Angela Hayes Counseling

12/29/2025

Keep handy if you need it, various ways to stay calm.
🤗🤗

12/19/2025

12/12/2025

Gentle Reminder. 💛💐

11/26/2025

The holiday season should light up your nervous system with warmth, not drain it with stress. 🎇

When you spend time with people who feel like “work,” your brain shifts into survival mode, spiking cortisol and stealing joy. But when you choose peace and authentic connection, your nervous system relaxes, your mind rewires for resilience, and your body heals. 🧠✨

This season, protect your energy like a gift. Surround yourself with people who feel like rest, not labor.

11/22/2025

What a great conference and chance to connect with colleagues in the amazing field of counseling. It is such a honor to serve others in this helping profession! Grateful to attend with one my dearest friends and colleagues Kimberly, K. Williams Music

11/20/2025

Loving someone and protecting your life are not competing values.

You can care deeply and still choose boundaries.
Both can be true at the same time.

11/20/2025

Sharing stories with one another can help each other feel seen, heard, understood.

Most people think storytelling is powerful because it lets you “express yourself.” But the impact goes far deeper than expression: your brain changes when your story is witnessed.

When someone is present with you—really present—your nervous system receives signals it never had during the original experience: You’re safe. You’re not alone. Someone sees what happened.

That shift matters, because the memory that once lived in isolation finally has a new context. That’s what rewires the brain.

And here’s the other half we rarely talk about: witnessing changes the listener too.

When someone hears your story with openness, their own system softens. They recognize parts of their pain in yours. Your honesty gives them language, permission, and a sense of safety they didn’t even know they were missing.

This is the science of why healing is relational.
We don’t just tell stories—we co-regulate, we make meaning, and we reorganize our internal worlds through connection.

11/20/2025

Let’s retrain our minds to seek joyful moments and gratitude. Today is a new day!

When we train our minds to seek joy and practice contentment, we’re not pretending; we’re rewiring. The more we intentionally return to gratitude, steadiness, and small sparks of happiness, the more natural those states become. Our minds are powerful, and with repetition, joy stops feeling like something we chase and starts becoming something we live.
🧠🌺🌼🌷🌺🌸🍃🪴

11/13/2025

🩷💛💙💚

10/23/2025

🍂 Your brain needs your mind to step in sometimes.
Fall can stir up pressure to stay busy, say yes to everything, and keep a perfect pace. But neuroscience shows that true rest helps regulate your nervous system, improve resilience, and create the space your brain needs to heal and grow.

Self-care is not just comforting — it is rewiring. Every time you set a boundary, slow down, or pause to reflect, you are strengthening your mind’s ability to support your brain.

📌 Save this checklist to come back to when your calendar starts to fill and your energy starts to fade.

🧠 Recharge with intention. Lead with your mind. Protect your peace.

10/12/2025

Sunday Reset 🌿🧠✨

Your brain is wired to seek joy, but not all joy is created equal. Quick bursts of pleasure light up dopamine in the moment, but fade fast—leaving us chasing the next hit. Lasting happiness, though, comes from practices that engage serotonin and oxytocin: connection, purpose, and doing what truly brings you joy.

When you choose activities that align with your values, you’re literally rewiring neural pathways toward resilience and contentment. This Sunday reset is your reminder: prioritize the things that bring real joy, not just quick pleasure.

You don’t have to get it perfect or overhaul your whole life to feel lighter. Start with one small thing that fills you up—a walk outside, a call with someone you love, a quiet cup of tea. Tiny moments of joy are powerful, because they build and ripple through the rest of your week. Be gentle with yourself today and let joy guide your reset. 🩷💛