Pratidana Wellness Coaching

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Ann Arbor, MI
Pratidana Wellness Coaching

Stress Resilience Coaching helps you move out of survival mode and finally breathe.

Instead of numbing out, or feeling constantly on edge, you begin to feel anchored in your mind, even when circumstances are less than ideal.

02/21/2026

I identify as a Stress Resilience Specialist because my work centers on one core question: how do you move through life’s hardest transitions with more ease and less urge to reach for external comforts like alcohol, doom scrolling, shopping, etc.?

A stress resilience specialist helps people build the mental, emotional, and physical skills to navigate, adapt to, and recover from stress, not just “manage it.” Through nervous system regulation, breathwork, cognitive reframing, and intentional behavioral change, the goal is to expand your window of tolerance so you’re less likely to shift into a negative feeling state under stress.

As a licensed mental health clinician and someone who once relied on alcohol to “take the edge off” every night, I’ve learned that strengthening stress resilience is the missing piece that reduces overwhelm and the pull toward numbing or escape.

I have spent most of my adult life searching for a sustainable way to stay “above water” through persistent depression, grief, and disappointment with myself, often turning to alcohol to self-medicate, until I realized alcohol was only compounding the problem and perpetuating my internal suffering.

Living alcohol free has taught me to find ease in the discomfort of life, and “ease” comes from strengthening stress resilience though practices like yoga, restorative sleep, tracking heart rate variability, and intentionally creating an environment that feels emotionally safe and supportive - all of which teach in my 5 month Stress Resilience Bootcamp program.

If you’re in a difficult season - divorce, parallel parenting, career shifts, existential or spiritual questioning, compassion fatigue, grief, or simply feeling stretched too thin, stress resilience offers a straightforward path toward clarity, steadiness, and meaningful change.

Take the Stress Resilience Insight Score in my bio and schedule a free discovery call if you’re curious whether this is your next right step. 🌿

01/29/2026

Yoga is about calming the fluctuations of the mind (Yogaś citta-vṛtti-nirodhaḥ). When a pose is easy or pleasant, the mind is usually quiet. But when discomfort arises, the vrittis can be loud:

• “I hate this.”

• “I can’t do this.”

• “I need this to stop.”

This where yoga actually begins.

I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately, and how it applies to life and sobriety.

Lately, I’ve felt the pressure of life closing in.
The rising cost of living.
The political climate in the U.S.
The constant stream of disturbing, heartbreaking news.

At times, my body just says: I need this to stop. How do I get out?

For a long time, alcohol was my escape. But, what I eventually had to face is that alcohol doesn’t resolve the discomfort (vrittis), it prolongs it.

The hard feelings were still there.
The decisions still needed to be made.
And each time I numbed, my nervous system became more agitated, not less.

In yoga philosophy, they say the yoga begins when you want to get out of the pose, because that’s when reactivity shows up.
That’s when the mind wants relief instead of presence.

Life works the same way.

Yoga has taught me how to stay.
Not force myself to like what’s happening.
Not pretend it doesn’t matter.
But to notice the urge to escape without immediately reacting to it.

I still want to get out sometimes.
I still feel the pull to escape.

The difference now is that I don’t have to react, resist, or make it worse by spiraling or complaining.

I can pause.
I can breathe.
I can practice non-reactivity.

Where do you notice the urge to ‘get out’ showing up in your life right now? What helps you to stay?

If you’re learning how to stay, without reacting, numbing, or abandoning yourself, I invite you to join Off The Rocks a community for learning to love living alcohol free. Link in my bio 💫

01/27/2026

“Let your energy be used to build, not destroy.” (Tea Bag Wisdom)

So many of us are carrying intense energy right now: anger, fear, grief, outrage. The U.S. feels loud, polarized, and emotionally charged, and it’s easy to stay in a constant state of reactivity.

But, when we’re not consciously choosing where our energy goes, our nervous system defaults to primitive coping strategies, like fighting or numbing. We doomscroll. We argue. We numb. We pour fuel on fires that make things feel worse.

Even when our distress is valid, unmanaged energy can quietly erode our nervous systems, and contribute to the very divisiveness we’re exhausted by.

