Victoria Olson, Author at Victoria Olson

Journaling Therapy – Art Therapy

August 23, 2022 by Victoria Olson Leave a Comment

“Dear Diary…”

As kids, many of us told our deepest secrets and our hopes and dreams to our diaries. And then we got older and forgot all about visiting those pages each day.

You may have heard about journaling, which some would say is the adult equivalent of keeping a diary. But journaling can also be a powerful form of therapy, as journaling exercises can bring about self-awareness and improve mental health.

The Difference Between Journal Therapy and Keeping a Journal

Before the 1960s, when journal therapy began, people simply used a journal to record their experiences, much like they did as kids. This was a narrative form of writing and wasn’t really seen as a truly therapeutic process.

But when psychologist Dr. Ira Progoff introduced an intensive form of journaling, the therapeutic potential of the journaling process came into view. Today, journal therapy is a stand-alone therapy modality similar to art and music therapy.

Perhaps the biggest difference between journal therapy and simply keeping a journal is the way an individual’s internal thoughts, feelings and experiences are captured. Journal therapy allows a person to not only write down their issues and concerns, but to also be reflective and introspective about them. In this way, journal therapy can be a real agent for change.

Who Can Benefit from Journal Therapy?

Journal therapy can be very beneficial for those individuals who typically have difficulty processing their thoughts and emotions. Journal therapy is used to treat a variety of conditions, including:

Anxiety
PTSD
Depression
Grief and loss
Substance abuse
Eating disorders
Low self-esteem
And more

Getting Started

While anyone can try journaling on their own, to truly benefit from the process, it’s best to work with a therapist who can guide you and offer prompts that can help you get your thoughts and feelings on the page.

If you are struggling with mental health issues, have a hard time talking about them, and would like to explore journaling therapy, please reach out to me.

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Filed Under: journaling

What Is Trauma-Informed Care?

August 9, 2022 by Victoria Olson Leave a Comment

According to CDC data, 1 in 4 children experiences some form of trauma or abuse in their childhood. More sobering statistics indicate that 1 in 5 women and 1 in 71 men have experienced rape at some point in their lives. These numbers suggest that many people, male and female, young and old, have and will experience trauma in their lifetime.

Treating Health in People with Trauma

If you’ve ever gone to the doctor or been treated at an emergency room, you know that the entire scenario can feel incredibly invasive. Sensitive questions are often asked, intimate body parts may need to be examined, and the medical treatment may be uncomfortable and even painful.

How can medical professionals provide quality healthcare to people who have experienced some form of trauma in their past? Through trauma-informed care.

What is Trauma-Informed Care?

Trauma-informed care is an approach to healthcare with a focus on safety, empowerment, and healing. This style of care is particularly helpful for sexual abuse survivors.

Of course, a provider would never ask a prospective or new patient if they have experienced serious trauma in the past. Instead, it is simply assumed that each individual may have experienced some form of trauma and acted accordingly. This can mean many different things but typically it means clear and gentile communication. It means inviting the patient to speak to their needs if they need a break from a painful or embarrassing exam. It also means allowing a family member to be present during the exam if need be.

The bottom line is, that trauma-informed care puts the mental and emotional needs on equal footing with a patient’s physical needs at that moment. It is an approach that requires compassion and a desire to heal the entire person.

SOURCES:

Filed Under: trauma

The Importance of Independence in a Relationship

July 26, 2022 by Victoria Olson Leave a Comment

When we first fall in love with that special someone, we want to spend all of our time together. In fact, we seem to feel better when we are with our significant other.

This is the infatuation stage, and admittedly, it feels really good. But enduring relationships move past this stage and into a place of mutual respect and care. This will require each partner to give the other space to be their own individuals.

Why Individuality and Independence are Important in Relationships

First, what does it really mean to be an independent individual? It means you know how to be your own person, whether you are single or in a relationship. It means while you make the effort to make your partner happy, you also ensure that you continue to do the things you enjoy that bring you happiness.

The following are just some of the reasons why there should always be independence in a relationship:

No One Likes Clingy

When you lack independence and don’t have a solid sense of yourself, you can come across as “clingy” or needy. If you want to be around your partner 24/7 and they are wanting space, your neediness can drain their energy.

Mutual Growth

When the two of you stay independent, you give each other the opportunity to grow as individuals, which then can lead to growth as a couple.

Mutual Support

Independent people are strong people, and strong people can be counted on when it matters most. When you are both strong individuals, you can lend that support when the other needs it.

Need Help Getting Your Independent Spirit Back?

Most of us demanded our independence when we were in our teens and early 20s. But life happens, and we can often lose that independent spirit and lose our own identities. If you need some help reconnecting with yourself so that you may one day enjoy a beneficial partnership, please get in touch with me. I’m more than happy to discuss how therapy can help.

