Our very own Dr. Lesley Tate-Gould was interviewed by Candice Georgiadis of Medium and Authority Magazine as part of their “Women in Wellness” series. In addition to Dr. Tate-Gould’s story and how she co-founded Lido Wellness Center, the two discussed effective and practical ways to support one’s journey to wellbeing. Lido Wellness Center is a premier wellness Center in Orange County California. We work with patients all across the US.

Here is a summary of Dr. Tate-Gould’s top 5 lifestyle tweaks! You can also read the full interview on Medium.com.

Lean Into Discipline

Change doesn’t happen to a person; it’s a choice. Taking that bold step and going into therapy signals to themselves and others that they’re taking their wellness seriously.

However, negative beliefs around how we experience difficult situations can stifle any crucial early momentum before it really gets going. Promoting personal discipline removes how one “feels” from the equation, so they can focus on what they need.

Select a project or behavior that you desire to begin or stop in your daily life. Create and commit to practical, actionable steps that will move you closer to your goal every day.

It’s important to choose attainable goals. Even small habit changes can be transformative.

Meditation Practice

This topic always gets mixed responses, but it’s one Dr. Tate-Gould always comes back to. Practice doesn’t make perfect; it makes progress. Meditation is no different. Meditation is not a technique that will magically cure one of anxiety, trauma, or stress.

Meditation is simply the act of creating space your mind, body, and spirit need to discover how often you operate in one channel over another. Space mediation happens most successfully when you can focus on the space itself.

Dr. Tate-Gould says, “For example, when I have a very busy week ahead, I may notice that my thoughts during meditation are louder, more involved, walking me through my long list of items needed to see me through the week. Whereas, when I practice meditation at other times, I may notice greater access to a feeling or sensing state. These access points have delighted me when I will be greeted with a spontaneous solution to a problem that has been rolling around my mind for days, even weeks.”

The goal of meditation practice is to experience a greater sense of connection to ourselves and the divine. This is one of the most fulfilling ways to navigate life on this Earth.

Though not everyone will want to meditate, we do urge our patients to at least give meditation a try at our wellness center in Orange County. They may just find that meditation was something they were missing out on all along!

Reconnect To Play

As adults, we often lose that sense of play and wonderment we experienced as children. Many adults are surprised to learn that we require the art of play for survival, just as much as children.

“Play” isn’t something that someone can just teach someone else. It’s inherent. Adults just do not permit themselves to participate in playful activities.

We can still learn so much just from observing the antics and imaginations at work in the lives of children at play. Instead, adults often try to use the opportunity to play as a reward after another accomplishment.

Play should be viewed as the restorative nourishment it is. Something essential to life, not something optional you must earn. Quench the thirst for play and reinstate it as a normal and necessary activity.

Nature For the Win

It’s no coincidence that when people adventure and plan a vacation, they choose places that are inherently abundant in natural beauty. When we connect with the Earth, we are fulfilled and restored.

• Feeling the dirt between our toes…
• Watching the sunset over the horizon…
• Seeing the creatures scurry about in their natural habitat…
• Soaking in and feeling part of vast bodies of water…
• Enjoy the natural paintings flora and fauna create…

We have been built to enjoy and take inspiration from the great outdoors. Our wellness center in Orange County takes this into consideration during mental health treatment. We aim to connect with nature as often as possible.

Prepare and Eat Meals with Your Family

Sharing a meal is a cross-cultural experience. Every tongue, nation, culture, and people can understand the connectedness that occurs when you share a meal.

This same experience is propelled even further when the preparation and work are also shared. This custom is a simple and healthy way to practice mindfulness and patience while waiting for delicious food to take shape.

Parties share in a mutual anticipation and experience a sense of accomplishment that is also enjoyed in eating the meal.

A Better Journey Towards Better Wellbeing with Lido Wellness Center

There was so much more unpacked in this wonderful interview; if you’d like to read the whole thing, you can check it out at medium.com.

At our premier mental health and trauma treatment center in Orange County, Lido Wellness Center practices a whole-body, holistic approach to wellbeing. Everyone’s mental, physical, and emotional needs are different, and so should their wellness journey be. To learn more, contact our offices today and schedule a consultation.

