As a licensed clinical social worker, Alexia Eller, LCSW, has dedicated her career to helping individuals heal from trauma and navigate mental health challenges. Her extensive work with first responders and crime survivors gives her blogs a unique perspective on resilience and growth.

Fear is a double edged sword, having an impact on the human behaviors and mental health; it can serve as important to adapt to circumstances but also can be misplaced and create maladaptive consequences regarding decision making (5). Managing the fear of the unknown can be an everyday struggle, sometimes we don’t know which way to turn or how to cope with it. However there are several effective strategies to cope with it. The fear of uncertainty can create feelings of anxiety and discomfort, but it's possible to build resilience and develop healthier ways to approach it.

Do you ever feel like you lack sleep and that it is fueling your anxiety in several ways? A lack of sleep can significantly fuel anxiety in several ways. Grasping for mental clarity while your mind is teetering on no sleep and the precipice of panic can cause major stress. 

Polyvagal Theory is a psychological and physiological framework developed by Dr. Stephen Porges that focuses on the role of the vagus nerve in regulating the autonomic nervous system (ANS) and its impact on emotional and social behavior. It emphasizes how the body's physiological states affect our ability to connect, respond to stress, and maintain overall health.

Being a parent can come with various ins and outs that can be predicted and some can be curveballs. When it comes to teens, they experience a wide variety of emotions on a daily and weekly basis with circumstances that impact their thoughts and actions. Encouraging emotional awareness in teens as a parent is crucial for helping them understand and manage their feelings, build empathy, and improve their relationships. (3)

Recognizing trauma responses in everyday life can be an important step in understanding how past traumatic experiences affect present behaviors, emotions, and interactions. Often trauma responses can be subconscious and manifest in different ways, depending on the type of trauma and how the individual copes. Understanding how they can show up subtly or in more overt ways, can be a crucial part of  healing.

We need to rethink movement! When movement is recommended for improving one’s mental health, the first assumptions are: gym time, 1-hour exercise, or some form of intensive activity. Let’s add some more depth to the “movement” concept so that it can be uniquely applied to your daily routine. 

The start of the Winter season brings cooler weather, beautiful scenery, and fun activities. With these aspects, Winter can also bring a decline in mental health with the shorter days, change in routine and the decrease in sunlight.

Can you think about an experience with music you had that brings up a pleasant memory? Recently, I have been playing Birds of a Feather by Billie Eilish and it leads me to such gratitude for the people I have in my life. Music can do that for us, it can make us present in the moment and have gratitude for all that we have.