Apricity Counseling and Wellness

11/05/2025

Your mental health is a garden, and you are the gardener. 🌱 It takes daily, intentional care to help it flourish. Here are 5 of my favorite ways to nurture my mind:

1️⃣ Prioritize Your Physical Well-being
Your mind and body are deeply connected. Fueling yourself with movement, nourishing food, and rest is a profound act of self-respect.

2️⃣ Practice Mindfulness and Relax
In a world that never stops, be intentional about pausing. Even 5 minutes of meditation, deep breathing, or just being present can hit the reset button.

3️⃣ Engage in Activities You Enjoy
What makes you lose track of time? Do more of that! Joy is not a luxury; it's essential fuel for your soul.

4️⃣ Establish Healthy Boundaries
Protecting your peace isn't selfish, it's necessary. Learn to say "no" to what drains you so you can say "yes" to what fulfills you.

5️⃣ Cultivate Supportive Relationships
Surround yourself with people who see and uplift you. We are wired for connection, and a strong support system is a cornerstone of resilience.

Which one resonates most with you today? Let us know in the comments! 👇

10/29/2025

Apricity Counseling and Wellness had the sincere honor to be included in the 2025 Change-Makers: Stories That Inspire by Voyage Minnesota. voyageminnesota

You can check out the article below to learn more about our vision, our clinic, our “Apricity” ❄️☀️

https://voyageminnesota.com/interview/meet-mackenzie-kerber-of-apricity-counseling-and-wellness?fbclid=PAQ0xDSwNvg9RleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABpyD1K7rQy4zBJHBlpfONYApP6nRz_LjyApprYico4j0Yt_YhtClG2YgeAI1R_aem_bGyq7XoXAcigm8Ht20dsOg

10/28/2025

Ever feel like your emotions are in the driver's seat? 😥 → 😠 → 🥳 → 😵‍💫

You're not alone. We all have big feelings, but the key to well-being isn't to avoid them—it's to learn how to regulate them.

Emotional regulation isn't about suppression. It's about becoming the calm, observant pilot of your own inner world. It's the difference between being a storm and weathering a storm.

Next time you’re in the middle of an emotional hurricane, try the STOP skill and let us know how it goes!

10/15/2025

Make Halloween fun, safe, and inclusive for everyone! 🎃✨

A trauma-informed approach helps children feel empowered and supported, while still enjoying the creativity and excitement of the season. Parents, caregivers, and communities can all help make Halloween joyful and welcoming for all.

Check out the full blog post for more tips on creating a trauma-informed Halloween (link in bio or click below) ⬇️

https://www.apricitycw.com/post/a-trauma-informed-halloween

10/13/2025

Trauma isn't just a story you tell. It's a physical experience your body remembers.

That "on-edge" feeling, the tension in your shoulders, the way you startle easily—this is your body's intelligent, protective language.

Healing from trauma isn't just about talking. It's also about:
🧘‍♀️ Reconnecting with your body safely.
🌬️ Regulating your nervous system through breath.
🌳 Finding stillness in nature.

Your body was there then. Be kind to it as it learns it's safe now.

10/08/2025

Trauma doesn’t have to be a life sentence. It’s a wound.

And like any wound, it needs care, patience, and time to heal. It's not a sign of weakness to carry this wound. It's a sign of having survived something difficult.

You are not broken. You are adapting.

You are not defined by what happened to you. You are defined by your incredible strength in navigating its aftermath.

If this resonates, please know: your feelings are valid. Your experience is real. And healing is not a linear path—it's okay to have good days and hard days.

You are not alone. 💙

10/05/2025

Feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or just not like yourself? The support you're looking for is closer than you think. Apricity Counseling and Wellness offers secure and effective online therapy to Minnesotans across the state.

We make it simple:
✅ Specialized care from our expert clinicians
✅ Secure, easy-to-use video platform
✅ Comfort and privacy of your own space

Your journey to wellness starts here. Link in bio to get matched with a therapist today.

09/28/2025

Think of your nervous system like your body's car. 🚗

✅ Regulated (Ventral Vagal State): You're in the driver's seat. You can access calm, connection, and clarity. You're cruising smoothly, able to handle life's curves.

⚠️ Mobilized (Sympathetic State): The gas pedal is stuck. This is fight or flight. You feel anxious, stressed, irritable, or overwhelmed. Your body is ready for danger.

⛔ Shut Down (Dorsal Vagal State): The brakes are slammed. This is freeze or collapse. You feel numb, disconnected, fatigued, or hopeless. It's a total energy conservation mode.

We're designed to move through all these states, but modern life can get us stuck in the "gas" or "brake" positions.

So, what is regulation?
It's learning how to shift gears yourself.

It's not about eliminating stress or big feelings. It's about building the capacity to return to that "driver's seat" state more easily.

Simple Regulation Practices:
➡️ For Overwhelm (Stuck Gas): Sighing exhales, shaking out your limbs, brisk walk.
➡️ For Shutdown (Stuck Brakes): Humming or singing, warm drink, gentle movement.
➡️ For Staying in the Driver's Seat: Morning sunlight, deep belly breathing, connecting with a safe person.

Regulation is a skill, not a personality trait. And it's one we can all practice 🌸

What's one way you help regulate your nervous system today? Share below! 👇

09/25/2025

Ever wonder what's really happening in a play therapy session? It's more than just play! 🧸

For children, play is their natural language. They often don't have the words to express big feelings like anxiety, grief, or frustration. Play therapy gives them a safe space to use toys as their words and play as their conversation.

Through specially chosen activities, a trained play therapist helps a child:
✨ Express difficult emotions
✨ Process challenging experiences
✨ Develop coping skills
✨ Build self-esteem and resilience

It’s a powerful, evidence-based way to support a child's emotional well-being. If you have questions about whether play therapy could help your child, feel free to email us at admin@apricitycw.com or call 651-348-8551.

Ready to set up an appointment? Request an appointment ⬇️

https://www.apricitycw.com/request-services

09/24/2025

Ever feel like your brain gets "stuck" on a distressing memory? 🧠⏸️ You're not alone. After a difficult experience, the brain can have trouble processing it fully, leaving you with the same intense emotions and reactions.

That's where EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) can help. Think of it like a reboot for your brain's processing system.

In an EMDR session, instead of just talking about the memory, your therapist will guide you in using bilateral stimulation (like side-to-side eye movements, taps, or sounds) while you briefly focus on the upsetting event.

Why the side-to-side stimulation? It's believed to mimic the same process that happens during REM (dream) sleep, helping your brain naturally digest and file away the memory. The memory doesn't disappear, but it loses its emotional charge. The "stuck" feeling is released.

In short: EMDR helps your brain heal itself from past trauma, so you can remember the event without the painful emotional overwhelm.

Interest in EMDR? Feel free to out👇

https://www.apricitycw.com/request-services

09/22/2025

Super cool new resource for our friends in Dakota County! And it’s FREE!!

Meet CredibleMind, a website full of mental health, wellness and recovery information, articles, podcasts and videos.

https://dakotacounty.crediblemind.com/?fbclid=PAQ0xDSwM9dslleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABp671IMWS4vnMikLy4cBOy5IMHBr8PS-s4VaTOXnMU6N5gDuS6WuzzoO6Ke9f_aem_E0X2gr6IpXGImv1O33Otsw

CredibleMind contains general mental health information, including videos, podcasts, articles and more. Dakota County is providing free access to this website for use by county residents.