DESIGNED BY UNSPLASH “My idea of Christmas, whether old-fashioned or modern, is very simple: loving others.” —Bob Hope For some people, this truly is the “most wonderful time of the year.” There is a constant barrage of friend and family gatherings, the special dinners, the White Elephants, the festive activities, the service projects. For many,
DESIGNED BY UNSPLASH “Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.” ~ William Arthur Ward You know those days where you are frustrated by all the laundry you have to do? The dishes that need to be loaded into the dishwasher? The crumbs all over
DESIGNED BY UNSPLASH “Friends are the family you choose.” — Jess C. Scott Sandra’s Friendsgiving story is one several of us can relate to: She was far from home, and getting back to her family for Thanksgiving was not feasible. She decided to have her own gathering with people she was close to and wanted
DESIGNED BY UNSPLASH “The struggle is part of the story.” – Unknown You dream your whole life of becoming a parent. You find someone you care about and decide to take the leap of faith into parenthood. You are absolutely elated when that pregnancy test reads positive; every waking (and sleeping) moment thereafter revolves around
DESIGNED BY UNSPLASH “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” ~ Winston Churchill Do you believe that good things will happen in the future? Do you expect things to work out for the best? Do you think that even good things can come from negative events–that
DESIGNED BY UNSPLASH “Too many men I know experience shame because society places pressure on them to withhold emotion: emotion and sensitivity is weak. I have found the opposite is true: emotion and sensitivity is what makes us strong.” ~Natalie Brenner Recently I saw a teen male client who struggles with depression–although one would never
DESIGNED BY UNSPLASH “You can’t hate yourself happy. You can’t criticize yourself thin. You can’t shame yourself worthy. Real change begins with self-love and self-care.” — Jessica Ortner Body positivity has been a looming topic for me because I can attest to the fact that body image is an ongoing struggle for each of us.
DESIGNED BY UNSPLASH “The words you speak become the house you live in.” ~ Hafiz We all have voices talking to us in our heads. Each is competing for our attention. Some of them are louder than others, some are more quiet. Some more convincing, others less believable. Learning to harness and amplify the positive
DESIGNED BY UNSPLASH “Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.” ~ Jim Rohn You and I have all heard how great regular exercise is for you–how it can help you lose weight and feel happier. But if you are like many Americans, life is busy, you have a sedentary
DESIGNED BY UNSPLASH “It is not the bruises on the body that hurt. It is the wounds of the heart and the scars on the mind.” ~ Aisha Mirza When the topic of abuse comes up, we typically think of hitting, punching, pushing, hurting, harming, black eyes and bruised bodies–the physical. Yet, there are other
DESIGNED BY UNSPLASH “Our brains renew themselves throughout life to an extent previously not thought possible.” ~Michael S. Gazzanica The human brain is incredibly complex. I recently wrote a blog post about the brain’s amazing ability to “learn new tricks.” I simply explained how synapses form new neural pathways, which leads to patterns and habits,
DESIGNED BY UNSPLASH “The experience I have had is that once you start talking about [your mental health struggles], you realize that actually you’re part of quite a big club.” — Prince Harry I love talking about mental health and I find it quite helpful and needful to talk about mental health with my clients,
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.
