Coping Strategies

I hope that you find the content here helpful! This blog is meant to provide ideas, tips, and insights and is not meant to replace a relationship with a therapist or to serve as medical advice for your specific needs.

Apr 20
7 min

Your 3 crucial needs and how to manage emotions by filling them

All humans are driven to seek 3 basic needs: safety, connection, and comfort. Learn how understanding & filling needs helps manage emotions.

Feb 24
8 min

Why it’s hard asking for help and how to get better at it

We need interconnection with others but it can feel so uncomfortable accepting care and help. Let's look at why it's hard and how to do it.

Nov 18, 2021
6 min

12 ways to manage family holiday visits

Family gatherings are nearly always complicated. Consider these 12 strategies to help minimize the distress for yourself.

Oct 23, 2021
7 min

Like yourself more: the power of self-validation

Validation is a human craving. We all want to matter. Since external validation isn't guaranteed, learning to self-validate is essential.

Sep 24, 2021
8 min

How do I know what I’m feeling?

Emotions are crucial to our success, so it's important that we are able to identify exactly what we're feeling. Learn your body clues here!

Aug 27, 2021
7 min

How to get started with mindfulness

Mindfulness is an effort to have intentional awareness of what is going on inside of you at the present moment. But how do we do this?

Jun 22, 2021
4 min

Quick strategy for managing intense emotions - the STOP skill

Emotions dictate where our attention goes. The more intense an emotion gets, the more it narrows our focus. Use the STOP skill for control.

Mar 23, 2021
7 min

Why do we have emotions?

Emotions are crucial to our survival. But if we don't have great strategies for managing them, they can get us into a world of pain.

Jan 26, 2021
5 min

What can I eat for better brain health?

Brain health impacts emotional health. Eating brain healthy foods can increase your mental clarity, emotional management, and overall health

Nov 3, 2020
7 min

How to practice self-compassion (or “Would you say that to a friend?”)

Self-compassion is about the practice of treating yourself with kindness, just as you would treat a friend you cared about.

Sep 15, 2020
6 min

How much do you really know about suicide?

Suicidal thoughts do not mean you are crazy or that you are broken. Suicidal thoughts DO mean that you are human and that you are in pain.

Jun 7, 2020
5 min

How to cope when the nation is in crisis

The U.S. is going through intense and emotional turbulence. There's no roadmap and this is new for all of us. Some tools to help you cope.

Apr 14, 2020
8 min

Surviving Stay Home Orders with your Sanity Intact

There's no roadmap for what we're experiencing right now. Here are 19 strategies to help us emerge on the other side with our sanity intact.

Mar 31, 2020
11 min

How a quarantine can impact your relationships and interactions (and what to do about it)

If you live with other people, you will be dealing with some unprecedented experiences in your environment over the next weeks and months.

Mar 10, 2020
6 min

Your (understandable) anxiety about the Coronavirus COVID-19

Feeling overwhelmed about a novel pandemic killing people worldwide is perfectly fitting. But letting anxiety control or paralyze you is not

Oct 15, 2019
4 min

Your brain needs a DOSE of happy chemicals (how you can do this)

Learn about how our brains work and the flexibility we have to change some ineffective patterns and states of being.

Aug 13, 2019
8 min

What does it mean to “need better boundaries?” (and how to do it)

If you're wondering if you need some different boundaries, do a quick assessment for any feelings of resentment towards others.

May 14, 2019
3 min

Your thoughts are making you feel worse.

Our thoughts and perceptions of ourselves and our life situations have a huge impact on our daily experience.

Apr 9, 2019
1 min

How stress can help you grow

Stress is a natural part of life. The key is managing it well. Try some strategies I discussed on this podcast with a colleague.

Mar 19, 2019
5 min

Why you should be curious about Mindfulness and 5 easy ways to do it

Mindfulness is an approach that we can take towards our daily life to have intentional awareness of what we feel and think and how to react.

Heather M. McKenzie, Therapist

(919) 744-8335

Online Counseling and Clinical Supervision