*Emotion: An instinctive state of mind deriving from one’s circumstances, mood, or relationships with others. Vulnerability: Willingness to show emotion. **Authentic: Not false; genuine. Included in the definition of emotion is the phrase “an instinctive state of mind.” To be human is to experience all of the emotions, but for many different reasons, such as society, social media, culture, etc., only certain emotions are “acceptable” or promoted as the ideal of what you “should” present ...read more
Video: Breaking Barriers to Mental Health by Robyn Tamanaha, LMFT
In this video, I discuss different the barriers to mental health and how to break down these barriers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mFn6sovjt4&feature=youtu.be For text version, see transcript at the bottom of the page. Receiving assistance from a therapist can be helpful. If you are interested in receiving therapy with me, you can call, email, or self-schedule a phone consult. CLICK HERE to learn about telehealth. Ready to get started? Let’s work ...read more
Myth: When someone gets very mad or sad, it’s because they’re bipolar.
In this video, I discuss how this statement is shaming and stigmatizing, along with reasons why it's incorrect. https://youtu.be/kY00z90FtJM Receiving assistance from a therapist can be helpful. I have been working with individuals who live with Bipolar Disorder and have helped them live successfully. If you are interested in receiving therapy with me, you can call, email, or self-schedule a phone consult. CLICK HERE to learn about telehealth. Ready ...read more
5 Building Blocks to Effectively Manage Bipolar Disorder by Robyn Tamanaha, LMFT
When it comes to effectively managing bipolar disorder, the first step is to start with the basics. At first glance, these steps might look trivial and simple, but they take time, practice, patience, and self-compassion. Sleep: When it comes to monitoring and managing mood symptoms, sleep is both an anchor and an indicator. Sleep works as an anchor because it assists in mood management. Establishing regular sleep patterns is the starting point for regulating mood. Sleep ...read more
Dilemma: Not wanting to go to sleep because tomorrow will come sooner by Robyn Tamanaha, LMFT
For some, disrupted sleep is not due to difficulty falling asleep or difficulty staying asleep. The lack of sleep is an active effort, because there are difficulties in getting through the day. The Dread of Tomorrow The thought of tomorrow brings up the feeling of dread. Dread about the piled-up responsibilities. Dread about something in your schedule that you’re not looking forward to. Dread about another empty day or overall lackluster life. The Inevitable Doesn’t Make It Easier to Come ...read more
Quarantine Dilemma: Stressful Family Members by Robyn Tamanaha, LMFT
Physical distancing and staying at home can create the potential for difficult and stressful interactions amongst family members. Collision of Different Types of Boundaries There are different types of boundaries. An individual who has rigid boundaries might avoid close contact, stay to themselves, not ask for help, or keep others at a distance during conversations or interactions. An individual who has loose boundaries might take up or get into others personal space, overshare information, ...read more
Depression and Isolation During a Pandemic by Robyn Tamanaha, LMFT
While in a depressive episode, the symptoms can make it difficult for an individual to connect with, or reach out to, others. The individual may also feel alone, isolated, worthless, and hopeless. It takes a lot of strength and motivation to muster up the will to go against what depression wants. Now, there’s an added challenge: the pandemic has led to precautions, such as a safe at home order, which means that in-person events have been eliminated, coffee shops and restaurants are closed ...read more
What is Individual Therapy Like and What Can I Expect? By Robyn Tamanaha, LMFT
What is it? Individual therapy is when one person attends therapy and are the only two people in the office. This is different from couple’s therapy, which is when a couple goes to see one therapist together, or family therapy, when the whole immediate family will go together to see one therapist. Who comes to individual therapy? An individual can come to therapy for many different reasons or challenges. Ultimately, an individual comes to therapy because they’re experiencing a challenge ...read more
How Does Talk Therapy Help If I’m Not Used to Talking About My Problems? By Robyn Tamanaha
It’s not uncommon to feel hesitant about going to therapy. Rarely, if ever, are we called to go into a place in which we will talk with a stranger about our difficult thoughts, feelings, and experiences. If you’re not used to discussing your struggles, then you might be even more hesitant to reach out for therapy. For some, this hesitancy is due internal factors; for others, it might be influenced by past experiences. There could be many different reasons why an individual would be ...read more
Dilemma: I Can’t Sleep by Robyn Tamanaha, LMFT
What’s going on? There can be multiple reasons why an individual might be having difficulty sleeping. If you know that you do not have a medical condition that would be influencing this, then consider reflecting on possible psychological factors. Any difficulty experienced by an individual, such as difficulty sleeping, can be experienced in multiple types of mental illnesses, but determining which one it is depends on how the difficulty is expressed and experienced. Which one is ...read more
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