Reactive Parenting: Why Am I So Reactive?

Written by: Nicole Barrett, LCSW

You had a vision of the parent you would be. Calm, patient, loving, and steady, no matter what. You imagined handling challenges with grace, guiding your child with wisdom, and ending each day feeling connected and proud. But real life looks different. By the end of the day, you may have raised your voice, snapped, withdrawn, overexplained, or watched your child’s expression shift after something you said. Later, when the house is quiet or the day is finally over, guilt and disappointment creep in. You wonder why you are so reactive and why parenting feels so much harder than you thought it would be.

You’re longing for closeness in relationships, but you just can’t seem to make that deep connection. You can’t quite put your finger on what is preventing you from making that meaningful and lasting connection.

You’ve even gone so far as to reflect on your old relationships and evaluate your unhealthy relationship patterns, but even with all this self-reflection and learning from your past, that feeling of being deeply emotionally connected continues to evade you.

At Mindful Living Counseling Orlando, we help people heal from and stop getting into toxic relationships. All of our therapists specialize in helping people move out of unhealthy relationships, so that they can cultivate meaningful and satisfying relationships.

How to Deal With an Emotionally Immature Partner

Written by: Lauran Daughtery Hahn, LMHC

You’re tired of walking on eggshells, trying to keep your partner calm and regulated. You have overextended yourself in an effort to keep the peace and prevent your partner from losing their cool. By this point, you’re realizing that you’re in a relationship with an emotionally immature partner, and now you’re wondering: what do I do about it?

As an attachment therapist who helps people navigate the complexity of relationships, I help my clients move into a place of empowerment and choice when it comes to dealing with an emotionally immature partner.

Anxiety Therapist: 6 Types of Toxic Guilt and 6 Tips to Help and Heal

Tired of feeling ripped apart by guilt? Does making decisions feel like anxiety and guilt volleyball? “If I work late, I will feel bad about not being with my family, but if I go home, I will feel bad about not getting more work done.” No matter what you decide to do, you are plagued with anxiety and guilt. Does it feel impossible to do things that will allow you to take care of yourself because the burden of guilt is just too much to bare? If toxic guilt has attached itself to you like the Bubonic Plague, read on to find the type of toxic guilt you struggle with and tips for dealing and healing so you can have peace of mind.

A Trauma Therapist Explores How Guilt in Relationships Turns Care Into Resentment

Written by: Lauran Daughtery Hahn, LMHC

You want to be a good partner. A good parent. A good friend. In fact, this matters more to you than almost anything else. You love the people in your life so much that it’s painful when they’re unhappy. When someone you care about is upset, you can almost feel it in your own body.

You work hard to anticipate the needs of those you love. If they’re struggling, you give more, do more, become more, because that’s what good people do, right? A caring person doesn’t let someone they love suffer or feel uncomfortable.

And yet, over time, you begin to feel a growing internal tension, a tangled web of guilt and resentment. It builds quietly until you notice yourself pulling away from the people you love most.

10 Strategies for Dealing With Self-Doubt (From a Trauma Therapist)

Written by: Lauran Daughtery Hahn, LMHC

If you’re tired of self-doubt holding you back, you’re not alone. Deep down, you know you’re capable of so much more, but the second-guessing keeps taking up too much space in your mind. You find yourself questioning decisions you’ve already made, wondering if you set the right boundary, or replaying conversations long after they’re over. That nagging, critical voice of self-doubt can be loud and, honestly, exhausting.

As a trauma therapist, I’ve walked alongside many clients who’ve struggled with this same pattern. I’ve seen how self-doubt can shrink people, stall their confidence, and disconnect them from who they truly are. And I’ve also seen what happens when they learn how to work with that inner noise instead of getting pulled under by it.

After years of helping clients heal self-doubt, I’ve put together a trauma-informed list of strategies to help you quiet the noise, gain clarity, and move toward the life you know you’re meant to live.

10 New Year's Resolutions to Help Ease Anxiety: Tips from an Orlando Therapist

If you experience anxiety, even thinking about setting a New Year's resolution may add another layer of stress, making you doubt your willpower, persistence, and abilities, wondering whether you're setting yourself up for failure. You may feel overwhelmed by the pressure to “be more” or "do better." You might feel paralyzed by the fear of not living up to your standards, especially if past attempts to meet similar goals didn't go as planned. These thoughts can create a cycle of anxiety. So, you might give up before you've even tried.

