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Overflow by Craig Booker

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Facing the Hard Stuff

Hello Reader, Have you ever been in a place where you couldn't face something? I ✋🏻 surely have! Just this past week, I woke up like I usually do on a Tuesday. For some reason, a question came to mind. I do not recall why I started thinking about this question or how it came up, but it was there. A few minutes later, I began making a note on my phone. I knew this question might get lost in my morning routine, and I didn't want it to slip through my mind. After making a note of the question,...

3 days ago • 2 min read

Hello Reader, There's an old saying that says, "Time heals all wounds." While time certainly plays a crucial role in our journey, it will not heal all wounds. We cannot experience a traumatic event, circumstances, or surroundings and sweep it under the rug, hoping for it to disappear. Returning to those feelings, we often find emotions as fresh and raw as the day we left them. In last week's exercise, community members created a timeline detailing the events and circumstances that helped...

11 days ago • 2 min read

Hello Reader, I remember walking into my first session with a new psychologist. I was utterly overwhelmed with the reality of my condition. The weight of trying to white-knuckle my way through life had taken its toll. Things were not right in my world, and I had no idea where to begin. In the following visits, we would talk a lot about my past, my life growing up, and all of the stereotypical things a psychologist should talk about. What didn’t come up was how I was feeling at that moment. I...

16 days ago • 2 min read

Hello Reader, How we tell our story has a lot to do with how we live it out. Whether speaking of a recent victory or a moment of loss, the words we use and what we focus on matter. There’s a particular season of my life I’d like to forget sometimes. One thing I am learning is how to shift my story by changing how I tell that story. Let’s review how I’ve told this story in the past and contrast that version with a new perspective. Perspective 1 The year 2002 marked the beginning of one of the...

24 days ago • 2 min read

Hello Reader, Have you ever thought about how messed up our thoughts can be? One of the most intriguing ideas I have recently encountered is how someone's thoughts can be completely legitimate inside their head, but once they get written down or shared with others, they can transform into complete garbage. When a thought is inside our head, we can believe it is completely legitimate. If we take a moment and write it down or tell someone about it, it changes. The interesting thing here to note...

about 1 month ago • 2 min read

Hello Reader, I love patterns! People love patterns. Humans are fascinated with finding patterns in the world around them. It's a thing. So much so that they have a word to describe it. This innate tendency to seek out patterns and impose order on the world around us is called "patternicity." Last week, I asked the question, "What if I told you there are patterns to your behavior?" Far too often, we get used to operating in a certain way, and when we try to make changes, it seems like too...

about 1 month ago • 2 min read

Hello Reader, Do you ever feel stuck in a rut? No matter what you do, you feel hopeless to change. The same triggers send you into a tailspin. After a while, you just feel like giving up. What if I told you there are patterns to your behavior? What may seem completely unpredictable follows a set of rules. This is good news! If we are going to be both mentally and emotionally healthy people, we need to be able to identify the negative patterns of thinking and then face them. Even more, we need...

about 2 months ago • 1 min read

Hello Reader, Do you ever stop and wonder if something else is driving your behavior? One moment, you're having a great day, and then it happens. Something (an event) causes you to spiral into a series of negative thoughts and beliefs about the event. Before you know it, you shut down, withdraw, or isolate yourself. Maybe you get defensive, shirk responsibility, and begin to blame others. What is going on here? (A) First, there was an activating event. (B) Next, the event triggered a series...

about 2 months ago • 1 min read

Hello Reader, I struggle with change! I find it incredibly difficult to create lasting changes in my life. Anyone else? I have tried several approaches, and I have learned that if there is something that I am not quite satisfied with, my brain will eventually decide to do something about it. This is a personality trait that I am incredibly grateful to have. What I can't quite figure out is why I struggle so much in asking others for help. I have my reasons. We all do. We fear trusting people,...

2 months ago • 2 min read

Hello Reader, Change is hard! Understanding and improving our brain health is an uphill battle. When it comes to making changes, you must have a plan. Regardless of whether you are the planning type or someone who prefers to wing it, you need some type of roadmap. Let's face it: it is hard enough to take steps in the right direction when we know what to do next. So why put off the preparation stage? Maybe the whole idea of what you are trying to change is a bit overwhelming. It could be that...

2 months ago • 2 min read
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