We have to learn to:
Pause. Regulate. Choose.
Energy is powerful. It can destroy—or it can build (The power of life and death is in the tongue).

Ask yourself: What do I want to help grow right now?
More clarity? Compassion? Stability? Healing?
Direct your energy there.

As MLK reminded us: “hate can’t drive out hate, only love can do that.” Love starts with how we steward our own inner world.

01/21/2026

Two years ago, I set an intention to bust out of Michigan winters. At the time, it seemed almost impossible.

Choosing sobriety was a turning point, not because it fixed everything, but because it healed my nervous system enough to pull me out of despair and stay connected to my hopes, my dreams, and my entrepreneurial spirit. It gave me the strength and focus to keep trying to find a way forward.

Yoga has taught me how to find ease within the discomfort, and how to persist through the hard parts of life, without giving up on myself.

Change doesn’t happen all at once. It happens by taking the next right step, again and again.

Sometimes that step is acceptance.
Sometimes it’s patience.
And sometimes… it’s making a difficult decision to change your environment so you can finally hear the still, small voice beneath the noise.

If you’re in a season of darkness—or becoming— remember no effort is wasted. Seeds take time. Harvest comes to those who stay with the practice.

And if you’re sensing that your next right step might involve deepening your yoga practice or beginning the journey of teaching, I’ll be assisting .traveling and in Costa Rica:
• YTT | May 13–31
• Yoga Retreat | June 2–7
Quepos, Costa Rica ☀️🌊🇨🇷

Wherever you are on your path, don’t quit. The only way out is through.
Keep going.

01/19/2026

Yesterday I presented at the Thrive 2026 Mind Body Optimization Summit in Troy, Michigan. I was excited to present for the very first time in front of a live audience (I fear public speaking more than death)! With the help of an NLP coach, I managed to not pass out (haha!). Thank goodness.

My talk was titled “Mind Management for Improved Mental Health: How to Calm the Agitated Mind.”

Because there were so many wonderful presenters packed into one day, the schedule got a little off track, and I ended up needing to compress about 35 minutes of content into 15.

But honestly? Upon reflection, I needed the very lesson I was teaching:

Flexibility.
Adaptability.
Slowing way down under stress.

If I could do it again, I’d zoom out more—introduce the ideas at a much higher level—and then invite people into a longer, experiential workshop, where we can slow down and explore mind management, nervous system regulation, yoga philosophy, and how alcohol impacts the nervous system and overall mental health.

All in all, I’m proud of myself for showing up, doing the hard thing, and staying regulated enough to speak at all 😉As the saying goes, “You either get the outcome you want or the lesson you need to learn.” Overall, it was a great experience.

Grateful for the opportunity, the learning, and what’s unfolding next.

If you’re in Ann Arbor, check out my upcoming workshop. There are only 20 spots, intentionally limited to create a space where everyone feels seen, supported, and cared for. Check out some of my slides from the presentation ...

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mind-management-workshop-to-improve-mental-health-registration-1979869172993?aff=oddtdtcreator

Register for Workshop: link in my bio.

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Ann Arbor, MI
48103

Website

http://www.pratidanawellness.com/

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About Us

Hi I'm Melanie

I am passionate about the study of human behavior, in light of God’s word. Human behavior has always fascinated me. We are fragile creatures, yet incredibly resilient and tenacious. I consider it an honor to be chosen for "Kingdom Counseling," and by partnering with clients, I am dedicated to the mission of restoration and healing here on Earth.

Helping you identify beauty, meaning, and purpose, in your life.

I use a psychodynamic approach to conceptualize each client’s story by gathering information from early formative years through current presenting problems. Therapeutic goals and interventions are designed to target the root of the problem, while alleviating symptoms of distress. I help clients find freedom from the past, seek contentment in the present, and pursue what they were created to be, without fear or hesitation. Most clients come to therapy seeking help with overwhelming sadness, depression, anxiety, anger, fear, mood instability, inattention / hyperactive symptoms, and interpersonal conflict in romantic, as well as platonic relationship.