East Dallas Therapy

01/08/2026

Consistency matters.

In our work, we’ve noticed that clients often feel the most supported and grounded when they have regular touchpoints in therapy, even if that looks like meeting once a month. Winter has a way of speeding life up while draining our energy at the same time, which can make scheduling feel harder than it needs to be.

Booking your sessions ahead of time creates a built-in pause for yourself. It’s one small way to stay connected to your care and your growth, even when everything else feels busy.

Now is a great time to get your winter sessions on the calendar and give your future self a little breathing room.

Schedule online or call/text our wonderful assistant, Ally, at 469-290-2883 to book your next appointment.

01/05/2026

When the holidays end, many people expect to feel relief but instead feel exhausted, unmotivated, or emotionally flat. Post-holiday burnout is real. The weeks of planning, socializing, spending, hosting, traveling, and holding everything together can leave your nervous system depleted.

If you’re feeling behind, foggy, or disconnected right now, it doesn’t mean you’re failing, it means you’ve been carrying a lot.

Gentle ways to support yourself after the holidays:
*Lower expectations and give yourself permission to move slower
*Re-establish simple routines before trying to “catch up”
*Prioritize rest without needing to earn it
*Create small moments of joy or comfort in your day
*Reconnect with boundaries around time, energy, and commitments
*Name what you’re feeling instead of pushing it away

Burnout doesn’t resolve through pressure—it resolves through care. This season isn’t about bouncing back quickly; it’s about allowing your body and mind to reset.

You’re allowed to take your time. Healing happens in small, compassionate steps.

01/02/2026

As we step into a new year, you don’t need a “new you.” You don’t need to overhaul your life, chase perfection, or pressure yourself into rigid resolutions. What you can do and what your nervous system will thank you for, is choose gentler goals that support your well-being from the inside out.

Here are a few compassionate intentions to carry with you into 2026:
✨ Choose rest without guilt. Productivity is not your worth. Rest is a legitimate need, not a reward.
✨ Practice daily self-kindness. Talk to yourself the way you’d talk to someone you love. Small moments of compassion add up.
✨ Set (and honor) boundaries. Your time and energy matter. Saying “no” is an act of self-respect.
✨ Prioritize what nourishes you. Less forcing, more listening. Lean toward what brings you steadiness, peace, and connection.
✨ Let go of unrealistic expectations. Perfection is not the goal—being human is. Slow, sustainable growth is enough.
✨ Ask for help when you need it. Reaching out is not a weakness. It’s a sign of courage and clarity.
✨ Celebrate small wins. Progress often looks subtle: taking a breath, pausing before reacting, recognizing a pattern, showing up for yourself.

As you move into the year ahead, may you allow space for gentleness, permission to go at your own pace, and trust that meaningful change grows from compassion, not pressure.

Here’s to a softer, steadier 2026. 💛

12/31/2025

If you’re heading into the new year with mixed emotions you’re not alone.

Not everyone ends the year celebrating. Not everyone feels refreshed. Not everyone is ready for resolutions. And that’s okay.

You’re allowed to enter the new year with:
🌿 goals you didn’t finish
🌿 habits that slipped
🌿 grief that still hurts
🌿 burnout you haven’t recovered from
🌿 emotions you can’t fully name yet

Life doesn’t reset on January 1st. Your healing doesn’t run on a calendar. And you’re not behind, you’re human.

If the new year feels heavy, try offering yourself a little gentleness:
• Acknowledge what you carried, not just what you accomplished.
• Release the pressure to start strong. You can start slow.
• Choose one small thing that supports your wellbeing, and let that be enough for now.
• Give yourself permission to simply arrive—without fixing, forcing, or performing.

The truth is, beginnings can be quiet. They can be messy. They can be tender. And they can still be meaningful.

However you're entering the new year, you’re doing it with the strength of every moment you’ve survived.
You’re not behind. You’re right where you are and that’s a perfectly valid place to begin. 💛

12/25/2025

Merry Christmas and I hope your life is full of meaning and you move through anxiety with grace and self compassion!

If you want nothing, you’ll feel nothing. But the moment you decide to care deeply, anxiety is going to knock on your door. That’s not failure—that’s the cost of being alive to what matters. Anxiety means you’re in the arena.

12/25/2025

The holiday season can sometimes lead to increased conflict, especially if you've got a lot of people with opposing views all crammed in the same room for a couple hours. Differing values and perspectives collide, and things can get heated.

