Internal Family Systems ( IFS)

SUICIDAL THOUGHTS ?

THINKING THAT YOUR LIFE DOESN’T HAVE MEANING?
WISHING YOU JUST WOULDN’T WAKE UP?
CAN’T THINK ABOUT ANYTHING BUT DYING?
FEELING LIKE THERE’S NO REASON TO LIVE?

THESE ARE ALL SUICIDAL THOUGHTS. IT’S PARALYZING TO HAVE THEM, AND YOU JUST WANT THEM TO STOP, BUT THEY DON’T.
IF YOU’RE EXPERIENCING ANY OF THIS, PLEASE KNOW THAT YOU’RE NOT ALONE. THESE SYMPTOMS ARE PART OF DEPRESSION, AN ILLNESS THAT IS TREATABLE. IF YOU HAD ASTHMA, WOULD YOU USE AN INHALER TO BREATHE? IF YOU HAVE DEPRESSION, WILL YOU GO TO COUNSELING? THERE IS HOPE. THERE IS HELP. YOU MATTER. YOUR LIFE HAS MEANING. THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO WANT YOU TO WAKE UP. THERE WILL BE A TIME THAT YOU FEEL LIKE THERE IS A REASON TO LIVE. JUST HOLD ON, AND REACH OUT FOR HELP. I’M HERE FOR YOU.
NATALIE TEETERS, MS TRUE LIFE COUNSELING, TLC, LLC
PLEASE JUST REACH OUT. CALL ( 720) 795-4914 TO TALK.

BREATHE

JUST BREATHE !!

Just Breathe

We’ve all heard that saying before. Maybe we’ve even said it to someone. It holds great truth. Breathing can benefit our mental and physical wellness. It regulates your blood pressure and calms your brain. Taking deep breathes has been proven to give you a feeling of calmness, and taking you out of fight or flight. Counting breaths can tap into the brain’s emotional control regions, giving you more control over your emotions. ( Imagine that !) Even the rhythm of your breathing affects your memory, activating your hippocampus. Last, controlled breathing may even boost the immune system and improve energy metabolism. Therefore, just breathe, it may give you energy, strengthen your memory, lower your bread pressure and help you feel calm.

WANT TO LEARN MORE WAYS TO HEAL AND BECOME HEALTHIER? CALL Natalie Teeters, MS FOR AN INTAKE APPOINTMENT AT ( 720 ) 795-4914.

DEPRESSION.... HOW TO GET OUT OF BED !

Depression…. Get yourself out of Bed !

It’s ok to start slow. When you’re in bed, sit up, prop yourself up with pillows, choose to sit up instead of laying down.
Are you hungry? Does a cup of coffee sounds enticing? Hunger can be a great first motivator to get out of bed, and to give your body some energy.
Wake up to an alarm or music: Sometimes music or an annoying sound can get you out of bed. Try setting an alarm to your favorite song, it might even give you a positive memory on your way out of bed.
Start a routine : Get up and stretch, text a friend, have a cup of coffee outside, notice the people around you going to work.
Shine light ! Get some sunshine on your skin, go outside, allow your body to take in some vitamin D.
Attend counseling: Depression is something that is very treatable. Is it time to get the help you need?

ANXIETY.............

Anxiety…
It is the world, coming fast at me.
I can feel it closing in on me,
My breath is stuck in my throat,
It has struck my skull to numbness
while my heart pounds away in my ears
.
Anxiety could be a friend that cripples you
It sucks your breath and makes you feel
as if you’re drowning.
Your chest tightens
and your hands becomes extremely sweaty.
Life spirals all around you
and you feel you’re going under.
It’s that friend that seeks to take you under.
.Anxiety does not get to control you any longer. You are not alone. It's time to get some help. True Life Counseling, TLC is ready to help you

Golden Rules for Goal Setting

Do you desire to make some changes in your life? 

Are you motivated to be closer to your dreams? 

