Margaret C. Wang, LMFT Psychotherapist, San Jose, CA Videos

My colleague, Sharmishtha Gupta and I, have started a series of recordings on mental health topics. Scaling questions can help identify how one's mood shifts throughout the day. For example, check in with yourself before and after a walk. Using a scale from 1 to 5 to evaluate your stress level—where 1 is not stressed and 5 is very stressed—you might rate yourself a 4 before the walk. After the walk, you might feel a bit less stressed and rate yourself a 3. This scaling activity can increase your awareness of what influences your mood. Remember, this is a simplified approach to emotion regulation. SHARMISHTHA GUPTA Psychotherapist, Ed.M., M.A., LMHC Licensed in Singapore & New York State MARGARET C. WANG Psychotherapist, LMFT Licensed in California For a longer video, head over here 📺Self-Regulation📺 Personal and Professional Perspectives https://bit.ly/4fcrxJg #TherapistsConnect #copingskills

My colleague, Sharmishtha Gupta and I, have started a series of recordings on mental health topics. Today, we explore the challenges some people face in finding a career path that aligns with their true selves. In diverse cultural contexts, younger generations often struggle to pursue careers that may conflict with their parents' expectations. For a longer video, head over here: Parental Dreams: Personal and Professional Perspectives https://bit.ly/3Y64UAl SHARMISHTHA GUPTA Psychotherapist, Ed.M., M.A., LMHC Licensed in Singapore & New York State MARGARET C. WANG Psychotherapist, LMFT Licensed in California #TherapistsConnect #authenticself

Collectivism vs. Individualism My colleague, Sharmishtha Gupta and I discuss individualism and collectivism from personal and clinical perspectives, within the context of gender and culture. SHARMISHTHA GUPTA Psychotherapist, Ed.M., M.A., LMHC Licensed in Singapore & New York State LINKS 🔷️Website: https://www.odysseywellness.co/ 🔷️Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/odyssey_wellness 🔷️YouTube: @odysseywellness 🔷️Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/odysseywellness1 MARGARET C. WANG Psychotherapist, LMFT Licensed in California LINKS 🔷️Website: https://thriveandfeel.com/ 🔷️Pinterest: https://pin.it/5Wq1naRYV #TherapistsConnect #culturematters

My colleague, Sharmishtha Gupta and I, have started a series of recordings on mental health topics. Today we share our thoughts on making sense of privilege surrounding mental health care within intergenerational contexts. This is a difficult topic to cover. I will do my best to articulate it. In this snippet, I'm referring to the privilege that comes with being in a generation that may have more time, space, and/or resources to explore and to take care of one's mental health. For certain generations, it might have been less feasible to sit with difficult emotions or trauma. Within these generations, there was the sentiment, "Get over it" or "We can't afford to look at that. It's better to move forward." These are sweeping generalizations. For a longer video, head over here: http://bit.ly/3Shyv5Z SHARMISHTHA GUPTA Psychotherapist, Ed.M., M.A., LMHC Licensed in Singapore & New York State MARGARET C. WANG Psychotherapist, LMFT Licensed in California #TherapistsConnect #endthestigma #mentalhealthmatters

Self-Care My colleague, Sharmishtha Gupta @odyssey_wellness and I, have started a series of recordings on mental health topics. Today we share our thoughts on self-care and the oversimplification of the topic. For a longer video, head over here: https://rb.gy/77r82h You might wonder, "What's the point of making time to feel our feelings?" It's all about intentional acts--you can either take ten to fifteen minutes to sit and listen to music and journal. If you're more of a visual person, you might draw and allow yourself to feel. Or it might be five minutes while you're driving without listening to music or other distractions. See how it feels to be fully present with your emotions. You might feel bored, and after a few minutes of boredom, other feelings might arise. Setting aside time is a form of healthy compartmentalization so that those emotions won't interfere when you're at work or need to be "on" throughout the day. Sometimes we're more comfortable "doing" something as a way of avoiding feelings. For example, some people more be more familiar with feeling anxious, but we're so preoccupied that we might not feel those other emotions beneath the anxiety (e.g., sadness, hurt). SHARMISHTHA GUPTA Psychotherapist, Ed.M., M.A., LMHC Licensed in Singapore & New York State MARGARET C. WANG Psychotherapist, LMFT Licensed in California #TherapistsConnect #SelfCare

Self-Care My colleague, Sharmishtha Gupta and I, have started a series of recordings on mental health topics. Today, we share our thoughts on self-care and the oversimplification of the topic. For a longer video, head over here: https://rb.gy/77r82h You might wonder, "What's the point of making time to feel our feelings?" It's all about intentional acts--you can either take ten to fifteen minutes to sit and listen to music and journal. If you're more of a visual person, you might draw and allow yourself to feel. Or it might be five minutes while you're driving without listening to music or other distractions. See how it feels to be fully present with your emotions. You might feel bored, and after a few minutes of boredom, other feelings might arise. Setting aside time is a form of healthy compartmentalization so that those emotions won't interfere when you're at work or need to be "on" throughout the day. SHARMISHTHA GUPTA Psychotherapist, Ed.M., M.A., LMHC Licensed in Singapore & New York State MARGARET C. WANG Psychotherapist, LMFT Licensed in California #TherapistsConnect #SelfCare

We all deal with the holidays differently. It can feel overwhelming to cope with the stress that comes with the holidays. Know that whatever you're feeling is okay. #holidayseason #holidaystress

Maybe you've been meaning to journal, or your therapist has suggested it. Watch below if you've ever been hesitant to start journaling. ✒️📓🕯 #writeaboutit #journalingideas

Four Things You Can Do When You're Not Feeling Your Best At Work #settingboundaries #worklifestyle

This clip is for you if you know someone coping with depression. My hope is that by talking about it, we're decreasing the stigma that comes along with depression. #letstalkaboutmentalhealth #mentalhealthstigma #depression

Dealing with "negative" emotions. Emotions don't have to be labeled as "good" or "bad". They can be inconvenient or uncomfortable. #feelingfeelings #dealingwithemotions

So why does mindfulness help with dealing with anxiety? During our mindfulness practice, we can identify our thoughts in a more neutral way. When we engage in this non-judgmental approach towards ourselves, it can allow for some space between our thoughts. We might tell ourselves during our practice, "Oh there goes another anxious thought" or "This is uncomfortable and this is what it's like to feel anxious." After some time, we might develop this muscle so-to-speak, such that we allow ourselves to feel the anxious feeling in the moment, which allows us to tolerate those anxious thoughts in the future when we're not engaging in the practice itself. #mindfulnesspractice #anxietysupport

ANXIOUS THOUGHTS
Sometimes we want the anxiety to disappear; we just want it to stop. Start by noticing when these anxious thoughts arise, and see if you can sit with or tolerate this discomfort.

With the holidays comes stress...family time sometimes feels like or is an obligation, too many plans. Take it easy on yourself. Set some boundaries. Know what you need to step out to take a break. A lot of these things are easier SAID than DONE. Know that you can get through this and that you know which tools to pick up to get through this stressful time. Read more for some ideas and some fun gifs: https://thriveandfeel.wpcomstaging.com/2021/11/14/how-to-prepare-for-the-holidays-with-family/ #holidaystress #holidaysarecoming