Three Reasons Why Traditional Talk Therapy Still Matters in the Age of TalkSpace and BetterHelp, Plus a Bonus

In the age of TalkSpace, BetterHelp, and Cerebral, traditional talk therapy is getting a bad rap. While these app-based services helped to create greater accessibility to mental health services, the pandemic has moved most mental health services online. Masked in-person visits provide social connection for those who want to leave the house, while the ease of commuting only 20 steps to your appointment is also an option. As a therapist trained in providing mid and long-term therapy, there are several reasons why I believe traditional talk therapy still matters. 

Longevity of relationship 

There are some clients I’ve known through job changes, a miscarriage and pregnancy, heartbreaks and new relationships. I’ve seen them through milestones and walked with them through peaks and valleys. 

There’s something sacred about being known and seen, when the relationship goes deep and is built through seasons of life and living. While texts and emails can be ways to connect, they are no quick fixes or replacement for a consistent human connection. This doesn’t mean you need to stay in therapy for a long time; clients come and go and come back, now with kids and new problems to tackle. The difference is they don’t have to start from scratch. 

Know how you tick

It takes time to get to know someone and be known. Some people are slow to warm up so rapport and progress can’t be rushed. Overtime, I get to know how clients respond across situations and we notice patterns. It's common for me to say in sessions, “We know this about you…” or for clients to say, “You know me so well I can say this to you…”

This deep knowing doesn’t come through brief interactions over text or voice note. This deep knowing allows for us to pivot when a modality doesn’t work, or for us to learn how to best help you. Are these conversations with your friends too hard? Let’s slice it thinner. I see that you like going on a monologue. We can take turns and I’ll reflect and make recommendations. You tend to make changes from something we talked about months ago? Now is a good time too.

Let’s do you.

Witness to your process and progress 

As both a recipient and provider of therapy, I’ve seen how progress takes time. The potential for change is understood in the history and context of the person being seen, not quick remedies to be doled out. And there’s something very healing about someone noticing those changes, witnessing that growth and reminding you how far you’ve come. “Do you remember how that used to bother you so much and now it’s just a shrug?” “You’re really noticing what’s showing up for you and pausing before reacting! Are you seeing that too?” “You’re opening up to your partner in ways you haven’t before. Wow! That’s huge!”

Who is there to see you when you’re struggling and when you’re making strides? A therapist who knows you and has been with you can be that person for you. 

A bonus: Safe parameters around the work

Most people think that traditional talk therapy requires weekly sessions, but it really depends on what you need, what your schedule allows, and what’s within your budget. Regardless of the cadence, there’s space in between sessions to process the work, without a need to constantly engage on that topic. The fact that you’ve paid into an online counseling platform like TalkSpace means you’d want to make the most out of it. I have the most beef about the messaging function which touts 24/7 accessibility to your therapist without creating safe parameters for the work. 

It is good and healthy to take a break from your problem and go on to live your life. You have other things going for you. Where you notice you’re struggling, come back to your next session and talk about it. Use the therapy space to contain your problem and know that your therapist will hold it for you until you return. There’s safety in knowing this important work has boundaries; it’s there to protect you and your therapist from burnout.

Making traditional talk therapy work 

While traditional talk therapy can feel more structured, be more cost prohibitive, and doesn’t have a flashy platform, there are ways around it. Structure is not always a bad thing and your therapist might be able to provide flexibility for shorter or less frequent sessions. Unlike online counseling platforms, talk therapy is covered or can be reimbursed by your health insurance plan. Many therapists also have a certain number of reduced fee spots reserved for under-resourced clients. 

Lastly, therapists came into this work to help people, and tech platforms that are built for therapists are not the most user-friendly. So, when you see therapy practices cobbling multiple systems together to provide a service to you or there are glitches in the systems they use, please know they’re doing the best they can with the resources they have. 

There’s help for you

Regardless of how you go about nurturing your mental health, there’s help for you. We have a team of licensed mental health professionals who will take the time to get to know you and meet you in real time. We’ll make recommendations tailored to you and your needs and see you through your process and your progress. 

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Ada Pang is the proud owner of People Bloom Counseling, a Redmond psychotherapy practice. She helps unhappy couples find safety and connection in their relationship. She also helps cancer thrivers and their caregivers integrate cancer into their life stories. She’s grateful to her therapist who witnessed her ugly tears around family issues in grad school and saw her gush over the man she ended up marrying, to the eventual meeting of this man for couples counseling. There’s comfort in being known and accepted through time.

When Grief is Messy: 3 Lessons Learned (Plus a Bonus)

Photo by Danie Franco on Unsplash

When Grief is Messy

I work with cancer patients and go through the ups and downs of diagnosis and treatment with them. Having recently lost my father-in-law and previous to that, lost family members to unexpected causes, I understand that grief can be messy. 

Earlier this year, for reasons prior to my own recent loss, my relationship with grief started to shift. I miss people I’ve lost but I’m starting to accept that grief and loss are a natural part of life. While it matters how the person passed away and whether I had a chance to say goodbye, their physical absence is permanent and nothing I do can change that. I still feel saddened by their loss, but the grief feels calmer, more settled. Through my lived experiences and the witnessing of other people’s grief journey, I’ve come to three lessons learned. 

There’s no one way to grieve

When I listen to jazz, I’m reminded of dad. While washing his clothes, I teared up. We bought a used RV and he had previously questioned whether that was a good idea. I’d speak quietly to him, saying, “Dad, we’re going on an adventure”. I talk to other people about missing him. I want to be with others but I also want to be alone. 

My husband uses dad’s old keychain and will wear one of his Hawaiian shirts to our friend’s wedding tomorrow. He says he feels his feels but he doesn’t bring up dad. He has a quiet resonance to my sharing. There was a time when I wasn’t sure if he was distracting himself or avoiding his grief. I couldn’t tell, but I also need to trust his words for it. 

