• February 2, 20243 min

    Setting Boundaries: Hard, But Necessary

    John has a friend that gives him a big, tight-squeezing bear-hug every time they see each other. John, however, is not fond of bear-hugs, and frankly feels uncomfortable with any hugs altogether, but he grits [...]

  • January 24, 20242 min

    How Expectations Influence Your Wellness Journey

    Let’s be honest with ourselves: unrealized expectations temper nearly every activity, relationship, and area of our lives. We carry expectations inside that can either lead to positive motivations and optimism, or to perpetual heartbreaks and pessimism. [...]

  • January 4, 20242 min

    Stealth Expectations

    What do you expect the year to be like? What do you expect your boss to say to you during your annual review meeting? What chores do you expect your partner or kids to complete [...]

  • December 27, 20232 min

    The Opposite Thought: A DBT Practice

    A couple weeks ago, we learned a little bit about the history of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). This week, I want to introduce you to a more modern kind of therapy called DBT, or Dialectical [...]

  • December 1, 20232 min

    Patterns of Thought: Rumination vs. Reflection

    The most common modality of mental health and substance use treatment in the US is “Cognitive Behavioral Therapy” or CBT. Its development has roots as far back as the mid 1800s; however, the treatment as [...]

  • November 23, 20232 min

    Contentment and Desire

    Whenever I think about the concept of increasing my feelings of contentment in my life, my mind runs to the first two (of four) truths of Buddhism: 1) “Everyone is suffering in some way.” 2) “The [...]

  • November 1, 20233 min

    Contentment Instead of Complaint

    We had our first snow flurries of the season last week. My first thought when I saw it outside my window was, “Aw man, come on! Too early for this – it’s still October!” Complaint. [...]

  • October 25, 20233 min

    Fear vs. Worry vs. Anxiety

    Most of us have a tendency to oversimplify the myriad of emotions we feel throughout the day into four categories: happy, sad, “meh”, and mad. When asked by a colleague how we’re doing, we often reply, [...]

  • October 4, 20233 min

    Why Fear is So Uncomfortable

    “Well I saw the thing comin’ out of the sky, It had the one long horn, and one big eye, I commenced to shakin’ and I said ‘Ooh-eee’ It looks like a purple people eater [...]

  • October 2, 20233 min

    How to Support Your Friend in Recovery

    We continue to celebrate National Recovery Month throughout September. However, not all of us are in recovery ourselves. Some of us may only know someone who is, or have been touched by addiction in some [...]

  • September 1, 20234 min

    A Story of Recovery: Recovery Month 2023

    Meet my friend, Jeff. Jeff works for a local power utility company in Central Indiana as a lineman, and he’s great at his job. Outside of work, Jeff is a loving husband and dad, a [...]

  • August 24, 20232 min

    Addressing Perfectionism: For Students

    Do you ever feel like you just don’t measure up? You “try your best,” as your parents encourage you to do. You strive for those As and A+’s in school. You obsess about that shot you missed at [...]