The best things in life are not things! 

Some of them are:

 hugging your grandchild

choosing to forgive



Choosing to demonstrate love 

Watching a sunset 

taking a walk outside

teaching someone something important

Choosing forgiveness

Dancing and singing 

                                                                       Relaxing
creating

dreaming and pursing your passions

laughing with a friend

choosing to smile

making someone feel special

Fall weather

Flowers

Counting your blessings
 

                Looking at a beautiful smile!

spending time with love ones

Prayer and worshiping

                  appreciating life!  
Precious memories


Music

Water

                  Cuddling and kisses

Art

               Watching dreams come true 

Loving a pet


Love

                     Friendships                              

Warm Tea

                      Being a Parent

listening to rain

choosing joy

HUGS

                     Jesus and Faith 

Choosing to see the positive

riding a bike

                        Enjoying a bath

Encouraging and believing in someone

butterfly kisses

gardening

                            Exploring

reading and learning

choosing healing 

Being Kind 

and Playing- no matter how old you are!

 CLICK HERE For Living With Hope Counseling Facebook Page AND "LIKE" IT!
 


 By Diane Davidson 
                               Gammon M.S.
         Clinical Mental Health Counselor

 Open Full-Time Days - Monday through Saturday
With Evening Appointments
615-556-8406
Email- Diane@LivingWithHopeCounseling.com

Sliding Scale Fee for Individual Counseling Sessions 

Free Support Groups for: Depression, Anxiety, Panic, Hopelessness, Trauma, PTSD, Abuse, and Grief and Loss (Including Miscarriage/ Stillbirth/ Infant loss)

Disclaimer- I am not a doctor and I am not giving out medical advice. My blogs are for information and inspirational purposes. Please consult your doctor before starting a new health regimen.

Diane Davidson Gammon MS is clinically supervised by Michael Loftis LCSW as she pursues  LPC-MHSP licensure

  Have Hope! Renew Health! and...........

 

 




   

What are you putting in your mouth to eat?

Healing and health is all encompassing. 

If you are trying to heal in any way, you need to focus on what thoughts that you are focusing on as well as what types of food that you are choosing to eat.

The mind and body are correlated.  

You cannot heal properly from mental and emotional issues if you are eating junk................ and vice versa!

Make healthy choices all around. 



Counseling can help!


CLICK HERE For Living With Hope Counseling Facebook Page AND "LIKE" IT!
 


 By Diane Davidson 
                               Gammon M.S.
         Clinical Mental Health Counselor

 Open Full-Time Days - Monday through Saturday
With Evening Appointments
615-556-8406
Email- Diane@LivingWithHopeCounseling.com

Sliding Scale Fee for Individual Counseling Sessions 

Free Support Groups for: Depression, Anxiety, Panic, Hopelessness, Trauma, PTSD, Abuse, and Grief and Loss (Including Miscarriage/ Stillbirth/ Infant loss)

Disclaimer- I am not a doctor and I am not giving out medical advice. My blogs are for information and inspirational purposes. Please consult your doctor before starting a new health regimen.

Diane Davidson Gammon MS is clinically supervised by Michael Loftis LCSW as she pursues  LPC-MHSP licensure

  Have Hope! Renew Health! and...........

 

 

What you think influences your feelings and also your behaviors and actions.

Do not let negative and irrational thoughts live in your head. Tell those types of thoughts that they are not welcome!

What you focus on will FLOURISH!

What are you choosing to think?

CLICK HERE For Living With Hope Counseling Facebook Page AND "LIKE" IT!
 


 By Diane Davidson 
                               Gammon M.S.
         Clinical Mental Health Counselor

 Open Full-Time Days - Monday through Saturday
With Evening Appointments
615-556-8406
Email- Diane@LivingWithHopeCounseling.com

Sliding Scale Fee for Individual Counseling Sessions 

Free Support Groups for: Depression, Anxiety, Panic, Hopelessness, Trauma, PTSD, Abuse, and Grief and Loss (Including Miscarriage/ Stillbirth/ Infant loss)

Disclaimer- I am not a doctor and I am not giving out medical advice. My blogs are for information and inspirational purposes. Please consult your doctor before starting a new health regimen.

Diane Davidson Gammon MS is clinically supervised by Michael Loftis LCSW as she pursues  LPC-MHSP licensure

  Have Hope! Renew Health! and...........

