Happiness Begins with Selfishness and Ends in Meaning
Clara sat across from me, her fingers wrapped tightly around her coffee cup. She looked exhausted. Not just physically, but the kind of exhaustion that settles deep in your bones. The kind that comes from living for everyone except yourself. “I should be happy,” she said, forcing a smile. “I have everything I wanted. A good job. A family. Friends who care about me.” She paused. Her eyes drifted toward the window. “But I feel... empty.” I let the silence stretch between us. Then I asked her...
True Addiction: When the Brain Hijacks Your Free Will
The smell of warm cinnamon rolls filled the kitchen. My friend Ana had been talking about her diet for weeks. “No more sugar,” she had said confidently. Yet, here she was, standing in front of the oven, eyes locked on the golden pastry. “I’ll just have one bite,” she whispered. One bite turned into a whole roll. Then two. By the time she looked up, half the tray was gone. Her face flushed with shame. “Why do I do this to myself?” It wasn’t about hunger. It wasn’t about willpower. It was...
Therapy Isn’t for the Weak – It’s for the Brave
Life has a way of testing us. Problems grow like shadows, stretching larger and darker, eclipsing the light we once relied on. When you’re in that place—lost in the overwhelm—it’s easy to wonder: Is help even for me? Is therapy for me? Let me start here: therapy isn’t for the weak. It’s for the brave. It’s for those bold enough to look at their challenges head-on, no matter how daunting they may seem. It’s not a retreat from the battlefield; it’s a recalibration. A safe space to refocus,...
Are We Treating the Person or the Label?
Have you ever wondered how many prescriptions are written, not for the person sitting across from us, but for the diagnosis they’ve been assigned? This question has been on my mind since a course I attended recently - a course that felt deeply personal to me, touching on themes that align with my heart and purpose. I’ll share more about the course in a future post, but today, I want to explore one idea that has stuck with me ever since. It’s an idea that challenges the way we approach mental...
Beyond Medication: How Your Diet Impacts Mental Wellness
I’ll never forget a patient I worked with early in my career. Let’s call her Maria. She came into my office, visibly exhausted, carrying years of depression on her shoulders. She spoke about her lack of energy, the fog that clouded her mind, and the frustration of trying countless medications that helped a little but never quite enough. As Maria described her daily routine, something stood out to me. Her diet. Breakfast was a quick pastry and coffee, lunch was often skipped or replaced by a...
Caffeine: Borrowed Energy or Hidden Saboteur?
Have you ever wondered how one cup of coffee or tea can make you feel alive and productive, yet exhausted and restless by the end of the day? What if I told you that caffeine, a substance we so readily consume, not only masks fatigue but also interferes with mental health, psychiatric medications, insulin regulation, and the body’s natural rhythm? I’m not here to tell you how to live or dictate what you should or shouldn’t drink. My role is to help you understand and make you conscious of what...
We Are the Sum of What We Take In and Think About
This winter, I made a promise to myself. I wasn’t going anywhere. Three weeks at home—just me, my family, and the quiet comfort of familiar surroundings. No airports. No packing. Just stillness. But life has a way of steering us to where we need to be. Two weeks later, I was walking along a beach in Tenerife, the sun warm on my skin, the waves rolling softly at my feet. My little boy ran ahead, giggling as he stomped tiny footprints in the sand. The air smelled of salt and freedom, and I...
The Car Crush That Changed My Life… and Why It Can Change Yours
Ten years ago, I had a brush with mortality that changed the way I see life. I was in a car accident. My friend was driving her car on a highway in Romania. It was a rainy day, the kind where the world outside the window feels blurry and muted. We were heading to a shopping mall in Bucharest, chatting about everything and nothing, when it happened. As we overtook a truck, my friend drove into a hole filled with water. She didn’t see it was a hole—just thought it was a puddle. When she tried to...
Navigating Depression: Finding Light During the Holiday Season
The holiday season arrives with glittering lights, festive gatherings, and joyful music. But for many, it also brings an undercurrent of heaviness. As others revel in the celebrations, you may feel a growing sense of disconnect. Depression, in its many forms, has a way of turning even the brightest moments dim. ✨🎄❄️ For me, the holiday season used to mean countless visits to relatives, big meals, and a lot of sugar and alcohol. It felt like a marathon rather than a mindful, relaxing time....
Pleasure and Health: Can You Have Both This Holiday?
The holiday season often feels like a whirlwind. We rush from one event to the next, checking off to-do lists and saying yes to every request—buying gifts, baking cookies, attending gatherings. Somewhere in the chaos, we forget about ourselves. By the time the celebrations arrive, we’re often too frazzled to truly enjoy them, let alone think about our health. But it doesn’t have to be this way. What if this year, we approached the holidays differently? Instead of being swept up in the rush, we...
When Knowing Isn’t Enough: Why We Struggle to Prioritize Ourselves
I used to think knowledge was power. If I knew better, I would do better. Simple, right? But life has a way of humbling you. Especially when you’re a professional, balancing the demands of work, family, and the expectations you place on yourself. It’s ironic, isn’t it? The shoemaker with broken shoes. The doctor neglecting their health. The mental health professional burning out. We dedicate ourselves to helping others—yet struggle to apply what we know to our own lives. Let me share a story...
ADHD and the World We Create: A Personal Story and a Call to Awareness
It was a crisp morning, the kind that smells of wet leaves and wood smoke. My two-year-old clung to my hand as we made our way into the forest. The ground was soft beneath our boots, and the air felt alive, buzzing with the sounds of birds and rustling branches. “Look, Mama!” he squealed, pointing at a squirrel darting up a tree. His little face lit up with wonder. I smiled, feeling the kind of peace that only nature brings. This was a good day. No screens, no rush. Just us and the forest. But...
The Unspoken Truth: How Silence Shapes Our Minds and Health
There’s a story I once heard that has stayed with me for years—a story that speaks to the silent battle many of us carry alone. Imagine a man walking through life with a stone in his shoe. At first, it’s just a small discomfort, something he believes he can ignore. But as days turn into years, that stone becomes a part of him. He adjusts his stride to accommodate the pain. He tells himself he’s fine, that it’s normal. But gradually, the way he walks changes; his posture shifts, his muscles...
Is This Really Normal?
I recently left a coaching session with a question circling in my mind, echoing with a strange clarity: How many of the things we accept as “normal” today are actually good for us? It’s a question that lingered with me, like a tiny pebble in your shoe that you can’t ignore. In our world, where sitting for hours, staring at screens, rushing back to work after childbirth, and living boxed in by concrete are just “how things are,” I wonder: Are we unknowingly harming our minds and bodies? As a...
What (and Who) Shapes Your Mental Health?
Imagine this: You walk into a room filled with fresh, bright oranges. Their citrusy scent fills the air, clean and vibrant. But then, in the middle of the pile, you spot one orange covered in dark, fuzzy mold. The closer you get, the more you notice the edges of the neighboring oranges beginning to soften and brown, the decay spreading quietly, steadily. Now, let’s shift from oranges to people. Our relationships work in much the same way. Who you surround yourself with affects everything—your...
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