Vibrant Oak Counseling

Now I know it’d be awesome if we could skip dealing with narcissists altogether, but when you’re familiar with the rules of their “game,” there’s a better chance of quitting while you’re ahead.

Confessions of a Narcissist

K thanks!

😉 -What’s in her head

Sad Truth!

I feel like we often put labels on ourselves to describe the way we are without ever looking at how that behavior came to be in the first place. No one is born a “people pleaser” (or “lazy” for that matter) and yet so many folks define themselves as such. What if we got curious about where we learned to prioritize pleasing and with compassion, asked ourselves what we were longing to get in return?

We can’t ask our kids to control themselves if we can’t control ourselves. That seems doesn’t seem fair does it?

Seems about right!

A huge score for increasing awareness about maternal mental health!

In an effort to address the rising rates of anxiety and depression in the maternal population, Google launched a postpartum depression (PPD) screener (the EPDS) on Tuesday. This screener is the 4th in the lineup of screening tools searchers can find on the tech giant’s search engine. (Google currently provides screeners for anxiety, PTSD, and depression.) Now, when a person searches for “postpartum depression” on Google, the standard search results will appear as well as the EPDS questionnaire on the right side of the search results. Check out the screener here: http://ow.ly/Hvrm50CL92Y

Helpful signs and tips to w**d out folks who will only bring heartache.

20 Creepy Habits Untrustworthy People Have In Common Experts reveal the habits to watch out for when someone creeps you out.

How are you doing this year? More often than not we have compassion and understanding for our friends and family, but not so much for ourselves. If you’re having a hard time, it’s not because you “can’t hack it” or aren’t “_____ enough.” 2020 has been ROUGH in many different ways with the isolation, losses, and a general sense of despair. I invite you to give yourself a break, lower your expectations for what you can do in this moment, and focus on finding little moments of calm, joy, and rest. This I know you can do. 💛

Are you thriving or just surviving? The COVID pandemic has created a concurrent crisis around mental health. We all need to be taking care of each other, but that includes ourselves. This is especially true for healthcare workers. This site from the Colorado Healthcare Ethics Resource Group offers information and resources to help address the anxiety and stress that can, if left unaddressed, deteriorate into crisis. https://cohcwcovidsupport.org/

Trying to be everything to everyone while trying to do all the things and keeping your sh** together is only piling on to the invisible work many women were doing pre-pandemic.

Stuck-At-Home Moms: The Pandemic's Devastating Toll On Women Women have made great strides. But the uncomfortable truth is that in their homes, they are still fitting into stereotypical roles of doing the bulk of housework and parenting.

Set and hold them boundaries!

Keeping an eye out for these signs is one way to monitor the healthiness of your relationship, but maybe more importantly so is reflecting on your sense of ease with your partner. Do you feel comfortable in their presence? Talking with them? Spending time with them in a group? That one element of ease can help to put so many questions about your relationship into focus.

According To Experts, These Are The 17 Scenarios Don't Represent A Strong Relationship LifeExperts Say These 17 Scenarios Shouldn't Happen In A Strong RelationshipShutterstockBy Carolyn SteberUpdated: March 16, 2020If you have an uncomfortable moment in your relationship, you might start questioning how strong you and your partner really are as a couple. While it's common to experienc...

I hope this helps make sense of what is happening for most of us in these crazy corona times. Mindfulness meditation and even just slow, deep, steady breathing are tremendously useful tools in helping us regulate the stress infiltrating our bodies. Stay safe, stay mindful, and please, stay home. ❤️

Remember that during this time of social distancing and self-isolating, some folks are trapped at home with their abusers. The National Domestic Violence Hotline is 1-800-799-7233 or you can text LOVEIS to 22522.

By far the most refreshing take on this problem I’ve ever read and I am all about it!!

Mother's Searing Post Begs Exhausted Moms to Reevaluate Their 'Sh*tty' Husbands This mother didn't candy-coat anything in her empowered message to tired working moms.

No one really talks about how postpartum life can be messy and painful because the emphasis is all on the excitement for the new baby. Moms typically get one postpartum visit whereas babies have multiple. It’s a real shame the Oscars passed on airing this ad. They missed the opportunity to help new moms feel seen, understood, and validated.

Moms Speak Up After ABC Refuses to Air Ad About Postpartum Products | KQED Frida Mom claims that ABC refused to air their ad for postpartum products during the Academy Awards. We caught up with seven moms who had something to say about it.

Most of us are familiar with the three responses to stress and trauma—fight, flight, and freeze— but did you know there’s a fourth one?

The Fourth Trauma Response We Don't Talk About Most of us have heard of the fight, flight and freeze responses. Do you know the fourth?

Ain’t nothing wrong with seeking out support and unbiased feedback!

A different take on giving children presents and I must say, I’m kinda digging it! 🎁🎄🎁

Let's stop bombarding our kids with gifts. Give them the best Christmas with the 4-gift rule. Giving your kids fewer gifts can actually give them the best Christmas ever. But...do you just start giving them less all of a sudden?

Preston Domestic Violence Services

What is gaslighting?

Cuddle those babies as much as you can!

Babies Who Get Cuddled More Seem to Have Their Genetics Changed For Years Afterwards The amount of close and comforting contact that young infants get doesn't just keep them warm, snug, and loved.