Have you ever heard of the term thinking through a negative lens? Has your negative thinking affected your relationship with others or yourself?

Unhelpful (negative) thinking, also known as cognitive distortions, is a thought pattern that is influenced by difficult experiences or triggers. 

Do you notice how on certain days you are able to respond better to stress than others? Certainly it depends on the physical and emotional context under which the stress occurs, but did you know it also has to do with one's tolerance level?

Increasing distress tolerance allows for improved emotional regulation, feeling more in control, and decreased likelihood of emotional outbursts.

As our world becomes more accepting of broader and more diverse identities, you may have questions about how you can better support the LGBTQ+ community, or what LGBTQ+ even stands for.

Every person has their own journey in understanding what it means to support LGBTQ+ people, whether you’re LGBTQ+ or not. We hope this resource can help you begin that journey.

First, let’s define what it means to be an Ally!

Have you found over time that your physical touch with your partner has started to decline? Maybe you've found yourself stuck in the role of mom/dad and you haven't prioritized your partner. Or maybe the daily grind has made it so you aren't investing time back into your relationship to create the need for physical touch with one another.

In this month's Therapy Moment, Robyn Ashbaugh, LMFT shares the "gears of touch" and how it can help improve your intimacy with your partner!

Have you ever found yourself in a public setting, perhaps at school or work, and suddenly you’re overcome with an intense feeling that becomes difficult to control in the moment?

Hard as we may try to remain calm, cool and collected as we go about our everyday lives, our emotions sometimes have other plans, showing up with intense power at the most unexpected times.

Has your partner ever told you that you aren't hearing what they are saying or are invalidating their feelings when experiencing an argument?

Oftentimes, when people are told that they reply with "that wasn't my intent to make you feel that way" when discussing conflict.

The problem with that reply is that it doesn't totally resolve the issue at hand nor the impact it has on the other person.

Everyday there seems to be something in the world happening that is really hard to deal with. Whether it be racial injustices, shootings, war on other countries, politics and so much more, these things are not easy to deal with, let alone talk about, and they all impact us in different ways. As much as it would be easier for us to ignore or pretend like nothing is going on, that’s not the reality we live in. 

Do you struggle with how to empathize with others?

Oftentimes, people listen to a loved one share something troubling going on in their life and their initial reaction is to help them "solve" or "fix" their issue. What's often missed is the importance of empathizing with their difficult emotions first.

Empathy is incredibly important because it allows you to connect with someone important to you on an emotional level.

Do you ever notice your emotions get the best of you when confronted with conflict?

 It’s easy to get lost in your reaction or emotional response to things that sometimes it can be difficult to reflect on what’s truly happening in the present.

Mindfulness can be a useful way to reflect on the present moment.