Mikaela McKee Counseling

Here are 6 ways you can burn energy in activity with your child!

According to the CDC, Children ages 3 through 5 years need to be active throughout the day. Your toddler should be getting 90 minutes to three hours of physical activity a day, with 30–60 minutes of those being high-intensity. Children and adolescents ages 6 through 17 need to be active for 60 minutes every day.

Burning energy allows children to develop skills that are essential as they get older! Play allows them to explore their creativity, be active and social.

Swipe to find out 5 sneaky signs of childhood trauma. Do any of these sound familiar?

Traumatic memory suppression is a survival mechanism that allows people to continue functioning after experiencing a traumatic event. It can occur when the memory is too painful to confront, and the brain represses or pushes it aside to help the person cope.

Suppressed memories can eventually cause psychological problems like anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Grief is a physical experience as well as emotional. Things that might help to ease physical symptoms:

✔️ Rest
✔️ Gentle movement
✔️ Breath-work
✔️ Meditation
✔️ Counseling
✔️ Creative outlets

Grief comes in waves, or can feel much like a rollercoaster of emotions. This can help explain the stages we move through in the grieving process. If you’re currently in the thick of it, know the waves are expected and part of the process.

Today marks 3 years of being in business! A small business committed to helping people through their mental health, promoting self awareness and healing with productive & proactive steps.

A reminder for those who need it. Everyone’s experiences are legitimate and valid.

When handling confrontation, here are some key do’s and don’ts.

Not every conversation is a good one, but even if this conversation comes as a surprise, listen to their concerns and do your best to understand their perspective. Instead of getting defensive, let them know they are heard, and that you are committed to working with them on a solution.

Studies show that holding on to anger rather than responding with forgiveness and/or moving on can have profound negative physical health effects as well, likely due to the added stress harboring grudges creates. Check in with yourself to see if you experience any of the above.

Instead of accepting and moving on from a negative experience or finding an acceptable resolution, holding on can trap you in a loop of resentment, bitterness, hopelessness, emptiness, or enragement and therefore continuously have an impact on your mental health.

Why is it so hard to let go of resentment? Consider these common reasons.

With resentment, we often hold ill will toward someone or something that is the cause of the past injustices—real or perceived—and the old feelings of anger connected to them. Here are some signs you may have resentment.

DID YOU KNOW: more than 2/3 of children report at least one traumatic event by the age of 16.

The office will be closed for the following dates in July and August. Have a safe and happy Fourth of July! 🇺🇸

Mental Health Tip 💬 When was the last time you were so in the moment, you completely forgot about your phone?

Mental health tip — when we communicate with others and ourselves, we’re building an imaginary “house” that we experience life through. Our words matter.

A strong social circle decreases the incidence of dementia and decline in cognitive function in women. Maintaining friendships involves thinking, feeling, reasoning and arguing — all of which stimulate brain cells to create new and healthy connections!

Healthy friendships help reduce stress and anxiety, improve self-confidence and help reduce the risk of many health conditions including obesity, blood pressure and even dementia.

When we’re with close friends who make us feel understood, oxytocin – the trust and love hormone – is released into your bloodstream. Oxytocin triggers a fountain of serotonin and dopamine (our feel-good hormones).

Did you know: the sun’s rays help our bodies produce vitamin D, which improves sleep patterns and produces serotonin in the brain, which can boost our emotional well-being.

Social interaction is an unequivocally crucial component in the prevention and treatment of many mental health-related disorders, including clinical depression. As relationships improve, people’s odds of survival increase by 50 percent.

Vitamin D definitely plays a role in warding off depression and easing anxiety. Most people are deficient in vitamin D, especially throughout winter months. Our bodies do a great job of making vitamin D when sunlight hits our skin.

When we’re spending more time outside in the sun in summer months, we have a chance to get plenty. That’s great news for our physical and mental health!

Did you know? As spring emerges, the increased sunlight exposure can boost serotonin levels in the brain, acting as a natural antidepressant for many.

It’s possible to change behavior, repair and heal. It takes time, energy, practice and commitment.

While co-dependency is about how much we allow others to impact how we feel about ourselves, secure attachment is about what we need from another person in order to feel close to them.

Nurturing yourself in small ways can help ease burnout and exhaustion. Here’s how you can refill your emotional cup in 3 steps.

“This has been my first experience with therapy, and I can’t say enough good things (about ). I feel like I’ve grown so much as a person since beginning therapy here with her”

At the end of the day, you alone can’t fix the issue, but there are a few ways you can offer support while protecting your own emotional needs. Swipe to read about them.

Practicing positive habits outside of your therapy sessions >