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Maria Connolly, LPC Facebook Facebook Facebook

Category: Life Skills

Learn how to focus on the soft skills, the people skills like good communication, effective leadership, positive motivation, and managing your emotions.

How to Deal with Grief By Restoring Balance in Your Body and Emotions

We need to know how to deal with grief for it’s a painful, yet healthy, part of life. If we let grief do its job, we will learn from it and then let it go. "There is no grief like the grief that does not speak." ~ Henry Wordsworth

The world has been dealing with grief, even before we were struck by the COVID-19 pandemic. But consuming a steady diet of the negative is not a healthy way to deal with grief. It will have a detrimental affect on our health — physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. That’s why many people choose to limit their exposure to bad news and intentionally calm their minds.

However, we can’t ignore the impact this pandemic has had on our lives. We are forced to address how to deal with grief, because it’s affecting each of us. Besides losing loved ones to coronavirus, we’re grieving our lack of freedom, our old normal and being able to connect with friends and family. We thrive on touch, so we’re grieving our lack of social interactions. We’re grieving that our peace, comfort, and happiness could be taken from us as we lose a job we love and an income we rely on.

Grief is a healthy human emotion that we need to make peace with so it can do its job and then let us go on living fully despite our loss. Not that we will forget, but it will release its hold on us so that we’re not stuck in time.

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How to Deal With Anxiety and Stress During Crises Like COVID-19

Learn how to deal with anxiety during crises like coronavirus by choosing your actions and thoughts carefully. By being prepared you can ease your anxiety. “Nothing diminishes anxiety faster than action.” ~ Walter Anderson

We are all concerned about keeping self and loved ones safe through the COVID-19 pandemic. And many people are rightly anxious about their businesses surviving. These are valid concerns. This kind of coronavirus anxiety moves us to take practical steps to protect ourselves. For example, we can…

Practice best hygiene practices. Wash hands often, for 20 seconds, with soap and water or use hand sanitizer with 70% ethyl alcohol. Keep hands away from the face. Comply with social distancing — staying 6 feet away.

Reassess work and business. If your work has already been negatively impacted, review your business strategies; perhaps you’ll find greater clarity and new opportunities where you didn’t see them before.

However, if you’re plagued by an overwhelming, paralyzing anxiety that is draining your energy and diminishing your joy in life, it’s time to mindfully identify the cause and taking steps to becoming more secure. (Remember that asking for assistance from a professional is not shameful. It’s a sign of self-knowledge and strength to admit you can’t do it by yourself.)

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Value Yourself for Who You Are, Not What You Do

It’s important to value yourself accurately, not thinking too much or too little of yourself. Please use these tips to make a current assessment of yourself“Owning our story and loving ourselves through that process is the bravest thing that we’ll ever do.” ~ Brené Brown

Recently, when I complimented one of my clients, she replied, “It’s nothing; anyone could have done it.” I heard what she was doing, but I knew she didn’t hear what she was telling herself in that discounting statement. Calmly I looked her in the eye and asked, “Is that really how you value yourself?” Her eyes widened, as she realized what she had done…

Why self-value and self-esteem are lacking today

I’d like you to give this some serious thought: When was the last time you said or did something that discounted your actions, thoughts, or words as being nothing special? Perhaps you under priced a service you provide, or you gave in to a disagreement relinquishing something you highly valued, or you dismissed sincere feedback, or you spoke in a self-deprecating manner, as if in jest.

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Coaching Vs Therapy: Know What Option Is Best for You!

s coaching vs therapy the right option for you? Learn how to make the best decision for you and how you ensure you benefit fully from the choice you make.We are interdependent beings; we can’t go it alone. So, it’s only natural that we highly value having someone who allows us to freely express our feelings and thoughts, without judging us. Too often, we hold back, because we have to be careful about what we reveal and to whom. For example, you probably don’t want to discuss your love life with your business partner, nor discuss a business option with your mother. There are definitely times when reaching out to an impartial, objective professional can be very helpful.  

I’m so happy to see more people taking advantage of this invaluable resource for bettering their lives. That’s a courageous step! However, hiring someone to help you get past your comfort zone or mental and emotional roadblocks is a highly personal choice, and it can be overwhelming. When you start looking for someone who can actually help, you’ll find a wide array of life coaches, business coaches, executive coaches, counselors, therapists, psychotherapists, mentors, consultants, and the list goes on. Some are licensed and regulated by the state, others are not.

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Keep that New Year Energy Vibrantly Alive Throughout The Year!

Is the New Year Energy still keeping you inspired or could you use a boost? Fuel the New Year Energy and stay motivated by considering these 8 suggestions.“We must be willing to get rid of the life we’ve planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us. The old skin has to be shed before the new one can come.” ~ Joseph Campbell

There always seems to be so much pressure around the start of a new year that you can be swept away from your true course. You may start to think — he’s doing this or she’s doing that…well, that must be what I need to do, too! It can make you chase after goals that truly don’t serve you at this point in your life. At the same time, there’s such a vibrant energy at the start of each new year, it would be a pity to let it go to waste! How can you keep the New Year Energy alive throughout this coming year?

Now that resolutions pressure is over, you can start thinking about what you can realistically focus on this year. Renew your New Year Energy to see how you can continue to improve your life. Are there any places in your life that you’ve hidden away or avoided working on?

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I invite you to learn more about me and my coaching and counseling services. Please contact me to schedule an “It starts with you!” 30-minute complimentary consultation with me, in-person, by phone or via video consultation, so we can explore our partnership.

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