When you have a family member experiencing mental health concerns, it can be challenging to know how to help them. You’re not sure what to say, you’re fearful of saying the wrong thing, and you want to be supportive and help them seek mental health treatment. Orange County offices of Lido Wellness Center have some helpful tips for you and your loved one.

Ideally, you and your friends and family are circling this loved one to provide a community of comfort and safe space for them to be vulnerable. It’s important to handle each conversation with care, whether you’re dealing with a spouse, child, parent, sibling, or friend. Here are our best recommendations to help you play a positive role in your loved one’s journey.

How To Talk to Someone About Their Mental Health

Revealing and discussing a mental health struggle takes courage. Here are a few ways to ensure they feel heard and seen as whole people, not just patients.

How To Correctly Convince Someone to Seek Mental Health Treatment in Orange County

Whether you are local to Orange County or from another region across the country, Lido Wellness can help. Many conditions are treatable with modern medicine combined with an ancient holistic, whole-person approach to mental health. It’s okay to encourage your loved one to seek help or find the most suitable mental health treatment Orange County offers for their needs.

Share honestly about your concerns for them but be sensitive to the environment and timing of your conversation. Expect some resistance but always treat loved ones with respect for their whole-person wellness.

Make sure they know how important their relationship is to you but avoid ultimatums. Help them understand that they can fully heal and grow by focusing on a holistic mind/body/spirit approach to wellness.

Consult Lido Wellness Center for A Holistic, Patient-Centered Approach

If you or a loved one are struggling with mental health challenges or if shouldering the burdens of life is overwhelming, let us help. Lido Wellness Center can help you see and achieve your next steps at our premier mental health treatment center in Orange County. Contact us today for a confidential assessment.

 

 

April is National Move More Month and Stress Awareness Month. Amy VanBeccelaere, is a dance/movement therapist and counselor at Lido Wellness Center. She shares her experiences of working with patients and alumni through movement in non-traditional ways.

Often when we hear, you need to move more, we immediately start to think about exercise. You might imagine yourself in the gym, sweating and forcing yourself to get active. Some people love going to the gym, and if this is you, by all means do it! Movement is meant to be joyful. Our bodies were created to move. Early people used movement to communicate, to celebrate, to grieve and to pray. Movement is innate. I believe that if you can tap into what type of movement lights you up inside, this is the movement that will not only feel good in your body but also in your soul. When you find this type of movement for stress relief, you don’t have to force anything.

Practicing Movement for Stress Relief

In my private practice, I often move with clients. I think back to last week. I have a client who is going through a particularly hard time right now. So challenging that it is often difficult for him to find words to express it. He was feeling overwhelmed going into session and I suggested that we meet at a nearby nature preserve to hike. As he began to tell me what was going on in his life, I noticed that he began to become overwhelmed and dysregulated. At times, we would just stop among the wildflowers and birds, I would ask him to look around, orient and take a deep breath. He shared with me “I don’t think I have been breathing all week.” 

As we continued to hike through the preserve together, he found that the movement itself and the breath work was helping more than the talking. So instead of forcing verbal processing, we shared presence in nature, breathing, noticing and moving. Together we saw eagles, butterflies, lizards, hummingbirds and gophers. We took long moments to inhale the scent of the wildflowers, the sage and the rosemary growing wild throughout the preserve. We felt the breeze on our cheeks as the wind blew. It was mindfulness practice. It was movement. My client expressed “This is exactly what I needed.” That same patient has returned to the nature reserve for movement on his own, twice, since that session.

April: Move More Month

So, as we ease into April: Move More Month, might I suggest that you get into nature? There are so many beautiful things blooming in the Spring. You might even find yourself with a new hobby or movement practice by doing so. It doesn’t have to be complicated. You can walk on a trail. Or you can ride your bike. You can take a hike. If you aren’t sure where to go, I would recommend googling local nature preserves.