Then it might be time to set goals in your life.

View fullsize

Goal setting helps you gain control over your life, it gives yourself perspective and specific ways to move towards what you want. 

There are 5 Golden Rules in Goals Setting. 

Motivation: Are you motivated in achieving your goals? If not, maybe it’s not the right goal for you. 

How to make Goals that Work:

• Specific.

• Measurable.

• Attainable.

• Relevant.

• Time Bound.

 Make SPECIFIC goals. Each goal needs to be clear and defined. Give yourself specific steps to where you want to go. 

 MEASURABLE : Include precise amounts, dates, and so on in your goals so you can measure your degree of success.

ATTAINABLE:  Set goals that are attainable. If you have no way of attaining your goal, this will only discourage you and erode your confidence. However, you don’t want to make goals that are too easy for you. Find the right balance, a goal that is challenging enough to keep you striving for it, that is worth working towards. 

RELEVANT: Set goals that are RELEVANT to the direction that you want to go. If you set numerous goals that are widely scattered and inconsistent, you risk wasting your time.

TIME BOUND:  You must set a deadline. This gives you a chance to celebrate when you achieve the goal. 

Have fun with it. Enjoy dreaming and making steps to accomplish your dream.

Natalie Teeters, MS, psychotherapist

If you could give your child one thing before they start life......

Scenario: You are expecting a child:

Imagine you can give your child one thing before they start life. What would this be? 

Lots of Money

Fame

Unlimited Success

High Intelligence

Happiness

Talent in Music

Talent in Athletics

Resilience

Fun

Laughter

Prestige

Courage

Security

Relationship with God

If I had a quarter for every parent who told me they would want their child to be happy, I’d be rich. I hear this all the time in family therapy. I understand that it brings parents joy to see their child happy. It makes us happy to see them happy. 

I also hear “ If I could only have more money to give them what they want.” Money, financial security, is something most parents desire for their children. Why is this so? I believe we want our children to be safe and secure. I wonder if parents think money provides this for them. But does it really? Do you know of people who have lots of money, but no joy in life? Have you met someone who may own a beach house, only to covet their neighbor’s home? I do. Money doesn't buy happiness, in fact, it’s joy is fleeting. 

Isn’t it a much richer joyful feeling when you see your child/ teen/adult child have strength and courage when dealing with suffering in this world, or when your child/teen/adult child have the ability to make the most out of the beauty that life has to offer. Isn’t it even better to see your child see joy or beauty in the life they are given, even when situations are not particularly beautiful? The saying “ make lemonade out of lemons” What a great example of when you are given a sour situation, find sugar to add to make it more pleasurable. 

An example of this would be: 

Sour Moment : Your car breaks down, you need a tow. 

 Add Sugar : You decide to see what positive you have in this moment: 

Sugar (Positives) :

You have an ability to talk with the tow truck driver. Maybe you are in this moment for a reason. Your words can be helpful to him.You may help someone else by being kind. You have a free moment to read that article you couldn’t when you were driving.  You can send a friend an encouraging text. You can read your devotion today, that you missed.  If your child is with you, you have a chance to teach your child how to be strong in strife and be positive in a negative moment. 

Lemonade: You turned a negative moment into a purposeful one. You were given lemons, and you made lemonade. You experienced a positive emotion in a negative experience. Overcoming negativity creates positive changes in you !

Last, I have found that clients who believe in a higher power, have greater joy in life. This may be because it gives them a purpose in their lives. This purpose drives them, giving them courage and joy. Also, believing in God, helps them not feel that they are not alone in this world. They find their identity in God, which gives them the power to cancel out any negative believes their past ingrained in them. Believing in God, can create life transformations. 

1. So I ask you again, if you could give your child one thing before they start life, what would it be? Are you doing things in your life to give this thing to them? 

Natalie Teeters, MS, psychotherapist

Interested in learning more about this or starting counseling with Natalie Teeters, MS.

Call 720-795-4914.