren’t getting enough of these three essential elements. While a well-designed game attempts to satisfy these needs, it can’t come close to the deep core satisfaction that real life and real human connection can provide.

No game can give a child the feeling of competence that comes from accomplishing a difficult task or learning a new skill on their own.
Games and phones can’t compete with the exhilaration that comes from the autonomy of exploring reality, where a child is free to ask questions and unlock mysteries in the REAL world.
No social media site can give a kid the sense of relatedness, safety, and warmth that comes from an adult who loves that child unconditionally just the way they are, no matter what, and takes the time to tell and show them so.

Video games are an outlet, and some kids use them as a tool to escape the same way some folks use their own flavor of dissociative devices to block out reality for a while. Having healthier coping tools is key.

Instead of repeating the mistakes of previous generations with heavy-handed tactics (arguing, raised voices, threats, physical altercations to take away controllers/devices), let’s understand the psychological source of the problem. Ultimately, parents should be able to help kids learn strategies for coping with overuse on their own so that they do what’s healthier for them; even when the parent is not around. By teaching self-regulating habits, promoting intentional gaming, and helping kids find suitable alternatives, parents can help kids find what they are really looking for. It just takes being consistently present and compassionate while they learn.

6 suggestions for parents to promote safe, responsible gaming.

04/15/2024

Nature-based therapy or Ecotherapy processes contain six categories: Stimulation, acceptance, purification, insight, recharging, and change.

When in the natural environment, folks first experience a positive emotional change, followed by cognitive and behavioral changes. This type of therapy does not consist of just a single element or step, rather it involves an integrated way of healing with emotional and cognitive changes.

Spring is an amazing time for growth and change; Mother Nature agrees! Get outside and enjoy all that’s been created!



https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9914984/