Hanaro Therapy

07/09/2024

https://voyagela.com/interview/hidden-gems-meet-hannah-lee-of-hanaro-therapy

I was given the wonderful opportunity to share about my journey and my work here. Big thank you to Voyage LA for this chance to be heard!

Today we’d like to introduce you to Hannah Lee Hi Hannah, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story. Hello! I am a mama to three rambunctious little ones, wife to a handsome Latino special education teacher, and a California-based licensed clinical social worker...

05/02/2024

Friends— Food + Culture are big parts of our identity, inheritance, experience, happiness, and health. These two BIPOC women in LA are coming out with cookbooks that feed not just the stomach but also the soul 🥰 Thank you & Gracias to Karla and Alyse 🥹💕Can’t wait to get Big Dip Energy signed by the lovely Ms Whitney herself this weekend at a local event! ** My biracial children, who LOVE to eat ethnic foods, are half Korean and half Latinx, so these will be passed down to whoever’s first to enjoy cooking at home 😁 **

02/25/2024

Happy 100 day little Zechariah~*

02/22/2024

Nutritional psychology is a relatively new area of study, and as such, the exact definition is a little vague. Still, however, the American Psychological Association describes nutritional psychology as an interdisciplinary field that examines the role that nutrition (dietary patterns, nutrient consumption or lack thereof, etc.) plays in the causes and treatments of mental health problems and mental health overall.

Photo is from Getty Images; blurb from Shape Magazine https://www.shape.com/lifestyle/mind-and-body/mental-health/what-is-nutritional-psychology

10/25/2023

Having a hard day? Finding yourself triggered but unsure why? Learning to connect with your inner child can go a long way. You know better than anyone exactly what your inner child needs to feel safe and cared for—what they may never have received when they needed it. The great news is 𝘺𝘰𝘶 can care for them now to heal them so that you're no longer living your present as if you're still in the past.
Illustration by:

09/07/2023

Synergy and working together is more sustainable, life-giving, and joyful than working alone. It can be difficult when the state of our mental health or trauma makes us want to withdraw from and avoid relationships or situations because they can feel too painful or triggering, or we don't want to be a burden to others.

But we are made for connection. In mental health or trauma healing, the context has to be relationship.

This is where therapy can help. In the beginning of your healing journey, you can develop a safe relationship with your therapist, who gives you hope to have a safe relationship with yourself, who then helps you identify your chosen relationships where you want to continue to expand the safety, the healing, and all the positive skills you're learning. Eventually, the goal is to be in a community where you can contribute as a healed and empowered self.

You are not alone, you don't need to be alone, you're not made to be alone. There is hope.
Illustration by

09/05/2023

Most of us feel like we are inadequate, lacking certain specific qualities, and end up feeling imposter syndrome, especially when we begin something new, like a job or any kind of position where we're trusted to perform. But the truth is we usually have all the things that we need for the given task, for the season we're in. We're so used to listening to voices of the past telling us we are lacking, that we're going to fail, that we're imposters, that we're not good enough. Being able to identify that and what triggers it can help us identify positive and effective coping skills, like self-affirmation, positive thinking, and recognizing cognitive distortions.

For those who are struggling with inadequacy, fear of failure, or imposter syndrome—which is almost every single BIPOC person and BIPOC woman I've met—we need to gently remind ourselves and each other of actual truth, and thus help our brains to rewire, to create neural pathways that actually get us to where we want to be in fulfilling our goals. I hope this can be one of those gentle reminders for you today: You are everything you need to be.
Illustration by

08/30/2023

It's easy to feel overwhelmed when you are in the middle of a crisis--heck, even just normal, everyday life. There never seems to be enough time in the day. You add three items for every one item you cross off on your to-do list (I think my heart rate sped up just writing that out). High levels of anxiety and stress become normalized. I completely empathize.

Trauma brain contributes to this daily overwhelm by keeping you both in the past and in the future - always preparing plans B-Z, always anticipating what could go wrong and envisioning multiple solutions to protect yourself from some danger you experienced in the past - even when maybe all you're doing is the mundane task of trying to decide what to eat for lunch. It's no wonder your energy and focus may be compromised.

Give yourself 10 seconds just to close your eyes and be in the moment. Inhale 1-2-3-4, exhale 1-2-3-4-5-6. For extra credit, repeat for another 10 seconds, or do this multiple times throughout the day. Give your nervous system a break and rewire your brain. I believe in your ability to heal and not just get through the day, but to feel empowered to live the life you want to.
Illustration by

08/28/2023

Many seek work-life balance, but I'm discovering there's no such thing as an ideal balance. It's more about accepting I am where I am and my capacity is what it is as someone with ADHD, and that that's truly enough.

We all have those moments, especially when we compare ourselves to others, of feeling inadequate and behind. Then we start to resent our limitations and focus on them, which in turn saps our energy, which in turn seems to increase our limitations even more. See the feedback loop?

It's okay to grieve that the goals and timelines aren't happening—and perhaps even the possibility that they may never happen—in the way we wish. However, neither do we have to give in to fatalism or defeatism. We can't do everything, but we can do some things. And if we focus on those things, we'll find new sources of energy because we're no longer spending our energy on resentment and the bottomless pit of perfectionism.

What are some things you 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 done today or in the past week? I bet it's more than you realize. Let's celebrate them!

Illustration by

06/16/2023

Does anyone still read blog posts? Just sharing a reflection of gratitude ;)

It's officially been a month since I launched my own private practice, and it has been one wild ride! Thankfully, I was (and am still being) advised by successful practice owners and mentors who generously share their resources and experiences, even their past mistakes and failures, openly. I realiz...

06/13/2023

From blog 🤍

06/10/2023

Oh hello! New profile picture, compliment of