Shannon Kearney, Marriage Family Therapist

12/04/2023

This is a repost of mine, however I think it is important to remember..........

This time of year can be joyous for some people and sad for others. The Holiday Season is all around us and it can create a multitude of emotions. I have had clients repeatedly tell me how stressful this time of year is for them.
For many people, the Holidays are a difficult time. Many people don't realize what others are struggling with. A family may have a service member overseas or an elderly person may not have any surviving family left. Families may not have money to buy their children gifts. This is also a time when we miss loved ones who are no longer with us. Perhaps someone cannot afford a plane ticket to fly home and be with their loved ones.
How can we dissolve some of this stress and expectations for ourselves? I love a quote from Albert Ellis, one of the founders of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT.) Ellis (1913-2007) used to use the phrase, "I will not SHOULD on myself!" I love this. His point was, that we "should" not create self imposed absolutes for ourselves.
Instead, what if we were to ask ourselves, "What feels good for me right now?" We don't HAVE to buy presents, We don't HAVE to see certain people we don't want to see. We don't HAVE to make elaborate dinners. We don't HAVE to put up Holiday lights. We are allowed to do and feel as we wish. A reminder that it is ok to.... just BE. Peace.

11/17/2022

If this doesn’t make you smile I don’t know what will

09/23/2022

Ok, I need to pick this baton up and run with it again...I got the papers to start a Chapter of Veterans for Peace here in Bend, Oregon. I am going to need 10 Veterans in this area to sign the papers, give me copies of their DD214’s, and then I can mail them all into the headquarters. Please message me if you are interested. VFP was started by Vietnam Veterans to have a group/ voice in expressing opposition to War, as the answer.

This is Veterans for Peace’s Mission Statement, "We draw on our personal experiences and perspectives gained as veterans to raise public awareness of the true costs and consequences of militarism and war - and to seek peaceful, effective alternatives."

I believe this would be a great addition to Bend, to offer our Veterans a place to come together, heal, advocate for Peace, etc. If you know a Veteran who would like to sign my paper and bring this Chapter here, please pass this on to them. Also, feel free to share this post. I am looking forward to adding one more place for our esteemed and valued Veterans to be seen and heard.

Thank you so much to all who joined us for our 2022 Online Convention! We are overjoyed with how everything went, and we hope you enjoyed yourself!

09/22/2022

10/12/2020

Safe + Strong Helpline (FOR OREGON RESIDENTS)
1-800-923-HELP (4357)
Help is free and available 24/7. Language interpreters are available.
Safe + Strong Helpline, in partnership with the Oregon Health Authority, is an emotional support and resource referral line that can assist anyone who is struggling and seeking support. Callers do not need to be in a crisis to contact this line.
Many of us are juggling concerns about wildfires and smoke, COVID-19, political unrest, financial instability, and more, in addition to the everyday things we personally struggle with.
Disasters can leave us feeling increased anxiety, worry, anger, or depression. In these challenging times, we provide emotional support, mental health triage, drug and alcohol counseling, or just connection with a person who cares.
If you or a loved one is feeling worried, upset, or overwhelmed, give us a call. Our call counselor will listen, assess your needs, and problem-solve with referral to community services and resources if needed.
If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, please call the Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

03/29/2020

How Much News is Too Much?

It is believed that too much news intake is bad for our mental health. According to the (American Psychological Association, 2017) "More than half of Americans say the news causes them stress, and many report feeling anxiety, fatigue or sleep loss as a result, the survey shows. Yet one in 10 adults checks the news every hour, and fully 20% of Americans report “constantly” monitoring their social media feeds—which often exposes them to the latest news headlines, whether they like it or not."

Today, we can leave the television on, and have a news channel going all day, if we wanted to. Is this beneficial for us? No, studies have shown that overconsumption of news makes us feel more anxious and depressed. For many of us, "getting news" over the years, meant going outside grabbing the newspaper and glossing over the headlines for 10 minutes as we had our coffee and toast....and that was it! Some of us would catch the headlines from the 5:00 p.m. news if we were home from work by then.

You may want to scale back the amount of news that you intercept each day. Perhaps reading news from a reliable news source online is less triggering than seeing the news on televsion, which is much more stimulating and most likely more anxiety invoking. According to (Davey) in The Journal of Experimental Psychopathology, "Today’s news is increasingly visual and shocking, and points to the inclusion of smartphone videos and audio clips as examples. These bystander-captured media can be so intense that they can cause symptoms of acute stress—like problems sleeping, mood swings or aggressive behavior—or even PTSD."

Consider "going to your news" rather than letting it "come to you" on television. There is a healthy balance of staying informed and not putting your head in the sand. What do you think, reading the news online for 10 minutes in the morning, and reading it for 10 minutes at night? Why don't you give it a try?

03/25/2020

This is a good visual for practicing guided relaxation (breathing.) GIve it a try.

03/19/2020

The live cam of the Jellyfish is so soothing. 😊

Sea otters, sharks, jelly fish on live webcams at Monterey Bay Aquarium offer diversions to home-bound workers and students during coronavirus outbreak.