Dynamic Life Counseling LLC

Dynamic Life is expanding and looking for a child and adult psychologist, massage therapist, and child therapist. Please reach out if you or someone you know is interested!

Please help us wish one of our therapists, Ashley, a very happy birthday! 🥳🥳🥳

Ashley is a passionate and talented member of our team and has immediate openings for both in person (Clarkston) and virtual appointments. She specializes in treating anxiety, depression, and mood disorders in adolescents and adults. If you have been considering working with a therapist, we encourage you to reach out!

Every March, National Social Work Month recognizes the dedication and empathy social workers across the country deliver while providing services to children and adults in need. Social workers are advocates, advisors, counselors, and facilitators in schools, clinics, businesses, and government offices.

Raise your hand if you're stressed out 🙋🏻‍♀️ Here are 3 quick ways to reduce your stress levels:

1. Get moving - physical activity gets your blood pumping and reduces tension.
2. Relax - Easier said than done, we know. But meditation, reading a book, yoga, walking, or animal therapy helps increase relaxation.
3. Connect with us! Simply talking to someone outside of your circle can help reduce your stress and anxiety. We're here to listen to anything going on in your life and can offer ways to help cope in stressful situations.

Click the link in the bio to book an appointment!

Being a new mom brings so much joy and a feeling of love never felt before. It can also bring feelings of stress and being stretch far beyond capacity. In moments like these having a supportive friend to lift your spirits and offer a helping hand is essential to overcoming difficult days or seasons of life. Here are a few affirmations for moms in your life who are feeling stressed:

- Caring for myself means i can better care for my baby
- I trust my instincts & intuition
- I can’t be everything to everyone. it’s ok. I’m enough.
- Asking for help is a sign of strength.
- I won’t be this tired forever.
- I release my expectations of perfection.

SOLO DATES

Many women feel a loss of identity through certain stages of life – motherhood, focusing on their careers or starting a relationship. It is important to stary connected with yourself and seeing the value you bring to yourself and your loved ones. There are many reasons to reconnect with yourself - and fun ways to do it!

A few reasons may be:
- Self-Love & Acceptance
- Rediscover Your Interests
- Independence and Empowerment
- Reflection
- Love Yourself First

𝓛𝓸𝓿𝓮 𝓛𝓪𝓷𝓰𝓾𝓪𝓰𝓮𝓼

The Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do to you. The Platinum Rule: Do unto others as THEY would have done for them.

Most of us have heard of the 5 love languages, the premise of which is really that we are each all unique individuals who feel and express love in different ways and so taking the time to learn about ourselves and our partners can help make us more effective in giving and receiving love.

Emotions have to be prompted, and what things prompt specific emotions is different for each of us. Don't assume what works for you will work for them, that what something means to you will hold the same meaning for them. Learn what works for them and then DO it, prompt the emotion. And then enjoy those feelings!

Are you experiencing racing or intrusive thoughts? Are planned approaching situations making you feel uneasy? Try these effective techniques to help calm your mind!

Our professional therapists are available to listen and assist you in your mental health needs. Click the link in the bio to connect with our counselors today!

Or visit dynamiclife-counseling.com

Start the day with intention.

What do you want to accomplish today?
How can you prioritize your mental health?
What are you thankful for?
What can you do to balance your workload?
What are you most looking forward to today?

Self-Care Sunday: Postpartum edition

It is so important to remember YOUR care in the 4th trimester. You are so wrapped up in taking care of your new little bundle (and possibly more little ones!), your spouse, your family, finding your routine, finding the baby's routine - ALL.THE.THINGS! It's easy to give in to all these responsibilities and let your own needs fall to the wayside. Give yourself a break and indulge in a skincare routine, take a hot shower, make yourself a healthy meal, drink your water. Most importantly, though, give yourself some compassion. You're doing amazing, mama!

