The Best New Year’s Resolution of All: A Happier, Healthier You

Woman holding hands out wearing a hat after making a new year's resolution in North Carolina. Foundations Family Therapy in Raleigh, NC 27606 provides family counseling in Fuquay Varina, NC 27526. Online therapy in North Carolina is also available with an online therapist in North Carolina from Foundations Family Therapy!

It’s that time of year when many people are heading into the new year with motivation and enthusiasm toward achieving their resolutions. Every year, many people set goals to lose weight or exercise more. There’s a lot of focus on improving physical health and wellness, but it’s also important to think about your mental health.

Your happiness matters 365 days a year.

Whether it’s January 1st or August 31st, you can make the decision to incorporate positive change in your life. Each morning you have a choice. A choice to give in to negative energy or choose to live with positivity.

This year, make your mental health and happiness a priority with our therapy services at Foundations Family Therapy. There are SO many wonderful benefits of therapy that will impact all aspects of your life.

Therapy can…

Teach You Better Conflict Resolution

One of the many benefits of therapy and holistic healing is that it can teach you new ways to respond to conflict. You can learn new ways to look at situations that have caused you far too much stress, and new ways to nurture peace and contentment within yourself.

Help You Identify Malfunction

Therapy is helpful in addressing the parts of yourself that malfunction. It can help reduce anxiety so you can think clearly and make good decisions. Therapy helps build your confidence and improve your daily function by helping you remove obstacles that prevent your ability to enjoy your life.

Create Positive Change In Your Life

Therapy helps create positive change in all areas of your life to strengthen your happiness and wellbeing. These changes can happen through your diet, exercise, and perhaps even your communicational skills. They may need to include your activities, to ensure you make time for yourself, or to improve intimacy and trust in your marriage.

Our compassionate team can help you turn your mental, emotional, relational, and functional self around.

Life can be better, and you can feel better. You were made to thrive in 2020 and beyond- let us help!

New Year, New You!

Woman sitting in a park journaling | Family Counseling in Fuquay Varina, NC 27526 is available to Foundations Family Therapy in Raleigh, NC 27606. You can also get online therapy in North Carolina!

The best way to start your 2019 is in the right direction!

Mental Wellness might not be as popular as dieting or saving money, but it’s just as important to your overall health. With all of the noise surrounding New Year’s resolutions, we’re providing a few tips to help you thrive in 2019…

Focus on baby steps

Don’t get overwhelmed by unrealistic goals! Find a way to take a small step in the right direction instead of a big, unrealistic leap and you’ll be off to a great start.

Try something new

Whether it’s a Pinterest project, new hobby, or journaling, try something new in 2019. New hobbies and activities can spark creativity and encourage growth and connection. Refocusing your energy and efforts on something you enjoy can also give you a much needed boost of self-esteem.

Find the good in life

Even on the worst day, there’s always something to be thankful for. Start there. Laugh more and smile often. Tap into your spiritual side and try things like prayer and meditation for holistic healing.

Spend time with your furry friends

Many studies have shown the benefits of having a pet. Their unconditional love and passion can lower the stress hormone cortisol to boost happiness. Bonus if you can get outside for a walk to enjoy the outdoor companionship together!

Write it down

Stress, happiness, downfalls, and mistakes all happen. Some are easier to get over than others. Also, some people are more resilient than others! Try to journal your day for better or worse. Writing something down can be therapeutic. Make lists to help gain control.

Let our comprehensive wellness team at Foundations Family Therapy help you create a plan mental wellness plan for the entire family in 2019! Start Here

3 Ways To Be Present During The Holiday Season

As we approach the holiday season, let’s take a quick second and do a self-check.

How do you feel about the holidays? … Excited, stressed, anxious, frustrated?

The holidays emit SO many different feelings! Some based on family situations and others can be chalked up to current life stressors. Sometimes, the reality of the holidays doesn’t quite measure up to what we had envisioned. So, how can we be truly present amid the presents and turkey dinners?

Try these 3 ways this holiday season..

Prioritize and then Say “NO”

Reflect on past holiday seasons and think about what is important to you. It might be attending that one holiday party with your best friend. It could be having a conversation with your grandmother or attending a religious service. It could be reconnecting with a favorite sibling for drinks. Whatever it is, do those things and say no to other things.

It sounds simplistic, but it helps create calmness in this chaotic time of year where we feel that we must do ALL and be ALL which we don’t typically feel other times in the year. If there is an event that you feel that you need to make an appearance, but you aren’t thrilled about going, you can set boundaries. Think about how long you are going to stay. Who you will communicate with and who comes with you?

Slow down

This relates to all aspects of the holiday season. If our minds are racing about what we need to do while we are trying to engage in another activity, it will leave us feeling rushed and stressed. It’s helpful to use the five senses to really engage with whatever you are doing. It’s about being mindful.

For example, if you are baking cookies: how does the dough feel in your hands? What do you smell and see around you? If someone is helping you, what are they saying to you? What does their face look like?

Focusing on the five senses is especially helpful when related to food and the holidays. Many times, we overeat and then feel regretful afterwards. Take a small bite of what you are eating and really savor the flavors. This will help you acknowledge are you eating just to eat or eating because you are hungry.

Listen to your body

Pay attention to what your body is telling you during the holidays. Sometimes we forget to do basic self-care such as making sure we are drinking enough water, getting enough rest, and exercising. If are traveling for the holidays, make sure you take time to get out of the car and stretch. When you are visiting with family, take a walk with them to enjoy the holiday decorations. Try to maintain as similar of a routine as you can such as when you go to sleep and when you wake up to help when you return to daily life post- holiday season.

Interested in learning more ways to be present this holiday season? Let’s talk more! 

Renee Pugh, LCSW