Also, there is a great app called ‘All Trails’ that shows you local hikes and how long they are. This way you can choose something that you know will be approachable. A few weeks ago, I used this very same app to find a hike to a waterfall in Alaska. The hike was only 1.5 miles, so I knew it would be doable with my knee injuries. Movement is meant to add to your life, not be something laborious that you force yourself into. I hope you find movement that fills your soul. Nature is healing and immersive. So go ahead, take a walk on the wild side, you might find that it is just what you need.

Stress Relief in Newport Beach Mental Health Center

At Lido Wellness Center, mental health treatment in Orange County, CA, we integrate movement as part of the therapeutic journey for patients.  As a premier wellness center, our aim is helping adults who are struggling with anxiety, depression, trauma, chronic pain and stressor-related conditions.  Our expert clinical team is passionate about the care they provide. For information, please contact our team for a consultation at 949-541-8466.

 

by Amy VanBeccelaere, LCPC, R-DMT

Alumni and Patient Care Coordinator

February is International Boost your Self-Esteem Month

What Is Self-Esteem

How we view ourselves in terms of our own subjective sense of personal worth or value is typically referred to as self-esteem, self-worth, self-regard, or self-respect. It’s basically the way we perceive ourselves and our own value, regardless of the current circumstances in our lives. Our self-esteem can be defined by our own feelings of security, our sense of self-confidence, a sense of belonging or our feelings of being capable and confident. It is many times the foundation of our identity. Building self-esteem is valuable for anyone looking for mental health.

Poor self-esteem can come from a variety of places. Some of us are born with it as part of our genetic make-up. For others, they can feel “less than” due to their socioeconomic status, physical or mental disabilities; or perhaps low self-esteem is due to a mental health struggle. Sadly, children raised in a negative environment where they didn’t feel valued, or perhaps they were abused or neglected, may grow up with feelings of worthlessness, and consequently, continually struggle with self-esteem as an adult.

The Poor Self-esteem Bias

Regardless of what the source of self-worth struggles are, low self-esteem is a biased view that reflects a harsh and unfair judgment about ourselves. We then act according to those self-taught beliefs. For example, you may know somebody who is chronically indecisive, never seeming to trust their own decisions or perhaps easily swayed by the opinion of others.

For others low self-esteem manifests as negative self-talk or going to extreme lengths to please others. If you have low confidence or know of someone who lacks self-confidence they also tend to suffer from low self-esteem. All in all, it can result in feeling a lack of control in many or all aspects of life without the ability to create the change needed to feel more confident and in charge of their own destiny.

Social Media and Self-Esteem

Increasingly, the role of social media is being questioned in the role of individuals’ self-esteem, especially when it comes to young adults. While both men and women of any age can suffer from low self-esteem, social media plays a heightened role particularly in young girls questioning their own self-worth.

Social media creates a platform where it becomes easy to compare yourself to someone else. Individuals post “versions of themselves” which are typically not accurate of their day-to-day lives. This can prompt comparisons that foster body image issues and create self-esteem gaps and questions around a person’s looks, their lifestyle and their quality of life – and whether they are “good enough.” It becomes easy to see how constantly viewing the joy of others through a filter of their “perfect life” as portrayed on social media can create insecurities.

Beauty Filters and Mental Health

A 2021 survey of 200 teens ages 13 to 21 revealed that young people who use beauty filters regularly in their posts on platforms like Snapchat and Instagram are more likely to have a desire to want to get cosmetic surgery and/or to alter their skin color. The survey also revealed a correlation between the amount of time a teen spends on social media and their dissatisfaction with their appearance. As one would expect, the more time spent on social media, the higher their feelings of dissatisfaction with themselves. Social media is setting a disingenuous and unrealistic bar for what people feel they should look like, how they should act, and what their lives should look like.

“It makes very intuitive sense that when you don’t have a strong sense of self or don’t have strong attachments or modeling behaviors from family that it can sometimes lead to developing poor self-esteem and even poor body image, which translates to anxiety, depression, and isolation. It also contributes to developing traumatic attachment, trauma, and codependency. Poor self-esteem can be a symptom of underlying mental health issues.”

