Living Resilient Counseling

11/11/2025

11/10/2025

11/09/2025

ℹ️🌿 WHAT I NEEDED TO HEAR TO BEGIN HEALING MY INNER CRITIC |

There is a therapy trick that I’m willing to bet you’ve heard of. It’s a popular technique used to quiet down negative self-talk, a type of reframing called “naming.” Basically, you give your inner critic a name with the intention of reducing its power over you.

Some therapists might take it one step further by encouraging you to reimagine your inner critic as someone you are not a fan of. Then when that voice gets noisy, you go ahead and tell them off.

Read the Full Article: https://cptsdfoundation.org/2022/10/05/what-i-needed-to-hear-to-begin-healing-my-inner-critic/

11/09/2025

ℹ️🌿 THE VITAL IMPORTANCE OF BOUNDARIES |

For survivors of traumatic experiences or growing up in a dysfunctional home, setting boundaries seems like a foreign thing to do. You have not said ‘no’ for so long that it might seem unnatural or even cruel to set a healthy boundary…

Once you have begun speaking up for yourself, it becomes easier each time until you do it regularly. Life will have a different meaning, and your emotional and physical boundaries will be respected. There will be an angry or hurt response from those who were crossing your boundaries regularly, but they will get over it.

Read the Full Article: https://cptsdfoundation.org/2022/11/21/the-vital-importance-of-boundaries/

11/09/2025

11/08/2025

Touch is one of the most powerful regulators of safety and connection in a relationship.
Couples who make physical affection a daily habit—hugs, hand-holding, back rubs, quiet cuddles—tend to feel closer, fight fairer, and repair faster.
And not every post is for everyone. If this isn’t your language of connection, that’s okay. The point is to find your way back to warmth and presence.

11/07/2025

ℹ️🌿 THE DARK CHASM OF DISAPPOINTMENT & LEARNED HELPLESSNESS |

Disappointment to the average person can be upsetting and frustrating. Disappointment to the abuse and neglect survivor and/or those with complex trauma can be devastating. It can generate a deep abyss of sadness, trigger deep feelings of loss and failure, and a painful chasm between our expectations and reality.

As a child, the repetitive abuse of being let down, used, abused, neglected, manipulated, set up for failure, and tripped up for another’s benefit sets the stage for adulthood of the same. An innocent child lives to hope and love, and even more, hopes to be loved yet for some suffering years of letdowns and disappointments by their own parents and family members is the reality.

Read the Full Article: https://cptsdfoundation.org/2022/10/19/the-dark-chasm-of-disappointment-learned-helplessness/

11/07/2025

What Can You Do to Decrease Depression During the Holidays?

Although you may not be able to completely eliminate depression during the holidays, there are things you can do to diminish it (Cleveland Clinic, 2023; University of Rochester Medical Center, n.d.):

Stick to your normal routine as much as possible: You can't feel normal if you don't act normal.

Limit social media use: Social media use is correlated with higher levels of depression.

Make sure to set aside time for yourself every day: Self-care is vital for mood regulation.

Set a realistic budget and stick to it: Overspending is a large cause of stress during the holidays.

Connect to those you can't be with: Call or FaceTime with those you won't be able to see.

Limit alcohol use: Alcohol is a depressant.

Acknowledge a lost loved one: Ignoring a loved one who passed is often more hurtful than engaging in a moment of remembrance.

Set boundaries: Plan to leave early if things get emotionally difficult or just say no to a get-together if it's going to affect you negatively.