Nicole O'Hare, MS, LPC

10/11/2022

09/29/2022

09/20/2022

Is your family toxic? Sometimes we do not have the connection and relationship we would like to have with our family.

Being around family should not be stressful, but more peaceful, and this is not always an option for many people.

For some people, their families are people that they would like to avoid or avoid all together because of triggering past trauma or anxiety, being treated like they are not good enough, or even growing up parenting their parents.

These toxic relationships can be with parents, siblings, cousins, etc.

Signs of a toxic family:
- They are overcritical
- They blame you for their behaviors
- They cannot go without an argument
- They cause you to be stressed or make you feel like you need to protect yourself
- They are threatening and use harsh acts against you

Steps to take to help manage a toxic family:
- Create a low contact relationship
- Create boundaries for your mental, physical, and spiritual health
- Understand that you cannot fix them
- Talk to someone you trust
- Talk to a therapist
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08/03/2022

With everything that is going on in the world, especially during the pandemic, we are spending more time than ever with our partners. When we are constantly with our partners, we tend to slack on keeping our healthy boundaries.

With the pandemic, new and budding dating relationships typically went to very serious relationships in a short amount of time. Boundaries help us to create balance in our relationships and can help reduce stress and lower the chances of conflict.

Be open and honest with your partner from the beginning of the relationship and try working on boundaries together to make it less stressful. If you are in a relationship and have a hard time creating or maintaining boundaries, reach out to a trained professional for help.

Tips to setting boundaries:
- Be honest about your needs
- Create times for alone time
- Set sexual boundaries
- Understand your partners boundaries and needs
- Be reasonable with your boundaries
- Maintain respect for each other

08/02/2022

Are you a therapist who is currently struggling with burnout, guilt, frustration, or lack of self-care?

Therapists are often faced with stressors daily, especially with all that is going on in the world today. This chronic stress can give therapists little time to focus on themselves, to take a break, and reset.

Therapists seem to forget that they are human too and can only do so much. These emotional, physical, and mental stressors are what lead to burnout. What would you add to this list?

What have you found that works best for you?

Tips to help prevent burnout:
- Take time for the things that you enjoy doing
- Leave your work at work
- Meet your needs first before trying to meet the needs of others
- Work on physical and emotional self-care
- Make and spend time with loved ones
- Work on new certifications
- Practice what you teach
- Take mental health days

There are also national day posts from last week and this week, as well as happy Monday and Friday posts just to add in there!

06/22/2022

💜💜REMINDER, SAVE POST FOR LATER! 💜💜

People-pleasing means that we accommodate the needs of others before thinking about our own needs. Do you find yourself wanting to please others or doing so to reduce conflict?

When people-pleasing, we go above and beyond for others and to make them happy. People-pleasing can come from our own insecurities and self-esteem. This extensive number of pleasing others causes stress, anxiety, burnout, and feeling emotionally drained. These are easier said than done but using support from a therapist can help you stay on track when working on not being a people pleaser. What would you add to this list?

Ways to stop people pleasing:
• Stop apologizing and saying sorry
• Make time for yourself
• Set goals for yourself
• Practice saying no
• Set healthy boundaries
• Practice putting yourself first
• Think about your own needs
• Take time when responding to someone else’s needs
• Speak to a trained professional, counselor, social worker, therapist

06/19/2022

To all the dad’s out there, whether you are a dad, fur dad, stepdad, grandpa stepping in as a dad, someone taking on that father role, or struggling with loss or infertility, you are all dads! Happy Father’s Day to all dads, today is your day!