Grief is defined as “a natural response to loss” and is typically associated with distress, agony, sorrow, anger, emptiness or yearning. We commonly understand grief in its 5 stages after death: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.

Grief is a process that is typically avoided and can unfortunately lead to lasting health issues as a result. And in that blog, we identified things in this life that may need to be grieved that are beyond loss of life or death. 

Whether you realize it or not, you have expectations of yourself and others in your life - at home, at work, in your extended family, from your friends, and even from strangers! For example, when you’re changing lanes while driving, you expect someone to either slow down or speed up so you can merge.

While there's definitely helpful tools and advice for healthy parenting, there are some very basic principles to establish first. Before you dig into any details on reinforcements, discipline, gentle parenting, setting boundaries, etc, there are some basics that can be extremely helpful in creating a safe and healing environment for your whole family.

"When I made the phone call to Solstice Pacific I really had no idea what to expect. I just knew I needed help and someone to guide me through the process. The patient advocate I spoke to told me there were a few options available to someone like myself."

If you’ve been living with anxiety for a while, it may start to feel like you’ve learned to live with it. You have anxiety, but it’s not that bad. You can avoid triggering situations, and the ones you can’t avoid, you’ve found a way to get through.

Whether it’s a fear, phobia, or stress-inducing objects or situations, what we know is that avoidance of these will only increase the fear and stress associated with them. Can we continue to try our best to avoid everything that stresses us out?

Dissociation is a stress or trauma response. It can be a reaction to overwhelming anxiety, despair, disappointment, anger, pain, or other discomfort that may be present in your life. Dissociation is commonly described as a “mind-body” disconnection.

Boundaries are limits that you can place upon yourself or others to preserve your safety, security, and emotional energy. Boundaries can be emotional, physical, sexual, time-bound, communication related, or even set in your personal thoughts. 

While it may sound nice at the surface that families are the focus, it can actually be quite scary and even feel invasive. But walking through this vulnerable process is essential if you actually want to see lasting change.

When anxiety is taking place, your heart rate or breathing may increase; you may experience sweating, shaking, or feel easily fatigued. Anxiety, or stress, is understood to be the response to any stressor. 

Emotions are different from behavior, which is different from your thoughts or beliefs. But all of these affect each other in profound ways.