I need a plan!

I met with the potential LMHC supervisor today...we talked about a lot of things. The biggesf thing I got out of it is that I need to have a plan of what I want to dop with my practice and how to promote it. I'm going to work on that and check out a couple other supervisors. With good marketing I can afford to work privately once a week and pay for the office rent and supervision.

I also need to figure out which population I want to work with and who I worked well with. I didn't give it much thought when I was in school because I was trying to finish and get out of there. Now I'm working on mastering my craft so I can take over the world!

But first I gotta have a plan...

Mental Health 101: Anxiety

What makes you anxious?

Upcoming events, things you're looking forward (or not) to, people, situations...all kinds of things make people anxious.  Anxiety is the body's way of dealing with stress.

What if EVERYTHING makes you anxious?  What if it's so bad you cannot work, go to school, or be around friends and family?  What if one specific thing gives you very bad anxiety?  Then you may have an anxiety disorder.

There are many disorders that fall into the anxiety disorder spectrum.  Panic disorder, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD), and phobias.  Diagnosis and treatment for anxiety disorder depend on what kind of symptoms you have and have severe they are.  Symptoms of anxiety disorders include nervousness, tension, shortness of breath, feelings of depersonalization, worry, agitation, insomnia, inability to concentrate, rapid hearbeat, and dizziness.  I will go into more detail of each anxiety disorder in future posts. 

Treatment for anxiety disorders are medications such as SSRIs and in more severe cases Benzos and mood stabilizers.  Psychotherapy is another treatment for anxiety.  For severe cases, a combination of medication and therapy works best.

If you feel you have anxiety issues, see your private doctor and have them refer you to a therapist to help cope with the symptoms and the cause behind your anxiety.  I've listed some websites as well.

www.dailystrength.org/c/Anxiety/support-group
http://anxiety.supportgroups.com
www.adaa.org/supportgroups

Anxiety is something everyone experiences at one point or another however it does not have to be dehabilitating.  If you are struggling, seek help!

Take care,
-Kimmy

Major step!

Over the weekend I made contact with a LMHC supervisor in town and she wants to meet me!  She's also offering me office space on a part-time basis if I want it...exactly everything I'm looking for! Holy cow did that just happen!???? As you can see I'm really looking forward to meeting her.

I'm waiting for the two articles I wrote to be approved or denied by InfoBarrel and I plan on finishing my latest post by tonight...we'll see how it goes.

Not too shabby for a Monday huh?

I'll keep you posted on my shenanegans and be on the lookout for my writings!

Take care,
-Kimmy

Now Live on Infobarrel!

I wrote an article for InfoBarrel and it's been live since yesterday!  I was so happy when I found out I almost started crying...I'm a wussy I know lol. The blog is at 90 views now so that's exciting too!  Can we get to 100 by my birthday on Wednesday??  We shall see!

Here's a link to the article.

http://www.infobarrel.com/Getting_Started_on_Online_Dating

Comment and let me know what you guys think!

Have a great rest of the weekend!

Take care,
-Kimmy

Local Current Events: School Shooting

I live in Jacksonville, Florida and today the Headmistress of a local private school was shot multiple times by an employee who was fired earlier this morning.  Details are coming out little by little...as of right now, the teacher went home after he was fired, packed an AK-47 in a guitar case, went to the Headmistress's office, shot her then killed himself. It was chaos...parents rushed to the school to get their children but luckily, no students were hurt. There are a couple of mental health things I want to talk about in light of this event:  work and how you handle tough situations.

The first thing I want to talk about is being fired.  I was fired from a very good job.  It sucked.  I cried.  I was in a financial crisis for a few years. HOWEVER I did not take out my negative emotions on anyone from my former employer. Despite all the bad things resulting from my getting fired, I always knew it was just a job...I could always get another one despite the bad economy at the time.  People need to realize that work is NOT your everything!  It should only be a part of your life.  These days, people can lose their job at any time for any reason so you cannot take it so personally when you are fired after XX years and you put in 110% everyday and you love what you do.  Life happens and you must be able to roll with it.  People have been getting laid off and/or fired for a few years in this economical climate unfortunately it should be considered a norm at this point.  When you're working, prepare for the worst...period. What is the point in harming your former boss? Feel better for a little bit...you're not going to get your job back...it's going to be business as usual at your former employer so why not go about yours?

Another thing I want to point out is that students said to the news that students made fun of this particular teacher because he was "different" and they didn't think he was a good teacher.  I could say a lot but since the shooting happened a few hours ago and I don't condone what this man did today I'm not going to go there. I'm just going to say this:  Be Kind.  Always.  You do not know what is going on inside a person's head, you do not know what they're going through outside of work/school/activity, you do not know how close they are to the edge.  Therefore, ALWAYS BE KIND!

If you want to keep up with what's going on here's a link...

http://www.news4jax.com/news/Head-of-Episcopal-School-killed-in-murder-suicide/-/475880/9234044/-/155ypba/-/index.html

Mental Health 101: Insomnia

Have you ever had trouble falling asleep and staying asleep?

Everyone has had some sleep trouble in some point in their lives for many reasons:  stress, excitement, anxiety...the list goes on and on...

There are three kinds of insomnia: initial, middle, and terminal. Initial insomnia is having difficulty falling asleep. Middle insomnia is constantly waking up throughout the night. Terminal insommia is waking up early and not able to fall asleep again.

There are many things you can do on your own to alleviate insomnia.

• Maintain a regular sleep schedule.
• Avoid naps.
• Use your bed for sleep only.
• Relax or unwind for an hour before going to bed.
• Try not to go to bed hungry.
• Exercise helps alleviate insomnia.
• Take a warm bath before bed.
• Make a "to-do" list of what you need to do the next day to reduce stress.
• Adjust the room temperature, lighting, and noise before going to bed.

If you cannot fall asleep, get out of the bed and go elsewhere in your home until you feel sleepy again.

In some cases, medications such as Lunesta can help with insomnia for a short period of time. A professional can assist in sleep problems as well.

To learn more about insomnia, check out these sites.

insomnia.supportgroups.com
http://www.insomnialand.com/

Take care,
-Kimmy

Good news!

I just found out that I got accepted to Capella! Whoohoo! I start in May... I'll definitely be keeping you guys up to date on that...I'm also going to blog about my online dating adventures at the suggestion of my coworker...she finds them entertaining so you may too...

I got the promotion to the counselor position at my 9-5 but I havent heard from HR yet so we'll see...

Im working on some mental health 101 posts so be on the lookout for insominia and substance abuse by week's end. One of my professors checked out my blog...I hope she's proud of me... :-)

That's all have for you guys for now...I'm at 80 views now...my goal is to get 100 by my birthday next week. Help me out and tell your friends about me!

Take care,
-Kimmy