 

Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is an anxiety disorder that is related to body image.



You may be given a diagnosis of BDD if you:

• experience obsessive worries about one or more perceived flaws in your physical appearance; and the flaw cannot be seen by others or appears very slight
• develop compulsive behaviors and routines, such as excessive use of mirrors or picking at your skin, to deal with the worries you have about the way you look

...........If you have BDD, these obsessions and behaviors may cause emotional distress and can have a significant impact on your ability to carry out your day-to-day life. 

BDD can also cause other problems such as:

• feelings of shame, guilt or loneliness
• isolation 
• depression
• anxiety 
• drug abuse
• feeling you need unnecessary medical procedures, such as cosmetic surgery
• eating disorders
• self-harm habits
• suicide thoughts

A lot of people with BDD do not seek help because they are afraid that people will judge them. This means that many people with BDD are likely to experience it for a long time before they think about seeking support.

What are the common signs of BDD?

People with BDD see themselves differently than how others see them. Although everyone's experience of BDD is different, there are also some common signs. These are:

Common obsessive worries about the body

If you have BDD you may experience intrusive, negative thoughts about one specific area (or several areas) of your body which you think may be:

• out of proportion
• too big or too small
• disfigured
• lacking symmetry

These thoughts may cause high anxiety.

BDD can affect any area of the body but common areas of anxiety include skin, hair, nose, chin, lips or genitals.

Reference: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/body-dysmorphic-disorder-bdd/about-bdd/?o=6259#.Wel4jHZrzIU

Counseling can help!


CLICK HERE For Living With Hope Counseling Facebook Page AND "LIKE" IT!
 


 By Diane Davidson 
                               Gammon M.S.
         Clinical Mental Health Counselor

 Open Full-Time Days - Monday through Saturday
With Evening Appointments
615-556-8406
Email- Diane@LivingWithHopeCounseling.com

Sliding Scale Fee for Individual Counseling Sessions 

Free Support Groups for: Depression, Anxiety, Panic, Hopelessness, Trauma, PTSD, Abuse, and Grief and Loss (Including Miscarriage/ Stillbirth/ Infant loss)

Disclaimer- I am not a doctor and I am not giving out medical advice. My blogs are for information and inspirational purposes. Please consult your doctor before starting a new health regimen.

Diane Davidson Gammon MS is clinically supervised by Michael Loftis LCSW as she pursues  LPC-MHSP licensure

  Have Hope! Renew Health! and...........

 

 

An Illness Anxiety Disorder is when someone is preoccupied with having a serious illness. 

They have an high amount of anxiety about their health. 

They also perform excessive health related behavior such as checking their body for signs of illness.  

Somatic symptoms are not present or they are mild.

An individual who has this disorder needs to have these symptoms for at least 6 months and the illness disorder needs to not be explained by another mental disorder.  

This disorder is often precipitated by a major life stress. 

This disorder is seen in medical facilities more so than in mental health facilities.  

DSM-5 5th edition, American Psych. Assoc. (2013)

  Counseling can help!
 
CLICK HERE For Living With Hope Counseling Facebook Page AND "LIKE" IT!
 


 By Diane Davidson 
                               Gammon M.S.
         Clinical Mental Health Counselor

 Open Full-Time Days - Monday through Saturday
With Evening Appointments
615-556-8406
Email- Diane@LivingWithHopeCounseling.com

Sliding Scale Fee for Individual Counseling Sessions 

Free Support Groups for: Depression, Anxiety, Panic, Hopelessness, Trauma, PTSD, Abuse, and Grief and Loss (Including Miscarriage/ Stillbirth/ Infant loss)

Disclaimer- I am not a doctor and I am not giving out medical advice. My blogs are for information and inspirational purposes. Please consult your doctor before starting a new health regimen.

Diane Davidson Gammon MS is clinically supervised by Michael Loftis LCSW as she pursues  LPC-MHSP licensure

  Have Hope! Renew Health! and...........

 

 

We all experience stress in our lives. 

It is a good idea to maintain coping skills and self-care all of the time to help manage stress. This way, we are better equipped when we face a stressful event or situation that is even more stressful than our every day stress in our lives.

Tips to help manage stress:

Learn to relax! 