You may feel tempted at times to avoid holiday festivities altogether after these encounters, but before you give up on them entirely, consider testing out some new ways of handling the conflict. While it's never necessary to force yourself to remain in dangerous situations, there may be some arguments worth having and some relationships worth sticking around for.

To navigate conflict in a healthy way, it helps to consider how to balance giving yourself a voice in the situation, while also maintaining the relationship itself. Read the blog for tips on how to handle conflict well over the holidays.

12/22/2025

Mental Health Check-In

Did you know? Nearly 1 in 5 adults experiences a mental health condition each year. That means someone in almost every room you enter is carrying an emotional load you can’t see.

Tip for Today: Take 60 seconds to do a micro check-in with yourself.
Ask:
What am I feeling?
Where do I feel it in my body?
What’s one small thing I need right now?

A moment of awareness can interrupt overwhelm, regulate your nervous system, and help you respond with compassion—to yourself and others.

Small steps. Big impact. You’re allowed to slow down.

12/19/2025

Regarding Holiday Conflict…

The holiday season brings lights, traditions, and connection—but it also brings old dynamics, unspoken expectations, and the pressure to “keep the peace.” If this time of year feels complicated, you’re not alone.

Here are a few grounding reminders:
• You’re allowed to set boundaries, even with family.
• You don’t have to attend every gathering or stay longer than you can emotionally manage.
• You’re not responsible for fixing long-standing family patterns.
• You get to choose connection that feels safe, reciprocal, and respectful.

Holiday conflict doesn’t mean you’re failing—it means you’re human. This year, give yourself permission to prioritize your wellbeing, honor your limits, and show up in ways that feel true to you.

Your peace matters just as much as anyone else’s.

12/16/2025

The holiday season is the perfect opportunity to meet new people and catch up with friends and family. It can provide a lot of fun and meaningful connection. Unfortunately, sometimes it can also lead to conflict, especially if you've got a lot of people with opposing views all crammed in the same room for a couple hours. Or maybe you've got that one family member who loves to debate (a little too much) during the annual reunion. Differing values and perspectives collide, voices get louder; throw in a few holiday drinks and tempers start flaring. Things can get heated.

You may feel tempted at times to avoid holiday festivities altogether after these encounters, but before you give up on them entirely, consider testing out some new ways of handling the conflict. While it's never necessary to force yourself to remain in dangerous situations, there may be some arguments worth having and some relationships worth sticking around for.

Read Summer's blog for helpful tips on navigating conflicting times this holiday season here: https://eastdallastherapy.com/navigating-conflict-over-the-holidays/

12/12/2025

Therapist Margaret Barrett recently recommended this book and it’s one we're thrilled to pass along.

As a therapist, we love books that deepen our understanding of how we feel and make meaning—and Iain McGilchrist’s work is one of the most powerful we've found.

In this landmark book, McGilchrist moves beyond the old “left brain/right brain” cliché. He shows how the left hemisphere zeroes in on details while the right offers intuition, flexibility, creativity, and connection—the very qualities that shape our felt sense.

He also explores how this imbalance plays out across Western culture, helping explain why so many of us stay stuck in our heads instead of tuning into our bodies and inner experience.

It’s the perfect companion to this month’s blog, The Felt Sense and a reminder that healing often begins in the quiet, intuitive spaces we’re taught to overlook.

12/10/2025

We’re thrilled to celebrate Kate Hilton, LMFT-Associate, who just completed her Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) Externship last week!

This certification means Kate is now EFT-trained in couples therapy! Equipped with one of the most research-backed, connection-centered approaches for helping partners strengthen their bond, navigate conflict, and build secure, lasting relationships.

We’re so proud of the dedication, heart, and skill Kate brings to her work every day. This is a huge milestone, and we’re excited to see the impact she’ll continue to make with the couples she supports.

Join us in congratulating Kate on this accomplishment!

12/08/2025

Daily Affirmation: I deserve fulfilling relationships.

This is a simple sentence, but it carries so much truth—and so much healing. Many of us grew up learning to settle for less, to make ourselves small, or to believe that deep, supportive connection was something other people got to have.

But you deserve relationships where you feel seen, valued, and safe. You deserve conversations that energize you, not drain you. You deserve people who meet you with reciprocity, not conditions.

Let this affirmation be a gentle reminder: You don’t earn fulfilling relationships by being perfect— you deserve them simply because you’re human.
Say it slowly. Let it land in your body. I deserve fulfilling relationships.

And today, try living a little closer to that truth.