I was talking with someone today about their concerns of a relationship their child was in. I am a mom myself and have thought about this futuristic situation as well. I just told them ~ the best relationship you can be in is one where you aspire to be a better version of yourself because they challenge you to be that way, not one that enables you to just exist! Love yourself enough to grow 💞

January is 𝕄𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕒𝕝 𝕎𝕖𝕝𝕝𝕟𝕖𝕤𝕤 𝕄𝕠𝕟𝕥𝕙

Focusing a few minutes every day on enhancing mental wellness can increase resilience, help manage stress, and build upon an overall sense of well-being. Mental Wellness also helps combat symptoms of serious mental illness. Consider the following steps that can easily be added to your routine:

- Develop an attitude of gratitude: the more gratitude you find in everyday things, the better your outlook will become
- Set aside time to do the things you enjoy: It's crucial to partake in activities that you love. If you're constantly checking off a to-do list of obligations, you're taking away from true joy.
- Take a break from stress (easy, we know! 😜)
- Slow down
- Take care of yourself: You can't pour from an empty cup!
- Ask for help when you need it

Postpartum is hard.
We get.
We see you.
You are doing great!

We're currently accepting perinatal patients. Having a safe place to talk about your feelings during this new season of life, please connect with us at dynamiclife-counseling.com

Boundaries are NOT about controlling other people, they’re about controlling YOURSELF.

You get to decide where you go, who you spend time with, what you spend your money on, what you share with others.

A boundary isn’t telling someone they can’t ask you about something, rather it is telling someone what you will/won’t talk about and sticking to it even if they push back.

It’s not telling someone you’re sick of paying for dinner and they have to this time, it's not accepting dinner plans with someone who constantly takes advantage of your generosity.

If you are feeling overwhelmed with the IEP process - you're not alone! The Michigan Alliance for Families is a fantastic resource and is hosting a virtual workshop on January 25 to help parents and caregivers get a deeper understanding of their child's IEP, the core areas and how they build on each other.

Register to join us for this FREE, online virtual workshop next on Thursday, January 25 at 9am https://tinyurl.com/eb8j2ezaWe

Registration is also open for:
Monday, February 12 at 6:30pm https://tinyurl.com/3464s28p
Tuesday, March 19 at 1pm https://tinyurl.com/hu3j96rv
Monday, April 29 at 12pm http://tinyurl.com/mry8yykz

Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the IEP process? You are not alone.

Get a better understanding of your child's IEP by taking a closer look at the core areas and how they build on each other. We'll also talk about how to get your concerns addressed.

Register to join us for this free, online virtual workshop next on Thursday, January 25 at 9am https://tinyurl.com/eb8j2eza

We offer IEP: A Closer Look every month, to provide parents with the information they want when they need it.

Registration is also open for
Monday, February 12 at 6:30pm https://tinyurl.com/3464s28p
Tuesday, March 19 at 1pm https://tinyurl.com/hu3j96rv
Monday, April 29 at 12pm http://tinyurl.com/mry8yykz

CIRCLE OF CONTROL
You can’t control other people, you can’t control the environment around you, you can’t control the weather, you can’t control reality. You can control YOU – how you respond to things, what choices you make, what you do with your thoughts, what your boundaries are, etc.

We spend so much time worrying about and trying to influence things we can’t actually control, and since we can’t control them, we get all stressed and depressed. When you focus on what you can control, you feel happier, more confident, and less stressed out.

If you find yourself struggling with control, visit the link in the bio to connect with an available counselor.

𝗕𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗚 is a powerful but simple relaxation technique that aims to return breathing to its normal rhythm after a stressful experience.

The New Year brings hope and determination in making big changes in your life. While its great to set your sights high, the success rate of achieving those goals is low. Over 80% of resolutions fail by February because the goals were not attainable.

By starting small and creating an achievable, realistic timeline, you'll be sure to celebrate your goals! Happy 2024!

Substance abuse during the holiday season sees considerable spikes. Stress, depression, peer pressure can all contribute to these increases. 38% of people say they’re more stressed during the holiday season.

If you're experience the urge to use or need to talk to someone, visit dynamiclife-counseling.com to connect with an available counselor.

Think ahead to the events/experiences you are planning over the holidays. Are you worried or feeling anxious about any of them? Dreading the work holiday party? Anxious about how to answer 50 questions from your aunt about your life choices? Don’t just ‘wing it.’ Prepare a few 'Cope Ahead' responses to help you through those anticipated stressful situations. You'll feel more relaxing going in, and be able to enjoy the holidays!

