Ever wonder why you are avoiding a problem? or a person? We talk about avoidance and why we do it! We know that it can get in the way, but it also is such a great insight into our feelings about a topic. So rather just settling for "not going there" let's look at the WHY.

Often we'll do things out of fear or because we love other people. But how many times can you think of doing something because you love yourself?

In a fast paced world full of dead lines and an attitude of "I'll sleep when I'm dead," how do we meet our needs? Join us for this week's episode as we continue talking about Self-Compassion!

Do care bears and therapy have a lot in common? Well, we are going to fudge it so it does! We talk about how a Caring Force can help us recognize the potential for self-compassion, and in turn compassion for others.

This sounds like the topic of a philosophy class- what is Common Humanity? Well, we address this and discuss why it's an important part of the self-compassion process. Without understanding how we all relate we have no way of focusing on our own needs.

We have talked a lot about neurofeedback, and let's talk about what it is! We have loved learning more research-based approaches to helping people feel they're doing better. Contact us with any questions about neurofeedback at office@xeniacounseling.org!

We may seem like we are just saying the same thing with different words, but self-compassion is made of something that sounds similar, self-kindness. How do we learn to be kind to self? Well, we start with the fact that as children we WANT to be kind to ourselves and others, and then everything goes downhill from there.... jk, but really things start changing as we start learning more about our surroundings.

In taking apart the things that help us with our Self-Compassion, one thing we need to start with is being aware of the here and now. We need to be aware of if we are assessing our needs appropriately, and our ability to fill those needs. We talk about how this isn't just about doing mindful exercises, but how we can accurately assess.

Question: Who doesn't need Self-Compassion? Answer- Trick question, everyone needs self-compassion! We start the discussion of why it is an important topic for everyone and what makes up the basics!

What is one of the best ways to find motivation? Follow your values! Whenever we work from a values-based thinking we can have a stronger drive to accomplish our goals.

Did last week's episode feel out of place? Well if you felt that you passed the test! We accidentally switched this and last weeks. So, after you listen to this one, go back and give Ep 87 another listen! Often we are motivated by what we are afraid may happen. So what happens when we do things out of the FEAR of what will happen if I don't do something? Well, we will let you know

"It is better to run towards something than away". Is that Pintrest quote true with Motivation? We talk about how looking for the benefits of the changes we are trying to enact is helpful.

So what happens when we have a problem, but our habits are helping us at times? How do we navigate through sometimes our problems work for us?

When we are having process resistance in our motivation to change, we need to learn how to first, validate the process is effective, and second, learn to work with that resistance and continue on our journey. Accomplishing our goals can often come about in ways we weren't anticipating.

How many times do we encounter moments that we want to go outside of our goals or our plans and we have a really good reason for doing so? Meet Justification! One of the ways we get sidetracked in our motivation is by thinking we can have things both ways. So let's talk about how we get around that and back to a grounded state.

One of the things we can feel when our motivation isn't going the way we planned, or when it doesn't look like someone else's progress is the feeling of Hopelessness. We discuss ways to identify that in your quest to be true to your motivation and ways to combat it while validating your emotional space.

When we are trying to be Motivated and feel Fear it can be really uncomfortable to sit with . We want to use that as a reason why we need to just stop. Once we understand fear (and sometimes Anxiety)'s role in motivation we can then work through that resistance.

When we are Motivated it can feel so exciting to be able to work towards our goals, but when we lose that motivation due to Anger arising it can feel like a huge stumbling block. Join us as we talk about how Anger affects our ability to continue with progress.

Why can Motivation be so hard to find, and to continue to use to pursue our goals? We talk about what Motivation is, and then in the next few weeks discuss ways we can beat the things that come up to distract us.

As we prep for a new year, goal setting can be the best and the worst for our mental health. We look at what SMART goals encompass, and how we can find the best way to support the steps we want to be taking.