Kelly Lewis Counseling & Healing

06/11/2025

Being open to all experience is equal to surrender. It is a surrendering, an openness to what is. It means non resistance, non judgement, acceptance, and it facilitates peace of mind and well being. The opposite of surrender and openness is being closed, resistant and giving up and leads to depression, anxiety, anger, etc. If you tend towards the giving up/closed way of being, reflect on ways that you can be more open and in a state of surrender/acceptance and begin to feel the change this brings to your mental state/health. As always, perspective determines experience and IS a choice.

04/27/2025

The Heart Math Institute has done incredible work in researching how focusing on heart felt emotions reduces stress and improves overall well being. It's simple: intentionally and periodically through the day, remember times that you felt a positive, heart felt emotion (such as kindness, compassion, gratitude) reconnect with that feeling, then imagine breathing that energy through your heart, as if your heart is actually breathing it. Continue and feel the shift in your being. Go to HeartMath Institute for more information on the research and benefits.

04/23/2025

Stillness and quiet is essential for overall wellbeing. What often happens though is for most people the brain is literally addicted to stimulus and so there is a discomfort in quiet and stillness. If you relate to this, I challenge you to give yourself a couple of minutes to start, without any electronics or stimulus and just breathe.... despite the discomfort or urge to get moving or distracting. You can use that time to notice how much you crave that, and begin to question why you need the constant distraction-not judging, just getting curious. And after noticing the craving to get up, come back to your breath. Slowly add time as you begin to adjust to the this new experience of stillness, which will eventually become something that you realize you can't peacefully live without. Reach out if you want to make this kind of change and need some help.

03/24/2025

THIS iS a great acronym for a great way to be with your experience. I think often of the quote: "what you resist persists" and so it is with emotions and thoughts; until they are allowed to be without any resistance they will continue or increase. Noticing, allowing, feeling without judgement or analysis and then choosing compassion is transformative. Try it. SNAPP.

03/16/2025

People abandon themselves in all sorts of ways, typically to fit in or people please, and this leads to depression. So to come back to embracing yourself some questions you can begin to ask yourself:
1) Do I like this? ---- about everything and follow what feels true.
2)Who taught me this?--- don't keep believing what you were taught by society, parents, teachers, etc, just because.. start questioning so that you can tap into your own intuition and find what is authentic to you.
3)Is it real? Is the thought that you're thinking valid?? question your thoughts if they don't feel good, generally you will find limited evidence to their reality.
4) What do I want? truly, what do you, at your core, in your heart want. if you find the answer is one that can hurt you, you can ask what is it that I want from that, and you will find something deeper that touches into your heart. i.e. if you think you want a drug/alcohol and ask what is it I really want from that, you might discover you are wanting calm, confidence, to relax.
5) Why am I doing this? ?this kind of follows the others, but is important to consider. If the motivation for anything is hurt or fear, you might want to consider if the action is hurting or helping you and then seeking to understand this a bit more through deeper self questioning/inquiry.

These questions are great for getting in touch with YOU. if it's difficult for you to dig in and find these answers, reach out... help is out there!

03/08/2025

Self approval can be a choice, and the thought/belief that it is not is only that..... a thought. You can practice choosing self approval/acceptance any time that you notice self judgement arise; 1) ask yourself am I willing to let go of disapproving of myself, 2) feel yourself let it go as easily as you would let go of a pen that you are holding onto (it's the intention that counts) 3) ask yourself can I approve of myself just because and allow yourself to feel the energy of approval directed towards yourself (if that is challenging think of someone you do approval to get in touch with that energy and then hold it and turn it towards yourself). If you need help with this process, reach out.... it's invaluable to learn to love and approve of yourself no matter what and makes those things that you would like to change, more likely to change.

03/05/2025

There are two types of mindsets: growth mindset and fixed mindset. When in the midst of challenging times focusing on a "growth mindset" not only help you to get through the times while maintaining better mental health, but it allows the experience to help you grow. Below are some things to keep in mind if you want to shift into this type of mindset.

03/03/2025

It's important for everyone, and especially those who have a history of trauma, that we do not victimize ourselves. This is done through various ways but they all take us away from coming to know the goodness of who/what we truly are. One of the most basic ways this can show up is by judging ourselves for not being where we want to be on the healing journey. Be kind to yourself no matter what, and trust that if you just keep taking one small step after another, you will not "get there" as there is nowhere to get, but you WILL START TO FEEL BETTER AND your experience of life will change for the better.

03/02/2025

I teach most of my clients to use "tapping" or Emotional Freedom Technique, as it is an effective way to calm your nervous system and make many positive shifts in your life. The tapping world summit is starting, and will have a lot to offer. There's only a few days left, but would be worth it. Check it out if interested:

2025 marks our 17th Annual Tapping World Summit! It's been 16 years since we at The Tapping Solution launched our first summit. Our goal from the

03/02/2025

Feelings change constantly, so clearly you are not them. By learning to increase awareness of what you are feeling through meditation or mindfulness practices, you recognize that because you can observe them, you can't possibly be them... they do not define you but are experienced and seen by you. What you are, which is the presence that is always aware, does NOT change. There is a deep experience of peace and stability when this becomes your experience. Validate the emotions and seek to understand what they are pointing to, but do not confuse yourself as them.

02/26/2025

Brain research has shown that brains rewire more quickly through engaging in small positive choices/actions often, than it does to extended periods frequently. Example: it can be more beneficial to take regular mindful breaks through the day to check in with yourself and connect with a sense of self-compassion, than it is to spend 30 minutes once during the day doing a compassion meditation. For anyone then who berates themselves for not doing the "big things", let go of thinking this is necessary and turn instead to "doing small things often."

02/22/2025

Because our brains naturally remember negative experiences more often/easily than positive ones (for survival), it's easy to go into doubt about ourselves too.... we fail to see our progress because of this negativity bias. To counter this focus on how far you have come, what you have come through, what you have learned and let yourself FEEL A SENSE of Pride in how far you've come. Do not shame yourself for this doubt... it is a common human experience. Shifting your focus will begin to rewire your brain, moving towards a more positive focus, and exponentially move you forward on your healing journey.