Do you ever feel like you are being watched? Or that your devices know what you want before you do? They do! Your algorithm tells social media what you are interested in and what you are more likely to watch so it can be cued up next. Your computer is studying you and is an…
Port Charlotte has been through two major hurricanes in the past month. A majority of my patients have had to wait to see if hurricanes Helene and Milton would destroy their homes. We talk about how they have managed the hurricane stress as well as the usual stressors they face on a daily basis. In…
Working with patients who experience treatment-resistant depression has changed my perspective on life. It has shown me how precious laughter is. As I searched for ways for my patients to experience more happiness in their lives, I discovered laughter yoga. Laughter yoga is a series of prompts from a group leader that is designed to…
Occasionally a patient will ask me what I do to stay positive as a psychologist, listening to my patients’ problems all day. While I use the techniques I describe in this blog, the thing that gives me the most strength is faith. Faith gives me the ability to tap into the mind body connection in the…
Stress can be physical through exertion like hard labor or body discomfort. It can also be emotional through worry or sadness. Stress can be both physical and emotional as worry and sadness make physical discomfort worse, which in turn creates more worry about health creating a vicious cycle. The mind-body connection is the bridge between…
Choosing surgery as a method to lose weight is a difficult decision. Typically, surgery is not considered unless many years of failed weight loss programs have been attempted. Long term disappointment negatively affects self-concept and relationships with others. Understandably, mental health factors play a role in considering surgery and recuperating from it. Completing a bariatric…
Very few people are happy with their bodies–there is always someone younger with more perfect features reminding us we have no control over what we have been handed by Life. At some point we recognize that having the perfect body won’t make us happy. But we continue to beat ourselves up trying to at least…
Mental health and the body Stress is a normal part of life that can affect people with good physical health negatively. When not managed effectively, stress can be pervasive and severely affect physical and mental health. Stress affects the body by making it more difficult for our bodies to fight infection, it can disrupt sleep…
Social media allows us windows into each other’s lives but creates incredible loneliness. We are one click away from each other but never hear from loved ones. Anxiety and depression are becoming a normal part of life, but fear and sadness make normal functioning impossible. We all need to hear that we are all worthy…
Family counseling with adult children requires an ability to consider family dynamics through the lifetime. As we get older we have to make decisions about where we want to live and what we want our lives to look like. Sometimes the expectations children have of us can become an added pressure that is difficult to…