Grief doesn’t look any one way and it doesn’t need to. How we choose to honor the memory of those we’ve lost is very specific to us as individuals, so let’s not insist that we must cry at funerals or else it means that the person didn’t matter to us. Or, it’s a celebration of life, so no tears allowed; only happy memories. Or, how can you book a trip to Disneyland when it overlaps the deceased’s birthday, favorite holiday, or death anniversary? That’s so heartless!

How we grieve is how we grieve. How others grieve is how they grieve. Let’s not judge. 

When one grief leads to another 

The thing is, grief is messy; it’s not linear. I even intentionally mixed up the stages of grief in a previous post about cancer. Not only is grief all over the place, it also connects our hearts to other losses in ways we least expect it. 

While sad about dad, I was reminded of his sister whom we lost to cancer a few years back. Then I started missing her. As if it’s contagious, my mind shifted to an uncle on my MIL’s side of the family and we lost him almost eight years ago! My heart was whelmed over. WTF, I thought I’ve grieved the loss of these people! And I have, but that doesn’t prevent my heart and mind from making these connections. I was missing them all over again, and for a moment dipped into the pain of those losses.

It’s okay to cry again, to be surprised by your own emotions, and to replay the sound of that person’s voice in your head. Deaths are significant, no matter how long they’ve been. So take a moment and let your emotions run. The word “emotions” contains the word “motions.”

Your emotions need to move. Let them move from the inside out.

Grief happens when it happens and lasts as long as it lasts

As you can imagine, death doesn’t wait for you to be in between jobs, for your kid to be off to college, for there to be at least a five-year gap from when you last experienced a loss. Neither does grief. Grief happens when it happens. I was writing this blog and started to tear up. You can be reading a receipt and be reminded of your son’s hockey jersey number. We would need to stop watching most shows if we don’t want to be triggered by death and dying. It doesn’t take much for grief to surface and when it does, let it be. 

Grief also lasts as long as it lasts. When asked how long is my sister, my wife, my dad going to grieve, grief expert David Kessler answered, “How long is the person going to be dead? If the person is going to be dead, they’ll be grieving for a long time.” The first two years are merely the early stage of grief. Mature grief is when we live out the rest of our lives without that person. 

So, if those five days of bereavement leave didn’t do anything for you, that’s because it’s better than nothing and yet completely insufficient. Your friend got over their partner in a year and remarried and you’re still a puddle on the floor? Their grief is their business and your grief is yours. 

Let your own grief journey take you to your healing.

Bonus: Remember how you remember

If there’s no one way to grieve, there’s no one way to remember. However you choose to remember your loved one is right. And when you want to switch up your ritual, it’ll be right then too. Going fishing is a great way to grieve, as is riding on Space Mountain or eating curry fish. You don’t have to wear sackcloth and ashes to be considered legitimately grieving, though no offense if that is you. Only you would know if you’re grieving, so do you.

An invitation to grieve

My hope for you is that you may stay present with your grief and take some time with it. If you need help through the grieving process, you know where to find us. 

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Ada Pang is the proud owner of People Bloom Counseling, a Redmond psychotherapy practice. She helps unhappy couples find safety and connection in their relationship. She also helps cancer thrivers and their caregivers integrate cancer into their life stories. She remembers her friend Molly when she sees creepy art and eats Heirloom oranges. She celebrates her aunt when she eats dim sum. May you find your ways too.

People of Color May Have their Defenses Up, and with Good Reason

Photo by Alan Billyeald on Unsplash

Our recent adventure

Husband and I went on an RV trip to Central California in late-September. School has resumed; it’s time to travel in the off-season and enjoy the changing fall colors. We went as far as the south bay to visit my in-laws and then to the Stanislaus National Forest where my husband used to camp every year growing up. We had many memorable moments, but what stuck out was an experience that helped deepen my understanding of what BIPOC and other marginalized groups might feel on a regular basis. 

We pulled into a busy campground close to San Francisco on a busy weekend. The site was packed and fully booked, hustling and bustling with people. Kids were playing, riding on scooters, swimming, and visiting the petting farm. It was happenin’! At check-in, we were told our campsite with full hook up does not have a sewage hookup. However, these “VIP spots” involve a dark and grey water tank truck that comes by 8 am in the morning to empty it for us. Thus, we were told to leave our box unlocked. 

All that was fine. By now, the sun had 45 minutes to set. I was ready to get our rig set up so I can go for a quick jog, so time is of the essence. We rolled into our spot and there was not one, but two cars parked there. One of its owners quickly moved out while the other owner was nowhere to be found. While I know in my head that everything takes longer during COVID, it is no less frustrating to wait for someone to move their vehicle so our evening could continue. 

Things don’t always go as planned

Husband and I did the best we could, coming head-to-head to the vehicle and starting to level with blocks as best we could. By now, I’d given up hope that I could go for my jog. After 15 minutes of waiting,  the property manager finally drove up in his golf cart carrying the driver of the remaining vehicle. Looking sheepish and with a faint smile on his face, he hopped into his vehicle without a word and drove off. 

I was upset. What the fuck was that? We had to re-park and re-level, taking up more of our time. If one of us were a white male, would the dude have apologized before driving off? Being Asian-American looking, even though our identities are much more complicated than that, it’s one of those things we’d never know. It’s also hard to not notice how many of the RVers are White, as RVing amongst POC, while growing during the pandemic, is still lagging. Here’s an article about the outdoors being a predominantly White pastime. 

Sigh. After chatting with my husband and naming what this brought up for me, I could either stay upset or move on with my evening. I did my workout in the RV instead, careful to lay off on the jumping, and carried on. 

The gut punch came the next day, or at least what I thought was the last straw that broke the camel’s back.

