Counseling Center at Cinco Ranch
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By: Janelle Schlueter, MS, LPC Intern What is trauma? Have you ever experienced a significant loss, chronic illness, divorce, abuse (sexual, physical, emotional, and/or verbal), serious car accident, natural disaster, military service, or any other event that you found to be significantly distressing? These are all considered traumas. Understanding what trauma is, and how it […]
What is trauma? Have you ever experienced a significant loss, chronic illness, divorce, abuse (sexual, physical, emotional, and/or verbal), serious car accident, natural disaster, military service, or any other event that you found to be significantly distressing? These are all considered traumas. Understanding what trauma is, and how it affects the mind and the body can be complicated to say the least.
If you have recently had a traumatic experience or still think about past traumas and experience strong reactions to those memories, you likely have unprocessed trauma. One thing to remember: you are worthy of living a life of peace!
How do you even begin to heal from trauma? First, everyone processes and recovers from trauma differently. However, you can begin to bring a sense of peace to your life by practicing these 5 tips to heal from past trauma.
Were you involved in a car accident and are now scared to drive? Did you have a serious illness and now find yourself panicking over mild symptoms? Were you in the military and now find yourself jumping at loud noises? Have you experienced an unhealthy relationship and break-up and now notice unhealthy relationship patterns?
It is vital to know how the trauma you have experienced has altered your life in order to move forward. It is common to not be able to identify the specific way that a trauma has altered you. You can ask a close friend, family member, or therapist to help you identify the specific ways the traumatic experience has altered your life.
Identifying a physically and emotionally safe place is crucial to healing from trauma. It is impossible to heal from trauma if you do not believe you are physically and emotionally safe. This means surround yourself with calming noises, decorations, calming scents, and emotionally healthy people.
One thing to remember with trauma is that it creates anxiety. I always tell my clients “if you see clutter, you feel clutter.” Take the time to organize the stack of mail on the counter, put away the 20 children or dog toys from the floor, wash a load of laundry from the overflowing hamper, and make sure your bedroom is as clutter-free as possible.
When healing from a trauma it is easy to forget one of the most important aspects of maintaining good mental health – self-care. Self-care is any activity that you do to increase the quality of your emotional, physical, and mental health.
Self-care includes, but is not limited to:
There is a blog on our site about self-care and when to notice that you need more! Please click on the link to read https://cincoranchcounseling.com/5-signs-you-need-to-practice-more-self-care/
It is easy for people to compare their lives to others, especially with the increase in social media use. Keep in mind – the whole story is NEVER on social media. People want to share the positive in their life on social media by leaving the ‘bad’ parts out.
Every experience is unique, especially traumatic experiences. While two people could experience the same event, both will respond differently. There is no right or wrong way to respond to any event, especially with trauma. Avoid comparing your situation with others, such as the negative thoughts of “It wasn’t as bad as (Jane Doe), they had it much worse.”
Criticizing yourself for how quickly you recover from traumatic symptoms is unhealthy and harmful. Experiencing guilt or shame from the event or how you handled your recovery is also unhealthy and harmful.
Most importantly, do not allow ANYONE to compare or criticize you – that includes yourself!
If you are struggling with trauma, ask for help from a therapist. Therapy helps you heal from trauma by noting how the event has altered you. The therapist can also help to identify and encourage healthy thinking and behaviors. The therapist can help you identify healthy support systems and encourage healthy communication so you can identify your needs.
When treating trauma with counseling, make sure you find a therapist you are comfortable with and who has experience in treating trauma. While there are lots of different treatments for trauma, the most effective tool available will always be the therapeutic relationship. If you can find a therapist you trust, you are well on your way to healing from trauma.
Our therapists at the Counseling Center can help you on this journey.
Please contact our office to discuss your therapy needs or arrange an initial consultation with Janelle.
Our counseling services at The Counseling Center at Cinco Ranch include couples counseling, counseling for young adults, counseling for teens, family therapy, counseling for kids, depression treatment, anxiety treatment, eating disorder treatment, group counseling, and trauma counseling. Our therapists strive to regularly post blogs with helpful information on a variety of mental health topics. To learn more about our therapists and our counseling services, please reach out to the Center today!
By: Cheri Locke, MA, LPC Self-care can be complicated. Anyone can tell you to do it, but only you can give the gift of self-care to yourself. I often hear clients say that they are not exactly sure what self-care means to them. Self-care is a mindful, intentional act of paying attention to yourself. Also, […]
Self-care can be complicated. Anyone can tell you to do it, but only you can give the gift of self-care to yourself. I often hear clients say that they are not exactly sure what self-care means to them. Self-care is a mindful, intentional act of paying attention to yourself. Also, self-care looks different to every individual. First, you need to recognize that you are worthy of caring for yourself as you do others.
So how do you do this? By noticing the signs that you need to be taking better care of yourself.
If any seem familiar to you, it is time for you to make more time for yourself. 
