Therapy Blog | Counseling for Adults & Young Adults

April 12, 2023 by Alexis Silver Leave a Comment

Care for Your Mental Health With These 8 Creative Strategies

Maybe you haven’t felt like yourself for a while, and so far, nothing you’ve tried to cheer yourself up has worked. Sometimes, unorthodox self-care practices can be surprisingly helpful! Plus, you can find guidance from a compassionate therapist like Alexis Silver, LICSW. Here are some self-care techniques you might not have thought of yet, like switching careers, building your own nonprofit, or planting a garden.

Consider a Career Change

What if your job is negatively affecting your mental health? It might be time to think about switching careers. You can gain the skills you need to enter a new field by enrolling in an online degree program. By taking online courses, you can juggle work, school, and family responsibilities. If you’re considering an online MBA program, look for accredited schools with affordable tuition. In this type of program, you’ll learn essential leadership skills, business development strategies, and more.

Start Your Own Nonprofit

If you want to make a difference in your community, you could start a nonprofit. Working on a meaningful project like this can be deeply fulfilling! If you officially register your organization as a nonprofit corporation, you’ll have an easier time securing grants and public funding. To do this, you’ll need to write up bylaws explaining your operational procedures, including details about organizational governance, your schedule for board meetings, voting processes, and plans for dealing with conflicts of interest.

Sign Up to Volunteer

Helping others in need can boost your spirits. If you want to start volunteering, Thriveworks committing to two to five hours of volunteer work per week. You can meet new friends, build your professional network, and most importantly, make a real difference!

Plant a Garden

Getting outdoors and connecting with nature can dramatically improve your mental health. You don’t need much space to plant a garden – even if you live in an apartment, you can start growing herbs in your windowsill! Before you set up garden beds or window gardens, you can reference online resources for detailed product reviews and in-depth advice.

Participate in Clinical Studies

If you’d like to make a little extra money and contribute to the future of medical research, you could enroll in clinical studies. Get in touch with local research hospitals or universities to see if you qualify for any ongoing trials!

Adopt a Pet

A furry friend can be a welcome addition to your life. Zocdoc states that having a pet can open up new social opportunities, help you get more exercise, lower your blood pressure and cholesterol, and ease feelings of anxiety, depression, and loneliness.

Try Float Therapy

If you want to try something entirely new, book a float therapy session! Floating in a sensory deprivation tank can be deeply relaxing. It’s a chance to escape from the hustle and bustle of the world for a while.

Learn to Knit

Sometimes, picking up a quiet, soothing hobby can help quell your anxious thoughts. Knitting is an affordable hobby that almost anyone can try – and you can bring your needles and knitting projects on the go! Many people find knitting to be quiet meditative, and as you practice, you’ll be able to knit unique gifts for your family and friends. Soon, you can wear your own creations!

Managing your mental health can feel complicated. But with the right approach, you can find joy in life again and start looking forward to the future. By considering a new career direction, establishing your very own nonprofit, and getting your hands dirty in the garden, you’ll notice your mood lifting a bit more each day.

Have you been struggling with your mental health? A therapist like Alexis Silver, LICSW can help. Call today at 508-579-2748 to schedule your first session.

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February 3, 2023 by Alexis Silver Leave a Comment

Here’s How You Can Get Healthy, Even With a Busy Business

As an entrepreneur, it can be difficult to find the balance between working hard and taking care of yourself. But what if you could do both? Better yet, what if adopting healthier lifestyle practices not only made you feel better but also saved you money? Licensed therapist Alexis Silver discusses how you, as a busy entrepreneur, can make this happen.

Mindful eating

Meat can be expensive, so why not try eating meatless meals once or twice a week? Cutting back on meat consumption is good for your wallet and waistline, and it’s great for the environment, too. And these days, you can easily find meatless recipes that will satisfy even the heartiest carnivore cravings.

Learning how to cook nutritious meals from scratch will give you the skills necessary for meal planning and budgeting in the future. In fact, staying in and cooking your meals instead of eating out is also one of the most cost-effective ways to stay healthy. And you don’t need fancy kitchen gadgets or expensive ingredients either.

Shop for only what you can consume

Grocery bills add up quickly, especially when you’re trying to purchase organic meats and dairy products every week. Weekly meal planning also helps in this regard, as you can keep your shopping limited to what you’re planning on eating for the week ahead. Also, instead of only buying fresh produce that may go to waste, stock up on nonperishables like beans, nuts, grains, and canned frozen vegetables and fruits for easy storage and longer shelf life.

