Each month, since July 2026, I email a monthly newsletter, the Monthly Reset. Part of this newsletter is a section titled Therapist’s Corner where I share 3 to 5 things related to the monthly theme as quick takeaways to support your mental health. Here you’ll find each month’s Therapist’s Corner from past newsletters. Enjoy!
July: Three Signs Your Boundaries May Need Attention This Summer
Summer often brings a change of pace—but it can also bring more invitations, more responsibilities, and more pressure to make the most of the season. While connection is important, protecting your peace sometimes means recognizing when your boundaries need a little extra care.
1. You’re saying “yes” when you really want to say “no.”
Do you find yourself agreeing to plans out of guilt, obligation, or fear of disappointing others? Every “yes” you give away without intention can become a “no” to your own needs. Healthy boundaries allow you to choose what aligns with your energy and values.
2. You’re constantly exhausted—even after resting.
If you feel emotionally drained despite getting enough sleep or taking time off, your emotional energy may be stretched too thin. Burnout isn’t only about doing too much; it’s also about carrying too much. Protecting your peace means paying attention to what continually depletes you and giving yourself permission to step back.
3. You feel responsible for everyone else’s emotions.
Supporting the people you love is meaningful, but you are not responsible for fixing every problem or carrying every burden. Compassion and boundaries can exist together. It’s okay to care deeply while recognizing that someone else’s feelings are not yours to manage.
This month, ask yourself:
“What is one boundary I can strengthen to create more peace in my life?”
Remember, boundaries aren’t about pushing people away—they’re about making room for the life you want to live. When you protect your time, energy, and emotional well-being, you’re better able to show up authentically for yourself and for the people who matter most.
July Affirmation: I don’t have to earn rest.
August: 5 Ways to Support Your Teen Through Back-to-School Anxiety
Back-to-school season can bring more than new school supplies and fresh schedules. For some teens, the transition can bring worry, irritability, overwhelm, sleep changes, or big emotions that are difficult to explain.
If your teen seems more anxious than excited about the new school year, here are five ways you can support them without adding more pressure.
1. Make space for their feelings.
Instead of immediately trying to fix the problem, start by getting curious.
Try asking, “What part of going back to school feels hardest right now?”
Your teen may need you to listen before they are ready for advice. You don’t have to make the anxiety disappear to let them know they aren’t facing it alone.
2. Focus on what they can control.
School brings plenty of unknowns, and trying to prepare for every possible scenario can actually increase anxiety. Help your teen identify the pieces they can influence.
Maybe that’s organizing their backpack, creating a morning routine, planning transportation, choosing an outfit, or identifying someone they can go to when they need support.
Small steps can create a greater sense of predictability and control.
3. Don’t underestimate the power of routine.
Transitions are easier when our brains know what to expect. Gradually adjusting sleep schedules, mealtimes, screen time, and morning routines before school begins can help reduce the shock of a sudden schedule change.
But remember: a routine is meant to support your teen—not become another source of pressure.
Leave room for flexibility, rest, and the occasional imperfect day.
4. Watch for signs of burnout.
Sometimes anxiety doesn’t look like worry. It can look like irritability, shutting down, procrastination, headaches, difficulty sleeping, loss of motivation, or suddenly becoming overwhelmed by things that normally feel manageable.
Rather than assuming your teen is being lazy, dramatic, or difficult, pause and ask:
“Is this behavior telling us something they may be struggling to communicate?”
Behavior is often communication—especially when emotions are big and words are hard to find.
5. Remind them that they don’t have to do it perfectly.
A new school year doesn’t require a brand-new version of your teen.
They don’t have to get perfect grades, make a dozen new friends, join every activity, or have their entire future figured out. They are allowed to have hard days. They’re allowed to make mistakes. They’re allowed to ask for help.
Remind them that success isn’t about never feeling anxious—it’s about learning how to move through difficult moments with support and self-compassion.
A Gentle Reminder for Parents, Too
Your teen isn’t the only one navigating a transition. Back-to-school season can bring stress and pressure for the whole family.
Take a breath. Lower the expectations when you can. Make room for connection. And remember that supporting your teen doesn’t mean carrying every emotion or solving every problem for them.
