Therapy For Real Life Podcast

Have you noticed that stress can lead to extreme or black and white thinking patterns? Therapy For Real Life Podcast host Anna Lindberg Cedar MPA LCSW explains how extreme thinking is part of the body’s stress response and how mindfulness can help you cope instead. This episode draws on concepts from Dialectical Behavior Therapy to teach us how to interrupt extreme thinking with self-care skills adapted for everyday life. DBT draws from Eastern Philosophy and mindfulness principles, such as the core concept of the ‘dialectic’ — the idea that two seemingly opposite truths can exist at the same time. Anna references and reads from DBT’s manual of handouts by Marsha Linehan and shares examples of balancing opposites. Follow along in the DBT® Skills Training Handouts and Worksheets, Second Edition (pgs 148-151) for content referenced in this episode. Contemplate what a little more balance could look like for you as you listen along. This is not therapy. This is Real Life. TherapyForRealLife.com

How can you practice strategic self-care when the problem you are facing has no end in sight? Therapy For Real Life Podcast host Anna Lindberg Cedar MPA LCSW explains concepts from Dialectical Behavior Therapy and adapts them into self-care skills for everyday life. DBT's radical acceptance skill is ideal for coping with stress that is outside of your control. Anna explains how DBT’s treatment developer Marsha Linehan integrated core concepts of mindfulness into her work, including the lesson that radical acceptance can also lead to radical change. Follow along in the DBT® Skills Training Handouts and Worksheets, Second Edition (pgs 342-344) for content referenced in this episode. Settle into a comfortable spot as Anna adapts the DBT Turning The Mind skill into a guided meditation intended to motivate you towards action in your own life.  Contemplate what radical acceptance means to you in your daily actions. This is not therapy. This is Real Life. TherapyForRealLife.com

The holidays are upon us, which brings a lot of happy celebrations. The holidays can also bring a lot of difficult emotional triggers, such as painful memories, grief for family members who can’t be with us, or challenging dynamics with family members who are with us. Listen to Therapy For Real Life host Anna Lindberg Cedar MPA LCSW as she describes tiny self-care actions that you can take despite the holiday ups and downs. Personalize your own self-care plan so that you can enjoy the upcoming holidays to their fullest. This is not therapy. This is Real Life. TherapyForRealLife.com

There is no one way to experience grief and loss. Anna Lindberg Cedar MPA LCSW talks with Brie Pierquet LCSW about her experience counseling survivors through loss and making sense of grief. Brie shares simple self-care suggestions for coping with a loss, including ways that loved ones can play a supportive role. Anna interviews Brie about the many ways that “moving on” from grief can look so different from person to person. Listen in to learn about the diversity and beauty that grief can reveal. Personalize your own self-care activities as you listen to practical ways to make sense of a traumatic loss. This is not therapy. This is Real Life. Learn more about the Bay Area counseling practice and self-care resources: TherapyForRealLife.com .

What roles do you play in your life? Which of these roles are voluntary vs. involuntary? How do the roles that you play impact your level of burnout? Tune in to the latest episode of the Therapy For Real Life Podcast to learn about role strain, role conflict, and role loss to better understand your own burnout prevention needs. Think about ways that you can buffer and support the roles that you play, while also protecting the roles you want to be more active in your life. This is not therapy. This is Real Life. Learn more about the Bay Area counseling practice and self-care resources: TherapyForRealLife.com

Do you have any burning questions about self-care or therapy concepts that you would like answered on the air? Here’s your chance to AMA with Therapy For Real Life Podcast host and burnout prevention therapist, Anna Lindberg Cedar MPA LCSW. This is not therapy. This is Real Life. Submit audio messages of 60 seconds or less by emailing therapy@annacedar.com or writing your questions directly to the show on the TherapyForReaLife.com homepage (no crisis msgs. *Use 911 as needed.) Let’s talk about Real Life.

