Research shows that only 16% of medical professionals under age 55 who are experiencing significant distress will reach out for help. Over age 55, that percentage drops to 6%. There are a number of both internal and external barriers to accessing needed mental healthcare. While they are real and valid, external barriers can sometimes absorb…

Maybe you’re doing all the things. You meditate, eat well, exercise, seek out appropriate social support, set good boundaries, and follow good sleep hygiene practices. But you’re still feeling significant distress. There can be a tendency to push ourselves harder, to berate ourselves for not feeling better despite our best efforts. But this is often…

Consider taking care of a child, a pet, or a garden. Do you ignore them for long stretches and attend to them periodically and call that good care? Or does caring for pretty much anything or anyone you can imagine involve paying consistent attention to their needs and taking steps to meet those needs? Self-care…

“When someone is drowning, that is not the time to teach them how to swim.” How does the concept of self-care land on you? Do you envision morning meditations, beach vacations, a dedicated yoga practice, or something else that replenishes and renews you? Or do you experience it as another obligation, just one more thing…

Consider this scenario: I am approaching my house, which I believe to be empty. I hear unmistakable noises from inside. If I conclude that I am interrupting a break-in, I will take precautions. If it turns out to be a surprise party, that’s okay. I may have felt frightened for no reason, but I really…

One of the biggest challenges with setting boundaries may be an unacknowledged internal drive to avoid those boundaries. We talked last time about challenging ideas of work as worth and about accepting that no amount of accomplishment can resolve empty feelings. You could pour a literal ocean into a cup with a hole in it…