Mental Health

June marks Men's Mental Health Awareness Month, which highlights the unique mental health challenges men may face and how we can support them. Despite mental health being crucial for everyone’s overall well-being, societal expectations and stigma often discourage men from seeking the help they need. In this blog, we will explore common mental health challenges for men and share practical ways to offer support. Common Mental Health Challenges for Men: 1. Depression and Anxiety: Men face depression and anxiety at rates comparable to women, yet societal norms often discourage them from seeking [...]

As we acknowledge International Women's Day on March 8th, it's important to recognize the unique challenges that women face in maintaining good mental health. At The Village, we understand the significance of directly addressing these obstacles and providing customized assistance to meet the specific needs of our clients. Women often balance multiple roles and responsibilities, from caregivers to professionals, frequently putting others' needs before their own mental well-being. The pressure to excel in all areas of life can be overwhelming, leading to stress, anxiety, and depression [...]

As we step into a new year, many of us find ourselves jotting down resolutions – aspirations for positive change and personal growth. We applaud anyone taking steps for growth and finding ways to better themselves. The beginning of the year often marks a period of reflection and a commitment to self-improvement. Whether it's adopting healthier habits, pursuing a new skill, or fostering stronger relationships, resolutions are expressions of our desire for positive changes. However, setting goals when everywhere you look is telling you to set resolutions can feel daunting. There’s a lot of [...]

Below is an excerpt from an IOP Counselor. In my experience working in an Intensive Outpatient Program, I have noticed that most of our clients come into the group with high anxiety related to being in a new setting with new people and not knowing what to expect exactly. In general, it takes about 2-4 weeks for group members to begin feeling comfortable and allowing themselves to be truly vulnerable, not only with themselves but with their fellow group members. Once this takes place and they feel the support, comfort, and validation from the group, there is a definitive shift in their [...]

Everyone gets stressed and overwhelmed. One way to regulate big feelings is to use sensory interventions to help calm your body and mind and process your thoughts. If you use sensory approaches to help control your emotions, you can make a sensory bin whenever you feel anxious. Keeping all of your favorite sensory toys in one spot makes it easier to deal with emotions when you're feeling overwhelmed. Here are four steps to get your sensory bin started: 1. Identify your primary sense Everyone has senses that are more sensitive than others. Think about which of your senses are most perceptive to [...]

Using sensory interventions can help regulate your body when you're in a stressful or overwhelming situation. By utilizing one of your senses, your mind and body can focus on a specific stimulus, which will ground you and calm your thoughts. Sensory tools and toys can help with this. How do sensory interventions work? The first step to successful sensory intervention is to assess which of your senses is most perceptive to stimulation. Once you choose between touch, taste, sound, sight, and smell, you can focus on that sense as a grounding exercise. Stimulate the primary sense you've chosen any [...]

Everyone gets stressed out. Kids and adults alike can have trouble regulating their emotions when they are in an overwhelming environment. This is called dysregulation, which happens when the body's threat response is triggered. Sensory interventions can help! Sensory Interventions When you're feeling stressed or overwhelmed, your body goes into a threat response mode, where you feel like you can't control your emotions or process your thoughts. This is where sensory interventions come in. A sensory intervention is something you can use to distract yourself from a stressor. It could be [...]

Plants are great! Caring for plants can aid in mental and physical health. Nature can bring us peace. Plants can even offer benefits like emitting a fresh scent or cleaning the air. Check out our post on plant therapy for more info on all the good that can come from plant care. Many people are great at keeping plants happy and healthy, but not everyone is gifted with a green thumb. Even if you're not the best with plants, you can still enjoy all they have to offer and benefit from caring for them. Fargo Therapist Sheridan Averson explains how to cope if you have a black thumb: Which plants are [...]

Many people are affected by trauma at some point in their life. Symptoms of trauma can include anxiety, confusion, agitation, dissociation, and more. Luckily, there are treatments for issues caused by trauma. There are also many ways to alleviate symptoms. Yoga and trauma-sensitive meditation can help calm and ease anxieties that result from traumatic experiences. Trauma-Sensitive Yoga Trauma-sensitive yoga is a great way to help manage and decrease symptoms that arise from trauma. This type of yoga focuses on getting out of your body's stress response and entering into a relaxation response [...]

Just about everyone experiences trauma. Trauma can be anything that brings large amounts of distress emotionally and/or physically that can last long after the traumatic experience. Something that is traumatic to one person may not seem traumatic to another, so people might minimize their own traumatic experiences, but all trauma and all experiences are valid. No matter what kind of trauma someone has gone through, there are a variety of treatments and therapy models that can help. These might include EMDR or Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT). Trauma-sensitive yoga can be [...]