http://www.therapywithkrista.com/

Krista Ehrenfried Psychotherapy, LMFT 133297, 3884 24th Street, San Francisco, CA (2025)

09/14/2023

Lately there’s a few things that are keeping me sane and balanced, so thought I’d share about what’s working for me in this season of life.

1. I go on walks to the nearby creek almost daily. Sometimes it’s a short walk taking my dog to get exercise. Sometimes I talk with a client for our phone session that day while I walk outside and get some steps and some sunshine. Sometimes it’s a walk to the gym down the street. It’s time for me to sneak in some self care time in a creative way.

2. I MAKE SURE to eat 3 meals a day, at appropriate times. Sometimes I even snack in between meals when I’m hungry. If I don’t eat lunch at 12, I’m exhausted and grouchy by the afternoon/evening time. I can always tell by my mood in the evenings if I haven’t eaten enough. Eating a good lunch means I have lasting energy throughout the day.

3. I workout 4 times a week at least. I find that pushing myself and getting a good sweat going helps to boost my mood and makes me feel refreshed and at ease in my body. Movement is key for my mental health.

4. I love my job. I enjoy what I do. I don’t dread going to work. I’m eager to talk to my clients and hear how their doing. I’m in a season of life where I don’t HAVE to take every client, and I’ve found that through referrals, Instagram, and my podcast my ideal clients are finding their way to me.

5. I’m prioritizing my sleep as much as I can. I still wake up most nights, but I spend most of the day focusing on getting natural light, balancing blood sugar, moving my body, limiting caffeine, and winding myself down at night so that I can set myself up for good sleep. Though I’ll say, there’s plenty of things that I can’t control around my sleep like being woken up, that still throw me off.

6. I’m working on being body neutral, and appreciating my postpartum body for all that it does. It’s hard to not fit into my closet full of clothes, and while I still hope to one day fit, I also try to let go and comfortable in my skin as often as I can. This has taken some time, and is still a lot of work.

I’m not perfect, but I try to prioritize the things that are important to me.

What keeps you sane and balanced in a busy world?

02/25/2023

{ CHECKING IN } How are you going dear friends? No, how are you *really* doing? Tell me what’s coming up for you? How are you taking care of yourself? What kind of support do you most need right now?

As always a simple check in can be the most powerful tool for emotional regulation, and in particular the regulation of anxiety, or whatever emotion may be up for you right now.

For more on this topic, check out my podcast episode 7 The wisdom of your anxiety where I walk you through an inquiry that builds emotional intelligence and regulation.

02/22/2023

Taboo or not, we need to talk about how your relationship with money is impacting you and how you feel about your finances.

If you struggle with financial stability, feel a distrust of money, or have money but feel terrified that you’re going to lose it, you need to bring awareness to your emotions, relationship and your attachment style around money if you hope to improve things. My guest Hannah talks all about this and more practicals steps to bring you financial stability and build wealth in this weeks podcast episode.

🎙️Tune into this weeks episode of the Conversations on Well-being Podcast to Episode 19 Building a Secure Attachment with your Finances with Female Founder, Entrepreneur and Financial Couch Hannah Koenig

If you have already listened, please share any insights or ah-ha moments that you got from the podcast!

02/17/2023

Sharing today as a recovered people pleaser. I’m not ashamed, but I am adamant that if you identify as being a people pleaser and you also struggle with mental health issues—you absolutely need to work on this.

This is a process that doesn’t change overnight. It takes effort to tune into yourself, learn what your feelings and opinions are. Take the risk of saying them out loud and having people potentially not like you, judge you, or get mad at you. This is not easy work for a people pleasing type but it gets easier with time as your nervous system starts to tolerate confrontation. Eventually your sense of self worth will start to come from the inside rather than from other peoples approve. Self worth is built in the small moments when you validate your opinions and emotions, value yourself enough to say how you feel and set boundaries, and develop a trust in yourself that you have your own back.

Often times anxiety is actually your emotions that you don’t validate or say out loud. Depression is anger turned inward at yourself.

Any other recovering people pleasers out there? 👋🏼

02/14/2023

You and your partner may not need to celebrate Valentine’s Day this year if you already make an effort to stay connected to each other through the mundane tasks of daily life. Sure a card and a nice dinner on Valentine’s Day is nice, but what about a partner that asks you how you’re *really* doing at the end of the day while laying in bed? Who asks you every day how they can make your day a little better? Who makes an effort to share their love for you by writing little notes in packed lunches, or rubs your feet every Sunday while watching your weekly show because they know your love language.