Sometimes the most powerful thing you can say is simply:
“I’m here. We can figure this out together.”
As we move into this new season, may we create space for both the excitement and the uncertainty that comes with change.
August Affirmation:
“I invite peace & harmony to dwell in me & surround me at all times.”
September: 5 Ways to Support your Nervous System
When you’re stressed or overwhelmed, you might think you need to completely reset your life to feel better.
But supporting your nervous system doesn’t always require a weekend away, a perfect morning routine, or an hour of meditation.
Sometimes, small moments of regulation throughout the day can make a meaningful difference.
Here are five simple ways to check in with yourself when life starts feeling heavy:
1. Take a Longer Exhale
When you notice yourself feeling tense or overwhelmed, pause and take a slow breath in. Then gently extend your exhale.
You don’t have to force yourself to take a huge breath. Just focus on making your exhale a little longer than your inhale.
Try it: Inhale for 4 seconds. Exhale for 6 seconds. Repeat a few times.
Your goal isn’t to “calm down” on command. It’s simply to give yourself a moment to pause.
2. Unclench Your Body
Stress doesn’t only live in our thoughts—it can show up in our bodies, too.
Notice your jaw. Your shoulders. Your hands. Your stomach.
Are you holding tension somewhere without realizing it?
Try gently dropping your shoulders, relaxing your jaw, stretching your neck, or shaking out your hands.
Ask yourself: “What can I soften right now?”
3. Use Your Senses to Come Back to the Present
When your mind is racing, your senses can help bring your attention back to what’s happening right now.
Look around and notice:
- 5 things you can see
- 4 things you can feel
- 3 things you can hear
- 2 things you can smell
- 1 thing you can taste
You don’t have to make the stress disappear. You’re simply reminding yourself: “I am here, in this moment.”
4. Give Your Brain a Break
Sometimes the most supportive thing you can do for your nervous system is stop taking in more information.
Put your phone down. Step away from social media. Turn off the notifications. Sit somewhere quiet. Take a short walk without your phone.
Our brains need moments when they aren’t constantly processing information, responding to messages, or anticipating what’s next.
A few minutes of quiet still count.
5. Ask, “What Do I Need Right Now?”
This might be the simplest—and sometimes the hardest—question to ask.
Instead of immediately asking, “What do I need to get done?” try asking:
“What do I need right now?”
Maybe you need food. Water. Movement. Rest. Connection. Space. A boundary. A good cry. A laugh. Help.
You don’t have to judge the answer. Just notice it.
Supporting your nervous system isn’t about staying calm all the time. Stress is a normal part of being human. The goal is to become more aware of what your mind and body are communicating and respond with care when you can.
And remember: you don’t have to do all five.
Choose one. Start small. Let that be enough.
September Affirmation: “I release all pains and worries that do not belong to me.”
You are allowed to put down what isn’t yours to carry. You are allowed to pause. And you are allowed to take care of yourself before you’ve reached your breaking point.
October: 5 Things Your Survival Patterns May Be Trying to Tell You
Sometimes the behaviors we wish we could change are actually patterns we learned for a reason. Avoiding conflict, overthinking, people-pleasing, shutting down, staying busy, or always preparing for the worst may have once helped us feel safer or more in control.
Healing begins with curiosity instead of criticism.
Here are five things to consider when you notice an old survival pattern showing up:
1. Your reaction may be bigger than the moment.
Have you ever noticed yourself having a really strong emotional reaction to something that seems small?
Sometimes our nervous system responds to what a situation reminds us of, not just what is happening right now.
Before judging yourself, try asking:
“What does this situation feel familiar to me?”
2. Avoidance may be giving you short-term relief.
Avoiding something uncomfortable can make anxiety decrease temporarily. But over time, avoidance can make the thing we’re avoiding feel even more threatening.
Instead of forcing yourself to face everything at once, try taking one small, manageable step toward what feels uncomfortable.
Progress doesn’t have to mean “all in.”
Sometimes it means “a little closer than yesterday.”
3. Your body may notice stress before your mind does.
Tight shoulders. A clenched jaw. A racing heart. Restlessness. Stomach discomfort. Feeling exhausted but unable to relax.
Your body can sometimes give you clues that stress is building before you consciously recognize it.