Move your body

Gym memberships can be expensive — even more so when you factor in the cost of new workout clothes and personal trainers. But there are plenty of ways to get fit and increase your strength and stamina without breaking the bank. Bodyweight exercises are an excellent way to get started, and they don’t require any special equipment or over-the-top training regimens.

Maintain a clean environment

Keeping your home clean is essential if you want to stay healthy as an entrepreneur. Invest in natural cleaning products to keep your home free of toxic chemicals while still getting rid of dirt and grime and sanitizing spaces effectively. Just as important is to learn how to vacuum efficiently and regularly, as germs can build up on your floors exponentially if left unchecked.

Find ways to save on health costs

It’s no secret that healthcare costs are skyrocketing, which means it’s more important than ever to find ways to cut back on healthcare bills. One way to do this is by shopping around for better rates on your health insurance plan. Additionally, you can take advantage of group wellness programs for businesses. Taking advantage of offers like these will help reduce your overall healthcare costs.

Bonus: Monetize your new and improved lifestyle

If you’re looking for another way to make some extra cash while living a healthy lifestyle, why not monetize what you’ve learned so far? You could start by blogging about your journey towards better health or selling nutritious and healthy products that might help others on their own paths toward wellness.

As you start this business, choosing an LLC structure is one of the best ways you can ensure financial security. With an LLC, you can rest easy knowing that liability protection is in place. Moreover, an LLC offers more financial security.

Other important steps you can take for your business will include doing recruitment right and focusing on customer service, as well as investing in marketing. While online marketing is key these days, giving out business cards and other such traditional marketing methods are still relevant. Make this process an easy one by using free online tools to create your business card design and other peripherals.

Being healthy doesn’t have to take a toll on your wallet. Savvy entrepreneurs understand that it is possible to achieve better physical well-being and even save money at the same time. With strategies such as these, turning healthy changes into everyday habits can be both affordable and rewarding.

December 8, 2022 by Alexis Silver Leave a Comment

The Best Way to Rebuild Your Confidence and Re-Enter the World

Alexis Silver Therapy provides support and encouragement to clients while teaching coping skills to manage difficult emotions, handle stressful situations and increase problem solving skills. Call Alexis today at (508) 579-2748 to learn more!

The Best Way to Rebuild Your Confidence and Re-Enter the World

Success starts when we recalibrate our inner compass from self-doubt to self-confidence. This self-confidence emboldens us to re-enter the world, ready to live our best lives. You might have a plan to change your life to meet your career goals. Alexis Silver Therapy outlines the best ways to build your confidence.

Make a Career Change

To some people, re-entering the world means making a career change. Some reasons for this are the opportunity for remote work and better opportunities in other companies. If you want to showcase your academic background, career experiences, and skills, you can create an appealing resume quickly and easily using a curriculum vitae design template. Using a free online CV builder, you can choose from a large library of professionally designed templates, which are customizable, allowing you to add your own text, fonts, and profile photo.

Also, Forbes notes that returning to school helps you make a career change. You can pursue a degree that you’ve put off for some time, whether it’s a bachelor’s or master’s, an online course, or a certificate program. A business degree could allow you to develop your business acumen, whether you’re pursuing a course in marketing, economics, finance, business ethics, or an IT-related course. This move increases your chances of getting the next career prospect. As you research the many options of programs available online, here’s a good option when it comes to completing coursework from an accredited school – a course can be completed in just five weeks.

Start Your Own Business

A great way to build your confidence is to pursue entrepreneurship. You stand to gain from earning more instead of living from paycheck to paycheck. You also get the freedom to schedule your time. For this approach to succeed, you need to develop a business plan that clearly delineates your services, business structure, and the capital required for operations.

No doubt, the entrepreneur path is challenging. Tackling them is what helps build confidence. One of the main challenges is invoicing clients. Most beginners fail to clarify when and how they want to be paid. It’s essential to have a consistent, easy-to-use invoice system to help you avoid getting frustrated and expand. You can also clarify payment terms, send your invoice promptly to clients, and set up various payment methods. An invoice template helps you create professional-looking invoices with your logo. There’s an assortment of pre-made templates online that you can customize by adding your name or other pertinent information.