You and your partner might not need to celebrate this year if you’re already investing in couples therapy and are activity working on and putting effort into making your relationship better. It might say valentines day on your calendar this month, but you don’t feel an emotional pull or expectation to that day as you once did. You don’t need a grand gesture this year because you have a deep trust and commitment to your partner, and know they feel the same. Long gone are the days of grade school when you needed that reassurance that you mattered from your friends in the form of folded cards addressed to you. You feel secure, and know that your partner loves you, because they show you constantly in their actions words and commitment to your partnership.

Showing love and care all year long is how relationships grow in love, and deepen in commitment. Love is the effort you make continuously to prioritize the people that matter. So make sure to focus on the love you show to your partner every day through your actions and words. Anything else you do on Valentine’s Day is just extra. ❤️

02/08/2023

to tell you a little about me

I am a mother, a wife, a therapist, and a teacher. I love movement, health and wellness, hiking, farmers markets, cooking nourishing foods, massages, movies (only good ones) and hosting meals for friends. I’m a foodie and love good food that makes you feel good too.

I chose to become a therapist because I felt called to support others and walk with them as they work through their pain and learn to reconnect with themselves. I myself have experienced the healing power of therapy and believe in the healing power of relationships. I approach therapy not as expert but a present friend and observer to sit with you as you feel into and process the parts of yourself that need attention.

Having been through many stressful seasons of life throughout childhood and adulthood, I have continuously been committed to doing my own work. I feel that this is an essential piece of being a good therapist as it can bring a sense of ease and calm to the work knowing that I am walking along the same path of healing and perhaps am just a little farther down the road.

What sets me apart as a therapist is my whole person approach. Not only do we work on improving your symptoms but we will also look at all the things in your life that are contributing to your anxiety, depression, or your feelings of dissatisfaction. I deeply believe in the healing power of food and nutrition, movement, good sleep, healthy relationships, laughter and fun, so this is always something I’m striving for and will always incorporate in my work with clients.

02/08/2023

Burnout might be heard as a casual term in conversation but it is really not something to joke about.

It can feel like extreme exhaustion, depletion, difficulty completing your work, a negative feeling towards your job, and a general feeling of being worn out.

The key to healing burnout is acknowledging when you’re there, getting clear about how you got there and where you need to draw boundaries, and how to start putting energy deposits back into your body (ie more rest, stress reduction, ease, presence, nutrient dense foods).

Like most things, we need to understand how you got here in the first place in order to get better, and usually that means addressing your relationship with work, exercise, self care, and others in your life.

Healing burnout has its own non linear timeline. You can’t expect to feel better automatically after taking two weeks off and thinking you’re going to be restored. You have to learn how to rest, both your body and mind.

There is no medication to heal your burnout. Healing burnout is about an integrative approach, you have to look at the full picture, and implement new habits into many different areas of life such as cutting back with work over the long term, saying no to adding more to your plate, changing your workout and exercise routine, and changing your daily habits. It’s a process, and I highly recommend getting a support team to help you.

Tune into the episode this week on burnout on the 🎙️ Conversations on Well-being Podcast. Visit my stories for the link!

Please like and share this post so that the people who need this information can get the support they need.

01/27/2023

Feeling very lucky to have today off this week! I’ve had very full days this week and by the time bedtime comes around I crash.

Been doing a morning routine everyday this week and feeling so different in body as a result. I’ve been struggling with inflammation due to some mold exposure in the homes we’ve been renting here on the coast and as a result I’ve been defaulting to a more stressed nervous state most days. The morning routine has been so helpful for me to feel better and start my day feeling cared for and centered. I talk more about this in this weeks episode of the podcast 🎙️ visit my stories for a link to Apple Podcasts.

Today I’m spending my day catching up on notes, taxes, and planning for a move to a new home soon. Lots happening right now but feeling very grateful every day.

How are you doing friends? What is going on in your life right now?

01/23/2023

I don’t think feeling critical of your body is talked about often enough. I think it’s an area that many people, especially women, struggle in, but feel too ashamed to talk about it openly to get support.

