Wilson Counseling: The Armchair Chronicles

Guest Blog Post by Sarah Bradshaw ------------------------- For many women, trying to get pregnant is difficult, stressful, and painful Have you heard this story: woman meets someone, they fall in love, commit to one another, and then along comes a baby (or two or three)? Simple, right? For many women, having a baby is anything but simple. It can, in fact, be a difficult, stressful and potentially painful --both emotionally and physically--experience . Sometimes, the above stor y goes like this: woman meets someone, they fall in love , commit to one another, and then--nothing, absolutely nothing. The woman goes to see her do ctor to see if something is wrong . Sometimes , there's nothing wrong . The doctor says it’s just going to take more time (insert frown or angry face here) . S ometimes they get referred to a specialist. The referral is the start of a very bumpy and emotional ride. I know be cau se I have been there, and I know many other women who ha...

Are you feeling down? Making a life list can boost your mood and inspire you.  Some people refer to life lists as bucket lists, but that always sounded kind of morbid to me. I am not trying to do all the things before I kick the bucket. I am trying to enjoy and make the most of my life all along the way. I have had a short list of things that are on my life list that I file in the back of my mind. A lot of them are big-ticket items like taking my family on safari one day (this has been a dream of mine for a long time). We don't have a lot of options I don't think about my life list all the time or anything. Frankly, in the middle of quarantine, life seems to be on hold. Not only am I am not doing any of the things on my life list right now, but we even had to cancel one of the things on my list that had been planned for this summer. It's frustrating and discouraging and makes me feel stuck. It's hard to get excited about our lives when we don't ...

Grounding is a coping skill that helps you stay more in the present moment. It is really helpful for decreasing anxiety, panic, PTSD, and feelings of disconnection, or flashbacks. When people are highly anxious or feel numbed out, spaced out, or like you are in a dream state, becoming mindful through a grounding technique will help. It can help you be more in the here and now so you feel safe, comforted and calm. Give this technique a try and let us know how you like it. If you have been struggling with anxiety and need to talk to a counselor and begin the process of healing, please  contact us  at Wilson Counseling. We have  Texas-based therapists  who can meet with you  virtually  or in person. 

It feels like an understatement to say we are in the midst of hard times. For so many people, 2020 has brought on one difficult life event after another. We are in the middle of a pandemic which has left the mental health of so many of us compromised. It is against this backdrop that video surfaced of an unarmed, hand-cuffed black man, George Floyd,  having his life taken at the hands of a police officer. Floyd pleaded for his life for 8 minutes while indicating he could not breathe even as the life was squeezed out of him. At nearly the same time, a video surfaced of a white woman, Amy Cooper,  who called the police on a black man, Christian Cooper, whose only crime was to ask her to put her dog on a leash. She then proceeded to call 911 and tell them falsely that a black man was threatening her. She knew she had power, and she knew how to wield it to threaten Cooper. These are only two incidents that have highlighted problems with injustice and racism in our society...

We know these are trying times, and Wilson Counseling wants to support you. Here are some of our free and low-cost resources. Low-cost Counseling We have a licensed professional counseling intern, Jennifer Douglas, who is seeing clients for a low-cost fee.  This option is great for those of you who are concerned about the cost of counseling. Jennifer's background working as a nurse in mental health facilities as well as her counseling background has given her a unique skill set to be able to understand both the emotional and physiological aspects of her clients. She brings this knowledge and experience in the counseling room with her. Contact Wilson Counseling to schedule an appointment. Telehealth/virtual therapy Wilson Counseling offers telemental health services, including counseling over the phone and by secure video. These services make counseling convenient for people who may have trouble getting to our office, those who want to avoid the commute, are conce...

I was asked by my church to speak on the topic of waiting for their Ash Wednesday service, a Christian holy day that precedes Easter. It is meant to be a time of meditation, of looking inward in sober self-examination before we start looking forward to the joy and celebration of Easter. Before the joy, though, comes waiting.                                                       I feel stuck in the waiting place It's funny that I spoke about waiting in a theoretical context just a couple of weeks before the coronavirus forced all of us into a long, metaphorical waiting room.  Sometimes it feels like we are permanently stuck in that waiting place. Have you ever been trapped on a plane that is having difficulties, and the pilot keeps coming on and saying they will take off shortly? And an hour or two later, you feel...

We Are Social Creatures And We Require Human Connection We have been social distancing for a couple of weeks and even for the introverts, it can start to feel lonely. We are social creatures. All of us. We create meaning in groups. We have identity in groups. We are tethered and grounded in our interactions with people. Right now, those things have been ripped away from us. Even if we can't be physically near people, it does not mean we have to be in solitary confinement. That will feel like torture. In fact, it is not coincidence that they use solitary confinement as a means of punishment for prisoners. But this is not prison (though it sometimes feels like a prison of the mind). If you are feeling lonely during the coronavirus pandemic, what can you do to connect with people? Ideas to Help You Connect While Social Distancing Zoom Party  This works for birthday parties, happy hours, trivia. You name it, it can be done over zoom, or FaceTime, or any other virtual to...

If you don't sleep well, you don't feel well. Getting a good night's sleep is one of the best things you can do for your mental health. Sleep helps replenish your mind and body. It helps your mind process and figuratively hit the reset button on the stress and complications of the day.  What does sleep do for you?   It helps in many amazing ways, such as it Helps your brain sort and process your day. This ability helps create long-term memory and sorts information for when you need it later. Sleep helps your brain learn and remember.  Releases growth hormones which help you grow and help repair your body.  Contributes to healthy brain functioning and emotional wellbeing. Allows your nervous system to relax.  Decreases the stress hormone called cortisol.  Strengthens your immune system by releasing a protein called cytokine. Cytokine help fight inflammation, infection and trauma to the body.  What are the repercussions of not ...