Wilson Counseling: The Armchair Chronicles

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 sleeping? Your brain

As the parent who never has the color coded schedule, doesn't have a Pintrest board for what to do with my kids on rainy days, and is not the first one to sign up for that school field trip to the Renaissance Festival, I appreciated this  Huffington Post article entitled, " Parents, It's Ok If You're Barely Getting By Right Now. I love my kids and my version of loving them my way is gonna look different from how my friend does it. Have grace with yourselves, parents. We are going through some insane stuff right now.  We get scared and stressed, too. If you are showing up for your kids and loving on them the best you can, you are killing it as a parent. It is OK if you are barely getting by right now, seriously. No shame. We are all in this together. "In this time of the coronavirus, keep your kids safe, make them feel loved and feed them. That’s all." For more parenting tips, please check out our Wilson Counseling Facebook page .

Don't let drive time, physical or medical conditions, concerns about privacy, anxiety about coming into the office, or anything else keep you from reaching your goals, making changes in your life,  and starting to feel better. 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. Distance counseling is offered for legal residents of Texas, not just those in the Houston area.  All video sessions are conducted on a secure HIPPA compliant website. Video-based counseling outcomes have been shown to be as good as face-to-face counseling sessions, and some clients find they are more comfortable opening up in this setting.  Watch this video to see if video counseling is right for you.  Benefits of Online Counseling Increased confidential and anonymity You have online counseling sessions from the privacy

If you are tuned into the news, you are hearing about the coronavirus, repeatedly. And you may be starting to feel anxious about possible outbreaks. Your fear is understandable, but it may not be helpful. As with everything, you actually have a lot of control over how you feel. You just need the right tools to keep your anxiety in check. So before you go into pandemic panic, there are a few things that will help.  1. Get accurate information First, get accurate information about the virus. Not everything you read is accurate. The  CDC  is always a reliable source for information. You can read about common myths and facts about the virus on their website. A friend of mine shared  this  post and I found it really put things in perspective for me.  2. Turn off the news & social media Second, spend less time watching the news and reading social media posts about the virus. The more time you spend pondering the virus, the more panicked you are likely to feel. It