DESIGNED BY UNSPLASH “Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.” ~ Thich Nhat Hanh Life is hard. We all have bills to pay, relationships to strengthen, jobs to keep, and hardships to overcome. These things are constant. Similarly, the choice of how we
DESIGNED BY UNSPLASH “Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow, it only saps today of its joy.” -Leo Buscaglia We all experience some level of anxiety from time to time. In fact, anxiety is a completely normal reaction to a stressful situation. The cold sweat of anxiety is the fight or flight response that kept
DESIGNED BY FREEPIK “Nobody’s walking out on this fun, old-fashioned family Christmas. No. No. We’re all in this together.” -Clark Griswold, Christmas Vacation The holiday season is truly magical. The snow, the lights, the presents, the carolers, the sightings of Santa Claus himself, and the amount of stress that accompanies such a wonderful time of
DESIGNED BY FREEPIK “Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” ~ Melody Beattie Can you name 100 things you’re grateful for? Instead of simply talking about counting our blessings this Thanksgiving season, let’s DO IT! This is the season we always hear and talk about “blessings”
DESIGNED BY FREEPIK “Great marriages don’t happen by luck or by accident. They are the result of a consistent investment of time, thoughtfulness, forgiveness, affection, prayer, mutual respect, and a rock-solid commitment between a husband and wife.” ~Dave Willis Last month I posted about scheduling time to be with your partner sexually. In this post,
DESIGNED BY FREEPIK Death is inevitable, yet the loss of a close friend or family member is accompanied with a range of emotions. During this holiday season, and all seasons, it is important to recognize and address the trauma of surviving a loss of a loved one…because YOU are worth it! Have you ever had
DESIGNED BY FREEPIK “To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.” ~Louis B. Smedes Back in May I wrote a post on the best form of self-care–forgiving oneself. Today I want to address another important aspect of forgiveness–forgiving others. As a counselor, I see many clients who are
DESIGNED BY FREEPIK More than half of new moms aren’t getting mental health support during or after pregnancy. Recognizing this problem may be the first step in changing it! A few of my clients are new moms seeing me for postpartum depression, or another post-baby-related mental illnesses. I wish I saw more moms in this
DESIGNED BY FREEPIK “We all need attention, affection, and the feeling of being appreciated in our life, and it is great when you can give and get that from your partner on a regular basis.” —Lawrence Lovell If you are like me, anything and everything important needs to go in my calendar. If I want
DESIGNED BY UNSPLASH When a person takes a prescription drug for a nonmedical reason, it can quickly lead to addiction and the need for drug treatment. In fact, 25 percent of people who misused prescription drugs by age 13 ended up with an addiction at some point in their life. One of my clients recently
DESIGNED BY FREEPIK “Guilt is just as powerful, but its influence is positive, while shame’s is destructive. Shame erodes our courage and fuels disengagement.” -Brené Brown Regardless of age, gender or nationality, we all experience shame from time to time. Dr. Brené Brown, an author and researcher, explains in her book Daring Greatly, “The less
DESIGNED BY FREEPIK “Think in the morning, act in the noon, read in the evening, and sleep at night.” -William Blake Just like young children, adults thrive off of routines. Children learn that bedtime is near because they consistently have a bath, put on warm jammies, have a bottle, read a book, sing lullabies, rock
Melissa Cluff is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist based in North Texas, providing face-to-face and telehealth therapy options to clients in Texas.
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist based in North Texas, providing face-to-face and telehealth therapy options to clients in Texas.
