Treat Yo-Self Healthy

 Embracing The Pura Vida Mindset: Tropical Healing From Mental Health Challenges in Costa Rica     Traveling to Costa Rica with a toddler... "Sure, it'll be hard", we thought. "But we can do it!"     We spaced out the trip as much as we could to make it as smooth-sailing as possible for all of us. We flew out of St. George and got on a connecting flight to Phoenix. Then from Phoenix, we flew to Dallas and stayed in a hotel overnight.      Ada, our daughter, did not adjust well to the new environment. We thought she would eventually adjust, since we had traveled to California a handful of times, and although difficult at first, she eventually adjusted. This time, however, her crying was relentless. She was overtired from practically skipping a nap during all of the traveling.       We had requested a pack n' play for her to sleep in, and although we stuck to her normal bedtime routine, she cried and screamed until our hearts couldn't take it anymore and w

🌟🌈 Promote Calmness & Reduce Stress with CalmiGo! I want to share with you an incredible device called CalmiGo , which has become an essential part of my self-care routine 🙌 Why I Love 🤍 CalmiGo and Recommend It: As someone who understands the challenges of managing anxiety, CalmiGo has become one of my favorite tools for finding calm in moments of distress. CalmiGo is a drug-free solution that combines 3 powerful methods to help you calm down in moments of distress or anxiety. 🌬️ Breathing Regulation: CalmiGo works specifically with your unique breathing patterns, tailoring the experience to your exact needs. Its technology measures your personal breathing patterns and adjusts in real-time, ensuring you receive optimal support during challenging moments. 🌸 Relaxing Scent: CalmiGo incorporates the use of scented elements, enhancing the calming experience. 🧘‍♀️ Multi-Sensory Stimulation: The device employs multi-sensory stimulation, which acts as a grounding technique.

 Reframing Negative Thoughts Use this worksheet to help you think more realistically and positively!  For example:  Negative Thought- "I am stupid" What evidence or proof do you have that you are "stupid"? If you had to prove to me that you are what you say you are, where is your evidence to support that claim? You may say: "I failed my test", but does that prove to me that you are "stupid"? No!- Failing a test in itself does not indicate a lack of intelligence. Positive Thought- "I am capable of learning" What evidence to you have to support this positive claim?- "I can study. I can try again. I have a brain. I have learned things in the past. etc." In my practice, negative thoughts can always be reframed to be more realistic and positive. This may be difficult to do at first, but with diligent practice, your thought patterns can change over time and improve your mood!

 Wellness Journal Entry This page can be printed for free to help you track your feelings and practice mindfulness every day!

 RAIN Mindfulness Print this page to refer to when you want to practice some mindfulness! RAIN is such a cute and fun acronym to help remember a simple way to be present.

 Self Check-In Worksheet This free, printable worksheet is great for helping you to assess and be mindful of your mood, thoughts, and physical sensations in the present moment. Checking in with yourself is beneficial for allowing you to investigate, accept, and process any feelings without judgement, which improves mental health! Choose a time during the day when you can set aside tasks and complete this worksheet. It should be completed in a peaceful & quiet area where you can truly assess how you are feeling.

Body Scan Exercise Learn how to relax, by scanning your body in this free printable exercise below! This can be done lying down in your bed before going to sleep, sitting at your work desk during a break, or anywhere that feels comfortable for you. Somewhere that has minimal distractions is best so you can focus solely on your body's feelings inside and out!  Drawing and coloring helps to incorporate  mindfulness as you distract your mind from any anxious or unpleasant feelings. 

  Free Printable Positive Self-Talk Reference Page Print this for future reference to help practice changing negative mindsets!

 Free Printable Anxious To Brave Thoughts Example Page This page can be printed for reference to help practice changing anxious, negative, thoughts to be more brave & positive! We often don't recognize our negative thoughts patterns, so being mindful of how we are thinking can help to initiate change and begin thinking in a more positive manner. Thinking more positively can contribute to improving mood, mental, and overall health.

 Free Printable Coping Skills Page Here are some extremely helpful coping skills I often referred to and used when I struggled with panic disorder. ☺

Coping With Panic Print Here are some steps to help cope when a panic attack is happening. It may be hard to read during a panic attack, so having a loved one read it to you can be helpful! I found these to be very comforting when I was struggling with panic disorder.

  Free Printable OCD Tracker I created this page, as recommended by my therapist, to help me track any of my intrusive thoughts (obsessions) and compulsions throughout the day. I found it uncomfortable to write down some of my intrusive thoughts, so in those instances I would abbreviate them to something more tolerable (For example: Instead of writing "What if I put my baby in the freezer", I would write "harm OCD", etc.). As I work on my OCD tendencies over time, I hope I will feel less guilty writing down my intrusive thoughts! I'm learning that thoughts do not equal intent.  Doing this has helped me to be more aware of my obsessions and how time-consuming they are. Recognizing thought patterns is the first step!

Free Printable Mood Log Here is a log that I made to help me understand my thoughts and emotions better. When I start to notice I am feeling uncomfortable, I will fill out this log and practice challenging any negative thoughts. -- Sometimes I will bring in a filled-out form and bring it into my next therapy session so we can talk about it.   You can find the rest of the mood log in my Etsy shop here !

"Do you think you'll get postpartum depression?", a lot of friends and family would ask me when I was pregnant. If you've read some of my other blog posts, you would see that I have struggled with severe anxiety in the past.  "I don't know, probably", was often my reply. Given my history with mood disorders, I assumed it could be likely I would experience some struggles postpartum. Little did I know at the time how hard and fast it would hit me.  Beginning in the first trimester, I experienced depression. Despite being quite open about my mental health, I remained mostly quiet about depression throughout my pregnancy. Since anxiety was more dominant for me in the past, lingering depression was a newer learning curve for me. I believe I kept quiet for a few different reasons: Depression caused a lack of motivation and energy, making it so I didn't want to do anything I normally enjoyed doing. I also didn't feel like talking to anyone. This was com

  There is nothing more frustrating than someone telling you:  "You have anxiety", when it doesn't feel like it. While it may be true, a person who is truly struggling with anxiety may instead hear: I don't believe you You are making this up You are crazy and acting irrationally All your tests have come back normal, you are fine You are not sick, you are anxious You need to calm down, just relax The things you are experiencing are not real It's embarrassing that you have come back again for help A lot of these thoughts stem from not only an ill mindset, but also from poor stigma against mental health.  Acceptance The first, and hardest, part about anxiety is acceptance.  The rough truth about mental health is that you must discover what came first... the chicken or the egg.  Did anxiety come first, causing a lot of physical turmoil? Or did a physical illness occur first, causing a lot of anxiety?  There is a long road ahead of trial & error as both the patien