Mindful Life

11/26/2025

Reminder ‼️‼️

✨ Self-Care Giveaway Reminder! ✨
If you haven’t entered yet… now’s your chance!

We’re giving away a cozy, calming, and fully loaded Self-Care Basket designed to help you unwind, reset, and nourish your well-being.

How to Enter:

Not a current client?

-- Like and follow Mindful Life on Facebook

-- Share this giveaway post

-- Comment “done” when finished

Current clients:

-- Leave a review on our Google page and page
https://share.google/BpfHHLP64g2Q1XIwL

-- Comment “done” once your review is posted

What’s inside the basket?
A throw blanket, Simple Modern cup, snacks, candle, bath bombs, bath salts, face masks, mindfulness coloring book, markers, fidget tools, two self-growth books, Let That S**t Go Journal, Shadow Work Journal, The Good Patch (B-12 Awake + Relax), and a $25 Starbucks gift card.

Deadline: November 28
Winner announced: December 1

Take a moment to enter — your future relaxed self will thank you.

11/19/2025

✨ Self-Care Giveaway Reminder! ✨
If you haven’t entered yet… now’s your chance!

We’re giving away a cozy, calming, and fully loaded Self-Care Basket designed to help you unwind, reset, and nourish your well-being.

How to Enter:

Not a current client?

-- Like and follow Mindful Life on Facebook

-- Share this giveaway post

-- Comment “done” when finished

Current clients:

-- Leave a review on our Google page and page
https://share.google/BpfHHLP64g2Q1XIwL

-- Comment “done” once your review is posted

What’s inside the basket?
A throw blanket, Simple Modern cup, snacks, candle, bath bombs, bath salts, face masks, mindfulness coloring book, markers, fidget tools, two self-growth books, Let That S**t Go Journal, Shadow Work Journal, The Good Patch (B-12 Awake + Relax), and a $25 Starbucks gift card.

Deadline: November 28
Winner announced: December 1

Take a moment to enter — your future relaxed self will thank you.

11/07/2025

Weekly reminder to enter our giveaway!

Please make sure to comment “done” onto this post once you’ve finished, because if your profile is set to private we cannot see if you have shared the post! 🫶🏻

Take time for you. Enter for a chance to win a Self-Care Basket designed to help you rest, recharge, and refocus.

What’s Inside the Basket ✨
- Cozy Throw Blanket
- Simple Modern Cup
- Snacks
- Candle
- Bath Bombs, Bath Salts, and Face Masks
- Mindfulness Coloring Book and Markers
- Fidget toys
- The Good Patch (B-12 Awake + Relax)
- Let That S**t Go Journal
- Shadow Work Journal
- Wintering by Katherine May
- Don’t Believe Everything You Think by Joseph Nguyen
- $25 Starbucks gift card ☕

How to Enter 💫

Not a current client:
1️⃣ Like and follow Mindful Life on Facebook
2️⃣ Share the giveaway post

Current clients:
Leave a review on both our page and Google page, that’s it!
https://share.google/BpfHHLP64g2Q1XIwL

Important Dates:
🗓️ Entries close: November 28
🏆 Winner announced: December 1

10/31/2025

Mindful Life Self-Care Giveaway 🌿

Take time for you. Enter for a chance to win a Self-Care Basket designed to help you rest, recharge, and refocus.

What’s Inside the Basket ✨

- Cozy Throw Blanket

- Simple Modern Cup

- Snacks

- Candle

- Bath Bombs, Bath Salts, and Face Masks

- Mindfulness Coloring Book and Markers

- Fidget toys

- The Good Patch (B-12 Awake + Relax)

- Let That S**t Go Journal

- Shadow Work Journal

- Wintering by Katherine May

- Don’t Believe Everything You Think by Joseph Nguyen

- $25 Starbucks gift card ☕

How to Enter 💫

Not a current client:
1️⃣ Like and follow Mindful Life on Facebook
2️⃣ Share the giveaway post

Current clients:
Leave a review on both our page and Google page, that’s it!
https://share.google/BpfHHLP64g2Q1XIwL

Important Dates:

🗓️ Entries close: November 28
🏆 Winner announced: December 1

EDIT: please make sure to comment “done” onto this post once you’ve finished, because if your profile is set to private we cannot see if you have shared the post! 🫶🏻

10/17/2025

We all wear masks, not to deceive, but to survive. Each one was built with purpose, often long before we even realized it. These masks protected us from pain, rejection, and shame. But over time, what once protected us can start to confine us.

