Negative thinking is a common human experience, but allowing it to dominate can create a cycle that’s challenging to break.

While constant positivity isn’t the answer, recognizing and reframing pessimistic thoughts can lead to a more balanced outlook.

Depression can be a debilitating condition, draining your energy and motivation. While it’s normal to experience sadness in response to life events, persistent feelings of despair may indicate a deeper issue. Recognizing these symptoms is crucial for seeking appropriate help and beginning the journey towards recovery.

Now that you're here, we'll dive into the unhealthy vs. healthy ways of coping and understand that there is a wide spectrum of ways to do it. One valuable tool in our coping arsenal is the creation of a coping skills list. This comprehensive list is designed to remind us how to avoid snowballing into an unhealthy direction so that over time, our brains can automatically cope in healthy ways.

I ran across a paper on Seasonal affective disorder, better known in the DSM- V-TR as Major depression with seasonal pattern or S.A.D. I must have picked that topic to study since I was from Massachusetts and like so many of us that moved to Phoenix, I never liked the winters there. Like so many therapists going through grad school, we often end up wondering if we fit into certain diagnosis when we are learning about them….