Take deep breaths.
Stop being on the go so much. 
Stop and smell the roses! 

Make yourself sit and take a break from the stress of life by forcing yourself to relax. 

Read a book. Take a bath. Journal. 
S L O W  down.

Try yoga and meditation. 

Get adequate sleep! 
I know this is difficult when you are stressed but it is very important to get proper rest.

It will help both your mind and body.


Stay Active! 

Get outside and take a walk! Take short walks. Take long walks. Stretch. Join an exercise group. Keep moving!


Get Sunshine!

Get outside and get some some rays for vitamin D!

Make to do lists.
If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.


Eat healthy!

You cannot expect to feel good if you are putting garbage in your body!  


Seek Support!

Talk to a trusted friend, Pastor, or seek individual and/ or support group counseling.

Learn that self care is NOT selfish!

Self-care and taking time for yourself is necessary. You cannot pour from an empty cup.

Do something fun that you enjoy every day!

Write or draw your thoughts and feelings.


Learn something new!


Pray and be sociable! Join a Sunday School Class or Small Group Bible study.

Think positive thoughts.

How you think/ what your focus on- will influence how you feel and then will influence your behavior/ actions!

Learn to forgive yourself and others and demonstrate self- love!

Let go of what you do not have control of!

Last but not least- avoid negative ways to reduce stress such as drugs or alcohol abuse.

CLICK HERE For Living With Hope Counseling Facebook Page AND "LIKE" IT!
 


 By Diane Davidson 
                               Gammon M.S.
         Clinical Mental Health Counselor

 Open Full-Time Days - Monday through Saturday
With Evening Appointments
615-556-8406
Email- Diane@LivingWithHopeCounseling.com

Sliding Scale Fee for Individual Counseling Sessions 

Free Support Groups for: Depression, Anxiety, Panic, Hopelessness, Trauma, PTSD, Abuse, and Grief and Loss (Including Miscarriage/ Stillbirth/ Infant loss)

Disclaimer- I am not a doctor and I am not giving out medical advice. My blogs are for information and inspirational purposes. Please consult your doctor before starting a new health regimen.

Diane Davidson Gammon MS is clinically supervised by Michael Loftis LCSW as she pursues  LPC-MHSP licensure

  Have Hope! Renew Health! and...........

 

 

Free Miscarriage and Infant Loss Support Group every 3rd Tuesday evening. Registration is required. 

The next group is tonight- Tuesday, Oct. 17th at 7pm. It is also National Miscarriage and Infant Loss Remembrance Week this week.

Call or text Diane Gammon at 615-556-8406 or email her at Diane@LivingWithHopeCounseling.com to register or for more information. 

The dates for this group may be different at times. Please always contact Diane before coming to a group.

CLICK HERE For Living With Hope Counseling Facebook Page AND "LIKE" IT!
 


 By Diane Davidson 
                               Gammon M.S.
         Clinical Mental Health Counselor 

Diane Davidson Gammon MS is clinically supervised by Michael Loftis LCSW as she pursues  LPC-MHSP licensure.

 Open Full-Time Days - Monday through Saturday
With Evening Appointments
615-556-8406
Email- Diane@LivingWithHopeCounseling.com

Sliding Scale Fee for Individual Counseling Sessions 

Free Support Groups for: Depression, Anxiety, Panic, Hopelessness, Trauma, PTSD, Abuse, and Grief and Loss (Including Miscarriage/ Stillbirth/ Infant loss)

 Have Hope! Renew Health! and...........

Free Miscarriage and Infant Loss Support Group every 3rd Tuesday evening. Registration is required. 

The next group is tomorrow- Tuesday, Oct. 17th at 7pm. It is also National Miscarriage and Infant Loss Remembrance Week this week.

Call or text Diane Gammon at 615-556-8406 or email her at Diane@LivingWithHopeCounseling.com to register or for more information. 

The dates for this group may be different at times. Please always contact Diane before coming to a group.

CLICK HERE For Living With Hope Counseling Facebook Page AND "LIKE" IT!
 


 By Diane Davidson 
                               Gammon M.S.
         Clinical Mental Health Counselor 

Diane Davidson Gammon MS is clinically supervised by Michael Loftis LCSW as she pursues  LPC-MHSP licensure.

