New Year's Resolution
New Year's Resolution

Raise your hand if you have ever made a New Year’s resolution. If you ever have made one how long did it last? Research shows that many New Year’s resolutions are forgotten or stopped within 6 months. Resolutions and goals are great. However, to increase your chances of success and achievement, you want to make sure the resolutions are realistic and obtainable. Otherwise, you are setting yourself up for failure and the impact of not completing the resolution might be worse for your mental health than not setting one at all. As you are figuring out what your resolution will be or maybe you have even thought of one already, consider the following to help you.

Read More
Nikki Lacherza-DrewDr. Nikki, psychology, psychologist, therapy, therapist, mental health, mental health awareness, it's ok to not be ok, reduce the stigma, NJ, NY, FL, VT, new year, new years, resolutions, goals, realistic, self care, self care is not selfish, self love, screen time, social media, anxiety, depression, winter, friends, family, January, you got this
Sensory Bins
Sensory Bins

Sensory bins aren’t a new concept but have recently gained popularity. These bins are great for children of all ages to learn and explore with their hands and various other items in the bin. Although you can buy a premade sensory bin (this is what I did), they are actually fairly easy to make and just require some creativity. Depending on what you have around your house, you might not even need to purchase anything. Here are the main parts of a sensory bin.

Read More
Nikki Lacherza-DrewDr. Nikki, psychology, psychologist, mental health, mental health awareness, it's ok to not be ok, reduce the stigma, NJ, NY, FL, VT, therapy, therapist, children, child, kids, play, play therapy, sensory, sensory bins, explore, grow, creative, be creative, creativity, exploration, growth, development, curious, toys
Mental Health Days
Mental Health Days

In general, there has been an increase in awareness of mental health care/illness over the last few years. Although still stigmatizing, mental health care and illness are being talked about more than ever. If you needed proof, check out the waitlist many mental health providers currently have. The zeitgeist of the time is showing that more and more individuals are seeking and benefiting from mental health care, which includes taking mental health days!

Read More
Nikki Lacherza-DrewDr. Nikki, psychologist, psychology, therapy, therapist, NJ, NY, FL, VT, mental health, mental health awareness, it's ok to not be ok, reduce the stigma, mental health days, self love, self care, self care is not selfish, rest, relax, recharge, days off, school, work, plan, spontaneous, you do you, time off, take the time off
5 Tips to Surviving Holiday Work Parties
5 Tips to Surviving Holiday Work Parties

Holiday parties can be stressful. Holiday parties at work can be even more stressful. If you are someone who has social anxiety or generalized anxiety, just thinking about your company’s holiday party is probably causing you to sweat right now. It would be easy not to go, but then that is just giving in to the irrational thoughts and beliefs. Instead, plan to go to the holiday party (even for a little it) and use some of the tips below to help you get through the event. Although the below tips are by no means exhaustive and may not apply to each individual, if attending your holiday work party is causing you to experience anxious symptoms, you may also find comfort and assistance in talking to a mental health professional.

Read More
Nikki Lacherza-DrewDr. Nikki, psychology, psychologist, therapy, therapist, mental health, mental health awareness, it's ok to not be ok, reduce the stigma, NJ, NY, FL, VT, holidays, work, work parties, anxiety, coworkers, bosses, supervisors, cope, coping, coping skills, relax, deep breathing, mindfulness, breaks, networking, collaboration, self care
Snow Day Activities Without Screens
Snow Day Activities Without Screens

Who doesn’t love a good snow day? If you are joining my blog from NJ or any other place that gets hit with snow during the winter, snow days can stretch out. The first few storms are pretty and it’s nice to have a day off here and there. However, once you are on snow day #5, it’s freezing, and you’ve had to cancel plans again, it gets annoying. A snow day can turn into the perfect (or not-so-perfect) day to sit around and binge-watch Netflix or scroll on social media. However, screens weren’t always around for snow days (yes, I know… shocker!). Sitting in front of a screen all day isn’t the healthiest or most productive way to spend the day. If you are looking to make your next snow day screen-free, or at least include less screen time, check out some non-screen-related snow day activities below.

Read More
Nikki Lacherza-DrewDr. Nikki, psychologist, psychology, therapy, therapist, NJ, NY, FL, VT, mental health, mental health awareness, reduce the stigma, it's ok to not be ok, snow, snow days, screens, screen time, family, friends, winter, weather, outside, bored, creative, creativity, family time, games, cold, days off, relax