Blog for Better Living

The 10 Myths of Sleep

By: Other | May 3, 2019

Written by Haim Shemer, Psy.D. Are you sleepless in San Diego? Does the mystery of falling fast to sleep keep you up at night? That sleep plays a critical role in our daily functioning is an undisputed fact. Giving sleep the attention it deserves constitutes a major contribution to overall mental and physical health. Many […]

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Personal Improvement, Sleep/Relaxation, Therapy

Why is Self-Care So Important?

By: Other | April 19, 2019

Written by Paul Paris, Ph.D. Forgetting to take care of ourselves, be it physically, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually, is easy to do. In periods of preoccupation, our increased responsibility or stress often puts our healthy behaviors “on the back burner” while we focus on more pressing matters. Research, in fact, shows that lowering or neglecting […]

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Anger, Anxiety, Personal Improvement, Stress

The Psychological Benefits of Tidying Up

By: Jen McWaters, Psy.D. | April 12, 2019

Is joy lurking in your closet? Is satisfaction hiding under your stuff? While browsing Netflix I found a new show entitled “Tidying up with Marie Kondo.” Intrigued, I watched an episode of Marie Kondo’s world of tidying and organizing. Known as her KonMari Method, it includes, for example, new ways to fold clothes efficiently and […]

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Anxiety, Personal Improvement, Therapy

Dr. Demet Çek Joins Therapy Changes

By: Demet Çek, Ph.D. | March 15, 2019

What fascinates me is the powerful role that emotions play in directing human behavior. Emotions are central to our experience, whether they are expressed through the beats of a song that make masses dance together or through psychological symptoms that cause social isolation. My interest in emotions led me to study psychology at Koç University, […]

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Anxiety, Introduction, Therapy

Therapy Changes Welcomes Dr. Michael Toohey

By: Michael Toohey, Psy.D. | March 8, 2019

Joining Therapy Changes feels like the culmination of a lifetime of service dedicated to helping others. I started helping others in the 8th grade as a volunteer when my junior high school opened a facility for severely developmentally delayed youth. In high school, early 1980s, I helped lower classmen affirm their own sexuality while I […]

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Depression, Introduction, LGBTQ+, Therapy

RAIN for Mindful Well-Being

By: Other | March 1, 2019

Written by Haim Shemer, Psy.D. I had the fortune to partake of a Relational Mindfulness class in which our teacher introduced an acronym called “RAIN.” RAIN is a mindful technique used to manage challenging feelings. Taken from the teachings of psychologist, author, and meditation teacher, Dr. Tara Brach, RAIN stands for: R – Recognize what […]

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Mindfulness, Therapy

Mindfulness: Our Anchor in Life’s Whirlpool

By: Other | February 15, 2019

Written by Paul Paris, Ph.D. Many of us are busy people with our lives full of responsibilities, tasks and activities. Balancing work or volunteering, family, our social lives and hobbies are all important. But, sometimes we become overwhelmed by the activity, especially when stressed and life becomes a checklist to get through rather than moments […]

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Mindfulness, Personal Improvement

The Importance of Self-Care in a Go-Go-Go World

By: Other | February 11, 2019

Written by Kimberly Nenemay, Psy.D. My first experience with the word “self-care” came to me as a graduate student. The term was used to describe a measure for preventing professional burnout. We were being taught, as burgeoning “helpers” to others, that it was important to finds ways to help ourselves. The graduate program that I […]

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Mindfulness, Personal Improvement, Relationships, Sleep/Relaxation, Stress, Therapy, Yoga

What it Means to be a Highly Sensitive Person

By: Jen McWaters, Psy.D. | January 29, 2019

You probably know what it means to be an introvert versus an extrovert. Such psychological terms are now mainstream. They help us understand and empathize with one another’s differences. Few people, however, know what it means to be a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) versus a non-HSP. Psychologist, Dr. Elaine Aron, wanted to better understand herself […]

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Anxiety, Parenting, Relationships, Stress