Hope Formanek, MS, LPC Associate, Supervised by Miranda Solis LPC-S

03/20/2026

Postpartum anxiety doesn’t always look like worry.

Sometimes it looks like rage.

Many parents experience sudden bursts of anger, followed by guilt or shame, but these reactions can be linked to a nervous system stuck in survival mode.

In this new blog, psychologist Emily Guarnotta, PsyD, PMH-C explains why postpartum rage happens and shares practical ways to regulate your nervous system and find support.

Anger doesn't mean you're failing. It likely means you need support.

🔗 Read the full blog: https://loom.ly/2cW_WBE

03/11/2026

Did you know it’s Sleep Awareness Week?! 😴

Sleep is one of the most overlooked parts of mental health. When we’re running on empty, everything feels harder: patience is shorter, stress hits faster, emotions feel bigger, and it’s much harder for our brains to regulate.

And the tricky part? When our mental health is struggling, sleep is usually one of the first things to go.

Good sleep won’t solve everything, but it does give your brain and body the foundation it needs to cope, heal, and function.

So in honor of Sleep Awareness Week, consider this your gentle reminder to:
• go to bed a little earlier
• put the phone down sooner
• give your mind time to wind down
• and treat rest as a need, not a luxury

Your mental health depends on it. 💭

What’s one small thing that helps you sleep better? I’d love to hear in the comments!

03/09/2026

Most people assume therapists are endlessly calm.

Like we somehow absorb everyone else’s emotions and walk away untouched.

The truth is much more human.

We regulate too.

Holding space for grief, trauma, anger, and vulnerability is meaningful work—but it’s also emotional work. And emotional capacity has limits for everyone, including therapists.

When we feel emotionally full, we don’t ignore it. We practice the same skills we encourage others to learn.

Sometimes that looks like stepping outside for a few quiet breaths between sessions.
Sometimes it’s writing something down to release it.
Sometimes it’s movement, consultation, reflection, or simply giving our nervous system a moment to reset.

Not because we’re perfect at regulation.

Because regulation is a practice.

The same practice we believe everyone deserves access to.

If you’ve been carrying more than your nervous system can comfortably hold lately, that doesn’t mean you’re failing. It means you’re human.

And humans need space to reset.

02/26/2026

02/18/2026

02/16/2026

Motherhood isn’t a highlight reel. 🫶

Motherhood doesn’t usually look like a highlight reel.
It looks like laundry piles and half-finished coffee.
It looks like sitting at the table longer than you planned because someone is telling you a story that makes no sense but means everything.

We think we’re just getting through the day.
But we’re building memories in the middle of it.
We’re shaping childhood in the quietest ways.

The days feel long.
But the season is short.

And someday we’ll realize we were living inside the good old days without even knowing it.

02/16/2026

What if the most important relationship you’ll ever improve… is the one you have before anyone else even arrives?

A lot of people think therapy is only for couples in crisis.
But the truth is — the communication, boundaries, and self-awareness you build on your own show up in every friendship, every date, every future partnership.

You don’t have to wait for a relationship to start doing relationship work.
Growth isn’t reserved for “later.” It begins with you, right where you are.

02/12/2026

💘 February is the month of love 💘

Love isn’t about avoiding conflict, it’s about learning how to navigate it well.

Today is the final video in this 4-part series on the Four Horsemen of communication. We’re talking about stonewalling: what happens when conflict becomes overwhelming and one partner shuts down.

Identifying these patterns is the first step. Replacing them with healthier ways of communicating is what protects connection.

If this series was helpful, I’d love to hear from you! And feel free to share what topics you’d like to see next.

02/11/2026

💘 February is the month of love 💘

How we handle conflict matters just as much as how we show affection.

Yesterday we talked about defensiveness. Today we’re talking about contempt: why it’s considered the most damaging pattern, what it sounds like, and how it can slowly erode emotional safety in a relationship.

02/11/2026

02/10/2026

💘 February is the month of love 💘

How we handle conflict matters just as much as how we show affection.

Yesterday we talked about criticism. Today we’re talking about defensiveness: what often shows up right after criticism, why it makes conflict escalate, and how it can quietly block connection.

02/09/2026

💘 February is the month of love 💘

But love is also about how we talk to each other, especially during conflict.

Today I’m starting a short series on the Four Horsemen of communication. We’re starting with criticism: what it is, how it shows up, and why it can slowly erode connection in relationships.