Lionhearted Counseling LLC

02/19/2026

🚧 💭 Boundaries Series | Part 3: When Boundaries Turn Into Walls

Sometimes, what we think is a boundary is actually a wall, especially if it comes from fear, old wounds, or wanting to get back at someone.

When that happens, a “boundary” and its purpose changes. Instead of protecting you, it starts to isolate you.

🧱 This wall then keeps people out completely.

☑️ A healthy boundary protects you while still allowing the right people in, in a way that feels safe and steady.

It leaves space for honest conversation and repair, instead of blocking connection.

If your personal limits are making you feel cut off, defensive, or lonely, it may be worth asking yourself if they’re really helping you or just keeping people away.

➡️ UP NEXT: We’ll look at why boundaries are NOT tools to control others or excuse harmful behavior.

02/18/2026

🚧 💭 Boundaries Series | Part 2: The Most Loving Thing You Can Do For Yourself

Setting clear boundaries is one of the kindest things you can do for yourself and those around you.

They create clarity, show others how to treat you with respect, and protect you from burnout so you can stay true to yourself and be present in your relationships.

♦︎ In a work setting, it might look like saying, “I’m available to talk after 5,” or “I can take this on, but I’ll need the deadline moved to Friday.”

♦︎ In love, it looks like naming what you need without blaming, like, “I want to work through this with you, and I need us to keep it calm and take breaks if it gets heated.”

If you don’t set limits, resentment can build up. This can lead to misunderstandings and, over time, may cause feelings you don’t want.

➡️ UP NEXT: We’ll look at what happens when boundaries lose their warmth and start to feel like walls.

02/17/2026

🚧 💭 Boundaries Series | Part 1: What They Are & What They’re Not

Many people don’t fully understand what boundaries are, because the idea of personal limits often comes up only after someone gets hurt.

In that moment, it can be used to end conversations or make a point instead of bringing clarity.

❌ Some people never learned how to set them because they didn’t have anyone to show them how.

❌ Other times, people use the boundary language when they’re actually just creating distance, trying to control, or pulling away emotionally.

So what’s a healthy boundary, and how do you set and express one?

↳ Boundaries are NOT the same as putting up walls or making threats, like “If you do that again, I’m done.”

↳ A healthy boundary sounds more like, “If voices get raised, I’m going to take a break and we can come back to this when we’re both calm.”

This series will help you see your personal limits as tools for proper communication, integrity, safety, and building closer relationships, so follow along closely.

➡️ UP NEXT: We’ll talk about why practicing a boundary can be one of the most caring choices you make.

02/16/2026

Many parents think that raising expectations will automatically help their kids succeed.

In reality, kids become more resilient when they learn to deal with setbacks and keep trying, especially when they have steady and realistic support.

This article looks at how changing expectations and setting smaller, reachable goals can help kids become more persistent and confident over time.

www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/parenting-matters/202601/do-parental-expectations-help-or-hurt

Life is made up of many failures. It is important for parents to help children learn how to both expect and tolerate them.

02/12/2026

Many people come to measure their value by how well they meet expectations, rather than by who they are intrinsically.

When objectification takes hold, worth can become dependent on the validation of others.

It becomes tied to appearance, productivity, or roles, …instead of something authentic and inherent.

In moments like this, it can help to remember that your value isn’t something to prove.

Pausing to check in with your feelings and your body can gently remind you that you don’t need perception or approval to reconnect with what feels true within. 💖

02/11/2026

The secret to real happiness is often found within. 🦋

It’s easy to believe happiness will come once life looks successful enough.

But in a healing journey, you discover that fulfillment tends to grow in quiet ways.

True happiness is rarely loud or dramatic.

It settles in slowly, through a growing ease with your own life, deeper trust in yourself, and small moments of calm that make ordinary days feel whole and meaningful.

02/10/2026

💙 GOOD READ OF THE MONTH 💙

Intimacy often begins with understanding connection and self-acceptance, without the pressure to get it “right.”

In Mirror of Intimacy: Daily Reflections on Emotional and Erotic Intelligence, Alexandra Katehakis and Tom Bliss share daily reflections that explore intimacy and sexuality as meaningful parts of the human experience.

From ancient myths to mind-body meditation practices, the book invites readers to deepen emotional awareness and self-understanding with intimacy.

Written for those seeking more loving relationships and greater self-love, this book offers a thoughtful space for reflection and self-discovery.

Read along and share your thoughts with us. 📖

02/09/2026

Brain health isn’t something to save for “someday.” Research shows it’s built through small, everyday habits that shape how the brain functions over time.

Sleep, movement, nutrition, and stress management all support focus and mental energy at every age, and starting earlier helps those benefits strengthen and support overall health at every age.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/feed-your-brain/202601/the-brain-health-wake-up-call

Brain health is built daily. Science, lifestyle, and nutrition can shape focus, memory, and resilience at every age.

02/05/2026

The one person you are always meant to love is yourself. 💖

For many people, trying to be someone else becomes a way to feel safe or accepted.

Over time, carrying the expectations of others can be exhausting and can quietly take away joy, ease, and trust in one’s own feelings.

When people begin to embrace who they are, life starts to feel less like something to manage. Less energy goes into coping, and more goes into actually living.

• Speaking without rehearsing.
• Setting boundaries with self love.
• Letting moments of joy happen without second-guessing.
• Dropping performative behaviors to impress others.

Authenticity is sometimes all it takes to feel whole again.

02/04/2026

Not all trauma counseling is meant to do the same thing.💡

Understanding the difference can help someone feel more supported when choosing the kind of care that best fits their needs.

When life feels overwhelming, trauma-informed care helps create a sense of stability. It makes therapy feel predictable and grounded, with attention to safety, trust, and calming the nervous system.

As safety grows, trauma-focused care can help address painful experiences more directly. This deeper work is most helpful when it’s paced carefully and supported along the way.

Effective therapy holds both, offering safety first and gently supporting healing when you’re ready.

02/03/2026

Healing from addiction requires care and treatment for both trauma and behaviors.

When trauma is addressed without behavioral support, change can feel fragile. And when treatment focuses only on behaviors, the pain underneath can remain unseen and unaddressed.

Sustainable recovery becomes possible when both are treated together.

The nervous system begins to regulate, emotional responses feel less overwhelming, and coping skills become easier to apply day to day.

When you need someone in your corner to support your healing, we are here. 💙🦁

02/03/2026

It often takes only a minute to move past a work of art. But what if we choose to look a little closer?

Research shows that slowing down to pause, changes what we notice. Taking the time to truly observe is often where beauty, immersion, and deeper understanding begin to emerge.

Learn more about how staying present shapes our experience of art and what it reveals about the nature of aesthetic encounters.

www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/brain-behavior-and-beauty/202601/how-slow-looking-changes-our-experience-of-art

When we take the time to be present and curious, we allow for more complex aesthetic and emotional responses to emerge.