Instead many people turn to restrictive diets that end up damaging their health and metabolism as the result of depriving their body of nutrients and minerals. Or many take up high intensity over exercising that has long term impacts on stress and depletion.

As mothers, many of us struggle with the postpartum shape of our bodies, and long for the pre baby body we once hand not knowing if it’s possible to return to a body shape that’s familiar to us.

If any or all of these scenarios resonates with you then you’re not alone. I say all these things to name the habits that many of us have participated in that perhaps are no longer working for us and may still leave us feeling critical of our body shape.

My suggestion for this is to change your approach. You can practice acceptance and love of your body and still practice healthy habits that are good for you that will encourage a healthy body shape.

Aside from eating well and cooking mineral dense food at home, we practice saying loving things to our body to replace the negative self talk. Yes you have to fake it until you make it, and do it often until it becomes a habit.

We must move our bodies, and do so in a way where we get to know our body, and find a way to fully embody our shape. My suggestion is a fun inclusive dance class in your area, though I love a good hike in nature too.

We practice these things the same way we would prioritize brushing our teeth if we had a cavity coming on. We must practice the habit of accepting of our shape, and approach ourselves and our bodies with compassion and love. Our bodies are very wise, they know what shape they need to be in this moment. That doesn’t mean it won’t be different in the future.

Lastly, this question has always resonated with me. “Have you ever noticed the things we accept seem to be the things that change easily; and the things we hate and focus on never change?”

If this post resonates please like and comment below so we can support each other

01/17/2023

When anxiety shows up, the temptation is to say “I’m anxious” without a whole lot of action. Many of us tolerate low to moderate anxiety all day without much effort or tools for reducing it.

Well, here’s what you can do I instead. My suggestion is to experiment with 2 or 3 coping strategies and see what works for you. Most of us will need more the one of these tools to feel a visceral reduction in anxiety.

If you’d like more support, my podcast 🎙️ Conversations on Well-being has lots of supportive guidance and info for you to figure out what you need to better care for yourself and your emotions. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

What do you do for your anxiety? Please share below!

And don’t forget to like and share this post so that we can get this information out there to more people who need it.

01/16/2023

Feeling down, low, sad, or hopeless is not uncommon especially during the winter time when sunlight is sparse, the weather is cold, and usual social activities are not happening regularly.

If you’re feeling this way you are not alone!

Here are some things you can do when you notice you’re feeling down.

• Validate your feelings! Don’t skip this step and jump straight to second guessing or gaslighting yourself. You’re feelings are valid and true for you!

• Ask yourself what you need to feel better? This is essential for learning how to regulate your emotions.

• Prioritize getting your self care needs met so that you can feel more supported and resourced while you’re feeling down. Pushing your feelings down or ignoring them does not work as they will inevitably keep getting louder or showing up in other ways like pain and illness.

• Seek out support from someone who will listen and help you to not feel so alone in your experience. Someone to help you digest your experience so your a little less burdened.

• Find some sense of meaning, hope, or next steps forward that gives you a light at the end of the tunnel and some possibility for the future

If you’re finding you feeling low often, it is always best to seek our care from a licensed practitioner or medical professional. Instagram is not meant to replace therapy, but only to provide you validation, support, and guidance in your healing process.

Please tag and share this post with someone who might need it!

01/11/2023

Saying it today for those of you that need this message…

Pushing yourself when you’re tired is not strong. It is you ignoring your body’s needs and it’s request for rest and down time.

Too often we trivialize being tired and not sleeping well due to being busy and working too much. All too often this is a major catalyst for not only struggles with mental and emotional health but also physical health and disease.

The best thing you can practice this winter is tuning in to the messages of your body by paying attention to the sensations in your body and how it feels. Learn what tired feels like, and most important notice how you respond to yourself when you feel tired.

You have permission to rest when you need rest. To sleep when you need sleep. To cut back when you’re burnt out. To cry when you’re sad. To say no, when your body says no.

Krista Ehrenfried Psychotherapy, LMFT 133297

09/14/2023

02/25/2023

02/22/2023

02/17/2023

02/14/2023

02/08/2023

02/08/2023

01/27/2023

01/23/2023

01/17/2023

01/16/2023

01/11/2023

Address

Website

Alerts

Contact The Practice

Shortcuts

Share

Category