- Pick out an outfit you love and feel comfortable and confident in. This isn’t about approval from others, but rather making sure you are feeling your best! You’ll have more fun when you’re not worrying about your clothing being too- tight or being itchy and uncomfortable.

- Get enough sleep, drink lots of water, fuel your body. Don’t go in tired, hangry and dehydrated!

- Minimize alcohol use. It lowers your inhibitions and this can make it hard for you to stick to your ‘holiday cope ahead’ plans, lead to regrettable social interactions, and cause all sorts of other havoc like increased stress, hangovers, falls, etc.

- Decide what your boundaries are, and stick to them! Plan ahead for what time you will arrive and leave, what you will/won’t discuss or share, who you might avoid, etc.

- Prep a list of topics you feel comfortable discussing. This can help both to start up a positive conversation as well as to change the topic if someone is talking about something that makes you feel uncomfortable or upset, and saves you from grasping at straws in the moment!

- Check in with yourself periodically and take a break if you need one! Excuse yourself to the bathroom and take some deep breaths; step outside and call a friend for moral support; walk away and go somewhere less crowded.

- Plan soothing activities for both before AND after anticipated stressful events/experiences. You’ll enter into them feeling more positive and with more emotional tolerance, and you’ll have something already lined up if you need some TLC to decompress and recover from a tough experience (or to celebrate it going better than you expected!).

I have a lot of clients that talk about their relationships/marriages. It is probably one of the biggest stressors that comes up because of all the different dynamics of a relation that impact a person.

The fact is, is that no one ever teaches you growing up how to be with someone else in a committed relationship. Everything is teaching you how to be independent and self sufficient. Which leaves you at a disadvantage when you end up wanting to share your life with someone.

Attraction is the first part. Spending time and getting to know someone is the second. Introducing them to people in your life to get validation of your choice 🙂 is next. Then moving in, combining things etc. you never lose your individualistic perspective. And you shouldn’t! But the part of combining that is hard is the understanding that doing something different than how you would normally do it, doesn’t mean you are wrong and they are right. It is not a power struggle. It’s just a different perspective based on their upbringing and individualistic way of learning how to be self sufficient.

Bottom line, relationships are hard and we don’t talk about it enough. We complain plenty haha but actually talking it out and figuring out how to communicate better, handle finances differently, improve intimacy, etc are things that we can work through! You just have to be willing to fight for the person you worked so hard to find 🙂

We are here to help!!

Suicidal ideation can be so scary for individuals to experience, but they don’t have to be! I want to share with you all, my perspective that I give clients to give them back some control their thoughts might take away.

Our mind can only utilize thoughts that we have taught it through various forms of information coming in. Su***de is one of those thoughts that we learn through conversation, social media, movies, books etc. Whenever and however we learn it, once we do we internalize it and how it makes us feel and in some way how it would be if we ever did it. It’s just our way of trying to find empathy and sympathy for people but that is such a hard thing to do with this thought. So when we start experiencing things in our life that elicit emotions that make us feel vulnerable, our brain tries to signal us how sever those emotions are for us. When we push things down and we don’t listen our brain goes through all the history in our filing system to find the most sever example it can so we listen. Enter in suicidal ideation. At this point our brain is telling us a lot of information, not necessarily to go through with any initial thought. More like it is overwhelmed and needs a break of some kind. Our brain just wants us to listen to ourselves and the needs we might have based on our emotional well-being.

So if this is you! Don’t be afraid to talk about it or even hear what your thoughts are saying. If you brain is saying things like “I feel like they would be better off” “what if I just didn’t wake up” etc. Why would someone be better off without you? Are there things going on in your life that you might feel like you are asking to much of others? If so what are your needs and how are you needing them to be met and by whom? What if you didn’t wake up? What would change for you? Would you feel rested? Would you stop feeling overwhelmed? Would your head just stop thinking? There are skills you can us to do that, boundaries to put in place, expectations to be voiced! In my history of talking with clients, once people started listening, those thoughts went away and their life seemed to work out after some minor or big changes 🙂 you just have to be brave and face whatever it is in your way!! First step, talk 💞

** Disclaimer
This is my interpretation and I understand this does not apply to every situation since some clients have diagnoses that can cause suicidal thoughts and action. Medication may need to be prescribed in those situations.

