I know I am not alone in struggling with all the “what ifs” and “what now?” as things remain unsettled, undetermined, and well, kind of scary.

Even if your life looks no different as the season changes, the world and people around you are affected and impacting road rage, dinner moods, conference calls and child behavior.

Fear divides. We know that. Fear also brings out the ego in us - the parts of us that react and the thoughts and emotions that are unobserved and therefore unchecked. Reckless.

There has been a clear theme this week with clients: the feelings that come along with re-entering the world as Covid lessens. We’ve talked boundaries, body image, anxiety and pacing. I’m sharing all of it below.

I do not think I knew the depths of pain until I had children. Not the pain of labor, nursing or pulling my earrings. But the pain of love.

We are all probably used to Michigan winters - the cold, wind, snow and the early sunsets - but we’ve not lived through a Michigan winter in the middle of a pandemic.

Fear is a natural, instinctual human response. The fear response is important when we are facing real, imminent danger. Immediate threats to our survival necessitate a response like fight, flee or freeze.

Growing up, many of us internalized messages of what is right or wrong, what is good or bad, and how things should or shouldn’t be. We may have been shamed for crying. We may have been punished for yelling or throwing tantrums.

We are living through a pandemic. And so it makes sense that a lot of big feelings are happening right now. And a lot of triggers.

With each step towards the cave entrance, I thought about how that one time my vertigo was triggered by darkness, how being in a small space can on rare occasions make me feel somewhat claustrophobic.

Today’s society has put far too much focus on materialism, appearance, the Kardashians (hint: they are not perfect), etc. Social media keeps “what everyone else is doing” right in front of our faces.

How do you let go of the things you cannot control but so desperately want to? This might be the biggest struggle in living.

Anxiety is real. It's not just being a worry-wort or a planner. It's not just being a perfectionist or socially awkward.

Almost 1 in 5 American adults suffer from anxiety. Of that nearly 20% of adults, less than half do anything to treat their anxiety. Why?