The tipping point

We left our tank hookup area unlocked, as suggested by the office. When we went to detach the water source the next morning, we found a pinch-off lock tool in the place of one of the shutoff valve handles for the fresh water drain. Did the rig rental come like that? Why didn’t we notice it, having done hookups multiple times during the beginning of the trip? By now, it is hard for my mind to not go to this place of us having been pranked. Hatred against Asian Americans has been on the rise since COVID and as much as we tried to continue to live our lives as best we could, I felt less safe in that moment.

When microaggressions add up

I’m usually a friendly person, but now, I have the resting bitch face on. Looking unfriendly feels protective and gives the message, “Don’t mess with me”. 

My husband, being a fourth-generation Japanese American, is a bit more removed from his Japanese racial and cultural identity. He took the more neutral position and kept questioning whether this was how we picked up the rental. Following his lead, I jumped on the conclusion bandwagon and emailed the manager of the RV rental company with photos. Within hours, he got back to us, saying that’s how the rig came and they’re waiting for a replacement part to arrive.

Now, you could say I misunderstood or wrongly thought we had a target on our backs. That was partly the case, but think about the experiences we had that led up to the last event: two cars parked in our spot, no apologies from the driver who kept us waiting, the sight of mostly White neighbors when we’re used to seeing other POC in our Seattle communities… Everyone can misunderstand at times; that’s part of being human. But when people from historically and all the more currently marginalized communities go through life, thoughts about whether they were treated one way or another because of their race, culture, sexual orientation, language, appearance, etc., can become top of mind. 

The right to not be friendly

With time, my resting bitch face slowly melted away because I felt mostly safe in the dominant culture, tapping into adaptive strategies to keep going. I went on with the rest of my trip, waving and saying hi to strangers, like my usual self. But through all this, I was reminded that people don’t have to be friendly back. People from marginalized groups can have additional reasons for how they show up in the world. Being friendly and smiley to strangers may be welcomed in some cultures but not others. People might just want to go on their walk and be left alone, and that’s ok. Just because I want to tell people I see them does not mean they need to reciprocate. Whatever they might be going through, ignoring me is a valid response.

All that to say, our inner experiences affect how we show up in the world. It’s not good or bad, right or wrong. It just is. If you need help navigating your intersecting identities, our counselors are here for you. We are a diverse group of people and personalities, with different lived experiences. I hope we can help!

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Ada Pang is the proud owner of People Bloom Counseling, a Redmond psychotherapy practice. She helps unhappy couples find safety and connection in their relationship. She also helps cancer thrivers and their caregivers integrate cancer into their life stories. She identifies as a Hong Kong immigrant, Canadian, US permanent resident, cis-gender woman. That is so much more than being Asian American. For that reason, she celebrates the identities that make you uniquely you. 

Letting Go When a Friendship Ends

Photo by Clarisse Meyer on Unsplash

There’s so much advice and guidance out there on how to heal from break ups. If you just broke up with your honey, Cosmo gives you full permission to have a good cry, bust out bonbons, put on a Rom Com and stay in bed all week. But there’s very little in the self-help world about what to do when platonic friends go separate ways.

We’ve all been there - and it feels weird and confusing.

Why we hang on

Sometimes we hang on to friendships because we don’t know any better. We do it because the friendship is comfortable and it’s scary to walk away.Other times we hang on to friends because of fear that we’ll hurt their feelings if we leave their side. Still other times, we cling because it’s what we know, and it's hard to imagine our life without the person we were once close to.

Why we break up 

Even if you had amazing times with a friend in the past, it doesn’t mean that connection was meant to last forever. As we get older, we often change so much that we’re no longer compatible with old friends. Or maybe you’ve stayed the same, but your friend’s interests and values have shifted, or vice versa.  Sometimes our life circumstances change. There are countless reasons for going separate ways, and all are valid.

Not all friendships are meant to persist. With age we learn to distinguish between friendships that we should fight to keep, and those we should release. If you tune into what fills your cup, you know deep down what’s best for you.

Whether you have a conversation about breaking up or the friendship dissipates on its own, it can be uncomfortable. Telling someone you can’t be their friend feels harsh, even if your words are true. Ghosting feels flakey and lacks heart.

However you go about ending a friendship, it’s ok to free yourself of the guilt you feel. Keeping a friendship that no longer works for you can feel disingenuous. It is likely taking up spoons that you can use elsewhere. When you let go of a friendship, you’re setting boundaries and doing what’s best for you.

When a friend lets us go

Sometimes we’re the ones hanging on to the past. In this case, you and your bygone friend aren’t on the same page - you want to fight for a friendship, but you see signs that your friend doesn’t reciprocate this feeling. If you were once close, this can feel as painful as a romantic break-up, and no one ever prepared us for this scenario.  

The comfort I want to offer is this: know that parting ways with friends we once loved is common and normal. Friendship goes through seasons and sometimes, these relationships wither and don’t make it to that next season. Mourn the friendship by remembering the good things, and then honor your friend’s choice to let you go. 

And it’s also ok if it takes time to accept. When you have to say goodbye to friendships that mattered at one point, it makes sense that it would hurt. There’s no manual for how to do it right, or how to heal So, take your time getting over this breakup like you would a relationship breakup. Significant friendships were once intimate after all.

Finding your own closure

Because the end of a friendship is usually muddled in a grey area and doesn’t always get the closure that some romantic partnerships do, you may have to say your goodbyes on your own.  You can do this in a journal, in your thoughts and prayers, or in conversations with people you trust. Honor these past friends by acknowledging the good things they brought to your life in the season you had together. There was a time when it served you both well. It wasn’t all for nothing but it’s also time to move on.

Friendship breakups can be disorienting - but they are part of being social creatures, and I’m certain they’re the topic of many therapy sessions. If you need extra support, our therapists can guide you through this change in season, and help you see that your life can be whole, even as friends come and go

Let us know if we can help!

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Karen Lenz is the Office Whiz and Insurance Guru at People Bloom Counseling. She writes blog posts as a human navigating this world, a client sitting across from a therapist, much like you. She has noticed that old friends from past lives coming out of the woodwork during the pandemic and decided to share some reflections on those that have gone their own way.

