Balanced Awakening, P.C.

Balanced Awakening, P.C. Psychotherapists empowering women, couples, and team girls! Balanced Awakening, P.C.

is a psychotherapy niche practice for women run by Hannah Yang, Psy.D., a Licensed Clinical Psychologist.

02/20/2026

Part 5 of “Why We Do What We Do When We Date” 💛

This week is all about regulating before a date 😮‍💨
Especially if first dates leave you feeling activated, anxious, or dysregulated

If this sounds familiar, here are a few grounding reminders 👇
🧭 Set an intention
Before the date, ask yourself:
“What am I here to learn about how I feel?”
Not “How do I get them to like me?”

Giving your body one clear intention helps calm anxiety and attachment fears.

🌿 Regulate your body first
Your body and emotions are connected.
Breathing exercises, grounding, movement, or something warm and comforting (like tea ☕) can help your nervous system settle before you go.

🎯 Lower the stakes
The more pressure you put on a date to go well, the harder it is to trust how you actually feel.
If your only goal is to notice your experience, anything beyond neutral is a win.

And if the date doesn’t feel good?
That’s still useful information.

📍 Chicago + Miami
💻 Virtual therapy in Illinois + Florida

Part 6 next week ✨

02/18/2026

“I release the programming that I have to achieve a certain level of perfection…”

This dance movement piece by Isa Mulcahy, LCPC, is set to “Breath” by Joy Soul — a reminder that healing isn’t about producing or performing. It’s about showing up for yourself.

At Balanced Awakening, we believe in including the body in the healing process. Movement can help us soften old conditioning, reconnect with our nervous system, and remember that we are already enough.

Isa brings this embodied, relational approach into her therapy work here in Chicago.

She is currently accepting new clients.
Learn more about Isa here: https://balancedawakening.com/isabel-mulcahy-lcpc

02/16/2026

Perfectionism is common in medical professionals — and it makes sense 🤍

You want to give the best care.
You want to make the right call.
You want to be the best provider you can be.

But that level of responsibility comes with a lot of pressure.

Dr. Lia Panos names what so many providers experience 👇
🧠 Constant second-guessing
💭 “Did I do the right thing?”
😔 Imposter syndrome
⚖️ Carrying guilt even when you did your best

Caring deeply doesn’t mean you have to carry everything alone.

Support can help you process the pressure
without losing the part of you that wants to do good work.

📍 Dr. Lia Panos is accepting new clients in Chicago

02/13/2026

Part 4 of “Why We Do What We Do When We Date” 💬

This week we’re talking about rejection 😬
How to reject someone
And how learning to do it kindly helps you handle it when it happens to you

Here’s the reframe 👇
When you’re dating, you don’t owe anyone anything beyond:
✨ Curiosity
🤍 Kindness
🗣️ Communication

If you went on the date and explored beyond surface level = curiosity ✅
If you end it so you can both find a better fit = kindness ✅
If you communicate instead of ghosting = communication ✅

One tool that helps a lot:
📌 Have a simple “rejection text” ready ahead of time
Keep it simple
No blaming
No shaming
No guilt

Example script you can keep in your notes 📝
“Hi! I had fun last night. I’m not feeling the connection I’m looking for. Wishing you the best and hope you have a great week.”

Kind doesn’t mean confusing
Clear is a form of care

📍 Chicago + Miami
💻 Virtual therapy in Illinois + Florida

Come back next week for Part 5 ✨

02/11/2026

At Balanced Awakening, we often integrate somatic therapy and nervous system regulation tools into our work.

The Balanced Awakening Collective was created to share some of those same tools beyond the therapy room — in ways that are not therapy, but are psychoeducational, accessible, and easy to integrate into everyday life.

Inside the Collective, you’ll find audios, meditations, and simple exercises you can return to on your own time — supporting awareness, regulation, and connection in a way that feels realistic and supportive.

A gentle way to explore mind–body tools, at your own pace. 🌿

Learn more here: https://www.balancedawakening.com/collective

02/09/2026

Medical professionals need space to debrief 🤍

Sometimes that happens with coworkers.
Sometimes institutions offer group support.
And many times — especially for autonomous providers — it doesn’t happen at all.

Dr. Lia Panos talks about why debriefing matters 👇

🧠 Space to process what just happened
💬 Space to talk through the experience
🤍 Space to notice what emotions show up

Grief.
Discomfort.
Relief.
Even excitement.

All of it deserves room.

