My last column was about adventures. Well, I just got back from a big one! I was invited to present, along with a colleague, at Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Asia, […]
Balance & Change: Tips for a Stress-Free Holiday Experience
So here we are, rapidly approaching the holiday season. As you read that sentence, did your stress level increase? Did your muscles tense, teeth clench, stomach turn? Do the holidays make you […]
Balance & Change: A Time to Slow Down and Reflect
I love the fall. It is truly one of my favorite seasons, even in California, where we hardly see any change in the leaves. Fall just seems to be a time when […]
Balance and Change: The Stigma of Asking for Help: Why We Should Embrace Support
Is it okay to ask for help? Many people have a very difficult time with this. Perhaps they got the message that people who ask for help are weak. Or they got […]
Balance and Change: Reflections on Mindfulness and Meaning in Everyday Life
Summer is ending. That is traditionally the time when we put away “the lazy days” and move towards the less fun days of school and getting serious about work again. It is […]
Balance and Change: The Importance of Medical Self-Care
I have mentioned in this column many times how important self-care is, usually suggesting time off and engaging in self-soothing activities as strategies that are helpful in achieving this. However, one often […]
Navigating Relationships with Difficult Individuals: Strategies for Maintaining Your Peace
We all have difficult people in our lives. Some of these people we may choose to no longer have any relationship with. However, there are some people that we may not be […]
Balance and Change: Navigating Life’s Challenges: Finding Resilience Amidst Adversity
There are many things happening in the world that we have no control over. For example, no matter where you are living, the weather and other natural disasters cause grievous havoc, including […]
Balance and Change: Giving of Yourself is a Precious Gift
This is the time for giving, but perhaps we can make it a time for helping as well. It can be easy to give. Whether it is sending money or going on […]
Balance and Change: How to be Grateful
This is the season to give thanks. Sometimes life can feel overwhelming and there is nothing to give thanks for. That is totally understandable. If you are having financial issues, relationship struggles, […]
Balance and Change: Getting Through the Tough Times
Some days are hard. Some are easier. Some are so hard that you wonder if you can even get through one more minute, much less a whole day! And yet we do. […]
Balance and Change: Being Self-Aware
I love the fall. I am sitting in my office right now while it is chilly and cloudy outside. I really need a cup of hot chocolate and a fire going to […]
Balance & Change: Adjusting to a New Season
I love the fall. I love it when it gets cooler, when we need a blanket to curl up with, and when snuggling is extra warm and fuzzy. I love all of […]
Balance & Change: Pronouns & Choices
Pronouns have become a very hot topic. People can be offended by being asked to use something different than the traditional pronouns in the traditional ways. I have had an issue using […]
Balance & Change: Dealing with Anxiety
Have you noticed that often, when a new event is coming up, you may be extremely scared? You may have many thoughts about all the bad things that could happen. Your anxiety […]
Balance & Change: Making Changes
Are you familiar with the Serenity Prayer? It is full of wisdom. Here it is, in case you do not know it: God grant me the serenity to accept the things I […]
Balance and Change: Mutual Understanding
Supporting people when they need help is amazing; however, there are many different ways to do it. The first and most important thing to consider is how the person wants to be […]
Balance & Change: Sweeter Dreams
Do you know that lovely part of the day after completing all the work you need to do? Nobody needs you to do anything, and it is time to wind down and […]
Balance & Change: Clear Communication
Have you ever read a romance novel? The basic structure is basically the same in all of them: they meet cute, there is an issue that almost tears them apart, and they live happily ever after. But have […]
Balance and Change: The Amazing Journey of Life
Spring has sprung! The rain has stopped. The temperatures are going up. Flowers are blooming. The world shakes off the winter blues every year and prepares for growth. We can learn a […]
Balance & Change: Easy Exercise for Your Mind
We tend to find a particular way to do things and then comfortably stay there. It does not matter how we drive to work, how we use a certain app, or where […]
Balance and Change: Easy Excercise for Your Mind
We tend to find a particular way to do things and then comfortably stay there. It does not matter how we drive to work, how we use a certain app, or where […]
Balance & Change: The Do’s and Don’ts of Owning and Fixing Mistakes
What should you do when you find out that you made a mistake? We have many options, some better than others. Let’s look at the not-so-good options. We can deny that a […]
Balance and Change: After achieving a goal, what is next?
Okay, you have had a major goal, perhaps planning a wedding, a career goal, or buying a house, and you just achieved it! Congratulations! After the celebration, there is often a sense […]
Balance & Change: What Makes a Good Partner?
The other day, I had an interesting conversation with a young woman contemplating marriage to her boyfriend. She asked me how someone knows if they have found the right partner and what […]
BALANCE & CHANGE: Being real and finding meaning
The holidays are here. That sentence can be met with a smile or a groan. Or both. Yes, the holidays can be very stressful. Yes, they can be very joyful. The bottom […]
BALANCE & CHANGE: How to Sleep Well
Recently, several clients told me they are having sleep issues, so I decided to use this column to discuss good sleep hygiene. I love that phrase. We use the term hygiene to […]
Balance & Change: Good, Bad, or Indifferent Everything Changes
Today, at this moment, life may be very difficult. I get that. We all have gone through times when life has been challenging. But do you remember what life was like a […]
Balance & Change: Enjoying the Journey and the Spice
I admit it. I am one of them. It is September, and I start looking for pumpkin spice lattes. It must be a regular part of my day by the time we […]
Balance & Change: Perspective
Are you a glass-half-full or glass-half-empty kind of person? These days, with bad news coming at us like a torrent every day, it is challenging to keep a positive outlook. It can […]
BALANCE & CHANGE: Engage and Connect by Michelle Gottlieb, Psy.D., MFT, LPCC © 2023
There is a great old song about people needing people, which speaks much truth. We do need people. Humans need connection. We know that children who do not have a healthy attachment […]
BALANCE & CHANGE: Three Communication Skills to Get What You Need
Some people feel that when they are angry that the best way to deal with it is to express it, often loudly. What may be surprising to many is that it is […]
BALANCE & CHANGE: Living Mindfully
When was the last time that you truly stopped and looked around you? Truly listened? Truly connected? Living mindfully has been shown to increase satisfaction in all areas of well-being, yet we […]
BALANCE & CHANGE: Do you know what you want?
In your relationships with others, are there things that you are missing? In your job, is there a change that you are looking for? In your life, is there something else that […]
BALANCE & CHANGE Early March
Admit it; we all make mistakes Sometimes we make mistakes. Sometimes we promise things that we cannot deliver. Sometimes we do things that we shouldn’t. Sometimes we are just plain wrong. When […]
