Category: Longing

11/24/2025 0 Comments

How to Add More Laughs to Your Day (Even When Life Is a Hot Mess)

Picture of 3 people sitting on a sofa, side by side, holding their sides because they are laughing so hard while there is a mess of clothes, twinkle lights and pillows strewn across the floor

Let's be real – life can feel like a complete dumpster fire sometimes. Between work stress, family drama, financial pressures, and whatever fresh chaos the universe decides to serve up, finding reasons to laugh might seem about as realistic as finding a unicorn in your backyard.

But here's the thing: humor isn't a luxury you can only afford when everything's going perfectly. It's actually one of your most powerful tools for getting through the tough stuff. And the best part? You don't need a comedy special or a perfect life to add more laughs to your day.

Why Your Brain Craves Laughter (Even When Everything Sucks)

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7/28/2025 0 Comments

Common Mistakes in Love: When Your First Big Relationship Happens in Your Thirties or Forties

Let's talk about something that might feel a little awkward to admit: having your first serious relationship in your thirties or forties. While society often assumes everyone has their romantic "training wheels" phase in their teens and twenties, life doesn't always follow that script. Maybe you were focused on career, dealing with family obligations, working through personal challenges, or simply hadn't met the right person yet.

Here's the thing though – when love finally shows up later in life, it can feel both exhilarating and terrifying. Without those earlier relationship experiences that typically teach us the ropes, many people find themselves making mistakes that feel surprisingly familiar to what teenagers do. The difference? The stakes feel much higher, and there's often less patience for trial and error.

The Timeline Trap: When "Running Out of Time" Drives Your Decisions

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3/27/2025 0 Comments

Overly Dependent: When Your Partner Feels Like Oxygen (But You're Gasping)

Picture of a woman and a man sitting on a sofa and there is blue air coming out of her mouth.

Being overly dependent in a relationship is a tough topic to talk about. It brings up feelings of shame, guilt, and fear that many of us would rather avoid. But here's the thing - recognizing dependency patterns doesn't mean there's something inherently wrong with you or your partner. It means you're human, and you're ready to create healthier connection.

If your partner feels like they can't breathe without you, or if you find yourself suffocating under the weight of being someone's emotional lifeline, you're not alone. This dynamic affects countless couples, and understanding it is the first step toward breathing easier together.

What Overly Dependent Actually Looks Like

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11/30/2024 0 Comments

Getting Through Your First Christmas After Losing Someone You Love

Picture of woman looking away from the camera as she sits on large, comfortable chair while holding a mug with a christmas tree in the background

Your first Christmas after losing someone you love is going to be hard. There's no sugar-coating it, no magic formula to make it painless. The anticipation leading up to the holidays is often worse than the actual day itself, but that doesn't make the grief any less real or overwhelming.

As therapists, we see many clients struggling through their first holiday season after a significant loss. Whether it's the death of a parent, spouse, child, or close friend, the holidays can feel like an emotional minefield when someone important is missing from your table.

But here's what I want you to know: you can get through this. It won't be the same, and it doesn't have to be. There are gentle ways to honor both your grief and the love you still carry for the person who died.

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9/1/2023 0 Comments

Why Eye Rolling Is Killing Your Relationship (And 5 Ways to Stop It)

Picture a man and woman sitting on the sofa, facing forward in silence.

Relationship issues can be tough to talk about, especially when they involve behaviors that might seem "minor" on the surface. But here's the truth: that eye roll your partner just gave you? It's not minor at all. In fact, it's one of the most toxic behaviors you can bring into your relationship.

As a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, I've seen countless couples struggle with this seemingly small gesture that carries enormous emotional weight. What looks like a simple nonverbal cue actually communicates contempt: and contempt is a relationship killer.

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12/6/2021 0 Comments

Waiting for the Right Fit

by Jessica Wilkerson, LMFT 104464

Waiting can be excruciating!

When you know what you want, you want it.

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10/16/2020 0 Comments

Walking Alone

By Jessica Wilkerson, MA, LMFT

In 1 Corinthians 7:7-9 the Apostle Paul lays it out that if a person can do it, then they should remain single and celibate; and if not, then it is better to marry. Many people feel a sense of aloneness when they do not have a romantic partner, and then that still, small voice in the back of their mind reminds them of scripts they've heard in the past: "You're not good enough," and "no one will love you." They begin to focus on the need for a romantic partner and the longing and lonely feeling begins to grow.

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(530) 809-1702

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MISSION: To provide a tranquil and healing space in which people in our community can find calmness internally through the relaxing atmosphere, along with respectful and engaging therapy conversations. To contribute to happier and more secure families by helping individuals, couples, and teens heal within and thereby creating different ways of engaging with themselves, the world, and those they love.

VISION: Creating a new kind of therapy experience in the Chico and Redding areas in which therapists have smaller caseloads, giving them the flexibility to spend more time with clients as needed - longer sessions, phone calls, client-centered advocacy. Creating a space in our community where clients can go between sessions to sit, linger, and re-center themselves when they're having difficult days. A place to belong while they heal their hearts and relationships. A therapy office that embodies the unconditional love of Christ, no matter what a person's gender identity, romantic disposition, or previous life hardships, experiences, or actions might have been. To be a safe place.

Inspired Life Counseling
Inspired Life Counseling is owned and directed by Jessica Darling, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist #104464.
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YOUR CART

How to Add More Laughs to Your Day (Even When Life Is a Hot Mess)

Common Mistakes in Love: When Your First Big Relationship Happens in Your Thirties or Forties

Overly Dependent: When Your Partner Feels Like Oxygen (But You're Gasping)

Getting Through Your First Christmas After Losing Someone You Love

Why Eye Rolling Is Killing Your Relationship (And 5 Ways to Stop It)

Waiting for the Right Fit

Walking Alone

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