Holidays

Coping With Traumatic Events During the Holidays

traumatic events candle

Published on: December 1, 2021

The holidays can be a stressful time for anyone. For those with a history of trauma, it can be a major trigger, causing many trauma-related symptoms. Besides closing yourself off from the world and ignoring the season altogether, what are some healthier ways you can cope with traumatic events this holiday season? First off, if you are struggling with traumatic events or mental health consider seeking the help of a licensed counselor, therapist, or mental health professional. Online therapy can be a great tool to access the help you need from anywhere. At Move Forward, we serve clients from around… Continue Reading This Article

Coping with Holiday Get-Together Pressure from Family

family pressure holidays

Published on: November 16, 2021

Thanksgiving is upon us and the pressure from family and friends is mounting, but the pandemic is still here—what do you do? A year ago, many of us thought that would be our only “Covid Christmas” but here we are now and there is still no safety guarantee.  If you are unsure of what you should do and are struggling with pressure from family or friends to continue with plans, as usual, you are not alone. You must check-in with yourself and determine what you really want to do. What are you comfortable with? What will cause you the least… Continue Reading This Article

Why It Is Ok To Say “No” This Holiday Season

Woman with scarf and mittens sips from a coffee cup with a decorative snowman on it. Move Forward Counseling offers counseling for women, online therapy for women, anxiety treatment, and more! Contact us today for support!

Published on: December 18, 2019

I saw a social media post the other day that said, “It’s almost time to switch from my everyday anxiety to my fancy Christmas anxiety.” This time of the year evokes a lot of different emotions, and if you are already an anxiety-prone person it can make things that much more difficult. But, no matter who you are, I think we can all agree that the holidays are stressful. To make things less stressful this year, consider saying “no.”  Embrace the fact that you are in charge of your own life. Set boundaries with your friends and family. YOU are… Continue Reading This Article

Surviving the Holidays Post-Divorce

Close up of a row of blank stockings hanging above a fireplace. Out of focus lights and ornaments can be seen glittering behind the stockings. Move Forward Counseling offers counseling through tough seasons. We offer relationship therapy, lancaster therapy services, online counseling in Pennsylvania, and more. Contact us today for support!

Published on: December 3, 2019

You have just gone through an emotional rollercoaster as you and your partner finalized your divorce. Now, it is the holidays, the season of togetherness. What are you supposed to do? Your family no longer looks the way it used to. If you have kids they are likely struggling with a lot of different emotions as well. Survival is at the top of your to-do list.  Before we get into how you can get through the holidays in one piece, let’s start with giving yourself some grace. You might be feeling pretty crappy right now, and if you aren’t —… Continue Reading This Article

How Practicing Gratitude Can Help You Be Happier

Image of light pink notebook with pen and foliage behind it. The text on the notebook reads "today I am grateful". Move Forward Counseling can help you practice gratitude with mindfulness for anxiety, therapy for teens in Pennsylvania, depression treatment, and more! Contact us today for support!

Published on: November 20, 2019

We know of Thanksgiving as the holiday of shoveling mounds of turkey, stuffing, and pie into our mouths but it is also about being thankful. Gratitude is a practice that can do wonders for your mood, your outlook on life and your overall happiness when embraced year-round. There is always something in your life to be thankful for, you just have to identify it.  Shifting Your Focus To Joy So much of the time we focus on the bad things going on. We fall into the realm of feeling like a victim even if the bad only took up a small… Continue Reading This Article

Tips to Avoid the Holiday Blues

Wide out of focus shot of slim christmas tree near living room window with small glimmering lights. Move Forward Counseling can help you through the most wonderful time of the year. Contact us today for depression therapy, mindfulness for anxiety, ptsd therapy in pennsylvania, and more!

Published on: December 14, 2017

The holidays are upon us. Chances are you are knee deep in wrapping paper, lists, bills, cards, party invitations…and sugar. Your head is spinning from all the things you have to get done – get done NOW, and get done well. Let’s stop for a minute. Look around. Take a deep breath. Put things into perspective. The holidays are not all about the goodies, or the gifts. It is about being together, and doing good for others. Maintain Perspective It is also the time of the year when depression is on the rise — people are missing loved ones, or… Continue Reading This Article

Don’t Let the Food Win: Tips to kick emotional eating during the holidays

Close up of hand with rings holding cupcake with sprinkles in front of a hot pink brick wall. Move Forward Counseling offers body image therapy, body image counseling, mindfulness for anxiety, and counseling for women! Contact us today for support and more!

Published on: November 12, 2017

The holiday season can be great—it can be full of happy moments, celebrating, love, and cherished family time. But, it can also bring rise to unpleasant feelings of loss, regret, depression, or being overwhelmed. If you are an emotional eater the holiday season can be a big trigger especially with the abundance of savory and sweet options. Emotional eaters turn to food to numb their feelings—and many times without even realizing it they find themselves mindlessly nibbling during moments of stress. The problem tends to be exaggerated during this season when food is plentiful, and options might be different from… Continue Reading This Article

This Year, Make a New Year’s Mantra Instead of a Resolution

Mistletoe surrounds a black board resting on a wooden table with the words "new year" shown on the front. Around the words is a firework design. Move Forward Counseling offers counseling year round, and can help treat anxiety in children, offers counseling for women, depression therapy, and more! Contact us today!

Published on: January 2, 2017

It is a New Year and time to make some positive life changes, or as we call them – New Year’s resolutions. This year we urge you to take a different approach to the resolution. Rather than strive for a physical goal put your brain to work by coming up with a New Year’s mantra. A mantra, if you are unfamiliar with the term, comes from “man” meaning mind and “tra” meaning “instrument” – a mantra is an “instrument of the mind.” (Source: Huffington Post) It is a personal slogan or motto that is said repeatedly. By changing the way… Continue Reading This Article

How To Manage Holiday Stress Through Mindfulness

Blurry string of lights in the shape of a christmas tree clash against the evening sky. Move Forward Counseling can help you through difficult seasons. Contact us today for counseling for women, anxiety treatment, depression therapy, and more!

Published on: December 15, 2016

We all know that the holidays can be a stressful time since there are a seemingly endless amount of tasks and responsibilities. To start–shopping for presents, wrapping presents, cleaning, decorating, shopping for groceries, cooking large meals, attending holiday parties, and arranging schedules to visit with family are just some of the responsibilities required of us. That’s an incredible amount of tasks to complete in less than a month’s time! How Do You Manage Holiday Stress? It’s not hard to see how easily we can become overwhelmed with such a daunting list, but what if we stepped aside and took an… Continue Reading This Article

Don’t Let the Holidays Get You Down

Close up of person in kitchen placing cookies down on a baking pan in the kitchen. They are making christmas cookies in the shapes of snowmen and christmas trees. Move Forward Counseling can help make the most wonderful time of the year even better with depression therapy, ptsd counseling in Pennsylvania, emdr therapy in Pennsylvania. Contact us today!

Published on: December 5, 2016

The cookies. The decorating. The shopping. The parties. The cards. And all the wrapping! It sounds so fun at first then the stress kicks in. It doesn’t take long for that to-do list to get overwhelming. Remind Yourself of What the Holidays are Really About But, the truth is you don’t have to do it all. Cut yourself some slack and remember what the holiday season is really about – spending time with family; focusing on the good in life. That meaning can get lost in all the hustle and bustle and lead to one stressed out, miserable person. Nine… Continue Reading This Article