So many of us know loss all to well. Whether it is a human or an animal, sudden or expected, it is never easy. Pain is an awful feeling but necessary. Grief is a natural part of the way our mind copes with loosing someone so significant to us. Time truly is the healer for grief but it is important to always move in a forward direction. Standing still is what makes grief complicated. Our brain deals with loss better when it can make sense of the how and why. When it can’t, we get stuck ruminating on so many different questions. Emotions get stuck on being angry, sad, spiteful, etc. Pain, despite it feeling aweful, is good! Crying, going through belongings and purging material items, are all good things! Since grief is a natural process, we don’t need to try and figure out how to do it. We just need to allow yourselves to do it! Allowing yourself to feel all the hurt helps your brain understand that you are not afraid of the thoughts and feelings and will help you get through it easier. Having someone to talk it through with is also a great way to heal. It takes away power from those unwanted thoughts and sheds light on the ones you want to remember 💞

I deal a lot with clients who struggle with Anxiety. I wanted to share this perspective with you! I watched a 9-1-1 episode one day that dealt with a women who was reclusive. Her anxiety was so bad that she was afraid of how the outside world could hurt her. Police were sent to her house due to a threat of a landslide and she refused to evacuate. The officer and her got stuck in her house because she was so afraid of the potential of walking over that threshold and being hurt, She failed to see that her house was collapsing around her and was going to kill her.

Being afraid is ok! It helps us realize we are alive. But you have to realize that “fear” is what you have created to be reality. You have a choice to take a step over that threshold to live or stay where you are and exist! What do you choose to do? 💞

A Day of Remembering 🩷

So many times we find ourselves trapped in our thoughts. We get stressed and overwhelmed by them and all the things we have on our to do lists. That stress disrupts not only our day but also our sleep. A simple night time routine can help eliminate some of that stress. Studies show that an hour before bed, stop all electronics. YES haha all of them. Take time to write down everything that might be on our mind. Don’t worry about how it is laid out. Just write it out until there is nothing else. Then you need to decompress your body and mind. You can do yoga, guided meditation, stretching, a full workout, take a bath/shower, drink hot tea, etc. Make sure your room is ready and comfortable. Whatever time you have left, read (something that is not for learning) 🙂 If you take any melatonin or another sleep aid, take that about 15-30 before you fall asleep, so roughly when you start reading. Then go to bed. If you wake up at any point you can repeat any of the things you did before bed as your brain has learned that those are to help promote sleep. Try not to turn on any lights or look at your phone so you do not alert you wake state to start thinking. Your sleep can start being positively impacted after just one night! Try it out 😉



~ Karyn Skiba

I had a client years ago that came into my office for an intake with 5 totes. They stated that they had all of the records and stuff they thought they might need in them. They continued to discuss their concerns and at the end of the session I asked them if they felt weighed down. They said yes. I asked them to look through their bags and put into the shredder or garbage anything they felt like they could let go of. They walked out with only one tote. They gave me a hug and stated that no one over the years had them look at their physical “baggage” and have them purge it. They cried and said they felt so free.

Our “clutter” or things we hold on to can sometimes be a reflection of the weight we feel on ourselves. Purging the material stuff in your purse, car, house, etc. can help you free up emotions and space for other more purposeful things that mean something to you! It can be overwhelming sometimes So take time to purge, hire a professional organizer, hire a cleaning company, downsize, call friends or family and have a dinner/ cleaning party. Don’t be afraid to ask for help! We all have baggage in some way or another 🙂 so just take one step at a time.

Sometimes we need to take a second to listen 💕

Free SEL Poster: IF FEELINGS COULD TALK by WholeHearted School Counseling | Social emotional learning, Mental and emotional health, Emotions May 11, 2020 - Free Social Emotional Learning Poster: If Feelings Could Talk, what would they be telling you that you need right now?