Refresh your self-care list. What is soothing and brings you joy? Spend time in nature. The sun, the clouds, the fog and all remain gloriously present. Create a web of love, seeking and providing support from/for...
Category - Emotional Health
Lisa Brookes Kift, MFT
Navigating the Political Storm: How to Manage Election Anxiety
Elections have been shown to be a tumultuous time, particularly as of late, stirring up intense emotions. As a therapist, I can attest to this personally, with the last cycle in particular triggering a surge in my...
Break Free from Shame in the Bedroom
Shame, a painful emotion rooted in feelings of inadequacy and unworthiness, can cast a long shadow over our sexual lives if it gets entangled in sexuality. The disgust or humiliation directed at the self can have a...
Middle-Aged Women: Thriving in Emotional & Relationship Transitions
Middle age, often defined as the years between 40 and 65, is a time of significant transition for many women. It’s a period marked by physical, emotional, and social changes, which can ripple through all aspects...
The Power of Hope: Nurturing Emotional Health
This is one of my favorite topics in my therapy practice, where hope can be used to generate an often needed flame from an ember; for individuals seeking personal growth or in a relationship where two people are looking...
Obsessed with Control: Addressing Perfectionism and Codependence
For some, asking for help feels like a threat; the need to do so invariably makes them feel inferior. “Why should I need to ask?” “You should already know!” In the game of emotional hot potato, we blame our partners for...
Deeper Level Change in Individual Therapy
People seek individual therapy for a number of reasons but usually something isn’t working for them emotionally or in their relationships. Expectations around what this process looks like can vary too. I see my...
Happy 2024, I Have a Few Things for You
2023 was quite a year. There were definitely some challenges but my hope for you is that you are finding some inspiration and optimism for the New Year. LoveAndlLifeToolbox.com was about experimentation and change in...
I’m a Therapist: What Happened When I Met an Arab and a Jew
(The following piece is by Dr. Carl R. Nassar, Ph.D., LPC, CIIPTS) It’s a Tuesday morning. A world away, more than two hundred hostages are held captive in the underground caverns of Gaza. I’m in my office—an upstairs...
The War is Taking a Psychological Toll on All of Us
The Israel-Hamas war is unleashing a primal, collective emotional response around the world. Many are feeling direct threat. And so many others are cycling through shock, fear, rage, sadness and disbelief, depending...