When Families Differ and What Couples Can Do About it

Photo by Naassom Azevedo on Unsplash

In my work with couples, I have yet to meet a couple who is exactly on the same page. As much as partners often talk about wanting to be on the same page, part of the work is first getting on the same book about the value of seeing things from the others’ perspective.

Is this the only way? 

Certainly, your way of managing this or that situation could be familiar and could have some merit to it, but does it work for all scenarios? If anything, this year has taught me that a strength in one situation could be a detriment in another. And, having been married for a decade, which is no small thing and also not quite long enough, I’ve learned that there’s more than one way to do things. 

Let me give you an example. 

It’s not what you think

When my now husband and I were dating, we flew to Hawaii to visit his extended family. In his late 90’s, his grandpa was frail but could still recognize faces and congratulated us on our recent engagement. He mentioned very briefly that he’d love a map of Japan to put on his wall, and my future MIL took it to heart. On a couple of occasions, (I call her mom now) mom asked my husband to remember to order grandpa a map of Japan and ship it to him. While we were still in Hawaii, I was looking up that very thing and wanting my husband to finalize it since he knows his grandpa better than I do. 

Before we knew it, we were back in Seattle and had forgotten about it. Then grandpa died. 

We’re never going to live this one down

I was sad, but the first thought I had was how we never mailed grandpa that map of Japan! Oh shit! We’re never going to live this one down! You see, in my family growing up, when my parents mention something one time, there's an expectation that it’s going to be done and done quickly. In fact, if I can learn to mind-read and anticipate what they might need before they even ask, that’s even better! So, when grandpa has clearly indicated an interest and mom mentioned it a couple of times, this was a big deal. So I thought. 

I brought it up to my partner and asked why he didn’t take it seriously. He then explained to me that his family is different. His family is not like my family. Mom mentioned it in the spur of the moment and likely had forgotten she ever said it. And lo and behold, at the funeral and thereafter, not another word about a map of Japan, as if it never happened. 

How interesting. A bit refreshing, I thought. Don’t have to anticipate needs. If it’s really important, then it’ll be conveyed as such and we’d know to take it seriously. Otherwise, it would’ve been nice but otherwise not necessary. 

I can relax a bit. 

Not in my family

Just last month, my Papa’s family friend in the Bay area moved into a nursing facility. Now 90, he’s still getting around but has a lot of aches and pains. Papa has been advocating for this massage gun that he has gotten off Amazon and has been telling everyone about how it does wonders! Eager to care for this “uncle,” Papa in Canada promptly WhatsApped me the screenshots of this massage gun, along with his friend’s new address, so I can order and ship it from Amazon US. 

You see, this is not a it-would-be-nice-if-I-can kind of situation. It is a I-better-get-this-item-to-this-uncle-before-he-croaks-or-else kind of scenario. It doesn’t matter if this “uncle” ends up using it or whether it’ll be helpful to him. Papa wants it done, it needs to be done. After adding a nice gift message, I had it shipped the following day and Papa confirmed that it was received. 

Effort made. Loop closed. I haven’t been disowned. Okay, so being disowned is probably too strong of a word, but you get what I mean. Maybe. 

A nice combination 

The thing is, there’s not right or wrong, good or bad. Families are different and there are pros and cons to each. Over time, my husband has taught me to not care as much because it is tiring to feel like I’m responsible for making things happen. On the other hand, I’ve modeled for my husband to be thoughtful and prompt in situations where it matters. There’s a time and a place to read between the lines but hopefully it’s not all the time. That’s a nice combination. 

Differences in your family 

Rather than having you twist into a pretzel to meet the needs of two or more sets of families in the way that you know how, what would it be like to follow your partner’s lead and do it their way? What possibilities will that bring? What can you unlearn and relearn about differing values and expectations in that process? 

Many of the couples we work with come in with these differences, and more. Let us know if we can help you get on the same book. 

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Ada Pang is the proud owner of People Bloom Counseling, a Redmond psychotherapy practice. She helps unhappy couples find safety and connection in their relationship. She also helps cancer thrivers and their caregivers integrate cancer into their life stories. She and her husband complement each other. They joke that between the two of them, they worry about everything. 

Outliving our Furry Companions: Tips for Coping with the Loss of a Beloved Pet

Photo by Yerlin Matu on Unsplash

Losing a pet is devastating. It can be so jarring to our daily lives. Our little friend was with us on the daily - we spent every moment at home together, they slept at our feet, and they may have been closer to us than a fellow human being.

But many of us may feel like it’s not socially acceptable to make a big deal of it. Taking time off work, for instance: most of us don’t expect to get bereavement leave when we’ve lost a pet. Not to mention conversations with acquaintances! Have you ever heard this: “Oh, you’ll get over it! Are you going to get another pet?” How is that ever appropriate?! If someone had lost a kid, would they have said the same thing? 

Because that’s what pets are like: a child, a family member, a close friend. 

The sense of loss is constant

A year ago, I lost my cat of 19 years. It was the most disorienting thing. My partner and I had this family unit - it was us two and Tybo. Having him there was such a given, almost like Tybo was part of our house, built into the walls; a complete set.

Coming home to an empty house was heartbreaking. It was so quiet and still. I missed the ringing of his collar; his orangeness slipping past us, nuzzling our necks while we tried to sleep. His meowing, his purring, our meal routines, even our litter cleanup routine. These interactions, or there lack of, were constant reminders that he is no longer with us.  

I imagined how much more heart broken I’d be if Tybo was my main companion, if we were not a trio, but a duo getting through life together, through all the ups and downs. I have all this love, and now all this grief. Where would I put these feelings?

Animals are a wonderful source of support and unconditional love, and losing them is one of the hardest things a person can go through. It’s the kind of life event that’s hard to explain to people who have never experienced it themselves.

