Blog

Prioritizing Your Health this National Cancer Prevention Month

Tue, 24 Feb 2026 18:47:18 GMT

February is recognized in the United States as National Cancer Prevention Month. Because cancer affects individuals and families in many different ways, prevention and early awareness are conversations that matter to everyone. This time is used to increase awareness about cancer, its prevention, and the small daily choices that support long-term health and well-being.

Caring for Health through Awareness and Prevention

Cancer prevention includes both reducing risk and detecting concerns early. While awareness is important, conversations about cancer can bring up complex emotions such as concern, motivation, grief, or even avoidance, especially for those who have been personally affected.

Acknowledging these emotions is an important first step. Awareness begins with understanding and continues through taking small, realistic action steps.

Simple Ways to Observe National Cancer Prevention Month

1. Learn about preventive health guidelines

Take time to understand recommended screenings and routine health checkups. Learning about your family health history and lifestyle factors can also support informed decisions.

2. Reflect on daily habits that support health

Maintaining or improving positive lifestyle choices such as balanced nutrition, regular movement, quality sleep, and stress management contributes to overall well-being.

3. Reduce exposure to known risks

Use the information you learn to make small, protective changes. This may include avoiding tobacco or secondhand smoke, and testing your home for radon and asbestos, both of which are significant causes of lung cancer. Other steps include limiting alcohol intake, practicing sun protection with broad-spectrum sunscreen, and improving indoor air quality through proper ventilation. Choosing lower-toxicity household products, when possible, such as fragrance-free cleaning and personal care items, low Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) paints during renovations, and glass or stainless-steel food storage containers, can also support long-term health.

4. Schedule or keep a preventive appointment

Booking or attending a routine checkup can support early detection and provide peace of mind. These visits are also an opportunity to learn more about cancer prevention and recommended screenings based on your age, health and family history, and risk factors. If uncertainty or anxiety has delayed attending screenings in the past, consider starting with a conversation with a healthcare provider to better understand your options.

5. Support others through awareness or advocacy

Sharing accurate information, participating in community efforts, supporting organizations focused on prevention and research, or offering care to someone affected by cancer, are meaningful ways to extend support beyond yourself.

National Cancer Prevention Month is not about fear or perfection. It is an opportunity to learn, focus on what is within our control, and care for ourselves and one another with intention.

Honoring Black History Month

Sat, 21 Feb 2026 02:04:28 GMT

The United States recognizes the month of February as Black History Month. This is a time set aside to learn, acknowledge, and pay respect to the contributions made by Black individuals and communities throughout history. History shapes our present lives, our identities, and our mental health, and taking time to learn about experiences beyond our own helps build awareness, empathy, and connection.

Why Black History Month Matters

Every culture is an important part of the fabric of society, and focusing on Black history does not diminish the importance of any other culture. Black history continues to influence culture, art, science, leadership, and social change today. Acknowledging it helps us recognize both the progress that has been made over time and the challenges that still remain.

Depending on one’s relationship to Black culture and history, this month may stir a range of emotions, including pride, grief, curiosity, discomfort, or reflection. Growth often begins with awareness, and all of these responses are valid.

Simple Ways to Observe or Honor Black History Month

1. Learn from Black voices

Read a book, article, or essay by a Black author, or listen to podcasts and interviews that share lived experiences and perspectives.

2. Create space for meaningful conversations

When appropriate, engage in respectful dialogue with others. Listening with openness can deepen understanding.

3. Engage with history intentionally

Take time to learn about a historical figure, monument, or event you may not have studied before, including local or lesser-known stories.

4. Reflect on your own experiences and assumptions

Considering how history, culture, and identity shape your worldview often leads to greater self-awareness and empathy.

5. Support Black creators and businesses

Whether through art, music, literature, or small businesses, intentional support acknowledges contributions that continue today.

The observance of Black History Month does not require expertise or perfection, only genuine interest. Honoring it, even in small ways, is one way of caring for our shared present, which goes to shape tomorrow’s history.

Love Beyond Romance This Valentine's Season

Wed, 11 Feb 2026 18:42:38 GMT

Valentine's Day often places a spotlight on romantic relationships. While love can certainly be expressed romantically, this season can also heighten pressure, comparison, loneliness, grief, or reflection for those who have experienced changes or losses, or those whose lives simply look different.