Do you have increased irritability? Do you feel on edge or seem to fluctuate easily between feeling sad or angry? When you are not taking care of yourself, or feel that you are unimportant, it can lead to increased irritability. Not taking the time for yourself can also leave your personal and professional relationships affected.
Do you get headaches, a sore or stiff neck, dizziness, shortness of breath, or abdominal pain? Sometimes physical symptoms can be a good indicator that you are not taking proper care of yourself. Although any physical symptom should be discussed with your medical provider, being aware of your body can help you be more mindful about taking better care of yourself.
Do you feel down or like you have a black cloud hanging over your head? Sometimes we feel sad; however, these feelings can snowball into feelings of worthlessness and depression. At times during depression, people report barely being able to get out of bed or brush their teeth. Yes, brushing your teeth can be a form of self-care. While self-care will not cure depression, it can help lessen some of the symptoms. If you feel like you suffer from depression, it is important to reach out to a mental health professional for help.
Do you feel detached from others or like socializing just takes all of your energy? When you are not caring for yourself or if you feel you do not deserve to care for yourself, isolation seems almost natural. When you feel unworthy as a person, you feel unworthy of enjoying other aspects of life. You may even completely detach from friends and family.
Do you feel run down? Do you find that you are battling a cold regularly? We all lead busy lives and sometimes we forget to eat right or sleep enough. When we aren’t properly caring for ourselves, our immune system and health can take a hit.
Basic self-care includes proper nutrition, hygiene, and sleep. But what else can you do for yourself? Self-care will be different for every individual. While some people may enjoy exercise and music, others may enjoy reading a book and a hot bath. What is important about self-care, is to be mindful about taking care of yourself and recognizing that you deserve to be taken care of.
I have many clients who have struggled to find self-care strategies that work for them. My advice is to try different things until you find something that makes you feel re-energized and at peace. If you have trouble on where to begin, ask others what they do or Amazon has self-care subscription packages that can at least help you try different things. Keep trying until you find something that feels good for you. Self-care is all about taking the time and trying!
If you are having difficulty practicing self-care in your life and would like some help, please contact The Counseling Center at Cinco Ranch in Katy, TX. Our therapists would me more that happy to discuss with you how we may be able to help.
Our counseling services include depression treatment, anxiety treatment, eating disorder treatment, trauma counseling, family therapy, counseling for kids, counseling for teens, counseling for young adults, couples counseling, and group counseling. Our therapists strive to regularly post blogs with helpful information on a variety of mental health topics. To learn more about our therapists and our counseling services, please reach out to the Center today!
By: Denise Servin, M. Ed., LPC Intern Self-esteem is a tricky thing. It can help you get through some tough times. But, typically tough times can cause your level of self-esteem to drop. Overall, women tend to have lower self-esteem than men. It can be especially difficult for women to maintain a healthy level of […]
Self-esteem is a tricky thing. It can help you get through some tough times. But, typically tough times can cause your level of self-esteem to drop. Overall, women tend to have lower self-esteem than men. It can be especially difficult for women to maintain a healthy level of self-esteem. Keeping up with all of the pressures from society to not only do everything, but to do it better is a struggle. The myth of women “having it all” often leads to feelings of competition and decreased self-esteem.
Low self-esteem may seem like it shouldn’t be high on your list of things to worry about. But, it can lead to an overall loss of interest in the things you were once passionate about and unhappiness with life. Hence, having low self-esteem can also make it harder to get back up again after a set-back. This is especially true if these feelings last for a long time. More serious effects of low self-esteem include increased anxiety, depression, and eating disorder-related behaviors.
I feel like my self-esteem has definitely taken some hits lately. Maybe it’s never really been as high as I would like it to be. What can I do?
Are you starting to feel hopeless or helpless about the direction of your life? Do you have trouble taking credit for anything good you accomplish? Do you ever feel like every last detail has to be perfect, or there’s no point in even trying? Maybe you just don’t like yourself at all anymore and you don’t believe anyone else could like you either. Counseling can help with low self-esteem in many ways. Working with a therapist can help you get to know your true self, learn about boundaries, and increase your self-respect.
Increasing your self-esteem with the help of a therapist is not easy. It’s hard work. But, it’s worth it. The benefits of increasing your self-esteem include positive changes in the way you value yourself, an increase in seeking positive, healthy relationships, and healthier ways to cope with the challenges of life. Our therapists at the Counseling Center can help you on this journey.
Please contact our office to discuss your therapy needs or arrange an initial consultation with Denise.
The Counseling Center at Cinco Ranch in Katy, TX, offers counseling services to help you increase your self-esteem. We also offer other counseling services including: trauma counseling, depression treatment, eating disorder treatment, counseling for anxiety, family counseling, counseling for kids, counseling for teens, counseling for young adults, and couples counseling. Our therapists regularly post helpful information on a variety of mental health topics. Stay tuned for the next blog! To learn more about our therapists and our counseling services, please reach out to the Center today!