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Filed Under: couples, relationships

Self-Care: Holding Onto Good Mental Health After The Seasonal Depression

July 12, 2022 by Victoria Olson Leave a Comment

Seasonal depression, also referred to as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), refers to a type of depression that relates to changes in the seasons. Most people with SAD feel symptoms come on in the fall and generally feel them all through the winter. Symptoms, which include lethargy, sadness, and general depression, usually dissipate once spring arrives.

With the warmer months here, it’s a great time to get into some healthy mental habits, so you’ll be ready to fight the blues come fall. Here are some ways you can hold onto your good mental health all year long:

Stay Physically Active

Inactivity can definitely worsen depression symptoms. And several recent studies suggest people who exercise regularly have better mental health than those who do not. One of the best habits to get into is to ensure you move your body every day, even if that means going for a walk around the neighborhood.

If you live in an area of the country that experiences cold, snowy winters, think about taking up a fun activity like skiing or snowshoeing. If that’s just not your thing, consider getting a treadmill, stationary bike or mini trampoline for your home.

Reduce Social Media Use

Social media is fun once in a while and a way for us to stay connected to others. But too much social media use has been shown to cause mental health issues. Be sure to limit your social media use to only 30 – 60 minutes a day.

Take Up a Hobby

Doing something you really enjoy is obviously great for your mental health. But so many people feel they are too busy with work and family responsibilities. Make time! Learn to paint or play an instrument. Take salsa lessons or start writing that novel you’ve always dreamed about.

Relax More Often

Chronic stress is a killer. It can cause the development of diseases such as heart disease and cancer. At the very least, chronic stress will dysregulate your nervous system, which will then cause a depression.

Take time every week to check out and destress. Get a massage, take a long hot bath, sit in a sauna, or just lie in the hammock in your backyard.

You may also want to consider working with a mental health specialist so you always have someone to freely talk with about whatever’s bothering you. If you find your therapist now, you will have formed a relationship come fall when the blues tend to settle back in.

If you’d like to learn more about treatment options, please feel free to reach out to me.

SOURCES:

Filed Under: Depression

Celebrating Juneteenth

June 30, 2022 by Victoria Olson Leave a Comment

Juneteenth is short for “June Nineteenth” and marks a very important day in American history. This is the day federal troops entered Galveston, Texas in 1865 and took control to ensure all slaves were freed. Juneteenth is thought to be the longest-running African American holiday. It became an official federal holiday on June 17, 2021.

While slavery was abolished over 250 years ago, there is lingering trauma that has been passed down through the generations in the black community. As we celebrate Juneteenth this year, it’s important to focus on the overall mental health and well-being of the community.

Barriers To Mental Health Care

Historically, the African American community has been faced with certain barriers that have made seeking mental health services challenging.

Socioeconomic Disparities

It is common for members of the black community to experience socioeconomic disparities that make it hard to finance mental health treatment. Recent data suggest that 11% of black adults in this country have no form health insurance.

Stigma

It is common for people in the black community to have negative attitudes and beliefs about mental health issues and treatment for those issues. In fact, one study found that 63% of black people still believe that admitting to struggling with a mental health condition is a sign of personal weakness.

As a result of this lingering stigma, people often feel shame for having a mental health condition and choose to not seek help for fear of being bullied or scorned.

Trust

People of color often prefer to speak with therapists within their own community. Speaking with another person of color, who understands the microaggressions and burdens you face on a daily basis, can be tremendously helpful for healing.

Currently, the psychology workforce is predominantly white, which often makes it difficult for BIPOC people to find a therapist they feel comfortable with. It is hoped that in the coming years, more young people of color will take an interest and the initiative to become a trained and licensed therapist.

Making a Commitment

This Juneteenth, it is important that people in the African American community make a commitment to their mental health. It may be helpful for you to get on the phone with a few potential providers and ask some questions to get a sense of their level of cultural awareness. What is their history of treating people of color? How sensitive are they to the plights black people face today?

When you find a provider that can meet your needs, you can begin the journey of healing.

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Filed Under: mental health

Recognizing Alcohol Awareness Month

June 30, 2022 by Victoria Olson Leave a Comment

Alcohol addiction effects millions of adults in this country. In fact, it’s estimated that roughly 10% of Americans will experience some form of addiction in their lives.

Drinking not only has the ability to negatively impact your social life, relationships, and job security, it can also wreak havoc on your physical health. And that’s not something that’s discussed enough. And seeing as April is alcohol awareness month, I wanted to share some important information about alcohol and its effects on your physical health.

And to be clear, I’m not talking about too much drinking as in someone drinks too much every single day. I’m saying even if you only go out once in a while and drink too much that night, it can negatively impact your health.