Expanding the Meaning of Love

When love is considered more expansively, Valentine’s season becomes less about comparison and more about connection. Approaching this season with a broader understanding of love can reduce that pressure to experience it in only one way.

Love is not limited to one type of relationship. It shows up in many forms, including self-love, family bonds, close friendships, and a sense of belonging within our community. Self-love shapes how we treat ourselves, what we allow from others, and ultimately, how we show love to those around us. Biological or chosen family relationships can provide stability and shared history. Healthy friendships offer support and mutual understanding, while community reminds us that we are not meant to navigate life alone.

Simple Ways to Celebrate Valentine's this Year

1. Release expectations around how this season “should” look

There is no “right” or “wrong” way to experience Valentine’s Day. The version often presented in popular culture is only one of many, and it does not have to define your experience. Lots of people celebrate “Galentine’s day” to celebrate their friendships. Lots of children make cards for their family, teachers and classmates. Others even celebrate by giving their pets treats and putting them in cute valentines’ outfits. Like we said, there’s no right or wrong. Do what aligns with you.

2. Show gratitude for the ways you already receive love

Pausing to notice the sources of care, support, or connection that already exist in your life can reduce the urge to compare yourself to others. E.g., Sit down and think of one person or place where you have received love or felt loved. One client shared that after a heavy snowfall, her neighbors shoveled her sidewalk and dug out her car, and it really touched her heart to see how much they care.

3. Practice self-respect and self-love as a form of self-care

Setting boundaries and limits is an important but sometimes overlooked expression of love, particularly for those navigating difficult or unhealthy relationships. Honoring your own wants and needs by choosing a beloved hobby or buying yourself a treat are a few examples of self-love.

4. Strengthen family bonds through small, intentional gestures

A shared meal such as a parent making heart-shaped pancakes for their children, or a moment of presence such as going through photo albums with elderly loved ones, can be meaningful ways to express affection toward family members, whether biological or chosen. For those who are grieving, this might also include acts of remembrance, such as visiting the resting place of a loved one with flowers as a way of expressing enduring love beyond the grave.

5. Nurture friendships with simple acts of connection

Reaching out to a friend, checking in via a kind message or a phone call, spending quality time together, or expressing appreciation all go a long way in reinforcing bonds that often provide support and connection.

6. Create connection through everyday interactions

Fostering a sense of community often means engaging in small interactions such as greeting a neighbor, chatting with a familiar store clerk, attending a regular class, or having lunch with colleague.

7. Let connection be imperfect

You don't need to use the "perfect words" or show up flawless. Allowing relationships and interactions to be authentic and imperfect often makes them more impactful, sustainable, and genuine.

Connection does not need to be perfect or performative to be meaningful. When love is seen as connection, care, empathy, and respect for oneself and others, this season can become an opportunity to nurture emotional well-being in ways that extend well beyond the celebration.

Beginning again in the new year.

Tue, 20 Jan 2026 19:20:41 GMT

Beginning Again in the New Year

The closing of one year and the beginning of another often brings a renewed sense of hope and possibility. Before setting new goals, it can be helpful to pause and acknowledge the year that has passed. January marks a natural transition — an invitation to reflect before moving forward.

Making Peace with the Past Year

Reflection is not about reliving the past or criticizing yourself. It is not about judgment, but about observation that leads to understanding. It involves noticing both wins and challenges — what worked, what didn’t, what supported you, and what drained you — and recognizing the patterns that emerged.

Not every effort produces the outcome that we hope for. Wins may have looked like perseverance, healthier boundaries, learning, or simply making it through difficult seasons. Losses, while painful, often give us important information about our values, limits, and unmet needs. Gaining this clarity makes it easier to step into the new year with intention, rather than pressure.

Carrying unresolved frustration or regret into a new year can weigh down the process of beginning again. After reflecting, make peace with the past year by acknowledging it as it was, expressing gratitude for what brought you joy, peace and growth, and releasing everything else that did not.

Practical Ways to Begin the New Year Thoughtfully

1. Reflect on what worked before

Consider the habits or routines that supported you in the past year. Growth often builds more easily on what is already familiar, and anchoring new intentions to existing habits increases the ability to follow through. For example, if your goal is to improve your health, and last year you managed to start exercising 3 times a week, this year you can add on that goal and say you will cook 3 times a week.