🎃 The Perfection Mask strives for flawlessness to avoid criticism and maintain control. Beneath it often lives deep fear of inadequacy.
👻 The Humor Mask uses laughter to deflect discomfort and keep others from seeing emotional pain.
🕯️ The Caretaker Mask focuses outward, caring for others to avoid facing one’s own unmet needs.
🕸️ The Stoic Mask suppresses emotional expression to maintain stability and safety.
🧠 The Intellectual Mask explains, analyzes, and rationalizes to avoid feeling too much.
🩸 The Martyr Mask overextends for others to earn love and validation through sacrifice.

These roles once served a function. They helped us navigate unsafe or uncertain environments. But healing asks something different of us. It invites us to slowly, safely, begin taking the masks off.

Unmasking can feel vulnerable, even frightening. Yet it’s through that process that we reconnect with our authentic self, the part of us that doesn’t need to perform to be worthy.

You don’t have to drop every mask at once. Start by noticing when one appears, and ask what it’s trying to protect. That’s where the real work, and the real freedom, begins.

If you’re ready to explore the masks you wear and rediscover your authentic self, reach out to Mindful Life. Together, we can help you find safety in showing up as you truly are.

10/01/2025

Bringing back my favorite post from last year in honor of the season of slowing down.

Happy October 1st! I wanted to share a very personal message and coping skill with you all today.

Our brains are hardwired to see the negative. We are much more likely to care about safety over happiness. It's in our constant pursuit of safety that we lose sight of the present. I'm here to tell you, being connected to the present is the secret to happiness. In our attempt to feel "safe," we become prisoner to the past and future. We embody the mindset, "I'll be happy when...." or "What if....this happens."

I practice grounding to the present by romanticizing the small and mundane moments. Because when I am at the end of my life, I'll only be left with a handful of the "big" moments. But the entirety of who I am will be a culmination of the "tiny" moments, those are what truly make up the sum of my life. So I choose to notice the way the Autumn air smells, the way my morning coffee tastes just right, and the sound of my child's laughter after a hard day. I choose to make October 1st magical because I am so incredibly lucky to live in a world where Octobers exist.

I choose to believe that these "tiny" moments are actually the big moments. These are the moments that matter the most, and the ones we so easily take for granted.

I hope you slow down today and intentionally choose to see how beautiful and magical this present moment is.

09/26/2025

Our amazing therapist, Kelsey Chapman, has been busy learning, growing, and bringing new tools to her work with couples and individuals! She recently completed two specialized trainings that we’re so excited to highlight:

✨ Gottman Level 2 Training

📚 Research-based methods for improving relationships

💬 Helps couples improve communication, reduce conflict, and rebuild trust

💞 Ideal for couples who feel stuck in the same arguments or want to strengthen their bond

✨ Sensate Focus Training

🪷 A mindfulness-based approach to intimacy and connection

🤝 Encourages couples to slow down, reduce pressure, and reconnect through touch and presence

🌹 Ideal for couples experiencing low desire, performance anxiety, or wanting to rekindle closeness

💡 When combined, these two powerful approaches help couples not only communicate better, but also reconnect emotionally and physically. Kelsey’s advanced training means more support, more tools, and more ways to help clients feel understood and truly connected.

💬 “Intimacy begins when the pressure fades and presence takes place.”

📞 Ready to begin your journey toward deeper connection? Contact us today to schedule a consultation, we’re here to help.

09/11/2025

It’s easy to get frustrated when life doesn’t go as planned. The burnt toast. The coffee spill. The alarm that doesn’t go off. In the moment, it feels like life is working against us.

But sometimes… those very interruptions are what protect us.

On September 11th, there were people who survived simply because of a delay: a child who needed five more minutes, a train that ran late, a shirt that needed to be changed. What seemed like an inconvenience became a lifeline.

Today, as we remember the lives lost and the heroism shown, we’re also reminded to hold compassion for the detours and delays in our own lives. Instead of asking why is this happening to me, maybe we can learn to ask how is this helping me ?We may never fully see the protection hidden inside those small pauses, but we can choose to trust that even in frustration, there is meaning.

Take a breath. Honor the pause. And hold space for gratitude in the unexpected.

09/05/2025

Happy Friday!!

I hope you all are prepared for the amount of bragging I'll be doing on my team over these next few months. Part of my mission at Mindful Life is to bring quality care to the community, and I'm so thankful I have a team that consistently wants to learn and be the best version that they can be for their clients.

We’re excited to share that Madeline is completing training in the Fundamentals of Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT).

✨ What is EFT?
Traditionally, EFT has been widely used with couples to help partners repair conflict, deepen emotional bonds, and create secure attachment. Grounded in attachment theory, EFT helps people feel safe, understood, and connected in their most important relationships.

✨ How Madeline is Tailoring EFT for Children & Families
Madeline is bringing this powerful, research-based approach into her work with children and families. By blending EFT principles with her parent coaching framework, she will support parents in understanding and reshaping the emotional patterns that influence connection with their children.