Therapy can offer a dedicated place to slow down and make meaning of what you carry — not just move on to the next thing.
📍 Dr. Lia Panos is accepting new clients in Chicago

02/06/2026

Part three of Why We Do What We Do When We Date 📱

This week, Erica Hartmus, LPC breaks down why texting sends so many of us into overthinking mode — and why that’s not a personal flaw.
Texting removes facial expressions, tone, timing, and context. When that information is missing, our brains often fill in the gaps with worst-case scenarios — especially rejection.

This episode explores:
~Why texting isn’t a natural form of human communication
~How delayed responses trigger anxiety and defensiveness
~Why regulating before responding matters
~And when conversations deserve more than words on a screen

You’re not bad at texting.
Texting is just limited.

We support clients in Chicago, Miami, and virtually in Illinois & Florida.

Come back next week for part four.

02/05/2026

For athletes, the message is often:
“Be healthy.”

But healthy according to who?

In her work, Dr. Lia Panos helps athletes slow down and ask a deeper question 👇
🧠 What is actually healthy for YOU?
💪 Mentally
🤍 Physically
🌱 Emotionally

Not what social media says.
Not what a coach demands.
Not what society pushes.
Health isn’t one-size-fits-all.

And following someone else’s definition can pull you away from your own needs.

The work is about noticing the narrative you’ve been given —
and deciding whether it truly serves you.

📍 Dr. Lia Panos is accepting new clients in Chicago

Not all growth is loud or obvious Some of the most meaningful change happens quietly —when you slow down, reflect, and a...
02/03/2026

Not all growth is loud or obvious

Some of the most meaningful change happens quietly —
when you slow down, reflect, and allow things to realign ✨

If this season feels softer, slower, or more internal,
you’re not behind.

You’re integrating 🤍

Therapy can support this kind of growth with intention, clarity, and care

— A winter reflection with Dr. Zulexis

📍 Chicago + Miami
💻 Telehealth in Illinois + Florida

02/02/2026

Burnout in medical and healthcare professions isn’t just about being tired — it’s about carrying an impossible cognitive and emotional load day after day. Dr. Panos talks about why it’s so hard to “leave work at work” and how burnout slowly narrows your life until it feels like you are your job. Therapy can help you create space to process, reconnect, and reclaim parts of yourself beyond work.

01/30/2026

Episode Two of Why We Do What We Do When We Date 💬

This week, Erica Hartmus, LPC explores a question many people ask without realizing what’s underneath it:
Is your “type” actually attraction — or a trauma pattern?

If you often hear yourself say:
“I don’t know why I’m attracted to them,” or
You keep feeling drawn to people who resemble past relationships that hurt you
Your nervous system may be responding to familiarity, not safety.

Anxiety, hypervigilance, or feeling on edge isn’t chemistry — it’s information. This episode invites you to slow down, notice your body and your thoughts, and bring in what Erica calls wise mind: balancing emotion with logic.

We support clients in Chicago, Miami, and virtually in Illinois & Florida.

Come back next week for the next part of the series.

01/29/2026

For many athletes, sport isn’t just what you do —
it’s who you are 🤍

But injuries, age, or life transitions can bring up a hard question:
“Who am I if I can’t do this anymore?”

Dr. Lia Panos works with athletes to explore identity beyond performance 👇

🩰 If you’re a ballerina, who are you outside of ballet?
💭 What do you enjoy?
🧭 What are your values?
🌱 What still gives you a sense of purpose?

When sport has been your safety, your sanity, your home —
the goal isn’t to erase that identity.

It’s to build a sense of self that can expand
so transitions don’t feel like an identity crisis.

📍 Dr. Lia Panos is accepting new clients in Chicago

Address

4043 N Ravenswood, 302
Chicago, IL
60613

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 8pm
Tuesday 12pm - 8pm
Wednesday 8am - 9pm
Thursday 8am - 8pm
Friday 8am - 6pm
Saturday 8am - 3pm

Telephone

+13129674669

Website

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Balanced Awakening, P.C. is a psychotherapy practice specializing in the empowerment of women and women + their partners and families. Run by Hannah Sido, Psy.D., a Licensed Clinical Psychologist, the lively practice now has several talented psychologists to help you live the best life on your terms. We have offices in Andersonville and Lakeview/North Center and can also see you for online therapy if you live in Illinois. We can help you make changes to live life less driven by anxiety and unwanted thoughts/emotions and more driven by joy, passion, and whatever floats your boat.