2. Choose goals that align with your personal values

Set goals based on your present situation, not where you think you should be or what you believe you ought to want. The pressure to compare paths or copy goals often leads to frustration, while goals built around who you are now, tend to be more motivating to you and easier to sustain.

3. Be specific and start small

Seeking perfection or taking dramatic action can stall progress. Define a realistic baseline for yourself and take small, consistent steps — clarity and consistency often lead to lasting change.

4. Decide what you will say “yes” to and what you will say “no” to

As you set your goals, choose people and spaces that bring joy, peace, and calm, and be intentional about declining those that drain your energy and steal your peace. “No” is a complete sentence. Identifying people, places and things that drain your time, energy, or peace is just as important as defining what you want to pursue.

5. Create space for flexibility

As life rarely unfolds exactly as planned, you can reduce some frustration and discouragement by allowing yourself room to adjust your goals when circumstances change.

6. Schedule time for reflection

Reflection should not be reserved for the end of the year. Brief, regular check-ins throughout the year can help you re-calibrate your goals and stay aligned with your intentions. For example, doing a review at the end of each quarter gives you insight into what worked and what didn’t, guiding your adjustments for the next quarter.

Beginnings do not need to be perfect to be powerful. A new year does not require reinvention. By honoring the year that has passed and setting thoughtful intentions for the one ahead, you create a foundation for steady, meaningful growth — starting with what you have already learned.

If you would like support as you reflect on the past year, or if you are ready to set intentions for the one ahead, you are welcome to contact us at Safe Haven Counseling to schedule a free 10 to 15 minute consultation.

The Power of Gratitude

Tue, 25 Nov 2025 03:17:43 GMT

Reset this November with the Quiet Power of Gratitude

As the holiday season approaches, November naturally invites us to pause and reflect. In our therapy sessions, the theme of gratitude continues to stand out as a powerful tool for emotional and general well-being.

Gratitude is not just a mere “thank you” but an entire mindset that shifts our focus from what feels missing or unachieved to what is present and meaningful. Studies consistently show that approaching life this way can ease symptoms of anxiety and depression, improve sleep, strengthen relationships, and help us feel more grounded during stressful seasons.

How Gratitude Helps Our Mental Health

The process is simple: when we intentionally notice what is good, helpful, or comforting — even in small ways — we interrupt the brain’s habit of scanning for threats. This lowers stress hormones, reduces worry, and creates emotional balance. Practiced over time, gratitude trains the mind to recognize moments of stability and hope, even when life feels difficult. These reflections become resources we can lean on during challenging times.

Simple Ways to Practice Gratitude This Month

Start or end your day with a “gratitude pause.”

Take 30 seconds to breathe deeply and name one thing that brings comfort or meaning.

This small ritual can shift the tone of your entire day.

2. Write down one or two things you’re grateful for each day.

This doesn’t need to be profound. Small and seemingly obvious acknowledgements — a warm meal, a quiet moment, the morning sun — build emotional resilience when we notice them intentionally.

3. Practice mindful gratitude during routine tasks

For example, while loading the dishwasher or making a cup of tea, mentally acknowledge one thing you are grateful for.

4. Reach out to one person you haven’t connected with in a while.

A simple “thinking of you” message or a gratitude letter to a parent, teacher, or a friend can gently remind you of your support system and strengthen relationships.

5. Volunteer or give back in a small way.

Delivering a warm meal to a lonely neighbor, paying a visit to sick children in the hospital or an orphanage are a few ways in which we can uplift others and in turn strengthen our own sense of purpose and connection.

As you navigate this season of your life, may you find moments — big or small — that remind you of the good that still surrounds you. And as your gratitude grows, you may find that it naturally overflows into gestures that brighten someone else’s day.

5 signs of anxiety in children and teenagers

Sun, 22 Sep 2024 22:41:06 GMT

5 Signs of anxiety in children and teenagers:

1. Physical symptoms

Children and teens who struggle with anxiety will often complain of having headaches, stomach aches, fatigue, muscle tension (e.g., in their jaw due to clenching their teeth, in their shoulders due to tensing up, etc.), muscle aches, twitching, sweating, trembling, vomiting regularly, using the toilet often, or having panic attacks (racing heart, shortness of breath, dizziness). If your child or teenager often goes to the nurse’s office in school and they cannot find a physical cause of their symptoms, it might be anxiety.

