Hi Friends! I am so happy this week to be sharing what promises to be some incredibly valuable information about how to not just survive but thrive (and you know I’m all about that!) during these uncertain times from an expert in her field.
It is my absolute pleasure to introduce to you all Teresa Kline, Licensed Professional Counselor. Teresa has been providing Counseling services in the Waxahachie area for the past 8 years. She has 20 years of experience working in the mental health field and specializes in providing counseling services for adults who are experiencing depressed mood, anxiety, and relationship difficulties. Recently, Teresa has also added Life Coaching for women of all ages. Teresa also has a wealth of knowledge and personal life experience related to divorce recovery, preparing for marriage, and emotional renewal. You can find her at counselingwaxahachie.com as well as lifecoach.com. Teresa is currently offering a free 20-minute consultation for prospective Clients. Please go to her website to contact her. You can find her at: counselingwaxahachie.com or lifecoachteresa.com.
Without further ado, here are Teresa’s words of encouragement and self-assessment with tips to put into practice!
Our lives have dramatically changed in a matter of days and weeks. Life as we have known it has come to a screeching halt. We are facing challenges that are impacting us in a multitude of ways-financially-emotionally-physically-socially.
How are you coping?
Anxiety and stress are a natural response to the current pandemic. You may ask yourself, “What can I do to feel okay?”
First, don’t panic! Take one day at a time. Assess your present surroundings. Assess what your current needs are in terms of food, shelter, and basic needs. How do you expect to take care of your basic needs? How do you see what you may have control over? Create a plan, based on your needs and available resources.
At each challenge of life, we need to focus on the basics: Eat healthy. Keep a healthy routine. Get enough sleep. Exercise. Get out in the fresh air and sunshine when possible. Extend grace to yourself and others. Stay connected-to God-and to others. Choose healthy thoughts. Choose stress-relief in healthy ways.
As a Licensed Professional Counselor, a huge part of my job is to maintain my own sense of well-being. Fortunately, I have been practicing good mental health hygiene, so to speak, for quite some time now—and I would like to share with you one of my mental health habits.
To maintain mental health, I use self-discipline in the ways that I think about life. For example, anxiety and worry can crop up at any time in my mind and soul. In times like these, that would be understandable and even normal-but I do not allow myself to expand those initial anxious thoughts. For example, I may be worried that myself or my loved ones may contract the virus. I may then feel helpless. Instead of expanding the thoughts of helplessness, I discipline myself to think about what I can do to stay safe, and I also pray and ask God, to do what I am not able to do. In so doing, I am able to combine faith with action-and then I surrender the outcome to God.
If you or your loved ones are experiencing chronic emotional difficulty related to the stresses of the current pandemic, then counseling may be helpful.
Talking with a professional counselor can be helpful to maintain our mental health. Teresa Kline, MA, LPC, has many years of experience and is available for tele-health sessions, and in-office. Currently, the office is set up to accommodate social distancing.
If you are having thoughts of suicide, call the National Suicide Hotline number @ 1-800-273-8255
