The Healing Couch Counseling, PLLC

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...

10/02/2025

✨ The People-Pleaser’s Paradox ✨
Always saying yes to others might feel like kindness—but it can quietly drain your energy, blur your sense of self, and even build frustration or resentment.

In my latest blog, I dive into the subtle ways people-pleasing shows up, why it develops, and practical shifts you can start making today to honor your own needs without losing your caring nature.

It can feel rewarding to meet others’ needs, but there’s a hidden cost. Constantly putting everyone else first can quietly drain your energy, blur your sense of self, and build frustration or resentment—even toward the people you care about most. What begins as a caring, supportive habit can g...

09/26/2025

🌿 CODEPENDENCY DOESN’T MEAN YOU’RE DEPENDENT 🌿

When most people hear the word codependency, they picture someone who’s needy or can’t function alone. But that’s not the reality. Many people with codependent patterns are actually strong, independent, and capable.

💡 Codependency isn’t about whether you can function—it’s about how you’ve learned to find safety and worth through others. These patterns often develop when love or security felt uncertain growing up.

In this series, I’ll be exploring four common codependent behaviors:
✔️ People-pleasing
✔️ Perfectionism
✔️ Conflict avoidance
✔️ Over-functioning

Each of these looks different, but at the root, they all involve losing touch with your own needs to keep relationships “safe.”

💭 If you’ve ever wondered why setting boundaries, saying “no,” or voicing your needs feels hard—this series is for you.

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

What is Codependency? When you hear the word codependency, what comes to mind? Maybe you picture someone who’s needy or can’t function on their own. That’s a common misconception. Many people with codependent patterns are actually highly capable, independent, and successful.Codependency isn’...

09/19/2025

✨ Even when chaos feels familiar, we can choose calm. ✨

Calm might feel unfamiliar at first because our nervous system is used to stress — and that’s okay. With small, steady steps like pausing before reacting, slow breathing, or gentle movement, calm can start to feel safe and even restorative. 🌿

💭 Reflection: When life is calm, how does your body respond? Ease, restlessness, or curiosity?

Start small. One gentle moment at a time.

https://www.michelleslaterlpc.com/post/5-tools-for-choosing-calm-when-chaos-feels-familiar