Renee Nelson, Psy.D.

08/07/2020

How to get unstuck from your anxiety.

10/30/2019

“"Guilt doesn’t have to be a compass,” Dr. Lakshmin said. “It can be just a feeling that you feel. And it sucks,” but it doesn’t have to be a moral judgment on you or your behavior."

https://messaging-custom-newsletters.nytimes.com/template/oakv2?uri=nyt://newsletter/81eb5ba5-7547-437d-9b21-21af2cfe4286&te=1&nl=nyt-parenting&emc=edit_ptg_20191030?campaign_id=118&instance_id=13456&segment_id=18353&user_id=d3e1e99b823f2b75a0c49447930b6dfb®i_id=98436966

Tomorrow is Halloween or, as I like to call it, preschool Mardi Gras, because it includes costumes, screaming and loud music; and I once saw a 3-year-old vomit spectacularly on the sidewalk while wearing a three-piece suit. It’s not my favorite occasion, in part because I’m a complete washout at...

08/16/2019

My practice is expanding to Leominster in September!
305 Whitney St., Suite 206 (a few short minutes from Route 2)

I'm looking forward to integrating into, collaborating with, and serving this community. (Oh... and reducing the commute for those clients who complained/advocated enough). I am currently accepting and scheduling new referrals for this location.

The space includes a couple offices and a conference room for groups and workshops - with some availability for subletting for complementary professionals (e.g. psychotherapists, RDs, prescribers, etc). Feel free to contact me for more details or pass along to those who may be interested!

07/08/2019

This.

Our “mind glitches”: the brain is wired to automatically treat our everyday joys like background noise and “dwell on relative comparisons.”

Antidotes?? Great suggestions in the article :)

The psychology professor Laurie Santos delivers the 'shortest possible crash-course version' of the university’s most popular course ever.

05/14/2019

WARNING: Your brain may be working against your diet!!

I am a psychologist. I am not a dietitian or even that up to date on today’s fad diets. To be honest, it is just too much information. Someone can more eloquently debate nutritional merits and drawbacks of paleo and ketogenic diets, even intermittent fasting. It’s not my wheelhouse. However…knowing how the brain works? That’s kind of my jam. And when I hear about people “cheating” on their diets, it got my curious brain working…

Let’s talk about cheating for a minute. I listen to many clients talk about “cheating” on their diets and even the feeling of “getting away with something,” even if there really is no one to “catch” them but themselves. Here’s the thing: when we “cheat” (any type) we actually release the neurotransmitter dopamine in our brains. In an oversimplified explanation, dopamine acts on our pleasure and reward center. Uh oh. YOUR BRAIN MAY BE MORE REWARDED BY CHEATING ON YOUR DIET THAN FOLLOWING IT. Not only that, but your brain is an amazing organ that adapts to the world around it. When you flood it with dopamine from cheating on your diet, it can actually create more receptors. Translation: You will need more cheating to feel the same pleasure.
This seems like a problem. You know that feeling on Monday morning after a weekend of cheating on your diet? Your brain has been retrained to want more and you are going to try to give it less.

I’ve worked in this field long enough to anticipate a possible interpretation of this: “well then I just won’t cheat if cheating is the problem.” Cheating is not the only issue. Cheating can be a reaction to unmet needs or unrealistic expectations. Again, I can’t talk to you about nutritional needs and deprivation. I work with lots of amazing professionals who can do that. What I can urge you to think about is how this diet fits into how you perceive your body, your self, and the role of food (or withholding food) in building you up or tearing you down (and every scenario in between).

02/28/2019

“”These findings suggest that being kind to oneself switches off the threat response and puts the body in a state of safety and relaxation that is important for regeneration and healing,” says Hans Kirschner of the University of Exeter, first author on the research.”

Cliff note version:
Being kind to yourself isn’t simply about teaching your mind to say nice things about you. (Think SNL Stuart Smalley...and if you don’t know who I am talking about PLEASE look it up...unless you hate humor.)

Self-compassion is about BEHAVING in a way that intentionally restores you.

(No one truly benefits from a relationship that is all talk, am I right?)

Showing love for your nearest and dearest is a hallmark of Valentine’s Day, but research suggests that you may want to save some of that love and compassion for yourself.

01/30/2019

How you think about stress can actually buffer how it affects your physical health.

Do you view stress as something that is bad for you? Or can you appreciate how stress prepares you for a challenge and helps you connect with others?

This TED talk, a favorite of mine, encourages us to find a healthier outlook on stress.

Stress. It makes your heart pound, your breathing quicken and your forehead sweat. But while stress has been made into a public health enemy, new research suggests that stress may only be bad for you if you believe that to be the case. Psychologist Kelly McGonigal urges us to see stress as a positiv...

01/14/2019

A fresh perspective on setting resolutions this year:

https://www.drreneenelson.com/blog/98363-new-yearnew-you