🌱 Mindful Parenting with Madeline
Through Mindful Parenting, Madeline provides parents with tools to:

🌳 Recognize generational patterns influencing your connection with your child

🧘 Gain skills to respond to behaviors with intention rather than reaction

💞 Build a more secure attachment for your child

🗣️ Improve family communication and reduce conflict

🌈 Better understand your child’s feelings and respond with empathy

Madeline’s work is all about helping families feel more connected, secure, and understood, laying the foundation for stronger bonds that last a lifetime.

✨ Interested in Mindful Parenting with Madeline Paul?
Book a free consultation today at mindfullifecounseling.org

09/03/2025

After my last chat from the therapy couch, I started reflecting on what I need to let go of. This season, I'm leaning into letting go of old narratives that no longer serve me. As a business owner, therapist, mother, wife, daughter, friend... it's easy to feel the pressure to be it all for everyone. Here's a little secret, you can't do it all. Odds are, if you're trying to, you're feeling the weight of that. In this season of slowing down, I'm letting go of the expectation that my to do list will ever be completed. I'm letting go of the expectation that I can do it all, because my worth isn't based upon my productivity. In fact, I show up as a better business owner, therapist, mother, wife, daughter, and friend when I accept my limitations for what they are....HUMANNESS. I hope you embrace your humanness today, and delegate something off that to do list to someone else. You're enough as you are, let go of anything that tells you otherwise.

08/29/2025

Happy Friday!

We are thrilled to celebrate Jonathan for completing training in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy.

If you’ve never heard of EMDR before, here’s why this is such an incredible achievement and why it matters for anyone who has faced trauma.

✨ What is EMDR?
EMDR is a groundbreaking, evidence-based therapy that helps the brain heal from trauma. Instead of simply talking about painful experiences, EMDR helps the brain reprocess distressing memories so they no longer feel overwhelming or “stuck.”

Through guided eye movements (or other forms of bilateral stimulation), the brain is able to file traumatic memories away in a healthier way, allowing space for relief, resilience, and healing.

💡 Why EMDR Works So Well
Trauma often lingers not just in our minds, but in our bodies and nervous systems. Traditional talk therapy can provide insight and support, but EMDR directly targets how trauma is stored in the brain. That is why it is often faster and more effective than many other trauma treatments.

Clients who go through EMDR frequently report:
✅ Relief from flashbacks and nightmares
✅ Less anxiety and hypervigilance
✅ Greater peace in their body and mind
✅ Feeling more present and in control of their life

📊 The Proof is in the Research
Studies show that 77–90% of people with PTSD experience major symptom relief in just 6–12 sessions of EMDR.
That is why organizations like the American Psychiatric Association, the World Health Organization, and the Department of Veterans Affairs all recommend EMDR as one of the most effective treatments for trauma.

🙌 Why We’re Excited
With Jonathan Ford now trained in EMDR, our team is even better equipped to help clients release the weight of their past and move forward with freedom, peace, and strength.

EMDR is more than therapy. It is freedom from the past.

Healing starts here → mindfullifecounseling.org 🌱📲

08/27/2025

It is my greatest honor to announce the newest member of the team, Alyssa Banet, LMHCA. This one is bittersweet, as she is filling the LAST open office space in our building. That feels surreal, and I can't imagine a more perfect person to be joining this team.

Below are some welcoming words from Alyssa:

"I believe meaningful change begins in safe, trusting, and supportive relationships. I offer a compassionate and nonjudgmental space where you can show up fully as yourself, honoring YOUR thoughts, emotions, identities, and experiences. As a q***r therapist, I’m committed to creating an inclusive space for LGBTQIA+ and marginalized individuals. Feeling safe and affirmed in therapy matters, and I work to ensure every client feels accepted just as they are. I have worked with clients across the life-span, from children, to adolescents, to adults, supporting individuals experiencing anxiety, depression, trauma, and substance use. My approach is trauma-informed, and tailored to your unique needs. Using evidence-based practices like DBT, CBT, and Motivational Interviewing, we’ll explore the connection between thoughts, emotions, and behaviors while building tools for coping, emotional regulation, and self-compassion.

Therapy is a collaborative process and one that is shaped by your unique needs and goals. There is no one-size-fits-all approach, and I strive to meet you where you are with curiosity, flexibility, and respect. Together, we can create a space where your voice leads the way, where you feel heard and accepted, and where healing can take the form that feels most meaningful to you.

Above all, I see therapy as a space for authentic growth, empowerment, and connection, and I am honored to be a part of your journey."

Alyssa will begin seeing clients with us on September 15th, and she is already starting to get clients on her schedule. If you've been thinking about reaching out, here is your sign to do so.

Reach out to us at mindfullifecounseling.org to schedule a complimentary consultation or book your intake!