Our inner dialogues shape our perception of the world and ourselves. Negative self-talk reinforces self-doubt and limitations, acting as a barrier to our full potential. Constant negative self-talk can lead to feelings of depression and anxiety, perpetuating a cycle of pessimism and self-doubt. It can also exacerbate stress, fuel perfectionism, and strain our ability to cope with challenges. In contrast, positive self-talk can uplift, motivate, and rewire our brain in empowering ways. This simple practice can yield profound benefits for your mental well-being and cognitive functioning. But how exactly does it work? This blog post dives into the science behind positive self-talk and its transformative effects on the brain.

May 1st marks World Maternal Mental Health Day, which draws attention and awareness to essential mental health concerns impacting mothers and their families. Without such acknowledgment there is a risk that these individuals struggles would go unnoticed beneath the surface of societal expectations and the inclination to remain silent.

As a reproductive mental health therapist, I have the honor and privilege of accompanying individuals and couples through the often turbulent waters of infertility. National Infertility Awareness Week (NIAW) is a time to acknowledge the struggles, triumphs, and complex emotions that come with the journey to parenthood.

Picture this familiar scenario: your baby cries, and instantly, your heart wrenches with the desire to make everything better, to erase their discomfort and restore peace. But what if I told you that sometimes, the best way to meet your child’s needs is by creating a bit of emotional distance?

Indulging in self-care is more than just pampering oneself with spa days or long baths. Instead, it's about recognizing the importance of prioritizing personal needs and desires. In the realm of self-care, even seemingly small acts can have a significant impact on mental well-being. One such act that often gets overlooked is the simple act of taking the best piece of chicken during a meal.

The holiday season is meant to be a magical time, filled with joy, laughter, and cherished moments. However, for many parents, this time of year can quickly turn into a whirlwind of stress and burnout as they strive to create the perfect experience for their children. We’re calling it the holidaze – that chaotic period where the pursuit of holiday magic collides with the realities of parenting. In this blog post, we'll explore the common sources of stress during the festive season and provide practical solutions to help parents cope and truly enjoy the magic of the holidays.

With the advent of artificial intelligence (AI) and its wide-ranging applications across industries like finance, transportation, manufacturing, and healthcare, there is great potential to revolutionize the way we think about mental health care. AI offers a promising pathway towards supporting the mental health needs of clients, through its ability to analyze vast amounts of data, personalize interventions, and provide accessible support. AI has emerged as a powerful tool in the field of maternal mental health, an area of healthcare often under-resourced and overlooked, by offering innovative solutions and transformative potential to support and enhance the well-being of mothers and their babies. What does this look like for therapists and the clients that we serve?

Whether you’ve been crushed by seeing the absence of two pink lines month after month or if you knew from the start that your family-forming journey would have its challenges, living with the highs and lows of infertility can take a toll.

The love, joy, tradition, and efforts mothers pour into their families on Valentine’s Day that is often dismissed or unseen. This is also known as invisible mental overload. If you are not a mother or do not know, motherhood mental overload is a real and exhausting phenomenon many women experience where they are constantly juggling multiple responsibilities, such as caring for their children, managing the household, working outside of the home, and occasionally staying up late connecting tiny toy hearts to school Valentine’s Day cards.  Often mothers take on the task of helping their children create and distribute Valentine’s Day cards to their classmates, which can be time-consuming and stressful.

Amanda is a mother and an Infertility and Postpartum Doula and Coach. She is passionate about sharing her education and experiences with new parents and parents-to-be. When she started trying to conceive she knew nothing about infertility. But negative pregnancy test after negative pregnancy test left her feeling overwhelmed, disappointed, and alone. As Amanda chronicled her fertility journey, she realized how hopeful she was that her experiences would prevent other moms-to-be and new moms from feeling alone in their stories. Amanda founded Heartfelt Beginnings and began helping others the way she wished that someone had helped her.

The best gift that parents can give their newborn babies is to be in a strong and loving relationship. However, two-thirds of couples report dissatisfaction in their relationship the first three-years after a baby is born The one-third of couples who continued to feel satisfied in their relationships after the arrival of a baby realized that the stress they encountered with the birth of a new baby was outside of the relationship. When conflicts inevitably did arise, they were better able to manage them. Here are some things to do and not to do in your relationship after having a baby.

