Mental Health Counselor, Trauma Specialist, and Sports Therapist
Betrayal by a romantic partner can be traumatic, but itโs important to acknowledge and validate your emotions, build a support system, reframe the betrayal in a way that empowers you, and when you are ready, forgive as a way of releasing the negative emotions. Healing is a process and everyone's journey is different. Transcript: "Being betrayed by a romantic partner can be deeply painful and traumatic. It can leave you feeling hurt, angry, and confused. And here are just a few ways to heal from that. First, it's okay to acknowledge and validate your emotions. I always tell my clients it's okay to just sit in the emotion and listen to what the emotion is telling you because our emotions communicate to us and it's telling us something and it's okay to sit in that. Next, it's important to have a support system. Go ahead and make sure you find a therapist or make sure to have those loved ones around you to support you through this. Try and reframe the betrayal. It needs to be reframed in a way that empowers you. Maybe this is a lesson learned or maybe it's an opportunity to walk away from something that could have significantly impacted you negatively in the future. And then finally, it's important to, when you are ready, forgive. And only when you are ready. Forgiveness is not about forgetting what happened, but it's about releasing the negative emotions. So remember, healing is a process and everyone's journey is very, very different."
Losing a father to suicide can be an extremely traumatic experience. Without mental health intervention, an 11 year old boy may struggle to cope with the sudden loss and associated emotions such as shock, confusion, anger, guilt, and sadness. This could lead to long term issues such as anxiety, depression, and other mental health challenges or disorders. Transcript: "Losing a father to suicide can be an extremely traumatic and overwhelming experience for anyone, especially an 11-year-old boy. The child may experience a range of emotion that include shock, confusion, anger, guilt, and sadness. They may struggle to come to terms with the sudden loss of their father and the fact that he took his own life. And so when we're talking about how this may impact them, without mental health intervention, the child may struggle to express his emotion and cope with his grief. He may not necessarily have the tools or resources to process his feelings, and interacting with others may be a challenge as well as academic difficulties. In the long term, he may experience anxiety, depression, and develop mental health challenges or disorders from this particular type of traumatic experience."
There are several different types of personality disorders, including borderline personality disorder, narcissistic personality disorder, antisocial personality disorder, avoidant personality disorder and obsessive-compulsive personality disorder. Each one has unique characteristics and traits. Transcript: "There are several different types of personality disorders. Borderline personality disorder means that an individual may often struggle with intense and unstable emotions and have challenges with relationships. Narcissistic personality disorder, individuals will have an inflated sense of self-importance and lacking in empathy. Antisocial personality disorder means that an individual may engage in deceitful or manipulative behaviors disregarding the rights of others and having a lack of empathy for others. Avoidant personality disorder means that an individual may have fear of rejection, struggle with social situations and have a distorted sense of self. Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder. This is where individuals have a preoccupation with order rules and perfectionism. They may have difficulty delegating tasks and they have rigid thinking. So those are just a few types of the common personality disorders with several of the unique types. And these are just a few examples of the disorders with several of the unique characteristics of the common personality disorder."
There are many reasons why you might not take a person seriously when speaking with them. This could be due to lack of trust in their credibility, disagreement with their views and opinions, bias or prejudice against the person, stress or distraction, etc. If it is something serious, find someone who can help you process why you donโt take things seriously that people say. Transcript: "There could be several reasons why you don't take a person seriously when you're speaking with them. And one reason might be that you just don't trust that person and their credibility is lacking. Another reason might be that you disagree with their opinions or perspectives. And it is possible that you have your own core belief system in place and there's just a differing in opinion. Another factor might be that there is a bias or prejudice against the person and there's something about that person that is so very different that it causes a cognitive dissonance for you and it's difficult to hear what that person is saying. Maybe you're stressed or distracted. Maybe you can't quite listen with complete attention. But whatever it is, it's important to be aware of these factors and try to approach a conversation with an open mind. But if it's something serious, I would say to definitely find someone who you can talk to who might be able to help you like a therapist or someone who can help you process through why you don't take things seriously that people say."
There are 5 common signs that it may be time to set healthier boundaries in your personal and professional lives. These signs include saying yes to requests or tasks even when you don't want to, feeling taken advantage of, physical or emotional exhaustion, trouble focusing on priorities, and resentment towards others. Taking the step to set these boundaries can be difficult but is important for taking care of yourself. Transcript: "If you're feeling overwhelmed, stressed, or burnt out, it may be time to set some healthier boundaries. Here are just a few common signs that you might need to establish clearer boundaries in your personal and professional lives. First of all, number one would be if you're constantly saying yes to requests or tasks, even when you don't have the time, energy, or the desire to do them. Number two is you feel like you're being taken advantage of or that people are expecting too much from you. A third sign might be that you're experiencing physical or emotional exhaustion, which can manifest through headaches, muscle tension, anxiety, and even depression. Number four, you may be having trouble focusing on your priorities or getting things done because you're being pulled in way too many different directions. And then finally, number five is you're resentful, angry, or even frustrated toward others and you're just not quite sure why. So if any of these sound familiar, it's definitely time to start setting those healthy boundaries. This can be difficult, of course, but it's an important step in taking care of yourself and your well-being."
To manage stress and reach peak performance, it is important to focus on self-care, develop effective coping skills such as mindfulness, meditation, deep breathing exercises, and visualization techniques, and cultivate a strong support network. Transcript: "Managing stress is essential for peak performance. And so when we're talking about strategies to manage stress so necessary, number one is just self-care in general. We have to do that exercise. We have to ensure that we're getting enough sleep and diet is essential. Secondly, it's important to develop effective coping skills. When I speak to the athletes that I work with, I'm constantly telling them that emotional management is important, that thought reformation is necessary. Having a coping skills toolbox to be able to pull out the necessary coping skills in the moment to address whatever is affecting them or impacting them in that moment is so necessary. So it might include mindfulness and meditation, deep breathing exercises, visualization, techniques, I'm a huge advocate for guided imagery. So whatever works for you, it is necessary to employ those techniques and strategies to manage one's emotions. And then finally, help cultivate a strong support network. You have to have a support system in order to perform at top level. Peak performance is so very important."