It's been a while

I haven't written on my blog for a while and there have been many reasons but I wanted to let everyone who reads it know that I am going to be writing more frequently now and I would appreciate you checking in for new articles. I hope you are all well and I wish you Fantastic Mental Health

--Erica Lewis, MFTI--

Wedded Wednesday 7/28/2010

Since today is a special historical day for me, I decided to start a new series on building a checklist before you get married.

I am going to cover one topic that you should consider as PRE-married people. This also works for married people in seeing what things could be causing conflict in your marriage and things you might possibly want to start working on.

We are going to start with a very obvious one...

Does your future spouse or current spouse have the ability to compromise and do you?

When you get married so many things change in your life but not everything changes. For example, if you are someone who enjoys watching sports on television and your spouse does not, chances are, you will still enjoy watching sports and they still won't once the I Do's are in place.

Now, as a married couple compromises generally take place on both sides. Using our prior example, let's say that as a single person you watched sports on television 4 days per week. Your spouse NEVER watched sports on television and enjoyed sitcoms instead. In your house, there will most likely need to be a level of compromise. A good example would be you changing to 2 days of sports on television a week and your spouse watching at least one of those days with you. Shared interests are important and although your personality will NEVER change, the situations in your life will.

Can you think of any area where you will NOT compromise and other areas where you are 100% willing to compromise?

Talk it Out Tuesday 7/27/2010

Today I wanted to take a poll and I could really use your help. I want to know the following if you could email me at ericalewisms@hotmail.com or simply leave a comment after this post.

The questions are...

Imagine that you are looking for a therapist/counselor. I would like to know the following things from you if you indeed were looking for a therapist...

1. How would you find a therapist in your area? (would you go online, ask a friend, etc...)

2. What is most important to you when looking for a therapist?

3. What would make you feel comfortable in a therapist's office?

4. Would you use a therapist if you heard about them from your general doctor or a trusted professional?

5. Does a free consultation session appeal to you when trying out a therapist? (this is a 50 minute free consultation to meet the therapist and talk with them to see if it is a fit)

Thank you ahead of time for your input and I really appreciate it!

Have a lovely Tuesday!

Mental Health Monday 7/26/2010

Today I decided to put a video on of deep breathing because a lot of people do not know how to do it and it is so effective. I have started using it and fall asleep much faster and feel much less stressed. I have also included a link where you can purchase the cd that I use that was created for Christians and produced by my Boss and Friend Dr. Jennifer Fee, Psychologist!

To order a CD email drfee@visionquestpsychologicalservices.com or you can just email me if you want! :)

Here is how to start

Self Care Sunday 7/25/2010

Yoga: a start

If you have never tried Yoga, I highly recommend it. It relaxes me and has made my back a lot stronger and I don't hold as much tension. I have included an 8 minute video to try to see if Yoga is for you.

Relax and enjoy!

Stressful Saturday 7/24/2010

Did you know that kids get stressed too. As a matter of fact, I have seen numerous children in therapy who have anxiety disorders and deal with stress heavily. I decided to put on some tips on some ideas to reduce stress in children:

1. Imagination:

Using your imagination can be quite relaxing and helps foster children's creativity. Encourage your child to close their eyes, dream up a far away happy place and take you with them. Find out what inspires your child with this exercise.

2. Three Wishes:

If you want to find out what is stressing your child out, ask this simple question: if you could wish three things, what would they be? You might not get the answer you think.

3. Game play:

Playing a board game might get a child talking and relaxing so break out LIFE and get going.

4. Draw a picture:

Again, this is a way to get an idea of what is happening in your child's life. They often draw things that are bothering them or they may draw what would be ideal right now.

5. A day to getaway:

Give your child the day to choose activities for both of you and play along with whatever they need. Sometimes simple attention and focus helps them de-stress

Keep checking back for more tips on reducing stress in children!

Family Friday 7/23/2010

Hey everyone, I wanted to share a great resource with you all today. I recently signed up on this site for FREE to make a calendar where Anthony and I could share our appointments with each other and keep commitments easily seen. I love this site and recommend it to you. You can sign up every family member with a different color and you can ask that reminders be sent to the adult's cell phones throughout the day. This keeps the calendar free from clutter and also keeps us where we are supposed to be. They also have a section where you can make a shopping list and have it sent to your cell which means no more forgetting the sheet of paper at home. There are numerous resources on this site and I highly recommend it.

Go HERE to sign up and get organized in YOUR family!