WellnessWithHolli

The past few months of the COVID-19 pandemic have been hard on everyone . In the past several blogs of Staying Mentally Well During COVID-19, we have discussed the psychological, physical, and economic toll it has taken on us. And, we have covered a few healing strategies for managing the myriad of stresses and their accompanying symptoms (*see below). Today, it is important to talk about Relapse - a sensitive topic which is impacting almost everyone in some form and to some degree.   Before you say to yourself, "Well, I'm not an addict or alcoholic,"  please read on. We relapse anytime we fall back or regress into, or return to any kind of unhealthy relationship or pattern of thinking, behaving, or feeling after a period of  stability or wellness. Over the past several months, I have listened to clients as they beat themselves up in the followings ways: For giving up on their healthy eating choices For blowing up at their kids after managing thei...

The month of May brings with it "Mother's Day". For many it is a day of loving remembrance and celebration of mothers who created, nurtured, and protected their children. In preparing to write my blog for this special occasion, I found myself wondering what to write. What could I offer readers that I had not written about or that they had not read already? How could I encourage or inspire mothers, fathers, and their children? And then, I thought about my daughter, my role as a mother, and The Power of a Promise. The Power of a Promise Growing up in a chaotic and unhealthy environment, I did not understand what was going on around me. Issues of addiction and anger plagued our family and escalated over time. As our family grew, my mother became more emotionally absent, physically negligent, and psychologically unwell. Most of the time, I felt afraid and alone. By the time I was eleven, I no longer felt safe. By the time I was eleven, I made myself a promise -  ...

Last time, we started a discussion on codependency. We learned the following:  Codependency is when we over-invest into someone - all in an attempt to rescue, control, or to change that person and his/her behavior.  We also acknowledged that with most relationships, there is a natural give and take , and there are often circumstances or crises where one individual must move into a care-taking role for a period of time or for extended periods of time. However, when one person continues to forfeit his/her well-being, identity, and worth at the expense of another's lack of responsibility for their own well-being - this is codependency.    Today, we want to answer two questions - Am I Codependent and Why? Drained and Depleted I think we would all agree that it is good to be a caring, giving, and compassionate individual.  However, when we find that we are repeating a pattern of behavior that leaves us depleted and drained, we typically have crossed the line ...