Ashlee Flood LMHC CCPT

07/26/2025

07/25/2025

🌊 Find Your Peace, Make Time for It

Life moves fast. Responsibilities pile up. Noise never stops. But peace? Peace is something we create by choosing it.

For me, it’s this sitting by the water, feeling the sun on my face, listening to the gentle ripple of waves. In these moments, the weight lifts and clarity returns.

What does peace look like for you? A quiet morning coffee? A walk in nature? A good book?

✨ Here’s your reminder: Schedule your peace like an appointment. Protect it. Nurture it. You deserve moments that refill your soul.

📌 What’s your peaceful place? Drop it below.

07/24/2025

Because healing starts when you feel seen, safe, and enough.

Healing doesn’t start when you “fix” yourself.
It starts when you finally feel safe to show up as you are.

🌱 Let’s start there.

07/23/2025

📱 Week 3: The Impact of Social Media on Teens

📊 Did you know that teens who spend 3+ hours/day on social media are at a significantly higher risk for poor mental health outcomes, including anxiety, depression, and body image struggles?

💬 Social media isn’t inherently bad but how it’s used matters.

🧠 Tech habits are mental health habits. Let’s help our kids scroll smarter and safer.

Try this:
• 📵 Start with screen-free mornings or device-free dinners
• 🛌 Create a “no screens 1 hour before bed” rule
• 🌱 Encourage them to follow uplifting, diverse, and positive accounts
• 🗣 Talk with them about what they’re seeing and feeling online

📚 Helpful Resource:
Common Sense Media – Social Media Tips for Families
This guide offers age-appropriate advice and practical tools to help kids (and parents!) build healthier digital habits.

Get advice about Social Media from Common Sense Media editors.

07/21/2025

🧠💫 Adults Need Play Too 💫🧠

Play isn’t just for kids, it’s medicine for the adult soul.
Whether you’re dancing in your kitchen, doodling in the margins, or piecing together a puzzle, play reconnects you to joy, curiosity, and presence.

You don’t need a reason.
You don’t need a purpose.
You just need you.

🖌️ What’s one playful thing you haven’t done in a while that you’re ready to try again?

07/18/2025

🌿 Becoming Your Own Authority 🌿

So many of us move through life guided more by the expectations of others than by the quiet wisdom within ourselves.

Family. Culture. Society.
Their voices can be loud, shaping who we think we should be. But what if true growth begins when we start listening inward instead?

💬 “If we want to realize ourselves, then what is true must become more important than what is familiar.”

Letting go of the familiar takes courage.
Challenging inherited beliefs takes strength.
But this is where real transformation begins.

In my work with clients and in my own life I’ve seen how powerful it can be to pause, tune in, and choose your own path… even when it means stepping away from what’s always been.

✨ If you’re feeling called to rediscover your voice and reclaim your inner authority, you’re not alone. This work is sacred. And it’s possible.

07/16/2025

🧠 Youth Mental Health Series: Week 2
📣 Following up on last week’s post…

Our kids are not okay and we can’t afford to ignore it.
We talked about the rise in suicidal thoughts among teens and the many factors contributing to this crisis: isolation, social media, trauma, lack of access to support.

💬 But awareness alone isn’t enough. We also need ongoing connection, resources, and action.

👉 That’s why I’m creating this series: to help parents, caregivers, educators, and anyone who loves kids better understand what’s going on and what we can do to help.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll dive into:
✔️ How to talk to kids about mental health (without scaring or overwhelming them)
✔️ Signs to watch for—and how to respond
✔️ Resources that support healing and hope
✔️ How to create a culture of emotional safety in your home or classroom

We can’t fix everything.
But we can create safe spaces for our kids to be real, be seen, and be supported. 💛

📌 If you missed last week’s post, scroll back—it’s a starting point.
📚 Resource: CDC Youth Risk Behavior Survey

This report describes data regarding mental health and su***de risk among high school students and health-promoting behaviors and protective factors.

07/15/2025

💡 Caregiver Burnout Is Real — and It’s More Common Than You Think

Whether you’re caring for a parent, child, partner, or others through your profession, caregiving can be deeply rewarding and deeply exhausting. Often, burnout sneaks in slowly and by the time you notice it, you’re already running on empty.

⚠️ Common signs of caregiver burnout:
😴 Persistent fatigue (even after rest)
😤 Irritability, overwhelm, or emotional numbness
😵‍💫 Difficulty concentrating
🤕 Physical symptoms like headaches or stomach issues
😔 Guilt for wanting space or time alone
🫥 Feeling like your needs always come last

You are not failing. You’re human. And you’ve likely been carrying more than your fair share for a long time.

🛠 5 gentle ways to ease burnout:
⏱ 10–15 minutes of uninterrupted you time daily
🤝 Ask for help and let it be imperfect
🧘‍♀️ Try a 2-minute deep breathing or body scan
🗣 Talk to someone who makes you feel safe and seen
🛌 Rest. Real rest. Not multitasking. Not scrolling.

💛 You matter, too.
For a powerful and validating listen, check out this episode by Mel Robbins about caregiver burnout. She says the quiet part out loud and helps you feel a little less alone.
🎧

Podcast Episode · The Mel Robbins Podcast · 07/14/2025 · 1h 12m

07/10/2025

Sober Curious CNY: Summer Paddle Series 🛶
Looking for a peaceful, supportive space to connect - with yourself, nature, and like-minded people? Join us for a sober-curious morning on the water.

🔗 Sign up here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/sober-curious-cny-paddles-tickets-1452765784569?aff=oddtdtcreator

07/09/2025

Our kids are not okay. And we can’t afford to ignore it.
Over the past decade, there has been a staggering increase in suicidal thoughts and behaviors among children and teens.

➡️ 22% of high school students seriously considered su***de in 2021.
➡️ 30% of teen girls reported suicidal thoughts the highest in a decade.
➡️ Rates are even higher for LGBTQ+ youth, Black girls, and Indigenous youth.

We often think kids are too young to experience this level of emotional pain but the data tells a different story.

So what’s contributing to this rise?
• Increased anxiety, depression, and isolation (especially since the pandemic)
• Social media pressure and cyberbullying
• Exposure to trauma, bullying, or family stress
• Gaps in access to mental health care and safe adults to talk to

What can we do?
🧠 Normalize mental health conversations at home and in school
🛑 Watch for changes in mood, isolation, or withdrawal
🔐 Lock up fi****ms and medications
💬 Ask questions. LISTEN. Believe them.
📲 Connect with professionals and crisis resources like 988

This isn’t about panic, it’s about awareness and action.
Every child deserves to feel safe, supported, and seen.

07/07/2025

07/07/2025

“One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious.” – Carl Jung

I often talk about the power of gratitude—and I still believe in it deeply. But here’s the truth: gratitude isn’t meant to gloss over pain.

Real growth doesn’t come from bypassing the hard stuff. It comes from balancing the light with the dark.

Healing often starts when we stop pretending everything’s okay and start being honest about what isn’t.

We can practice gratitude and face grief. We can seek joy and acknowledge rage. We can love ourselves and still work on our wounds.

This is integration. This is healing. This is wholeness.