Counseling Blog | LGBTQ+ Couples & Individuals

May 6, 2024 by Alan Zupka

Is Happiness Really a Choice?

You might have heard that happiness is a choice and wondered if that’s actually true. Unfortunately, for some individuals, mental health conditions like depression and bipolar disorder make it difficult for them to feel happy. There can also be several factors outside someone’s control—such as their age, physical health, or geographic location—that could make it harder for them to achieve happiness. With that said, many people can take affirmative steps to cultivate happiness over time.

How to Find Happiness in Your Life

If you’re looking for ways to feel happier in your day-to-day life, you may want to:

Focus on positives rather than on negatives.
Think about all the people and things that you’re grateful for.
Smile more often (studies have shown that the physical act of smiling can release hormones that increase happiness and reduce stress).
Implement a morning routine that incorporates stretching, meditating, journaling, and eating a healthy breakfast.
Increase your activity level (be sure to consult with your doctor before beginning a new exercise regimen).
Sleep more (most adults need at least seven hours of sleep each night).
Connect with friends and family members, either in person or over the phone.
Spend more time in nature.
Volunteer at an organization that’s meaningful to you.

Start Living a Happier Life

If you struggle with depression, bipolar disorder, or another mental health condition or you simply want to be a happier person, one of the best things you can do is reach out to an experienced therapist. Luckily, you can get the help you need from the caring team at our practice. We understand how difficult it can sometimes be to achieve happiness, but we’ll supply you with personalized tips and tools that can help you start experiencing a better quality of life. Contact us today to schedule a therapy session at a date and time that fits into your schedule.

May 3, 2024 by Alan Zupka

What Is Dissociation?

Dissociation is a mental process that involves disconnecting from your own thoughts, feelings, memories, or personal identity, often in response to a traumatic event. It can cause you to:

Believe that the world around you is distorted or unreal
Experience sudden mood swings
Have trouble concentrating, remembering things, or handling intense emotions
Experience anxiety or depression
Behave much differently than you normally would, possibly doing things that you would usually find offensive

The 3 Types of Dissociative Disorders

Although dissociation often resolves on its own without the need for professional treatment, in some cases it can develop into a dissociative disorder. The mental health community classifies dissociative disorders into the following three types:

Dissociative amnesia (also known as psychogenic amnesia) – You can’t remember the details of a traumatic event, but you’re aware that you’re experiencing memory loss.
Depersonalization disorder – You feel detached from your surroundings, as if you’re watching what’s occurring around you on television.
Dissociative identity disorder (previously known as multiple personality disorder) – You have two or more personalities, with each one possibly having its own tone, body language, outlook, and memories.

The Team to Choose for Dissociation Treatment

If you think you may be experiencing dissociation, contact us today. Our team regularly treats dissociation, and once we’ve spoken with you about the issues you’ve been dealing with, we can identify what may be causing the problem and recommend a course of treatment that’s customized to your specific needs. We look forward to meeting with you and helping you take the next step toward relief.

April 29, 2024 by Alan Zupka

Managing Stress: 5 Effective Strategies

Did you know that chronic stress can have serious consequences on your health? It’s true—stress can make it difficult to sleep, weaken your immune system, and lead to other problems like heart attacks, strokes, anxiety, and depression. Plus, stress can cause irritability, lack of motivation, and difficulty concentrating, thereby negatively impacting your work and personal relationships.

If you’re feeling stressed, one of the best things you can do is speak to a therapist who can recommend stress relief techniques that are tailored to your specific circumstances. But in the meantime, we’ve compiled the following five strategies for stress management.

1. Eat a Nutritious Diet

It’s very common for stressed individuals to turn to comfort foods, which are typically high in fat and sugar. But it’s important to stick to a balanced diet, even in times of stress. Research shows that certain foods can impact stress levels—for example, lean proteins and herbal teas can help reduce stress, while refined carbohydrates and caffeine can make you feel more stressed.

2. Exercise

Stress often causes chronic fatigue, and if that’s the case for you, you may have a hard time summoning the motivation to work out. But it’s important that you find a way to incorporate some type of physical activity into your daily routine. Exercising can stimulate the body to produce endorphins and reduce its levels of stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol.

3. Establish Boundaries

Do you often feel stressed because you’re being pulled in too many directions at once? Setting healthy boundaries may help. For example, at work, this may involve shutting down your computer at a certain time each day, speaking up when you have too much on your plate, and avoiding office gossip.

4. Make Time to Relax

When work, school, and family obligations become overwhelming, you may feel like you don’t have any time left over to focus on yourself, but it’s important to carve out time for self-care and relaxation. Think about what brings you peace—whether that’s going to the movies, getting a pedicure, or working on a jigsaw puzzle—and set aside time to do that on a regular basis.

5. Meditate

Research shows that focusing on what’s going on around you and letting go of any intrusive thoughts and feelings can greatly reduce stress levels. One of the best things about meditation is that it can be done almost anywhere, so you can employ this technique whenever you start to feel stressed throughout the day.

Need Help Coping With Stress?

If you’re looking to improve your stress management skills, we can help. Contact us today to schedule an appointment.

April 24, 2024 by Alan Zupka

Understanding Common Anxiety Disorders

Anxiety is very common—in fact, according to the Anxiety & Depression Association of America (ADAA), anxiety disorders affect 40 million U.S. adults every year. Yet many people don’t have a strong understanding of anxiety and may not realize that it can take many forms. Here are some of the most common types of anxiety:

Generalized anxiety disorder – Individuals with generalized anxiety disorder worry excessively about everyday issues (for example, health, family, work, and money) on most days for at least six months.
Panic disorder – This condition causes people to experience recurrent panic attacks, which are often accompanied by physical symptoms like chest pain, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, dizziness, nausea, and sweating. Panic attacks may also cause someone to feel like they’re dying or fear that they’re going crazy.
Separation anxiety disorder – Separation anxiety disorder causes someone to fear being separated from a person that’s close to them. This condition is more common in children but may also affect teenagers and adults.
Social anxiety disorder – While it’s common for people to feel shy, individuals with social anxiety disorder experience intense fears about social interactions. For example, they may worry that they’ll embarrass themselves or that others will judge them.
Agoraphobia – People with agoraphobia fear leaving environments that they consider safe (for example, their home), to the point that it disrupts their normal routine. They may fear that they won’t be able to escape a situation or that help might not be available to them.

Need Help Managing Anxiety?

If you’ve been diagnosed with or suspect that you have an anxiety disorder, we can help. Contact us today to schedule an appointment at a date and time of your choosing.

Remain Curious