Here are just some of the ways alcohol affects your health:

Your Brain on Alcohol

Alcohol disrupts your brain’s communication pathways, making it difficult for you to think clearly. These disruptions also make it more like you experience changes in your mood, memory, and coordination.

Heart Damage

Whether you drink a lot over a long period of time or drink too much in a single night, you are putting yourself at risk of heart damage. Excessive alcohol consumption has been shown to cause cardiomyopathy, arrhythmias, strokes, and high blood pressure.

Cancer

According to the National Cancer Institute, there is a strong association between alcohol consumption and several types of cancers including oral cancer, esophageal, liver, breast, and colon cancers. In fact, the National Toxicology Program of the US Department of Health and Human Services lists alcohol as a known human carcinogen.

Immunity

Drinking excessively can weaken your immune system, making you a target for illness and disease. Even drinking too much in a single night can make it hard for your body to ward off infections for a 24-hour period.

As you can see, alcohol can do a lot of damage to your health and your life. That’s not to say that you cannot enjoy an alcoholic beverage every now and then in moderation.

In honor of alcohol awareness month, share these health facts with someone you love!

SOURCES:

Filed Under: alcoholism, substance abuse

Supporting Your Immune System in Natural Ways

June 30, 2022 by Victoria Olson Leave a Comment

Your immune system is your personal bodyguard, protecting you from a multitude of pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, parasites, and even cancer cells. It’s a complex system and one that needs to be supported and optimized to do its job properly.

Here are some of the best natural ways you can support your immune system so it can keep you healthy:

Essential Oils

Essential oils are concentrated chemicals extracted from plants. They can be sourced from leaves, flowers, and even bark.

Some of the most potent essential oils used to strengthen the immune system are eucalyptus oil – made from the leaves of the eucalyptus tree, clove oil – extracted from the dried flower buds of the Syzygium aromaticum tree, and lavender oil – which is made from the flowers of the lavender plant.

Supplements

Sometimes getting all of the nutrients you need from your food is just not possible. For this reason, we often have to turn to supplements to make sure our immune system gets everything it needs to work optimally.

There are a variety of supplements that can support your immune system, but there are three we recommend to all of our clients on a daily basis: vitamin C, zinc, and vitamin D3.

Herbs

Similar to essential oils, herbs allow us to gain access to powerful plant compounds that can support our immune system. A few of the herbs that have been found to be most beneficial to the immune system are astragalus – helps support the immune system while helping you destress, black elderberry – a powerful antioxidant, and echinacea – supports a healthy immune response at the onset of an illness.

Probiotics

Did you know that 80% of your immune system is located in your gut? It makes sense that you would want to optimize your gut health to optimize your immune system. For this reason, it is recommended that you eat foods rich in probiotics – those healthy bacteria that keep your gut healthy. Add yogurt, kefir,

and fermented veggies into your diet!

Your immune system does an awful lot for you. Isn’t it time you give it what it needs to be healthy?!

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Filed Under: national nutrition month

Somatic Meditation and Mindfulness for Trauma Treatment

June 30, 2022 by Victoria Olson Leave a Comment

While most people will experience challenges and hardship in their life, some people experience trauma. We’re beginning to understand trauma better now and have recognized that trauma is actually a physiological process that impacts our psychological and emotional wellbeing. When trauma is suppressed, it often leads to mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, and even PTSD.

While talk therapy can be effective at treating certain emotional and mental health issues, it can actually cause someone with trauma to re-experience their trauma. And when trauma survivors don’t have the emotional resources yet to process the trauma, talking or focusing on the event(s) of the trauma can send them into a state of confusion and hyper-arousal.

Trauma and the Nervous System

We have begun to understand that trauma exists in our body’s nervous system. When we experience acute or chronic trauma, our nervous system goes into “fight or flight” mode. To treat trauma, we must do so on a physical level by connecting with our bodies and allowing them to process and neutralize those unexpressed defensive fight or flight reactions.

If we do not allow our nervous systems to come back to a calm and neutral state, we are kept in a state of high arousal, and eventually, our nervous system becomes overwhelmed and shuts down. This is often when depression and PTSD symptoms present.

How Somatic Meditation Helps Heal Trauma

Somatic Meditation and Mindfulness help people suffering from the effects of trauma by getting them to become aware of the trauma in their body, without the need to recall the traumatic event(s). Somatic meditation teaches individuals how to release tension from the body, and therefore helps the nervous system release the trapped defensive energy.

If you’ve tried talk therapy and are interested in exploring these body-focused exercises, please get in touch with me. I would be very happy to discuss somatic meditation with you further and answer any questions you may have.

