Mental Health Benefits of Exercise

Why You Need to Read “8 Keys to Mental Health Through Exercise”

Reading 8 Keys to Mental Health Through Exercise can help you get motivated, build self-esteem, and heal your mind and body. I was recently given a copy of 8 Keys to Mental Health Through Exercise by Christina Hibbert. I was immediately excited to see it’s full of reflection questions, writing prompts, and action items. I’m a real self-help book junkie. I […]

12 Tell-Tale Signs That You're a People-Pleaser

12 Tell-Tale Signs That You’re a People-Pleaser

Are you a people-pleaser? Being kind, generous, and flexible are wonderful qualities. But sometimes we’re too accommodating, too eager to please, and too afraid of saying “no”. There is a price to be paid for being “too nice”. Ryan is a classic people-pleaser. He’s been dating Jessie for two years and hopes to marry her. From the beginning, Jessie has been […]

Parenting Teens: Don’t Forget Their Strengths

It’s so very easy to focus on all the challenges of parenting teenagers. Even the research shows that teens are often moody, impulsive, and have poor judgment and planning. We all know that those teenage years are stressful and awkward beyond belief for both teens and parents. Teens often get a bad rap. After recently writing a post about how to cope if […]

Rediscovering Yourself. Self-discovery.

Rediscovering Yourself

  Do you have a clear sense of who you are? We all want to understand ourselves, to have purpose, fulfillment, and belong. Teens and young adults wrestle with “finding themselves”. It is common to revisit these themes in middle age. I see many clients in their 40’s, 50’s, and 60’s who have lost themselves over the years of work and […]

The Steepest Hike www.sharonmartincounseling.com

The Steepest Hike: How Struggle Can Bring Us Together

  A few days ago I went on the steepest hike with my family. Was it really the steepest hike? Of course not. It may not have even been the steepest hike I’ve ever been on. It just felt like it.   We really hadn’t planned on doing this hike. It was getting late in the afternoon. It was warm. I desperately needed a […]

What is Codependency? Am I codependent? How do I change codependency?

What is Codependency?

Codependents often grew up in dysfunctional families (often plagued by abuse, addiction, mental illness). Many find a spouse/partner or have a child or other family member that is very troubled and becomes the focus on the codependent’s life.

Are You Sleep Deprived?

Are You Sleep Deprived?

Sleep is an essential part of physical and mental health. I routinely see clients who are sleep deprived to some extent. It seems they fall into two categories: 1) Those that have insomnia and can’t fall or stay asleep and 2) those that don’t prioritize sleep in their schedule.I fall into the second category. Like many of you, I am […]