Lisa A Koehler, LCSW

03/01/2021

You Are Worthy Of Setting Boundaries ✨

Boundaries are essential to healthy relationships and, really, a healthy life.

Remember, it's not your responsibility to:

👉🏼 Say "yes" all the time

👉🏼 Minimize your emotions to keep others at peace

👉🏼 Anticipate the needs of others

👉🏼 Keep toxic people in your life

👉🏼 Sacrifice your mental health for a job, relationship, or friendship

Setting boundaries for yourself takes a lot of practice, courage and skill! Do you struggle with this? I can help!

02/24/2021

You didn't come this far to only come this far. You've got great stuff ahead of you. When the going gets tough remember everything you've already accomplished.

If you need help finding tools to get through these difficult moments, I'm here to help. Check out my website for more info: https://lisakoehlerlcsw.com/

02/04/2021

Repeat after me, I will honor:

My Time
My Feelings
My Boundaries
My Wants & Needs

We often focus on honoring other people's time, their feelings and even their needs. Remember to also honor your word to yourself, even if that means saying no to others sometimes.

What promises will you keep to yourself this year?

02/02/2021

Which key lifestyle changes could help your chronic pain and anxiety? http://bit.ly/lifestylechangesanxiety | https://lisakoehlerlcsw.com

02/02/2021

Breathe. Learn. Let go. Repeat.

Learning to let go of your mistakes is not easy and it doesn't mean you're making light of these errors. It means you realize that you can't change the past, you can only learn from it.

01/29/2021

Today I'm GRATEFUL for _________.

How often do you take the time to feel gratitude? It's a simple, but powerful way to improve your overall mood and help you feel better about yourself.

Here are 10 simple ways to add gratitude to your life daily.

1. Write in a gratitude journal everyday

2. SMILE often 😁

3. Spend quality time with your loved ones

4. Tell someone you love and appreciate them

5. Be thankful for your strengths

6. Recognize the beauty you see in nature

7. Compliment your friends/family

8. Perform a random act of kindness

9. Call someone and tell them you appreciate them

10. Turn challenges into opportunities for growth

01/27/2021

Since chronic pain impacts many aspects of daily functioning and areas of life, the Chronic Pain Cycle is helpful to understand the processes and stages that occur over time. Awareness of the cycle, and intervening at the different stages, can also help to change the pattern of responses and behavior. Here are some ideas:

1. Explore the difference between hurt and harm. You may feel pain during movement and exercise, but that doesn’t mean you’re causing damage.

2. Move your body. Do what you can slowly to increase activity.

3. Connect with others. You may feel like withdrawing from family and friends, but make the effort to maintain relationships. Social distancing because of COVID - still connect by other means until you can get together in person.

4. Confront negative thoughts. Do you find yourself thinking things like, “I can’t handle this anymore” or “Things are never going to get any better?” Reframe those negative thoughts and confront cognitive distortions.

Need help with this? Contact me at (630) 360-8416 or lisa@lisakoehlerlcsw.com to schedule an appointment (video or phone sessions).

01/25/2021

There's freedom in knowing your past doesn't have to define who you are. Allow the lessons of the past to illuminate the path forward instead of holding you back.

If you've been held back by your past, I can help. Call me to learn how. 630-360-8416

01/22/2021

A quick reminder! 👇🏻

If you struggle with this, contact me and we’ll work together to help you overcome the negative and focus on the best things in life. Change is possible!

01/20/2021

Pretending to be okay when you’re not, doesn’t make things easier. It just prolongs the inevitable. Don’t be afraid to ask for help if you need it, especially during these trying times.

03/20/2020

If you have children, please read.

Be the grown-ups, find routines, and play.

03/07/2020

Are the news reports and headlines getting you down?

Are you on social media and feeling angry or discouraged?

Perhaps you feel like unplugging completely from the current events?

Do you feel like you overreact to everything you hear or read?

When alarming headlines are only a notification away, it’s easy to feel like the world is falling apart in front of you. Getting deeply invested in negative news can tax your mental health and lead to anxiety and depression, which is why understanding the impact on your psychological health is so important.

The Impact of Anxiety on Your Mental Health

Following the news can be depressing or agitating. What’s equally important is acknowledging the impact these negative stories have on your daily life.

According to many mental health professionals, overexposure to negative stories can significantly alter your mood and neural chemistry, making you more likely to develop stress, mental fatigue, mood disorders, and even a sense that your personal life is spinning out of control.

If you have a history of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), you may have an exaggerated reaction. A 2001 study found that some people who simply watched news coverage of 9/11 had PTSD-like symptoms emerge.

What can you do?

1. Watch the news with intention, observe your reactions, stay connected to the stillness inside you.

Notice the difference between pain and suffering. We can’t avoid pain. When we fight painful events, or in this case disturbing news, we suffer. It is natural to feel like fighting against the facts, “This should not have happened,” our suffering minds cry out.

Seeing the facts, seeing “what is” does not mean we condone things. It somehow feels like outrage or suffering over “what is” offers some measure of resistance. When we watch disturbing news, we may want to fight or feel anxious or go numb with helplessness. We may tell ourselves the world is a terrible place, and catastrophize. In this state, we become victims of the news.

When you feel that way, take a moment to look around.

• Notice “what is,” right where you are. Name some of the things you see.

• Ask yourself, “Am I safe right now?” There are only two possible answers: yes or no. You may not feel safe, but notice the difference between feeling and “what is” right now.

• Maybe look around again and see the things around you that signal that you are safe, in this moment.

• Then notice how your body responds when you slip back into this present moment. You might find a little breath comes in and you settle a bit.

It takes a little extra intention to see “what is.” Wait for a moment. Notice your internal reactions and allow them to flow through. Then decide how to respond. Once we make this decision, we may discover meaningful actions or responses that had not occurred to us in the flood of emotion.

2. Find Ways to Detach

Take charge of your emotional well-being by knowing when to distance yourself. Turn off the television. Power down your cell phone or charge it in another room. Spend time with your family or pets. Read books, sleep, meditate, feel your feet on the ground. Or better yet, take a walk, and experience the natural world. Look around you. Breathe in a little fresh air. And notice how your body responds.

3. Set Boundaries with your Technology!

Take control over your social media newsfeeds. Negative news is more readily shared than good news, so you’re likely to see more of it. When you have a very strong emotional reaction, that’s a signal to do a fact check. Sensationalism sells. Practice resistance by finding the facts. Don’t be afraid to cut off internet contact with people or organizations that are adding to your stress levels.

Want Help? Contact me and we can work on this together.

If negative news is triggering anxiety or depression that you can’t seem to pull out of, give me a call. We can work together to help you make sense out of your concerns for the world today, and help you find ease and meaningful responses so you are not a victim of the news.

Why suffer needlessly? Give me a call, text, or email me.