The Healing Couch Counseling, PLLC

01/01/2026

As the new year begins, remember that you are the same incredible person you were yesterday. 2026 offers more days to treat yourself with kindness.

Whether you are resting deeply or simply staying present in the quiet, take a deep grounding breath. You made it through.

There's no need to reinvent yourself; the resilient version of you that persevered is deserving of love. Focus on embracing kindness towards yourself, as you are already enough. ✨

12/31/2025

Countdown to Calm:

As the sun sets on 2025, check in with your body. Are your shoulders up by your ears? Is your jaw clenched? Soften where you can. Let’s embrace rest.

12/31/2025

Countdown to Calm:

Make a mental list of one thing you’re leaving behind in 2025. It could be a self-critical thought, a heavy expectation, or a habit of saying "yes" when you meant "no." Let go of this burden and embrace the new possibilities that await you.

12/31/2025

Countdown to Calm:

Before the day gets busy, take three deep breaths. Today doesn't have to be about "finishing" everything; it’s just about being here. Let’s move through these final hours of 2025 with intention rather than urgency. ☕✨

12/22/2025

The holidays are often depicted as full of laughter, lights, and togetherness. But if you’re grieving, they can highlight the spaces left behind—the empty chair, the quiet where a voice once was, the traditions that feel different now.

It’s normal to feel a mix of emotions: sadness, longing, and even moments of joy that come with remembering. You don’t have to push your grief aside to enjoy the season. Your feelings can coexist with the small comforts and moments of connection that still exist.

Here are gentle ways to care for yourself this season:

1️⃣ Honor Your Pace
You don’t have to attend every event or participate in every tradition. Give yourself permission to step back, take breaks, or leave early if your energy fades.

2️⃣ Create a Connection Ritual
Light a candle, play a song, or share a story about your loved one. Small acts like these help you honor their memory while grounding yourself in the present.

3️⃣ Hold Mixed Emotions
You can feel both sorrow and warmth at the same time. Feeling grief doesn’t cancel out joy—you can carry both within you.

4️⃣ Ground Yourself
Take a few deep breaths, notice your surroundings, or gently touch a comforting object. Even brief grounding practices can help steady your nervous system when grief feels heavy.

The affirmations in the graphic are small reminders that it’s okay to hold space for your feelings.

12/22/2025

Sometimes, the holidays don’t feel bright. They bring up absence, change, strained relationships, or losses that don’t pause just because it’s December.

The holidays can amplify grief, reminding us of the ones we miss and the changes we've faced. For those experiencing a 'blue Christmas', please know that it’s okay to feel this way.

If the holidays feel heavy, you’re not alone.

Read more about navigating grief during the holidays here: https://wix.to/NIL2LX7

For many people, December does not feel bright or celebratory. It feels heavy. It can carry the weight of who is missing, what has changed, or what never quite healed. When grief is present, the holidays can amplify it rather than distract from it.A “blue Christmas” is a natural response to loss...

11/08/2025

Series Wrap-Up: A Look Back at the Four Patterns

We’ve explored four common relational habits—people-pleasing, perfectionism, conflict avoidance, and over-functioning—that can quietly drain your energy and disconnect you from your own needs.

These patterns began as survival strategies, keeping you safe and offering a sense of worth—but over time, they stop serving you. Changing them isn’t about instant transformation—it’s about small, gentle shifts that rebuild trust with yourself.

Pause before responding. Practice saying “no.” Accept “good enough.” State your needs. Notice the moments you fall into old patterns, and give yourself permission to try something different.

Awareness plus intentional practice opens the door to more authentic, balanced relationships. You deserve to be seen, heard, and valued—without fear or obligation.

Explore the full article here: https://wix.to/10xrdDa

A Look Back at the Four PatternsThroughout this series, we’ve explored four common relational habits that can subtly undermine your well-being: • People-Pleasing: Prioritizing others' comfort above your own needs, often leading to resentment and exhaustion. • Perfectionism: The relentless purs...

11/08/2025

You hold everything together—at work, at home, for everyone.
But lately, the weight of being “the responsible one” feels heavy.

That quiet exhaustion and resentment? It’s often the hidden cost of doing too much for too long.

Sometimes responsibility becomes over-functioning—a way to feel safe in chaos.
Doing less isn’t neglect. It’s an act of trust—in yourself and in others.

Read the full blog: The Secret Cost of Responsibility: Why You Feel Resentful and Burned Out. https://wix.to/V7uaigH

You’re the dependable one—the person everyone can count on. You step in before things fall apart, notice what others miss, and hold everything together when no one else seems to. Being responsible feels like second nature. But lately, it’s starting to feel heavier. You might feel drained, unap...

10/22/2025

Feeling overwhelmed? 🌿
EMDR resourcing isn’t just for therapy sessions. Build your personal EMDR resourcing toolkit and access calm, grounding, and inner strength anytime — at home, at work, or wherever you are. https://wix.to/9dSsECN

Welcome to your EMDR resourcing kit! The goal of resourcing is to help you build an internal foundation of strength and calm that you can access immediately when you feel overwhelmed, stressed, or triggered. These resources are tools we use to help you stay within your Window of Tolerance—the stat...

10/19/2025

Saying 'Yes' when you mean 'No' could cost you more than you think. Conflict avoidance can create hidden resentments and disconnect you from your true self.

Check out our latest post that explores the emotional costs of avoiding conflict.

Read more here:

You said "Yes" when you meant "No." You bit your tongue in a meeting. You gave in to keep the peace. In that moment, it felt like the right thing to do—a way to stay safe, keep the harmony, or avoid the stress of a fight. But that silence comes with a price.Avoiding conflict may seem like the safe...

10/18/2025

Your body remembers trauma, even when your mind doesn’t.

💡 Learn how your Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) drives survival reactions like panic or freeze.

Discover steps toward understanding and healing in our latest post. 🔗 https://wix.to/0FgbwMV

Have you ever felt completely overwhelmed, shut down, or constantly on edge without knowing why? These intense physical and emotional states are signals from your body's survival system.The Polyvagal Theory, as explained in the Polyvagal Institute’s video “Trauma and the Nervous System: A Polyva...

10/12/2025

Perfectionism often looks like discipline or ambition—but it’s really about feeling like you have to be perfect to feel safe, accepted, or worthy. It can drive anxiety, self-criticism, procrastination, and overwork, leaving even your successes feeling hollow.

It often starts in early life, when love or approval felt conditional. For those with codependent patterns, striving for perfection becomes a way to control how others see us and avoid rejection.

Read more here: https://wix.to/hd0v6sR

When we talk about perfectionism, we often picture someone disciplined, organized, and always achieving. But in reality, perfectionism isn’t about being perfect—it’s about feeling like you have to be perfect to feel safe, accepted, or worthy.Perfectionism may look like ambition, but it can sec...