The grief is real  

When I lost Tybo, I took my grief seriously. I read about grief and loss and the psychology of these awful feelings. The pain can be as heart wrenching as losing a human loved one. That’s why hearing, “So when are you going to get another pet?” is so insensitive and infuriating. 

Everyone expresses sadness in different ways, but some aspects of grief are universal. I realized I was experiencing all the stages of grief - denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance; sometimes in order and sometimes not. It felt like my grief process was both a classic textbook case: formulaic and predictable, yet deeply personal. Knowing others experience grief in similar ways made me feel less alone. 

I’ve lost a few pets in my life, and I came out okay on the other end. It took a while and it wasn’t easy. However, these are some things that has helped me get through it.  

Tips for coping with losing a pet

1. Let yourself feel all the feels

This is a horrible feeling. Let yourself cry, let yourself take a day off work if you can afford it. It’s your life, and your mental health that needs care and attention. You may feel complete despair, hopelessness, and confusion. Write about it in a journal if it helps you express your emotions fully. Don’t be hard on yourself for feeling this bad. These feelings will pass, but also know that it’s okay to feel what you’re feeling right now. 

2. Do something special to honor your pet

My partner and I planted a peach tree in the back yard in honor of our orange tabby. We also made him a… wooden burial box (calling it a casket doesn’t sound right). We wrote love notes to him on the inside of the box and put his favorite toy in with him. We buried the box under the peach tree. We made a little gravestone out of pottery with his paw print on it and placed it in front of the tree. I think of him often when I look outside. 

I’m getting teary now just thinking about it. It’s been nearly a year, and time helps me look back fondly, rather than from a place of despair. Having a little gravesite to remind us of him makes him feel close to us and us to him. The peaches are delicious, by the way. 

Some people have a ceremony or a shrine in memory of their pets. Others make a photo album, or a scrapbook. And some frame a large photograph for their living room. Do whatever you find meaningful to you as you create something, anything, to represent how important this pet was to you and your family. The loss is real. Let’s honor it.

3. Talk to people about it

I initially felt a bit of shame feeling this bad about my cat. I thought…it’s just a cat (I was raised with the values that animals belong outside. On a farm or in the wild). So getting this attached to my cat was an unexpected life twist. But, considering Tybo was in my life for 11 of his 19 years, that’s a significant chunk of time. I was surprised at how understanding people were when I reached out and told them I was struggling.

Many people have experienced the loss of a pet, so while it’s not often talked about, your animal loving friends and relatives can probably relate to this feeling of loss. They can offer support, kind words, and a reminder that you’re not alone.  If you don’t know anyone who can relate to this feeling and show support, a therapist is a safe person to bring this up with.

4. Remember how you got through difficult times in the past 

Remember the last time you split up with a partner you cared deeply about, you thought you’d never get over them? You couldn’t imagine loving someone else, sharing a bed with someone else, and moving on. The thought made you shudder.

And then what happened? You found ways to live. You found happiness again, in a new way.

For me, the loss of a pet was different from losing a family member. A family member is truly irreplaceable. You’ll never have another mom, grandparent, or brother. And likewise, there will never be another Tybo - the goal is not to replace him or find one just like him. But the difference between losing a family member and a pet was the realization that I can find happiness with another pet. You too can find happiness with another little companion, if that’s what you want.

Another pet can bring you joy like you can’t imagine, in time.

Introducing our new furry companion

Over the summer, we adopted the best little guy from the Humane Society - a one year old yorkie we named Ziggy Stardog. At first I thought I’d feel guilty about Tybo; I was reminded of the loss constantly by the new addition to the house. I think about Tybo more now that Zigg is around. But the feelings that come up aren’t necessarily sad. Tybo would have eaten that, or Ziggy doesn’t open doors like Tybo used to. There will be comparisons, but I actually welcome those thoughts. They come naturally, and the reminders fill me with love for Tybo all over again. 

Ziggy is a bundle of happiness and he is what makes pets amazing! All he wants is to run around and be free and explore. When he hops around the yard sniffing things, chasing bugs and chewing on my zucchini plants, I find myself growing more and more in love with his pure animal innocence and joy. 

I can love Ziggy and have a place in my heart for Tybo, now and always. As I allow my heart to attach to an animal, yet again, I know Ziggy will fill me with much love, companionship, and long walks around our neighborhood. 

There is hope. 

Bringing you hope

If you find yourself struggling with the loss of a pet, or other life transitions, our team of counselors are here to help. It is not silly to be affected by life’s circumstances. Life happens and we can all use a little help along the way. We’d love to be that person for you. 

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Karen Lenz is the Office Whiz Extraordinaire at People Bloom Counseling. She writes blog posts as a human navigating this world, a client sitting across from a therapist, much like you. She hopes this blog helps you get through your pet loss. She finds herself laughing out lout at Ziggy’s silliness, like she just heard a great joke. This blog is written in memory of Tybo and in celebration of Ziggy.

The Emotional Roller Coaster of Tidying Up

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Marie Kondo has spread spring cleaning fever across the nation with her Netflix show Tidying Up. If you’ve been watching and think you might want to venture on your tidying up journey, maybe my experience will inspire you to take the plunge. I read Kondo’s book The Life Changing Magic of Tidying up a few years ago and followed through with her KonMarie method to declutter my life.  

Don’t let the title fool you - there is no magic trick it; the process is tedious, emotionally draining and physically exhausting. But the result is absolutely magical. The KonMarie method helps you declutter with mindfulness and intention, and it might just be the most rewarding project you’ll ever set your mind to.

How do people become collectors?

As the daughter of an immigrant mom from the old country, I inherited a tendency to hang on to things. Growing up, everyone in my family had their own collections - I collected stickers and stationary;  my older siblings saved stamps and coins, my dad had his books. At the dinner table, we did not waste a drop of food and ate leftovers for weeks. We complied treasures at yard sales every weekend, and never threw functional things away, because “you never know if you’ll need it.”

