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Is it time to speak up?  Mental Health

Is it time to speak up? 

How do you handle situations where the other person is doing something that creates problems for you? We all respond in our own ways. Do you find yourself acting like a doormat? Do you become an aggressive bully? Are you someone who stings others from the side so you can't be discovered? Are you someone who just speaks up? Which one do you think you are most of the time?  
Dr. Russ Morfitt
February 16, 2024
Mature woman wearing a pashmina leaning on a railing and looking out at the sunset over the ocean
Take Care of Your Mind for a Healthy Heart Mental Health

Take Care of Your Mind for a Healthy Heart

Getting a call that a loved one had a heart attack sends our stomach into knots. We all want to avoid that kind of news and reduce the risk of cardiac crisis. Did you know that mental health and heart health are linked? Studies show that stress, anxiety, anger, and depression can raise your risk for high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, and other heart problems. And having a heart attack can lead to anxiety, depression, and PTSD.   Understanding how mental and heart health are connected is key. It can help you take steps to improve both. Here are some…
Learn to Live Team
February 5, 2024
Precautions can often be a big part of why we stay stuck.
Play it safe. You can’t be too careful. Stress & Anxiety

Play it safe. You can’t be too careful.

How Learn to Live Delivers CBT: Part 10 Take a moment and think of the things you do to try to keep yourself from feeling unpleasant emotions. Consider the things you do so you don’t feel too scared, too upset, or too sad. You might think of all those unnecessary things we do to keep us from feeling too troubled as hacks for our emotions. Researchers often call them "safety seeking behaviors." I just call them “precautions.” It turns out those precautions can often be a big part of why we stay stuck. We may be stuck in our anxiety,…
Dr. Russ Morfitt
January 11, 2024
Strategies to cope with the "winter blues"
Coping with the “Winter Blues” Seasonal Mental Health

Coping with the “Winter Blues”

Do you feel gloomy when the seasons change? Does your energy level get sapped? You may have the “winter blues” or seasonal affective disorder (SAD). SAD is a type of depression that’s related to the changing of seasons. In the winter, it can be caused by things like shorter days, colder temperatures, less sunlight, and less activity. Here are some things that can help SAD: Be active – connect with friends, take on projects, learn new things, and help others. Spend time outside on sunny days to get more vitamin D.   Exercise to reduce stress and make you feel happier.  …
Learn to Live Team
December 20, 2023
One of the best ways to find out if what we believe is really true is to find out for yourself.
Why not find out for yourself?

Why not find out for yourself?

How Learn to Live Delivers CBT: Part 9 One of the best ways to find out if what we believe is really true is to check it out, right? Is the pizza place they bragged about really that great? Is that online recipe as tasty as they claim? You might want to find out for yourself. In our program for people with social anxiety, we help people who think this way: Everyone is looking at me. They don't think I should be here. They are all talking about me. Or they all think I'm dumb or boring. The program helps…
Dr. Russ Morfitt
December 4, 2023
It can be hard to know how to support a partner dealing with depression.
How You Can Support a Depressed Partner or Spouse Depression

How You Can Support a Depressed Partner or Spouse

Millions of people experience depression, and it also affects those closest to them. Recent data shows that more than 16 million adults in the United States have depression at some point in their lives. That can have a big impact on our most intimate relationships. You know how hard it can be when your partner or spouse is depressed. Depression is more than just feeling hopeless and sad. People with depression also often feel helpless, guilty, and impatient with others. You can sense your partner’s turmoil, and all and want to do is help. It is truly heart-wrenching. Depression can…
Angela Hasche, M.A., LSW, LAC
November 14, 2023
Learning about having difficult conversations
An IDEA for Difficult Discussions Mental Health

An IDEA for Difficult Discussions

Relationships are important in our lives. They make us feel happy, loved, and linked to others. We have relationships with friends, family, and people we work with. Conflict is a part of any relationship, and communication is key to resolving conflict. To make our relationships strong and healthy, it's important to talk about tough stuff sometimes. These tough conversations help us understand each other better, like what we need and how we feel.
Angela Hasche, M.A., LSW, LAC
November 8, 2023
The power of scheduling "worry time"
Islands of Worry­­—Better than Huge Continents of Worry Stress & Anxiety

Islands of Worry­­—Better than Huge Continents of Worry

How Learn to Live Delivers CBT: Part 8 If you tend to worry, you know just how sticky worry can be. Maybe people around you tell you to just let it go. They may tell you to move on. Or they might point out to you just how unnecessary all that worry is. But even though you try, letting go of that worry isn't easy. If that’s you, then the idea of Worry Time might be helpful for you. Here's the idea: even though it seems like worry is voluntary, it isn’t.  Worry doesn’t just show up. In reality, it…
Dr. Russ Morfitt
November 2, 2023