2. Behavioral signs

Some behavior signs of a child or teen with anxiety include difficulty concentrating, pacing back and forth, not eating or eating too much, withdrawing from activities they used to enjoy, isolating in their room, lashing out at others, going from zero to sixty, violent behavior (hitting, biting, kicking, yelling, screaming, tantrums, etc.), crying spells, picking their nails or face, pulling out their hair, fidgeting with their hands or feet, not speaking outside the home (selective mutism). When a child or teens behavior changes suddenly, it could be a sign that they are struggling internally.

3. Emotional signs

Some emotional signs of anxiety in children and teens include feeling irritable, anger outbursts, being scared and clingy and not wanting to be separated from their primary caregiver(s), feeling overwhelmed, worrying a lot about anything and everything, and ruminating on negative thoughts or the worst-case scenario. Some children or teens with anxiety also struggle with sadness or depression because they are unable to feel “normal”.

4. Sleep issues

Some children and teens who struggle with anxiety will often have trouble falling asleep or will wake up several times in the middle of the night. Others will complain of having nightmares regularly (e.g. their house being robbed, them or their siblings getting kidnapped, their parents dying, etc.). Others will refuse to sleep alone and will want to sleep with a parent or sibling to feel safe.

5. Avoidance

One of the biggest signs of anxiety in children or teens is avoidance. Children will avoid anything they deem to be scary (e.g. school, sports, clubs, parties, church, crowded places or events, hard classes, homework, their bedroom at night, the mall, the grocery store, etc.). Some children and teens will even avoid doing things they used to enjoy like hobbies or hanging out with people they used to spend time with regularly.

Summary:

If your child or teen struggles with any of the signs mentioned above, I recommend:

Taking them to their pediatrician to get assessed for a physical cause of their symptoms.
If everything is ruled out, the next step is signing them up with a therapist who specializes in anxiety in children and adolescents.
They will assess your child for the different types of anxiety they might be struggling with (e.g. generalized anxiety, specific phobias, separation anxiety, etc.)
After confirming a diagnosis, your clinician will create a treatment plan on how they plan to help your child or teen, e.g., learning about their condition, their triggers, and coping skills they can use to manage their emotions.
The clinician will teach the family how to better support their child or teenager.

5 important tips to help you manage your anxiety

Mon, 08 Jan 2024 22:19:10 GMT

When I was in college, I had the busiest schedule ever. I was working full time, and in school full time as well. This meant that I was running from one thing to another, which meant I wasn’t getting enough sleep, and my eating was very inconsistent. Before I knew it, I found myself starting to feel anxious about everything! Things that didn’t bother me before started to worry me a lot. In school, at work, at home, and even attending outings with friends. I knew I needed to make a change soon!

Over the years I have learned several ways of managing different mental health challenges. Below are the top 5 that have helped me and my clients manage anxiety. Not every technique will work best for everyone. I encourage you to try them all separately and see which ones work best for you, then find a way to incorporate them into your daily life.

#1 Create and maintain healthy boundaries in your life.

Boundaries are the limits and rules that we place in our lives between ourselves and others. People who don’t have boundaries tend to experience more anxiety and stress in their life, because they tend to say yes to everyone and everything, which can lead to stress and burnout. It’s important to set boundaries with family members, friends, partners, bosses, colleagues, neighbors, your phone, social media, etc.

The best way to start setting boundaries is to put your needs above others. This means saying no to people more often and saying yes to you. Saying no doesn’t mean you are a bad person; it means that you are only committing to the people and activities that you have enough space and energy for, as well as those that are adding value to your life. The more boundaries you create, the more peace you will have in your life.

Reflection: Think of one person that you can start creating healthy boundaries with.

#2 Have a daily calming/ relaxation practice.

It’s important to start and end your day with an activity that can calm and relax you, to start and end your day on a positive note. People who have anxiety tend to go to bed anxious and/or wake up anxious. This means that when they go out into the world and experience triggers, they tend to escalate faster and higher than their non anxious counterparts.