Not only do I hold onto practical items, but I’m also sentimental - and not just for heirlooms from childhood or memorabilia. I’ll attach sentimental value to a shopping list from my adult life 10 years ago because it reminds me what I bought when I was living in that brownstone apartment in downtown Portland. If I don’t keep it, how else will I remember those days?

If your stuff is piling up and you don’t know where anything is, it’s probably contributing to your stress. But anyone who gets attached to things knows that their stuff is more than that. Stuff symbolizes important times, events, rites of passage, and sometimes it just brings us comfort.

When life forces you to make a change

My first indication that I had a problem was my fridge. You open my freezer at your own risk (of avalanche). The wake-up call was when my boyfriend cleaned out my fridge and found enough expired condiments and rotting food to fill a black 55 gallon garbage bag. Seeing it all in the bag was a shock!

I had become my mother.

I was actually upset with him for throwing away ancient freezer-burned food. I was strangely attached to it, because I bought it at some point for a reason, and I felt connected to it. And I felt embarrassed. A whole slew of emotions come out when you’re confronted with your own hoarding tendencies.  But I understood that my attachment to 3 year old frozen veggie dogs was ridiculous - and that was my turning point. Once the food was in the bag, I felt like a weight had been lifted. I wanted to face my clutter demons all over the house.

At the time I read Kondo’s book, I was moving from an 1100 sq ft apartment with storage where I lived on my own, to an 800 sq ft space with no storage that I’d be sharing with my boyfriend.  I had no choice but to downsize, which was a great motivator. If you’re about to embark on the great tidying, it helps telling yourself you have to downsize as you go through your stuff - even if you don’t. Someday you might, and if you have too much stuff, it’ll just be more work for you, later.

The Joy of Giving

Parting with my stuff was hard, but what made saying goodbye easier was knowing that my things would be more appreciated elsewhere. On the day I moved, I had a giveaway “free-sale” and got to see my old stuff spark joy in others. My Anatomy and Physiology textbook was going to a college student who would continue to use it. Craft supplies went to a kindergarten teacher and a mother of young kids. Tennis rackets were going to a couple of best friends in high school. My old pottery work that I wasn’t too proud of was going to be treasured in someone else’s kitchen. My stuff was doing a lot more good with others than in dark corners of my closets.

This brought me joy.

The decluttering process

The KonMarie method guides you step by step on how to part ways with different types of items, starting with clothes. Clothes can be overwhelming to sort at first, but become easier the more you do it. I had collected so many items in my 20s that I kept into my 30s -  vintage dresses alone made a mound that took up my whole queen bed.

It took me weeks to sort through clothes, and it was tedious at first. The difficulty came from the feeling that by getting rid of things from my past, I’m dismissing my former self. But the beauty of this method is that you get to honor those items by parting with them lovingly, thanking them for their service. While this may sound corny, showing gratitude was crucial for sentimental folks like myself who get attached to things.

I kept only items that “sparked joy” that I wanted to bring with me to the future. I got rid of about 75% of my clothes and have no regrets. Now I know where all my clothes are, and I wear only things that fit well and represent who I am now and who I want to be. While it’s not perfect, I take pride in the organization that I’ve kept up. That’s part of the magic: once you’ve started a system that makes your life easier, you never go back to keeping things in unruly piles.

Reckoning with your past and present

Sorting through old papers was emotionally draining, but the epiphanies I had as a result were truly life changing. I attach so much importance to papers. I used to keep all my homework, notes and essays from college. School papers represented what I learned -  ideas that changed me and helped me grow as a person. Would throwing away these things be a denial of my own identity? And was it even my identity now that 15 years have passed? Am I the person I hoped to become 15 years ago? These thoughts fully spiraled into an identity crisis as I sat on my bedroom floor buried in piles of paper, overwhelmed and emotionally distraught. When I watch the Netflix show and see people go through similar struggles while sorting, I realize how universal this feeling is.

When you find things from your past, you’re forced to reckon with who you were, who you are now, and all the ways you’ve changed. Going through it was an important ritual for me in order to accept my current life and let go of the past. It was time to forward. What I discovered was this: I can get rid of things and still know who I am, and accept how I’ve changed from who I used to be. If you watch the show, you see that other people find self acceptance through this process. The work is brutal, but they come through this process better in the end: free of things that used to hold them back.

How I parted with sentimental items: the power of one

I used to keep brochures from a good play, invitations to friends’ weddings, academic journals from interesting college classes. Written documents represented my life and I honored those times through keepsakes that spark nostalgia, but not necessarily joy. Ultimately, it’s not sustainable to keep everything as a memento.

I took the time to glance at each document and process how it made me feel. I chose the one item that represented each time in my life, or each person I wanted to remember best. I only kept one example of an essay from each important class, one love letter from each relationship, one birthday card from a good friend. I took pictures of documents and journaled how it felt to read old letters. I extracted the memories from items, without having to keep them - and said goodbye.

In the end I consolidated 4 banker boxes of paper to just one box of items I cherish most. I’m thankful to have gone through this, because now when I look at that box, I no longer feel the overwhelm, guilt and avoidance I used to feel. Prized possession are inside. There is something cathartic and therapeutic about going through old stuff. Once you do it, you’ll get it out of your system and feel better - like a good cry.

Loving your space and mental clarity

We moved to our first home since my tidying days, which meant that I got to bring only things we love into our permanent space. We’ve curated our things and keep only our most valued and precious items that spark joy. My partner’s favorite photos from art school and only my presentable pottery pieces are displayed. We feel at peace when we spend time in our home together. We have our spaces for doing art, for relaxation, for working. My mind is less cluttered as a result of a cleaner house. We can concentrate, relax, and breathe in our space, and this has done wonders for our mental health and our relationship.

If you’re feeling the burden of too much stuff, Kondo’s book is a good place to start. It could plant the seed for a magical transformation in your life.  