 Open Full-Time Days - Monday through Saturday
With Evening Appointments
615-556-8406
Email- Diane@LivingWithHopeCounseling.com

Sliding Scale Fee for Individual Counseling Sessions 

Free Support Groups for: Depression, Anxiety, Panic, Hopelessness, Trauma, PTSD, Abuse, and Grief and Loss (Including Miscarriage/ Stillbirth/ Infant loss)

 Have Hope! Renew Health! and...........

Jesus Calling by Sarah Young

"I am your Strength and your Shield. I continually work—sometimes in wondrous ways—to invigorate you and protect you. The more fully you trust in Me, the more your heart can leap for Joy!

I want you to trust Me wholeheartedly—resting in My sovereign control over the universe. 

When circumstances seem to be spinning out of control, grab onto Me, believing that I know what I’m doing. 

I orchestrate every event of your life to benefit you in this world and the next." ~Jesus Always by Sarah Young

"I love you, Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold." ~Psalm 18:1-2
#JesusAlways #TrustHim
CLICK HERE For Living With Hope Counseling Facebook Page AND "LIKE" IT!
 


 By Diane Davidson 
                               Gammon M.S.
         Clinical Mental Health Counselor

 Open Full-Time Days - Monday through Saturday
With Evening Appointments
615-556-8406
Email- Diane@LivingWithHopeCounseling.com

Sliding Scale Fee for Individual Counseling Sessions 

Free Support Groups for: Depression, Anxiety, Panic, Hopelessness, Trauma, PTSD, Abuse, and Grief and Loss (Including Miscarriage/ Stillbirth/ Infant loss)

 Have Hope! Renew Health! and...........

 

  

Clinical depression, where sad mood and/or lack of interest in usual activities persists among other symptoms can lead to the inability to function in normal life. 

It can also influence substance abuse, and suicidal thoughts.

Regular exercise is a lifestyle intervention for depression. 

It is known to improve the  brain function and resiliency, and it  can even help the brain remember better after studying. 
-----------------------------------------------------

Light therapy and sunshine is another intervention for depression. 

It boosts our mood and vitamin D from the sun has a multitude of health benefits.  
-----------------------------------------------------

Proper Diet is another lifestyle intervention that can help depression.

Individuals who eat diets rich in whole foods, vitamins, minerals, omega 3s, and low in highly processed foods are less likely to experience clinical depression than those who eat a Western Diet. 

Further, individuals who eat a “prudent” diet of lots of fish, vegetables, fruits along with people consuming a Mediterranean diet pattern have lower levels of inflammatory cytokines in the blood. 

Fibers that are in whole foods are associated with better immune function and may influence inflammation in a positive way by making the gut microbiota happy which helps to decrease depression. 

Cytokines and other inflammatory particles are both present in high levels in individuals who are depressed. They can also produce depression on their own.

Moreover, acute stressors such as deaths in the family or losing one’s job can result in high levels of inflammatory particles that are measurable in the blood. In most individuals, the inflammatory particles eventually induce an anti-inflammatory response, the body’s off switch, if you will. 

Most physical processes work this way, with an automatic regulation. A clinical depression then appears to happen when that off switch isn’t working properly, and the inflammation perpetuates itself (Deans, E. 2015).

Demonstrating a healthy lifestyle can help reduce and even prevent depression.  

Reference-

Emily Deans M.D. Evolutionary Psychiatry

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolutionary-psychiatry/201502/lifestyle-interventions-depression


CLICK HERE For Living With Hope Counseling Facebook Page AND "LIKE" IT!
 


 By Diane Davidson 
                               Gammon M.S.
         Clinical Mental Health Counselor 

Disclaimer- I am not a doctor and I am not giving out medical advice. My blogs are for information and inspirational purposes. Please consult your doctor before starting a new health regimen.

Diane Davidson Gammon MS is clinically supervised by Michael Loftis LCSW as she pursues  LPC-MHSP licensure.

 Open Full-Time Days - Monday through Saturday
With Evening Appointments
615-556-8406
Email- Diane@LivingWithHopeCounseling.com

Sliding Scale Fee for Individual Counseling Sessions 

Free Support Groups for: Depression, Anxiety, Panic, Hopelessness, Trauma, PTSD, Abuse, and Grief and Loss (Including Miscarriage/ Stillbirth/ Infant loss)

 Have Hope! Renew Health! and...........