Michelle Pettengill, LCSW

"Whenever I notice something about myself I don't like, or whenever something goes wrong in my life, I silently repeat the following phrases: "This is a moment of suffering. Suffering is part of life. May I be kind to myself in this moment. May I give myself the compassion I need." - Kristen Neff HHHIIIII everyone!!! It has been since the New Year that I have written!! How has it been treating you so far? I hope you had some great moments that make you feel good!  This blog is about Self Compassion!  As the weather warms up, we come out of our fog, we feel the mental clouds lifting, and maybe we take off that cozy sweatshirt, and are dressing more for Spring! As this next season comes, our thoughts might be changing. Some may have experienced some dark, negative thoughts during the winter season, and hopefully moving into Spring, will feel more of a sense of hope and release of that negativity. Hence, why SELF COMPASSION is sooo important to utilize right now - to ke...

Wow! We are 11 days into January!!! Time is flying! How are we all doing in the New Year so far? This months blog is about moving forward in this new year and creating growth opportunities. Many people, this time of year, feel obligated to set new goals. It is what we have been told to do through advertisements, media posts, magazines, as well as, our social communities ask, what are your goals this year? Over the years, I have set goals, and each year, something felt off and often times, did not follow through. If you don't this know this about me already,  I am the type that likes to check things off of my to do list the second I complete them, and if it wasn't on the list, I add it and cross it off! So goals were written on top of every week of my calendar, and my thoughts were saying, "must get this done." Well, I wasn't or maybe I was, but I was exhausted.  I started reflecting on why I have feel like I have failed. I came up with the following conclusions:  ...

 HI ALL!!!!       Been sooo long since I have blogged! My apologies about that! Here is November and December in one and I will see you in January for more!  Thanksgiving and Christmas are almost here! This time of year can be very overwhelming for some due to the stress of having people over to feeling lonely to feeling all sorts of emotions. Some often feel obligated to spend with family members that well, we may not get along with or not share the same views on life, which can make for an extra stressful time. I think everyone has a different idea of what the holidays can hold and how they define this time of year. Everyone I talk to has a different idea, tradition, or activity that they do. I do know through personal and professional experience that this time of year can be doable, it can be FUN, and it can feel comfortable! And just how do we do this, you ask....through mindfulness and preparation! Practicing mindfulness during the holidays can be one...

 Happy October!!!  Hope this blog finds you all well!  This blog is about our BREATH! A very powerful tool that we do subconsciously every day to keep us living! I personally forget sometimes that my breath is powerful, especially in high anxiety moments. As you know, we all have defense responses of fight, flight, or freeze when we feel scared, angry, sad, or anxious. How wonderful would it be to rely on our breath to bring our cortisol levels down in those high emotional times? Let's first review how to breathe.... yes, it may seem like a silly question, but I for one, learned a few years that I was breathing WRONG!       So, take a quiet moment and focus on your breath. Put one hand on your belly and one hand on your chest. Become aware. Take notice if your chest rises and falls. Does your belly rise and fall? Now take a big inhale through your nose...which rises or gets bigger - your belly or your chest??? Very important question here! The answer...

Happy September! It is cooler weather today, which I am very grateful for!!!  As I love learning more and more about how nutrition plays a role in our mental health, I thought I would continue to talk about it!  For me, when I began to learn about this, I knew this wasn't just a trend or a fad, but a lifestyle change. In fact, I don't like the words DIET, FADS, KETO, ATKINS....they may work for a short period of time and I commend them for what they stand for and try to do. However in the long run, these diets don't last. We discussed your relationship with food in the last blog, and let me tell you, that is truly the key to long term success. Asking yourself, when I eat this nightshade vegetable (bell peppers, eggplant, tomatoes) how do I feel? When I eat a whole bowl of pasta, what does my tummy feel like afterwards and what is my mood like? Being in tune with you, is so crucial to mental health wellness! This is a long term lifestyle or way of eating because once you fig...

Hello Hello!!! Catching up here for our August blog!  To recap, we have learned how self care relates to our anxiety, hormones, cortisol, adrenals, and stress. In addition, we have learned about next steps in taking a pause to ask ourselves what the best for you right now, as well as you were given tools to track your food, mood, and stool. So now with this blog and upcoming blogs, we will dive into daily tools that you can use to increase self care, and to help you regulate your moods, so that you can feel more balanced, nurtured, and energized!!  We will start with nutrition.  It is not a secret that what we eat can have a significant impact on our mental health. I have done a ton of research and have found that there is a strong connection between nutrition and mental health, with certain foods being so important for our brain function, gut health, and mood regulation. Now, what I am saying does not mean that you have to go cold turkey and eat all fruits and vegetables...

One of the MOST important things we can do as humans is keep learning and growing by listening to our bodies and asking ourselves: What is the best way for ME to respond right now? Our bodies are constantly giving us information. Sometimes we just have to slow down enough to notice & listen to it.  For example, let's say I eat a mouthwatering chocolate lava cake with vanilla ice cream. It tastes SOOOOO AMAZING.  But I also know my body. I know that combination leaves me feeling bloated and uncomfortable, and I may not sleep well afterward. And I love my sleep!  So I can pause and ask myself: “Is this worth it for me right now?” There isn't necessarily a right or wrong answer. The point is becoming aware of how your choices affect YOUR body and then making a choice that feels supportive & nurturing. This same concept applies to stress. Imagine you're at work and you've just received feedback that the project you worked hard on didn't meet the requested crite...