And, if you feel like your emotional life is too cluttered, call our therapy office. Our therapists will be glad to help.

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Karen Lenz is the Office Whiz Extraordinaire at People Bloom Counseling. She writes blog posts as a human navigating this world, a client sitting across from a therapist, much like you. She is thankful to get to share her experiences with you. Her Tuesday evening plans involve doing laundry, an activity she now enjoys because every shirt has its place, and every sock has its partner. She hopes you can find your joy in decluttering too.

Goal Setting in 2019: Increasing your Motivation for Change

Photo by Luis Quintero on Unsplash

It’s the first week of New Year’s and a lot of people like you are thinking about New Year’s resolutions, goal setting, and life hacking in 2019. There’s something about a new year that hits the restart button for us. It’s 1st quarter again, the challenges of 2018 are behind us, and the hope for a new beginning ahead.

Last year, I rained on your New Year’s parade by reminding you of the realities of setting new year’s resolutions. This year I’ll share with you my struggles, how I keep at it, and urge you to move towards your goals for a better health, relationship, and life.

My burden to bear

It’s hard to pinpoint exactly when my shoulder pain started. Has it been there for six or nine months? Mostly definitely after the two fender benders. Being in front of the computer most days doesn’t help. Leaning towards my clients during emotionally intense moments doesn’t either. I wake up everyday sensing the pain in my right shoulder. I make every effort to sleep only on my back. Nonetheless, I couldn’t lift my arm in the morning without significant strain.

Not a very good patient

You see, I get PT and massage every two weeks. The problem is, I don’t always follow through with recommendations. PT exercises will only take 10-15 min to complete each day, but I’m not a very good patient.*

*took a break to do one of six exercises

They’re not fun, quite boring actually, and I need to rest in between exercises before starting over. Sometimes I go off to do something else in between, leaving the TheraBands wedged between closed doors. It wasn’t until I tried to go to the bathroom and wondered why the door was shut did I realize, “Oh, PT exercises…”

The costs of staying the same

Aside from the significant pain I feel when I first open my eyes, I feel like a crab fumbling around as I dress myself. I need help getting the bed ready for house guests because my arm tires easily from pulling and lifting. I feel the strain when I do meal prep, carry heavy things, and reach for longer than 10 seconds. During yoga, I couldn’t lower myself all the way down from plank pose without my knees also coming down. I hesitate starting Orangetheory not knowing if my body will get upset with me the next day.

What I’ve tried

So I’ve read everything under the sun about setting SMARTER goals*, goals that are Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Risky, Time-stamped, Exciting and Relevant. I even note PT exercises on my quarterly planner as a recurring goal. I tried to carry a TheraBand with me to work so I can do these exercises where I spend the most time, only to bring it home, untouched. I tried to set aside time in the morning before breakfast or right when I come home, but when that time passes, I’d tell myself, “I guess I’ll have to wait until tomorrow...”

The worst of it was when I tried to tie it to something that I routinely do, like, “If I don’t do my exercises, then I can’t floss either.” Yes, very strange indeed. Other people might have flossing as one of their goals; for me, I can’t go to bed without flossing. It just feels wrong. And yet, I did it one time because that was how much I didn’t want to do my exercises. I swiftly separated the associations between these two activities.

It just wasn’t working.

Why this matters

I don’t have an epic tale to tell you, one filled with a triumphant overcome, of a body free of pain and discomfort. What I will tell you is a daily reminder of why it’s important to do my exercises and why it matters that I experience less pain.

I want to spend less time commuting to this or that appointment. I want to be able to carry a Camelbak with 2 liters of water and to do so with ease when I hike in New Zealand next month. I want to start Orangetheory and see that my body is capable of healing from what has developed into more of a chronic problem. I want to put my arm around my husband’s waist like he does mine when we’re walking side-by-side.

The truth of the matter is, this shoulder pain has really limited me and I don’t want to live like this.

What’s working

I no longer set a definite time for when I need to do my exercises. My TheraBands are readily available and you don’t know this but I actually completed all my exercises for the day in between writing this blog. Every time I pass up an opportunity to do my exercises, I ask myself, “Why not now?” and use that minute to do a prep. I vary the order of the exercises so they feel fresh to me. Over time, I notice less pain, greater range of motion and that encourages me to keep going.

I still fall back into my old ways but I know it’s never too late to pick it back up. And, I don’t have to wait until it’s the beginning of a new year, the beginning of a new quarter, or the beginning of a new anything to do so. It can happen right here, right now.

But, that’s me. So, what about you?

Let’s talk change

I’d encourage you to reflect on the following questions** as you set goals for 2019:

1. Why do you want to make this change?

2. Are you capable of this change?

3. How might this benefit you?

4. Why does this change matter to you?

Can you remember why you’d be willing to disrupt your routine to make this change, even when it’s inconvenient, boring, uncomfortable, or even painful? What are the costs of things staying exactly the same? What might you gain if you put one foot in front of the other? If you give up soon after the new year’s, who is there to support you to get you back on track?

When you ponder these questions and answer truthfully, it’ll firm up your “why” for making this change. When you’re invested in the process and the outcome, it’ll increase your motivation to see your goals to the end. But don’t stop there: While you can read and think about goal setting all day long, the most important step is still taking actions towards the things that matter to you. As you eat, live and breathe the change you want for your life, ask yourself, “How do I like this new normal?”

You can always tweak and adjust as you go.

Change is slow

No one likes to take it slow. Everyone, to some degree, want things to happen yesterday, with lasting effects and little effort. Sorry to break it to you, but Rebecca Solnit, an American writer, says it best -

“Even earthquakes are the consequences of tensions built up over long spans of time, imperceptibly, incrementally. You don’t notice the buildup, just the release. You see a sick person, an old person, a dying person, the sight sinks in, and somewhere down the road you change your life. In movies and novels, people change suddenly and permanently, which is convenient and dramatic but not much like life, where you gain distance on something, relapse, resolve, try again, and move along in stops, starts, and stutters. Change is mostly slow.”