Activities like deep breathing (for 3-5 minutes), meditation, prayer, yoga, progressive muscle relaxation, taking a walk, journaling, spending time in nature, etc., have proven to lower anxiety and stress when performed regularly.

Reflection: Think of one relaxation activity that you can start doing at the beginning or end of your day.

#3 Practice self-care regularly and increase it during times of stress and overwhelm.

Self-care is a practice one uses to preserve or improve one’s health. There are different types of self-care practices that cater to different needs.

Physical self-care includes activities that improve our physical health. This includes taking a walk, exercising, dancing, hiking, swimming, playing with a pet, taking a bath or getting a hug.

Mental self-care includes activities that improve your mental health. These include reading, writing, arts and crafts, learning a new skill like pottery or playing an instrument, or even turning off your electronics to take a mental break.

Emotional self-care includes activities that improve your emotional health. This includes meditation, prayer, yoga, hanging out with a close friend, journaling, going out on a date, or practicing gratitude.

*Important note: When anxiety and stress increase, self-care should increase as well.

Reflection: Choose one self-care activity that you can do at the end of a busy day or week.

#4 Challenging your negative core beliefs/ narratives.

We are all born with a pure heart and are able to enjoy being authentic when we are children. With time, we get exposed to people, environments and media that contribute to the beliefs and narratives we hold today. For example, beliefs like “I’m not worthy because I’m single”, “I’m not good enough because I got a C grade”, “I’m not loveable because my parent left me”, are negative beliefs that we have created based on our experiences growing up. It’s important to challenge any negative beliefs or narratives we hold about ourselves and replace them with more positive and accurate beliefs. There are two ways to do that.

a) Self-love:

The best way to begin changing the negative beliefs and narratives we hold in our mind is by reciting positive affirmations about yourself daily. Examples include “I am deserving of love”; “I am capable”; “I am perfectly imperfect”; “My worth isn’t tied to anything. I am worthy as is.”. Reciting these regularly will slowly start to build your self-esteem and self-love, and the more you love yourself, the more you will treat yourself better and believe that you deserve better.

b) Self-compassion:

People with anxiety tend to beat themselves down on a regular basis. This includes things like calling yourself names (e.g., I can’t believe I said that; I’m so stupid), and sometimes even hurting yourself in times of extreme stress and overwhelm (e.g., self-harming). These types of activities only make you feel worse about yourself and add to your anxiety or depression.

The best way to break free from this is by practicing self-compassion. This means being kinder to yourself and speaking to yourself like you would to your best friend or pet. Learning to speak to yourself in a kind and loving manner (e.g., I made a mistake and that’s okay, I’m doing the best I can, I forgive myself, etc.) will in turn reduce your anxiety in situations that don’t always go as planned.

Reflection: Choose one act of self-love or self-compassion that you can start practicing today.

#5 Be authentic to yourself and show the world who you really are.

One recurring theme that I see in therapy is people pleasing. A lot of people have been trained to be people pleasers, which in turn makes them do and say things that are not in alignment with who they really are. No one is born a people pleaser. People pleasers are created by their environment and those around them. I usually tell my clients who struggle with people pleasing to think about a time in their past when they were not allowed to be themselves.

Perhaps when you were a child you were loud and quirky, and someone told you that you needed to be quiet and not be “weird” or “too much”. Or maybe someone made a negative comment about how you dressed or wore your hair and judged you for it, which made you change your look to fit in. In some cultures, women are raised to be polite and not speak up, and they are punished if they do so. This results in one putting on a mask to please others and avoid judgement or rejection.

The best way to stop people pleasing is to stop worrying about what other people think. One of my former therapists said, “what other people think of you is none of your business”. At the time I was a hard-core people pleaser and I disagreed with the statement. I wanted to be liked and accepted and to fit in. With time, I realized that the more I did or said things to please others, the more I was denying my true self to shine her inner light. So, I changed the automatic thought in my head from “What will people think?” to “What do I think”, or “what do I want”. This helped me shift my focus from pleasing others to pleasing myself and putting my wants and needs first. It was so scary but liberating, and the more I did it, the easier it got. As a result of that, I now have a more peaceful life.

Reflection: What is one thing you can do or say to help you to start living an authentic life?