Shelly Annameier, LMFT

04/23/2021

So many of the couples I work with come to therapy because of two common issues: household management and parenting. (You're not alone if you've had a hard time with this!)

Often, heterosexual couples who wish to move outside of traditional gender norms in home management and/or parenting find themselves perplexed when they struggle with truly sharing the workload. In my office, this looks like women recognizing that their partners are happy to help once whatever task or issue is brought to his attention; and yet, women carry the stress of having the awareness of *what* needs to be taken care of.

In these instances, women are carrying the majority of the mental load required to keep things running smoothly -- and sometimes can't find the words to explain what that cognitive stress actually looks and feels like on a daily basis.

If you've wanted to open up a conversation with your partner about this, this article may feel helpful to you. Sharing the work of anticipating, identifying, deciding, and monitoring the things that need to happen within your family is absolutely possible!

And how to get men to do more of it.

04/01/2021

Repost from Evelyn Tribole about the amazing benefits of Intuitive Eating - the newest research is out!...
"I am thrilled to share this recently published study in which researchers conducted a meta-analysis to explore the psychological correlates of Intuitive Eating. This means that they collected and combined data from many studies (in this case, nearly 100!) to analyze patterns and trends that hold true across the body of literature. Here's what they found:⁣
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Intuitive Eating is NEGATIVELY associated with:⁣
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•Eating disorder psychopathology⁣
•Shape and weight concerns⁣
•Internalization of beauty ideals⁣
•Binge-purge symptoms⁣
•Eating restraint⁣
•Emotional eating⁣
•External eating⁣
•Low interoceptive awareness⁣
•Anxiety symptoms⁣
•Depressive symptoms⁣
•Negative mood⁣
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Intuitive Eating is POSITIVELY associated with: ⁣
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•Body appreciation⁣
•Body image flexibility⁣
•Body function⁣
•Body acceptance by others⁣
•Mindfulness⁣
•Positive affect⁣
•Self-compassion⁣
•Self-esteem⁣
•Social support⁣
•General wellbeing⁣
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This study offers a snapshot of what the research says about Intuitive Eating as a whole, with very promising results, and lays a strong foundation for research to come. ⁣
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Most of the studies included were cross-sectional, meaning that they capture a single moment in time and cannot be used to establish causal relationships, so future research needs to emphasize intervention-style methods that follow people over longer periods. ⁣
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Further, the majority of study participants were white females, illuminating the need to include more diverse races, ethnicities, and genders moving forward. (See post 7/21/20 about a promising IE intervention study that reduced disordered eating behaviors in a racially diverse population).⁣
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Here's to healing relationships with food, body, and mind through the framework of Intuitive Eating! ⁣
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Special thanks to Tracy Tylka for sending me this study!⁣
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Citation: ⁣
Linardon J, Tylka T, and Fuller-Tyszkiewicz M. Intuitive eating and its psychological correlates: a meta-analysis. Int J Eating Disorders 2021:1-26. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.23509⁣
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⁣ "

03/17/2021

Guilt and shame are some of the most common topics that pop up in therapy sessions. Here Is a helpful breakdown of the differences between helpful guilt, unhelpful guilt, and shame.

What are the differences between guilt and shame? And how could it help our clients to have a better understanding of those differences?

We thought it could be useful for you to have a side-by-side comparison of these powerful emotions that you could share with your clients.

Because understanding these differences could help our clients begin to dismantle their negative self-judgments.

This infographic comes from the NICABM blog. You can print a copy to share with your clients here: https://www.nicabm.com/guilt-vs-shame/

01/07/2021

Struggling with how to support your kids amidst frightening news? Engaging with kids around difficult conversations is one of the best things a parent can do. NPR published a guide with some helpful tools to start the conversation.

Whether a school shooting or a deadly tornado, scary events in the news can leave parents struggling to know when — and how — they should talk with their kids about it. Rosemarie Truglio of Sesame Workshop and Tara Conley, a media studies professor at Montclair State University, give us tips.

11/20/2020

Almost all of the Intuitive Eating clients I work with tell me that the thing they ultimately struggle with the most is how they feel about their bodies. Here is a short series of suggestions for how to start building a different relationship with your body. 🥰

Thanks to Body Image With Bri for this series - an incredible resource on body image!