If you want to make sustainable changes that will last throughout the year, we’re here to help. We’ll be truly human, seeing you through your “stops, starts and stutters” without judgment, while moving you closer to the life you want to live. Give us a call today.

* Borrowed from The Full Focus Planner
** Borrowed from Motivational Interviewing

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Ada Pang is the proud owner of People Bloom Counseling, a Redmond psychotherapy practice in WA. She helps unhappy couples find safety and connection in their relationship. She also helps cancer thrivers and their caregivers integrate cancer into their life stories. A day after writing this blog, she went to her first Orangetheory class. For the next few days, she walked around the office like a crab. She will go back. “You’re not out of shape,” says Jake who checked her in, “We just need to get you feeling stronger.” So it is.

Speaking up for Yourself as a Breast Cancer Patient

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October is breast cancer awareness month. While there’s often a lot of noise around screening and prevention, I want to talk about finding your voice when you’re at your oncology appointments. I work with a lot of breast cancer patients who wished they had requested this or asked that question during a medical visit, but it didn’t occur to them until after the fact or they may have felt unsure of themselves. And it’s difficult to broach that topic now that the appointment is over. 

Healthcare is changing

Gone are the days where doctors have all the authority and knowledge and patients come in and are told what’s wrong with them and how to fix it. Granted, I’m not saying don’t trust your medical team; they still have a lot to offer during a time of medical uncertainty. But, with the blessing and curse of search engines, you can easily look up symptoms, possible diagnosis, treatment and side effects, and seek medical consultation to confirm or deny your findings. While this might lead to misdiagnosis or unnecessary anxiety, now more than ever, patients are more likely to present at their doctor’s office looking more like this: “You recommended six rounds of chemo, but a recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that women like me with early-stage breast cancer may not need chemo after all. What’s that about?”

Collaborative healthcare

The field of medicine has been calling it “collaborative healthcare.” As the name suggests, every time you go into your doctor’s office, it is really meant to be a collaboration, a partnership to a healthier you. You’re the one who has been living in your body for the past however many years; you’re the one who knows your medical history or have the means to find out whether there has been a history of cancer on either side of your family.

As a patient, you have something to offer too.

The thing is, when you feel heard, understood and your questions answered, you’re more invested in your treatment, and you’re more likely to follow recommendations that make sense to you. While you might not be thrilled about treatment itself, you can look forward to seeing your medical team because you know they care about you and have your best interest at heart.

Current reality

The reality is that there’s still a power differential between the provider and the patient. Your oncologist did go to med school and further specialized in cancer. Your degree was in business; not oncology. There is a firehose of information shared during appointments and on handouts, not to mention the emotional turmoil of needing to go through treatment. As a cancer patient, you are at a more vulnerable place. Rather than being told you need to jump and how high, this is a crucial time to find your voice and feel empowered about your own care. It is after all your body.

A push for self-advocacy

Because you’re such an important part of the treatment process, I strongly encourage you to advocate for yourself. If you’re not in a place to do so, bring a friend or a family member with you who could. The following are examples of ways to help you find your voice as you interact with your oncology team:

1. Do a little research, if that could help you – Emphasis on “a little”. Google does not replace medical school and decades of experience, but credible websites can help to learn a little about what might be going on with you. I say this with the caveat: for some people, knowledge is power. For others, knowledge is anxiety. Still for the rest, knowledge is power up to a certain extent, then it turns into anxiety. So, do what helps you.

2. Know your rights as a patient – This is the two page handout I call snooze reading. You can pick one up at any healthcare provider’s office and it shows you your rights as a patient seeking medical care. To name a few, you have the right, according to your local health department, to say yes to treatment, to say no to treatment, to change providers, to have access to records, to file a complaint, etc. You have more rights than you know. While you might fear ramifications for some of these actions, the stress of not being in charge of your own care could be worse.

3. Read your reports – It’s a lot of medical terminology, I know. Unless you’re also in the medical field, it can read like french. That’s the beauty of Google, you can search for terms, struggle to know what it really means, then proceed to 3) and 4). I know an oncologist who thanks his patients for reading their reports, because many people don’t.

4. Come with questions – You do have questions, even if you’re afraid of the answers. Your $135 visit with your surgeon is the best time to ask them. I know of a patient who goes to her appointments with her list of 20 questions. And, she brings her partner to catch the answers that goes over her head. Better to ask a silly question than to wish you had asked it after the fact.

5. Ask follow-up questions – Even for the over-prepared, there’s bound to be questions that are left unanswered. Secure message your doctor’s office in between appointments; you don’t have to wait until your next visit, unless your appointment is soon and you’d prefer a face-to-face.

6. Ask yourself, “What do I need or want?” – Being diagnosed and treated for cancer is a very uneasy time. Your world has just been overhauled. It’s okay to ask for what would put you at greater ease. Could a warm robe bring comfort during your next check up? A blanket during your four-hour chemo? Do you want to bring your special stuffed animal to every radiation treatment? Request a certain radio station during your MRI?

7. Ask for what you need or want – As you come upon your preferences along the way, share them. Make it happen. I know someone who asked for a surgical pen so she could go home and mark on her husband. Cancer is hard enough; let’s bring some lightheartedness into the mix.

Cancer has a way of prompting us to re-evaluate life, which could include finding your voice. You’ll never have as much medical attention given you than when you’re in active treatment. While it’s not necessarily the attention you’d like, let it be a time when you can focus on you.

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Ada Pang is the proud owner of People Bloom Counseling, a Redmond psychotherapy practice in WA. She helps unhappy couples find safety and connection in their relationship. She also helps cancer thrivers and their caregivers integrate cancer into their life stories. She’s a big proponent of standing up to your medical provider, even if it’s uncomfortable in the moment. After all, when you’re already diagnosed and treated for cancer, what do you have to lose? Please take care of you.