How do you recognize avoidance when you are already stuck in an avoidance loop? Anna Lindberg Cedar MPA LCSW interviews fellow anxiety specialist, Anja Schmitz PhD, about how to stop avoiding your life and show up for what matters most. Dr. Schmitz was recently featured in the New York Times article "When Silicon Valley Goes To Therapy" and is a leader in the health tech space.  She shares lessons learned from her research experience at the National Institute of Mental Health and direct work with individuals working to overcome debilitating anxiety. Listen in to hear Dr. Schmitz describe how to take small steps to train yourself out of an avoidance loop. This is not therapy. This Is Real Life. Learn more about therapy resources, self-care tips, and the Bay Area counseling practice: TherapyForRealLife.com .

“Burnout” is a concept that has blown up in the culture as a term that is both very specific and has also been criticized as not specific enough. Let’s work with that. Burnout prevention therapist Anna Lindberg Cedar MPA LCSW summarizes and critiques current definitions of burnout in this latest Therapy For Real Life episode. Anna argues that we need a very flexible term for the conversation around burnout to be as inclusive as possible. She goes on to argue that valuing inclusivity and resisting the urge to over-pathologize burnout may help us solve it together. Tune in to the conversation around burnout to personalize what successful burnout prevention looks like for you. This is not therapy. This Is Real Life. Learn more about the Bay Area-based counseling and burnout prevention consulting practice: TherapyForRealLife.com .

Therapy For Real Life asks: “How can you tell the difference between anxiety and fear?” Take a moment now to do your own mood check as your learn about functional vs unhealthy signs of anxiety and stress. Learn how to interrupt the anxiety cycle as host Anna Lindberg Cedar MPA LCSW translates therapy research into actionable self-care strategies for everyday use. This is not therapy. This is Real Life. Learn more about therapy resources, self-care tips, and the Bay Area counseling practice: TherapyForRealLife.com .

Did you know that Therapy For Real Life designs and facilitates self-care events for the workplace? Burnout Prevention Hack-A-Thons are an opportunity for your team to learn research-backed self-care strategies in a fun and experiential workshop. Anna Lindberg Cedar MPA LCSW adapts concepts drawn from mindfulness, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Dialectical Behavior Therapy into stress management strategies for the workplace. Be part of a culture that values emotional wellness. Visit TherapyForRealLife.com >>> workshops for more info or email therapy@annacedar.com to set up a consultation.

How do you recognize depression when we hardly ever talk about what that means? Depression negatively impacts your mood, self-esteem, habits, and physical wellbeing, and yet — each experience of depression is unique. A lot of people don’t recognize the signs of depression because they don’t know how different it can look person to person, culture to culture. Most folks with depression would agree... “I just don’t feel like myself anymore.” Anna Lindberg Cedar MPA LCSW helps us understand what therapists often ask when they look for clinical signs of depression. Anna also invites you to think about what depression looks like in your own life since each individual experience of depression is so personal. As always, the Therapy For Real Life podcast will leave you with self-care suggestions adapted for real life. Learn what therapists often recommend as gentle self-care steps for anyone coping with depression. For those in crisis: Text crisistextline.org or call emergency services near you (911 in US). Learn mor

Join Therapy For Real Life for a crossover episode with @therapyforreallife Instagram! Podcast host and burnout prevention specialist, Anna Lindberg Cedar MPA LCSW, talks about the memification of modern communication, while sharing tips to make self-care more contagious in the social media space. Listen in to Anna’s recent Instagram challenge of recording 9 mini self-care videos in 2-3 minutes or less. Therapy For Real Life breaks down therapy research into teeny, tiny self-care tools that can be used in a moment. Follow @therapyforreallife on Instagram for more self-care visuals. Listen in here for your tiny self-care package of quick tips, including everything from mindfulness exercises to research-backed relationship strategies. This is not therapy. This is Real Life. Learn more: TherapyForRealLife.com

The Therapy For Real Life podcast translates therapy concepts into everyday self-care strategies. But wait — What do we mean when we say ‘therapy’ anyways? Anna Lindberg Cedar MPA LCSW answers your burning therapy FAQs, including: WHAT is therapy? HOW does therapy work? and WHY does therapy work? Learn about different therapy styles, including motivational enhancement therapies, relationship counseling options, and acceptance-based strategies, such as mindfulness. Learn about therapy options, how to get access to therapy, and how to pick the right therapy style for your needs. This is not therapy. This is Real Life. Learn more: TherapyForRealLife.com

