Blog - Freedom Within Center | Counseling

Reframing Unhelpful Thoughts: How to Transform Negative Self-Talk

We all have an inner voice that can either uplift or bring us down. That little “naggy voice” that brings on the negative self-talk, or the tendency to focus on our shortcomings, failures, and weaknesses, can be debilitating and limit our potential. However, the good...

The Importance of Healthy Boundaries in Our Lives

Healthy boundaries are an essential part of maintaining our emotional and mental wellbeing. They help us establish our own personal limits and protect us from being taken advantage of by others. Having healthy boundaries also enables us to communicate our needs...

Grief: a loss of expectation

The death of someone important in our lives is a tragedy no one ever expects to go through. Because of this, we experience two losses at once. The world sees the loss of a special person we were attached to, while we carry an additional invisible loss of expectation....

Matrescence and the Developmental Process of Motherhood

Matrescence? What is that? Matrescence is a term that refers to the developmental stage of motherhood, including the physiological, emotional, social, spiritual, and physical changes that happen once an individual becomes a mom. Like the developmental stage of...

Quick Tip – Cold Water Technique

Do you feel like when your anxiety hits you can’t move, breath, or function? When you feel panicky, flushed, or emotionally overwhelmed, do you feel like nothing can help? I am here to give you one simple trick that might help take away those feelings. This is called...

QUICK TIP – 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 GROUNDING TECHNIQUE

This technique will take you through your five senses to help remind you of the present, stay focused, and help get through tough or stressful situations. This is meant to calm the heart rate, reduce anxiety, and help you “reset” when we feel that anxious feeling...

Letting go of Anxious Thoughts

Have you ever noticed that the more you try not to think about something the more you actually think about it? Try it! For example, try not to think about a giant warm chocolate chip cookie. See if you can NOT think about it for 30 seconds. Did you succeed? Some might...

Mental Wellness During the Holidays

This time of year serves as a reminder of how important it is to prioritize mental wellness during the holidays. The holidays are here! It seems like once October hits, the holiday countdown is on! The holiday season can be exciting, anxiety-provoking,...

Mental Health Tips: Steps to Forgiveness

What is forgiveness? Why do we need to forgive people who don’t deserve to be forgiven? Forgiveness is one of the hardest things to do and it looks different for everyone. Forgiveness doesn’t mean it is a reconciliation or repairing or returning to a relationship, it...

Couples Therapy – Relationship Check Ins

I am sure for many of us when we hear the words “couples therapy” or see what couples therapy is on a tv show or in a movie, we want to run away as far as possible. For a lot of people, couples therapy means the relationship is “doomed” or “already over” and it is a...

Gardening and Gratitude

I recently treated myself to a beautiful potted ficus ginseng plant, and its curvy roots and dark green leaves spark joy for me when I see it. My hope is that it will thrive and grow, and still be with me year after year like my resilient rubber tree. But it could go...

Navigating Complex Trauma with Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI)

For many in the AAPI community, the term “complex trauma” is unfamiliar. We go through life thinking our experiences and stressors are normal, suppressing valuable thoughts and emotions- living in survival mode. Our unique experiences follow us from history into...