Deep Clean Your Home

Giving your home a deep cleaning may be one of the first things you can do to rebuild your confidence. A clean home is a happy home, and since it’s where you spend most of your time it makes sense that a clean, uncluttered and organized living space is conducive to good mental and physical health. For advice, tips and tricks on how to best clean your home for optimal living, click here to read articles that are sure to help you.

Focus on Fitness and Nutrition

Fitness boosts self-confidence. Research published by the National Institutes of Health shows that losing excess weight and toning the muscles helps you feel better. Yet o nly 42.1% of people in Texas, for example, manage at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity weekly exercise according to the CDC. This number can be more should you choose to start a fitness routine if you don’t already have one. Incorporate fitness into your daily life, and you’ll see your confidence improve.

Fitness goes together with eating nutritiously. When you lay off the Beaver nuggets, burgers, and fries or swap them with healthier alternatives, you’ll build your confidence by getting a healthier body and mind.

Find Ways to Relax

As you pursue a career change or entrepreneurship, it’s important to schedule a time to relax. You need your body to be more productive in achieving your goals. So, create time for relaxation in your daily routine where you can take a stroll in nature, write down your thoughts, or breathe.

Change Today

It is possible to build your confidence and re-enter the world. This is the best time to make it your goal to reinvent yourself. With the above tips in mind – including changing jobs, going back to school, cleaning your home, staying healthy, and finding ways to relax – you’ll be better equipped to re-enter your life and get re-energized to accomplish your life goals.

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August 26, 2022 by Alexis Silver Leave a Comment

Goal Setting to Overcome Grief

Grief can cause sadness, confusion, and hopelessness, making it difficult to focus on the future. However, setting and achieving goals can help you to cope with grief by providing a sense of purpose and direction. Here are some tips on setting healthy goals while grieving and why it’s important.

Why Goal Setting Is Important When Grieving

It’s normal to feel overwhelmed and even lost when you’re grieving. After all, you’ve just experienced a major life change and you’re trying to adjust to a new reality. One of the best things you can do for yourself during this time is set healthy goals. Goal setting can help you focus on the future and start to rebuild your life. It can also give you a sense of control during a time when everything else feels out of control.

When setting goals, it’s important to be realistic. You’ll likely become discouraged if your goal is too big or unrealistic. And while it’s okay to have some short-term goals, try to focus on goals that help you in the long run. For example, commit to eating healthily and exercising more regularly rather than pledging to lose 10 pounds in the next month.

Healthy Healing Steps You Can Take

Interacting with nature has been shown to reduce stress levels and promote feelings of peace and relaxation, so try to spend some time outdoors. There are many things to do in Worcester that can help you take your mind off your loss, even if it’s only for a short while.

Spending time reminiscing about your lost loved one can be a massive help. Look through old photos, listen to favorite songs, or tell stories to friends and family members.

Grief can be all-consuming, and finding the time and energy to exercise can be difficult. However, you can do some simple things to incorporate physical activity into your day. Taking the stairs instead of the elevator and going for a walk during your lunch break are two easy ways to get in some extra steps.

Grieving is a physical and emotional process. Give yourself time and space to grieve in a healthy manner. Creating a peaceful home environment is one way to achieve this. Decluttering for stress reduction, rearranging closets and cabinets for better organization, and establishing a tranquil meditation area can help.

Lastly, you may decide that you want to bid farewell to your old home, especially if you used to share it with the person you lost. Sometimes, starting fresh somewhere new is exactly the step you need to take. And don’t be afraid to downsize — if you want to sell your home and move into an apartment, definitely keep that option on the table. You can get started by looking up apartment rentals in your area and seeing if there’s anything in a neighborhood where you’d love to begin this new chapter of your life.

Pursue a New Career

Consider a new career if you have trouble coping with grief. Starting fresh can help you find a new sense of purpose and give you something to focus on outside your personal life.

To be successful in your job search, you’ll need a professional-looking resume. You can create high-quality documents quickly and easily with an online resume builder. Select from a library of pre-designed resumes, then add your own copy, photos, colors, and images. Additionally, you won’t have to worry about formatting or ensuring your resume is error-free since the resume builder takes care of everything.

You Can Cope

Grieving is difficult, but setting and achieving goals can help you cope. Be realistic in your goal setting and try to focus on long-term goals. Talk to Alexis Silver, LICSW, if you’re struggling with depression, anxiety, work issues, or any other issue that’s preventing you from living the life you want.