Compassion is a powerful self-care tool for triggering mood change. Compassion is one of the active ingredients in the mindfulness meditation practice of Loving Kindness, which has proven to have tremendous benefit. Consider how you might use compassion as a self-care or relationship skill in your own life as this episode translates compassion research into practical self-care. Stick around to practice a brief Loving Kindness guided meditation with your host and observe the effects of compassion in the present moment.This is not therapy. This is Real Life. Learn more: TherapyForRealLife.com May you be happy May you be healthy  May you be free from suffering

Mini mood boosters don’t require a lot of time and can still be very effective when it comes to strategic self-care. Join burnout prevention therapist and self-care coach Anna Lindberg Cedar MPA LCSW as she talks about the powerful effects of guided meditation. Get comfortable as you practice your own guided meditation. Anna will lead you through an imagination of your most favorite place in the world, so settle in. Guided meditation has been found to help alleviate stress and pain, as well as mood management. Guided meditations can even be hope inducing. This is not therapy. This is Real Life. Learn more: TherapyForRealLife.com

Anna Lindberg Cedar MPA LCSW talks with fellow Bay Area psychotherapist Elana Story LCSW about creativity in and out of the therapy process. Elana is a therapist who specializes in trauma recovery, parenting concerns, and working with trans/queer communities. Elana shares how she started a creative process as a personal form of burnout prevention, and how she adapts these practices into sustainable self-care. Learn small ways to integrate creativity into your own self-care routine as you listen to how these therapists hold space for creativity in their own lives. Give yourself permission to think creatively about your own self-care routine -- no matter what your schedule looks like. This is not therapy. This is Real Life. Learn more: TherapyForRealLife.com

Let’s break down a few myths about self-care as we get over perfectionist ideals that aren’t based in reality. Burnout prevention therapist Anna Lindberg Cedar MPA LCSW translates therapy concepts from motivational enhancement theories into actionable self-care ideas. Learn how to microdose your own self-care by letting go of perfectionism. Learn how to get really specific and strategic with your self-care goals. We’re not talking about bath salts and fancy schmancy self-care here — We’re talking about radical self-preservation. This is not therapy. This is Real Life. Learn more: TherapyForRealLife.com

Do you ever have a strong urge to do something, and then feel waves of regret, shame, or guilt after making the same old mistakes? Burnout prevention therapist Anna Lindberg Cedar MPA LCSW explains the DBT skill — Urge Surfing — and how it can be used to help overcome harmful habits, toxic patterns, and unhealthy impulses. Learn how concepts drawn from evidence-based therapy can help you improve your own self-care routine. Set aside a few minutes to practice urge surfing for yourself as Anna walks you through a guided meditation on pain and suffering. This is not therapy. This is Real Life. Learn more: TherapyForRealLife.com

How do you practice self-care when the current news cycle feels triggering and overwhelming? Channel your attention where you want to have it when times are stressful by designing a self-care routine that works for you. Anna Lindberg Cedar MPA LCSW give an overview of trauma-informed self-care strategies that may help when a trigger warning just isn't enough. Learn strategic ways to soothe yourself and set aside a few minutes of safety to practice brief self-care exercises right along with this episode. Reflect on the self-care strategies you can use to help you stay  calm and focused in a moment of stress. Take back control of your emotional wellbeing and safety by activating a self-care routine that lets you lead the life you want to have. This is not therapy. This is Real Life. Learn more: TherapyForRealLife.com .

Therapists do not do their work alone. Anna Lindberg Cedar, MPA, LCSW invites Angela Madonia to the show to talk about her work as a yoga and mindfulness instructor. Angela often collaborates with psychotherapists and other care professionals, having taught yoga and mindfulness in non-profits, clinics, schools, and homes since 2007. She is passionate about making yoga accessible, simple, and supportive. Anna and Angela talk about their unique approaches to mindful body awareness, even in hard times, such as working with individuals facing cancer or loss. Learn about the intersection between therapy and other forms of self-care practices as you reflect on your own self-care rituals. Get comfortable for this episode and block a few minutes to cozy up as Angela leads us through an easy-going, gratitude-filled yoga practice. You don't even have to put on yoga pants to try it out! Pay attention to what gratitude feels like in your body. This is not Therapy. This is Real Life. Find out more: TherapyForRealLife.com