Eric Chaghouri, MD
Psychiatrist/Medical Director,
Lido Wellness Center

The Risks of Low Self Esteem

Leading a healthy, full life can be difficult when you suffer from low self-esteem. It affects your ability to connect with others and have a meaningful relationship with a significant other. There is a possibility of becoming codependent. It can contribute to loneliness and propagate isolation. Social anxiety can result, which may create stress around interactions with others – even casual conversation can be affected, wondering if you are saying the right things or worrying that you are dull or don’t have anything of value to contribute to the conversation. Individuals with low self-esteem can also have trouble setting boundaries with others and allow themselves to be taken advantage of or find themselves in uncomfortable, or even sometimes, dangerous situations.

From a total health perspective, low self-esteem contributes to high levels of stress and can lead to unhealthy coping activities if individuals turn to substances such as alcohol or drugs. Having poor self-esteem can manifest into serious mental health disorders such as anxiety and depression, and even suicidal ideation.

Several studies have been done that connect the feeling of positive self-esteem with the ability to experience more joy and optimism daily. There’s also evidence that those who enter treatment regimens for treating disease with positive feelings of high self esteem get through treatment faster and have better outcomes, and even have a stronger immune system.

Tips for Improving your Self-Esteem

One of the first things to remember for anyone struggling with their sense of self-worth is to reject that your negative self-talk is true. Believing the inaccuracies, we tell ourselves plunges us further into a hole where we risk sinking so far that we can no longer see the truth about ourselves. Instead, we believe the lies through the poor self-esteem filter that we have created. Here are a few ideas on how to consciously tackle feelings of low self-esteem:

• Challenge some of the automatic thoughts that you have about yourself. Don’t just accept what comes into your head about yourself as true.
• Don’t compare yourself to others.
• Remember your achievements – small or large. Keep a list handy to refer to.
• Talk to yourself as you would talk to a friend. You wouldn’t constantly criticize a friend or find fault with everything they do. Give yourself the same grace. Learn how to practice self-compassion.
• Pay attention to good health habits – engage in regular exercise and eat healthy.
• Select those around you carefully – stay away from individuals who are constantly critical and who aren’t positive.
• Seek professional help and explore the source of your self-esteem issues to address it at its core.

Building Self-Esteem and the Lido Model of Care

At Lido Wellness, our mental health approach is driven by a Person-Centered Treatment Philosophy that is based on respecting and understanding each individuals’ unique life experiences. Self-esteem struggles can develop as a result of those life experiences. Low self-esteem is commonly found in people with trauma and stress related disorders, anxiety, depression, substance use disorders and eating disorders. It’s no wonder that a driving force behind development of these types of mental illnesses can be low self-esteem.

In recent outcome surveys conducted by Lido Wellness Center, individuals who completed a patient health questionnaire noted improvements to many areas of their lives, including ability to notice or regulate emotions, ability to tolerate distressing experiences/emotions, and readiness to transition back to a regular routine of their lives, including work, school, etc. Many noted feeling listened to and heard during their time at Lido Wellness Center, which is important in being open to treatment and plays a vital role in the success of individuals seeking care.

At Lido Wellness Center, our Person-Centered Treatment Philosophy goes hand in hand with helping individuals build self-esteem. This is vital to being open to receiving mental health treatment that eventually helps individuals:

• Feel valued
• Believe they are cared for
• Increased confidence in their abilities to improve their lives and live their best life
• Enhance motivation to continue to improve
• Build better health and resilience for an improved quality of life

For many individuals, being heard translates to feeling respected and important – which are crucial components to self-worth. The feeling of being heard also adds to the idea that our experiences are legitimate, and our concerns are real. It can also add to the feeling of empowerment and the idea that we can accomplish what we set out to do.

References

Eric Chaghouri, MD, Psychiatrist/Medical Director Lido Wellness Center

11 Signs of Low Self-Esteem (verywellmind.com)

https://www.teenvogue.com/story/social-media-filters-how-young-people-see-themselves

https://www.manageyourlifenow.com/low-self-esteem-is-dangerous-for-your-health/