Modern Family Mental Health | Coping Skills, Boundaries, Grief, Trauma, Marriage Counseling Jen Alley, Therapist

It is Mental Health Awareness Month and this episode explores what mental health is, how to identify if you or someone you know (including your child) might be struggling, ways to support your mental health, and next steps if you or a loved one needs support. 
 
Resources: 
Feelings List
Brené Brown Empathy Short
Next steps:
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Become a Modern Family Mental Health Insider!
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Our lives are short and precious, but with the many tasks and demands of adulting (and parenting), it is easy to just push through the days in order to relax (and often numb out) in the evening. If you find yourself going through the motions but not feeling as joyful, present, or excited about life as you'd like to be, this episode offers strategies for helping you identify what you want life to look and feel like and how to make it happen. 
 
Next steps:
Join the Facebook community! 
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If trauma has changed you, there is nothing wrong with you and you’re not doing it wrong. Trauma has an ongoing impact on how we think, how we perceive our world, and how we survive our present. This week on the podcast, we are talking about ten things I learned about trauma both from being a student at Columbine High School during the shooting and from my practice as a trauma therapist. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the shooting.  It is my hope to share some of the insights from my own experience with you to support your own journey through trauma. 
 
Resources: 
The Body Keeps the Score
 
Next steps:Visit me at www.jenalley.comFollow me on Instagram @jen.alley.therapistReview this episode!
 
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We all go through tough times. When we are having a hard time, it is easy to want to numb out, withdraw, or ruminate. This episode provides strategies to help you navigate the difficult or uncertain seasons of life. 
 
Next steps:Visit me at www.jenalley.comFollow me on Instagram @jen.alley.therapistReview this episode!Thanks for listening!
 
Resource: 
Episode 6: Emotions: What They Are, Why They Matter, and How to Navigate Them

In a world that values productivity and checking things off of the to do list, it can feel like we don't have time to rest. Studies show, though, that we don't have time NOT to rest.

Rest (while we are awake) can take many forms, but the main idea is that we move from an external focused state where we are DOING to an inward state where we are BEING. Whether it is active rest or more passive rest like sitting on the couch meditating, it is vital for brain health as well as boosting creativity, problem solving, and energy that we take breaks to rest.

If rest feels weird or unsafe for you, it may take practice getting used to not actively doing something or taking in information from a screen to distract you from your internal world. You also may need support from an experiential therapist to help move rest from feeling less okay to more okay.

Please also listen to Episode 6 which explores emotions as well as Episode 4 on self-compassion for more information.

You also might check out this Ted Talk and article on the seven types of rest that every person needs.

Next steps:
Visit me at www.jenalley.com
Follow me on Instagram @jen.alley.therapist
Review this episode!
Thanks for listening!

In this episode, we explore the pathway to connection and leaning into vulnerability in order to feel less alone and more fulfilled in our relationships.

Nearly 60% of the US adult population reports feeling lonely on a regular basis. Loneliness may be a huge public health threat regarding the impact it has on our minds and bodies.

In thinking about the causes of loneliness, I think that America’s value of rugged individualism in addition to social media, technology, and busyness are all contributing factors. We often don’t have time or make time for connection and when we do, it is shallow.

It takes spending both quality and quantity time with people to really build relationship, to trust, and to know the ins and outs of one another’s lives. For those of us who were in college pre-iPhone, think back to your days at university. If you had a core group of friends, you likely spent tons of time studying, making food, exercising, and just hanging out with one another. This led to closeness and deep connection.

While adulthood already presents challenges to this type of relationship because of increasing responsibilities and less dedicated time, I think the iPhone, streaming services like Netflix, and technology at large has made us even more distant and less connected to our neighbors and community members. Social media also paints idyllic pictures of the avatar that people want to present to the world- a polished version of oneself. Consequently, we are often comparing our insides to others’ outsides and are even less likely to be open and vulnerable with others. And, without quality time and trust, it is even less likely that we will be vulnerable in the relationships that we do have.

I believe that one of the anecdotes to this is being more real and honest about the things that are happening in our lives and who we are. It takes courage to be vulnerable or to be the first person to say, “I am struggling.” Or, “This hard thing is happening.” But when it is met with compassion and connection, we feel less alone, more connected, happier, and healthier.

Today’s episode on A Mental Health Podcast, Between the Two of Us, explores the power of vulnerability in our relationships. It can be found on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Resources:
Brené Brown's Ted Talk, The Power of Vulnerability