Sources:

Filed Under: meditation, trauma

How Your Diet Can Affect Mood, Cognition, And Sleep

June 30, 2022 by Victoria Olson Leave a Comment

Most of us are aware that what we eat can affect our waistline. But did you know that the foods you eat can also impact your brain, which means they can affect your mood, cognition, and sleep?

Think of Your Brain Like an Expensive Car

Cars need fuel to operate. Some cars do fine no matter what type of gas you put in the tank. But expensive cars typically only do well when you fill the tank with premium gas.

Your brain is like an expensive car. You can try and feed it what YOU want and what YOU think is delicious, but it probably won’t operate optimally. In fact, your brain can actually become damaged if you feed it the wrong foods. For example, many processed and refined foods are harmful to your brain, causing inflammation and toxic overload. Diets high in refined carbohydrates not only promote inflammation but also oxidative stress and worsen your body’s regulation of insulin.

All of this damage affects how your brain operates. That means when you eat poorly, you increase the risk of developing a mood disorder such as depression and anxiety, a cognitive impairment (making it hard to think clearly or remember information), and sleep issues.

And then it becomes a vicious cycle, because once our sleep takes a hit and our mood takes a hit and we can’t focus well, we intuitively want to reach for comfort foods that are usually unhealthy, and the cycle starts all over.

Making Lifestyle Changes Your Brain Will Thank You For

Life is easier and just feels better when our brains are working for us, not against us. With that in mind, here are some lifestyle choices you can make that will keep your brain working optimally:

Skip the Soft Drinks

One of the easiest changes you can make is to stop drinking soda, even sugar-free sodas, which can still impact your insulin levels. Opt for water instead.

Eat Plenty of Healthy Fats

Your brain is 60% fat. It needs fat to thrive. But not all fats are created equally. Stay away from trans fats. These are fats made in a laboratory and are found in processed foods. Seed oils, vegetable oils – these are bad fats!

Healthy fats are those from grass-fed or pastured animals as well as nuts and avocados!

Take Care of Your Gut

Your gut health directly impacts the health of the rest of your body, including your brain. To be healthy, your gut needs a lot of good bacteria – AKA probiotics. So be sure to eat foods rich in probiotics. This can include sauerkraut, kimchi, Greek yogurt, kefir, and any fermented veggies you like!

Your brain does an awful lot for you. Isn’t it time you start paying more attention to what it needs? Eat right and you will experience a big change in your mood, how you think and how your sleep!

RESOURCES:

Filed Under: Nutrition

How Finances can Impact Your Mental Health

June 30, 2022 by Victoria Olson Leave a Comment

Not since the great depression have so many people collectively been dealing with financial hardship. The Covid pandemic locked down nations and caused people to lose their livelihoods. It is not surprising, then, that we are also seeing increases in the rates of depression.

There have been other studies that also linked depression and anxiety with financial burdens. In fact, this study suggests that individuals with depression and anxiety are three times more likely to be in debt.

It’s a Vicious Cycle

Solving any problem requires clear thinking and an ability to take action. The problem is, when financial burdens cause a person to become anxious and depressed, they live in an emotional state that makes it almost impossible to solve their financial problems.

For instance, when people feel depressed, it is common for them to also feel overwhelmed and out of control. They tend to want to avoid problems because they simply can’t bear the weight of it all.

Depression and anxiety can also make it hard for people to get proper sleep. This, in turn, creates mental fog, making it incredibly hard to figure out a solution to any problem.

Talking to Someone Can Really Help

No, I’m not talking about a financial planner, I’m talking about speaking with a therapist. A licensed therapist can help you find some calm in the storm. Working with a therapist often brings the kind of clarity that can help you heal from depression and anxiety and get your financial life back in order.

There is nothing to be ashamed of. Most of us have, at one point (if not currently), experienced trouble with our finances and felt depressed and anxious. It is a common part of living in these modern times when the economy seems to be going against us most of the time.

If you or a loved one has been having a hard time financially and you are feeling stressed and overwhelmed, please get in touch with me. I would be more than happy to help you deal with your current situation.

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Filed Under: finance, mental health

Journaling Therapy – Art Therapy

The Difference Between Journal Therapy and Keeping a Journal

Who Can Benefit from Journal Therapy?

Getting Started

Treating Health in People with Trauma

What is Trauma-Informed Care?

Why Individuality and Independence are Important in Relationships

No One Likes Clingy

Mutual Growth

Mutual Support

Need Help Getting Your Independent Spirit Back?

Barriers To Mental Health Care

Making a Commitment

Your Brain on Alcohol

Heart Damage

Cancer

Immunity

Trauma and the Nervous System

How Somatic Meditation Helps Heal Trauma

It’s a Vicious Cycle

Talking to Someone Can Really Help

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