But what if you were to reframe your New Year's resolutions so they are not about perfection or drastic changes?

Orlando Therapist Guides You in Choosing Your Word of the Year

As we are rounding out the year, take a moment and reflect on the year. Do you feel a sense of accomplishment? Do you feel like the year was a struggle and really tested your limits? Or do you feel like it was a blend of both ease and difficulty? In either case, there is a lot of information to garner from reflecting on the year.

Anxiety Therapist Shares: 10 Gift Ideas for People With Anxiety

The holiday season is almost here, and you know what that means - it's time to start thinking about gifts for your loved ones! Are you ready for the stress and pressure of gift-giving to hit you? We know how challenging it can be to find the perfect present for everyone on your list.

20 Tips to Manage Holiday Stress From an Anxiety Therapist

Written by: Lauran Hahn, LMHC

Managing holiday stress often starts with noticing how much tension builds in your body and mind this time of year. It can be hard to relax when you’re hosting family, preparing meals, keeping up with traditions, or giving your time and energy in so many different directions.

As an Anxiety therapist in Orlando whose area of skill is in anxiety management, I have gotten to know many techniques that my past and present clients use to unwind. This week, I am going to share my top ways to de-stress this holiday season, which will help transform your holidays this year (and every other year).

If burnout feels more like what you're experiencing, I also have a separate article on holiday burnout. This one focuses specifically on holiday stress and the simple ways you can manage the tension and anxiety that show up during the season.

Anxiety Therapist Shares 21 Ways to Avoid Holiday Burnout

Written by: Lauran Hahn, LMHC

Before you know it, the holiday craziness has arrived! So before you know it, you’re burnt out, and you’re feeling anxious. But this year, are you ready to avoid feeling stressed and anxious during the holidays?

As anxiety therapists in Orlando at Mindful Living Counseling, we are here to support you and remind you how you can be the best version of yourself during a stressful time, so you can really enjoy the holiday season.

Use the simple tips below to help stay afloat when you’re feeling the anxiety that ultimately leads to burnout. Check in with yourself as needed and try to accomplish at least one of the items on this list. We hope that this will help you refocus your energy on what is truly valuable during the holidays. 

Anxiety Therapist Shares: 10 Tips for Dealing With Difficult Family during the Holidays

Do you feel excited about the upcoming holidays? Are you ready to enjoy some much-needed time off, indulge in your favorite foods, and embrace your favorite holiday traditions?

Do you also experience a bit of anxiety and dread when you think about spending time with a difficult family member? You want to look forward to the big family meal together, but a part of you is bracing when you think of the unwelcome advice and commentary that will come your way.

How to Overcome Self-Doubt: Insights from a Trauma Therapist

Written by: Lauran Hahn, LMHC

We all experience self-doubt from time to time. Whenever we’re trying something new or stepping into a new group of people, it’s normal to tune into our environment more than ourselves. That kind of self-doubt is healthy. It helps us learn, grow, and get a feel for the culture we’re stepping into.

Self-doubt becomes a problem when it shows up over and over again in situations that shouldn’t feel this overwhelming. When it becomes pervasive, when it follows you from one situation to the next, that’s when we start looking at self-doubt as something that needs attention.

As a trauma therapist, I love helping folks overcome and heal their self-doubt. I’ve been working with a client who struggled with a lot of self-doubt in her relationship. Anytime something felt off, her first instinct was to assume it was her fault. She carried the weight of every misunderstanding, every moment of tension, convinced she was the problem.

Why You Struggle with Self-Doubt (and How It Quietly Holds You Back)

Written by: Lauran Hahn, LMHC

You’re tired of second-guessing yourself and the anxiety that comes with it. You have goals and dreams for yourself, but something keeps holding you back, a quiet, nagging voice that says you can’t do it, or that you’ll get it wrong. You want to move forward with confidence, to trust your decisions, and take the kinds of risks at work (and in life) that could actually move you closer to what you want.

Self-doubt can feel paralyzing at its worst, and at best, like your harshest inner critic looming over your creativity, your drive, and your motivation.

As an anxiety therapist in Orlando, I’ve helped many clients work through self-doubt so they can move forward with confidence.

In this article, I’ll unpack the underlying causes of self-doubt and explore the different ways it can show up in your life.

In my next blog, I’ll share tools for overcoming self-doubt when it strikes, along with daily practices to help soothe the inner critic so you can stop feeling stuck.