Is Therapy Worth It? What Really Happens in Your First Therapy Session There comes a moment for many of us when we quietly wonder, “Maybe I should talk to someone.” It might happen after another sleepless night spent replaying every conversation in your head. It might happen when your patience feels thinner than it used to, or when the weight you’ve been carrying suddenly feels heavier than you can manage on your own. Sometimes that thought lingers for months (or even years) before you ever...
about 1 month ago • 4 min read
High-Functioning Anxiety: The Hidden Burnout Nobody Sees From the outside, your life probably looks pretty put together. You show up. You meet deadlines. You remember birthdays. You take care of everyone else. People tell you they don't know how you do it all. Meanwhile... Your mind never shuts off. You replay conversations on the drive home. You wake up at 3 a.m. thinking about tomorrow's to-do list. You feel guilty when you're resting because there's always something else you "should" be...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
Why You Feel So Overstimulated (And What Your Nervous System Is Trying to Tell You) Have you ever found yourself wanting everyone to stop talking? The TV is on. Your phone keeps buzzing. Someone needs help with homework. The dog is barking. Dinner still needs to be made. Someone asks you a simple question, and suddenly you feel like you might burst into tears—or yell. If you’ve ever wondered, What is wrong with me?, I’d like to offer a different question. What if nothing is wrong with you?...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
Hello Reader, There is this quiet little lie that gets handed to moms somewhere between the baby shower and the first sleepless night. It says motherhood should feel magical all the time. It says you should be glowing, grateful, bonded, patient, peaceful, and wildly in love every second of the day. And if you are not, something must be wrong with you. But friend, that is not real motherhood. That is the filtered version. Real motherhood can be beautiful, sacred, messy, exhausting,...
2 months ago • 3 min read
Hello Reader! Today is the last day of PRIME DAY DEALS. I rounded up some Prime finds that feel very Barefoot Therapist coded. Not “buy this and become a new person by Friday” coded. More like, “here are a few tools that may help your nervous system exhale for half a second” coded. These are the kinds of things I love for calm-down corners, therapy offices, ADHD brains, anxious kiddos, sensory seekers, bedtime routines, overwhelmed parents, classroom calming corners, and anyone who needs...
2 months ago • 1 min read
Hello Reader! Summer has this funny way of making us feel like we should be doing less and more at the exact same time. Let the kids rest.Keep them off screens.Make memories.Don’t let them forget everything they learned.Get outside.Read every day.Practice math facts.Also somehow feed everyone 47 times before noon. No wonder we are all wandering around the kitchen holding a half-drunk iced coffee (or cold coffee that was once hot) wondering what day it is. Here’s what I want to gently offer:...
2 months ago • 4 min read
Hello Reader, Let’s talk about food for a minute, but not in the “clean out your pantry and become a brand-new person by Monday” kind of way. No thank you. I want to talk about food in a way that feels a little more human. Because for a lot of us, food is not just food. Sometimes food is comfort. Sometimes it is convenience. Sometimes it is the only quiet moment we get all day. Sometimes it is what we reach for when we are stressed, overstimulated, tired, lonely, bored, or just completely...
3 months ago • 2 min read
Hey Reader, Some homes have rules taped to the refrigerator. Take your shoes off. Put your dishes in the sink. Don’t leave the door unlocked. Be home by ten. And then there are other rules. The ones nobody says out loud, but everybody knows. Don’t upset him. Don’t ask too many questions. Don’t tell anyone what happens here. Don’t cry too loudly. Don’t be too happy, too sad, too needy, too confident, too independent, too much. Don’t make things worse. These are the rules that don’t get written...
3 months ago • 1 min read
The Nervous System Doesn’t Care What the Calendar Says The calendar may say summer. Your nervous system may say, “Cool, but I am still overstimulated.” Shoes off, shoulders down, friend. Let’s talk about it. Summer gets marketed like it is supposed to be slower, softer, sweeter, and magically less stressful. We picture porch sitting, pool days, long evenings, fresh fruit, bare feet in the grass, and everyone somehow becoming calmer because the sun is out later. And sometimes summer really...
3 months ago • 7 min read