Try making a habit of asking:
“What is my body telling me right now?”
You don’t have to immediately fix what you notice. Awareness is a form of information.
4. A boundary can be an act of self-trust.
If you’ve learned to prioritize everyone else’s needs, setting boundaries can feel uncomfortable—even when the boundary is healthy.
Remember:
You are allowed to have limits.
You can say no without writing an essay explaining why. You can ask for space. You can change your mind. You can communicate what you need.
A boundary isn’t a punishment or a rejection. It’s a way of being honest about what allows you to feel safe, respected, and emotionally well.
5. You can learn new ways to respond.
Your past may help explain why certain patterns developed, but it doesn’t have to determine how you respond forever.
The goal isn’t to never feel anxious, overwhelmed, angry, or afraid.
The goal is to notice what is happening, create a pause, and give yourself more choices.
Notice → Pause → Get Curious → Choose
You may not always respond differently right away—and that’s okay. Change takes practice.
A Gentle Reminder
Healing isn’t about becoming someone who never struggles.
It’s about becoming someone who can recognize, “This is an old pattern trying to protect me,” and then deciding what you need now.
You are allowed to thank the parts of yourself that helped you survive while also learning that you don’t have to live in survival mode forever.
October Affirmation:
“I allow myself to set healthy, honest and open boundaries around me. The right people respect and honor me more because of them.”
November: 5 Reminders for Navigating Big Feelings During the Holidays
The holidays can bring some of our biggest emotions to the surface. While this time of year may be joyful for some, it can also bring grief, loneliness, family stress, financial pressure, difficult memories, and the weight of expectations.
If you’re feeling more than one thing at once, you’re not doing the holidays “wrong.”
Here are five reminders to carry with you this season:
1. You Don’t Have to Feel Grateful All the Time.
Gratitude doesn’t require you to ignore what hurts.
You can appreciate the good things in your life while still feeling sad about what you’ve lost, what has changed, or what you wish were different.
Two things can be true at the same time.
You can be grateful and grieving. Hopeful and overwhelmed. Happy and hurting.
2. You Don’t Have to Say Yes to Everything.
The holidays can come with a lot of invitations, expectations, and obligations.
Remember: an invitation is not an obligation.
It’s okay to say no. It’s okay to change your plans. It’s okay to skip a tradition that no longer feels healthy for you.
Protecting your peace isn’t selfish. It’s a boundary.
3. Pay Attention to What Your Body Is Telling You.
Big emotions don’t only happen in our thoughts. You might notice yourself feeling tense, exhausted, irritable, restless, disconnected, or overwhelmed.
Instead of pushing through automatically, pause and ask:
“What is my body trying to tell me?”
Maybe you need food. Sleep. Quiet. Movement. Connection. Space. Support.
Your body is allowed to have needs—even during a busy season.
4. Rest Doesn’t Have to Be Earned.
You don’t have to finish everything on your list before you’re allowed to sit down.
You don’t have to make everyone happy before you take a break.
You don’t have to be productive every moment you’re awake.
Rest is part of caring for yourself, not a reward for exhausting yourself.
Give yourself permission to slow down without turning rest into another thing you have to do perfectly.
5. Make Room for Joy Without Guilt.
If you’re grieving, experiencing moments of happiness can sometimes feel complicated.
You may wonder if laughing, celebrating, creating, or enjoying yourself means you’re moving on or forgetting.
It doesn’t.
Joy and grief can exist in the same heart.
You are allowed to enjoy the people who are here. You’re allowed to make new memories. You’re allowed to laugh. You’re allowed to create. You’re allowed to dream about what’s next.
Your joy does not diminish your grief.
A Gentle Reminder
The holidays don’t have to look a certain way for them to be meaningful.
Maybe this year is about creating new traditions. Maybe it’s about keeping things simple. Maybe it’s about spending time with people who make you feel safe. Maybe it’s about giving yourself more space than usual.
Whatever this season looks like for you, try meeting yourself with less expectation and more compassion.
You don’t have to choose between gratitude and grief.
There is room for both.
November Affirmation:
“I rest easy knowing everything I desire is already mine. I am finding new ways to enjoy my life, my art and my juiciest dreams.”