Vania always wanted to be a mom. But when she unexpectedly became pregnant a few months into her relationship with her now-husband, she was nervous. “It definitely caused a lot of discord and strong emotions trying to navigate being a new parent and still trying to figure out who each other was.” The first year of motherhood was challenging for Vania, she felt anxious, and full of rage—a common symptom of PPD—and knew something did not feel right. “My rage episodes often happened when my anxiety would become unmanageable. It was hard and I often hated myself after it happened.” On her worst days, Vania found herself having intrusive thoughts. “I remember talking to my husband that I didn’t feel like myself, but I couldn’t put my finger on it.” It wasn’t until a few years later that Vania realized that she was suffering from postpartum depression and postpartum anxiety.

I first met Amy when her son, Henry, was one-week-old. You could tell— even then, that underneath the exhaustion, overwhelmed and awestruck feelings brought up by early motherhood—she was a #MightyMama. This is confirmed in Amy’s candid and thoughtful reflections of motherhood. But she admits she struggled to believe that she could have anything unique or helpful to contribute to other mothers.

Meet Rachel Chaimovitz this week's #MightyMama and mother to 16-month old, Leavitt. Rachel opens up about her motherhood journey, including unexpectedly becoming a stay-at-home mom when she had been planning on returning to work Rachel has embraced full-time motherhood and her baby boy, Leavitt, and shares how he has helped her become the best version of herself.

Pride celebrates the Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan on June 28, 1969—an event that became a galvanizing force for LGBTQ+ political activism and the Gay Rights Movement. Over 50 years of fighting for liberation and equality, same-sex marriage is constitutionally legal and civil rights laws protect gay and trans people from workplace discrimination. But there is still more work to do, especially for the Black trans community. Pride comes during a time when continued racism and the many deaths of unarmed Black people are tearing through our country—a country where systemic racism has permeated and oppression has been allowed to persist.

Therapists typically do not have photos of their families or loved ones framed in their office. The art on their walls is often abstract, not suggesting any strong likes or dislikes. Even the clothes therapists wear doesn’t reveal what they may have planned for after the session. I have always felt that therapists should be a neutral presence in the therapy room. Sometimes, we think of therapists as a blank screen, other times as a mirror. That is until recently…

With quarantine and social distancing, you and your partner are likely experiencing a lot of “togetherness”. Perhaps this has brought out the best in your relationship, but more likely you have suddenly noticed how loudly your partner chews their cereal in the morning. Most people are experiencing increased anxiety due to COVID-19 and if you are in a relationship, then you may be taking out this stress on your partner. While it is not always fair, it is easy to take out anger, stress, anxiety, or frustrations on the ones you love. Welcome to being in a relationship at the time of quarantine.

Instead of hearing about healthy relationships from the therapist in the family, I asked my husband, “B” his thoughts and feelings about relationships. And here he is what he had to say…

Infertility, or the inability to conceive after trying to do so, impacts individuals, couples, and families in many different ways. It increases stress and is associated with mental health concerns, particularly anxiety and depression. One of the scariest things about infertility is not knowing whether or not a pregnancy will be possible even with a variety of treatments available. Those trying to get pregnant may have increasingly invasive or long-term treatments. With each menstrual cycle, there is another opportunity for disappointment, anger, or despair.

This is a scary and uncertain time for many people. Social distancing and state-mandated shelter-in-place have changed our lives, at least temporarily. Because of coronavirus and social distancing, you may find yourself working from home for the first time. Perhaps you regularly work remotely but are now confined to your home with your kids. With schools canceled and limited childcare options, many parents find themselves in the same boat (sinking ship?) trying to balance work and parenting responsibilities, at the same time, in the same household. Seems nearly impossible, right?

I teamed up with Career Strategist and Leadership Coach, Emily Eliza Moyer to help working parents figure out how to create a productive work environment—even with kids around—and become better at time management and prioritization.

These are unprecedented and uncertain times. With uncertainty comes a feeling of losing control. It is often this lack of control that sparks anxiety or panic. Many people may be experiencing anxiety for the first time in their lives. As we continue to navigate these challenging times, we recognize that no one is exempt from what is occurring in the world right now—including therapists.