Category: Mindfulness

7/21/2025 0 Comments

Changing Your Body Image After Weight Loss: Building Lasting Confidence

Changing your body image after significant weight loss is one of those topics that sounds like it should be simple – you lost weight, you should feel great, right? But if you're reading this, you already know it's not that straightforward. The relationship between your physical transformation and how you see yourself in the mirror is complex, often surprising, and sometimes downright confusing.

As a therapist, I've worked with many clients who've achieved their weight loss goals only to discover that their mental image hasn't caught up with their physical reality. You're not broken if this resonates with you. You're human, navigating a very real psychological process that deserves compassion and understanding.

The Mind-Body Disconnect is Real

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6/23/2025 0 Comments

Micro-Moments for Self-Care: Bite-Sized Calming Practices Teens Can Actually Use

Let's be real - telling a stressed teen to meditate for 30 minutes or do an hour of yoga isn't exactly realistic. Between homework, social drama, extracurriculars, and that constant buzz of anxiety many teens carry, finding chunks of time for self-care can feel impossible. But here's the thing: you don't need hours to take care of yourself. Sometimes, all you need is a moment.

Micro-moments are brief, intentional pauses throughout your day: ranging from just a few seconds to a few minutes: where you deliberately stop and care for yourself. They're designed to fit seamlessly into even the most chaotic schedules, making them perfect for teens juggling a million different things.

Why Your Teen Brain Loves Micro-Moments

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7/13/2023 0 Comments

How to: Healthy Mental Health

by Marti Tourville, AMFT

Today, I want to dive deep into a topic that lies at the very core of our being: mental health. It's a
subject close to my heart, and I firmly believe that nurturing our mental well-being is vital for leading a wholehearted and authentic life.

In a world that often values productivity over self-care, we must recognize the intrinsic worth of our mental health. Just as we prioritize physical health, it's equally essential to devote time and energy to our emotional and psychological well-being. Let's explore why embracing our mental health is so crucial:

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6/19/2023 0 Comments

Values: Our Life Compass

Picture of compass for life and values therapy

By Joe Acciaioli, LCSW

In his book Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life, Steven Hayes compares our values to a life “compass.” Values go beyond goals, because they are more deeply held, and we are never “done” with them. If one of my values is to be loving, that is different than the goal of finding a partner and possibly getting married. Presumably, once I find that partner, or even if I break up with that partner, I will continue to have the value of being loving.

Especially during these challenging times, I find myself talking to my clients about their values, and the importance of living a values-based life. How do we not lose hope in a time of crisis, a time when we see so much suffering in the world? I believe the answer has a lot to do with living our values day-by-day.

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1/9/2023 0 Comments

Hunger, Nutrition, and Mental Health

by Jennifer Barzey, LCSW

Despite having studied nutrition and having developed an understanding of the impact that food can have on our physical and mental health, I still love chocolate. After a stressful experience or difficult day, I still sometimes find myself more enticed by chips or sweets. There are many reasons for this. I grew up associating food with both a way to feel better when sad and a way to celebrate when happy. Turning down food prepared for me was rude and having more was seen as a compliment to the chef. When I didn’t yet have the skills needed to cope with my feelings, food was there.

Our relationship with food can be quite complicated!

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12/12/2022 0 Comments

How To Let It Be: Even the “Bad” Stuff.

By Joe Acciaioli, LCSW

Mindfulness vs. Worry: How to let it be... even the “bad” stuff.

A good short definition of mindfulness is: nonjudgmental noticing of our thoughts, feelings, and
body sensations in this present moment. When I share this definition with my clients, the word
they almost always get hung up on is “nonjudgmental.” How on earth are we supposed to not
judge as BAD the challenges we face? “My spouse is really sick.” “I let my child down again.”
“That plumbing repair is going to be expensive.” These are not pleasant thoughts. We do not
want them. And this is where the work of mindfulness comes into play. To say to yourself, in
those tough moments, “I can just let this thought be as it is, without judgment”--that is not easy
to do!

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12/5/2022 0 Comments

Boost Your Confidence in One Easy Mindshift

By Dan Katz, LCSW

So, what are you going to do............
Get up and get some exercise, or grab the remote and head for the couch?

We've all asked ourselves this question lots of times. If you're one of the people that usually gets up and gets going, that's great for your physical health, as well as for your mental health. If you're one of the people that too often chooses the couch, I've got some interesting information for you.

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(530) 809-1702

[email protected]

Locations:

1025 Village Lane, Chico CA 95926

1610 West Street, Ste 4, Redding CA 96001

Inspired Life Counseling is NOT a crisis center and is not equipped with the necessary tools to help in an emergency. Please click below for more information if you or your loved one is in crisis: Crisis Information.

Crisis Information

By texting Inspired Life Counseling at ( 530) 809-1702, you agree to receive conversations (external) messages from Inspired Life Counseling. We are NOT a crisis response. If you are in a mental health crisis or feel you are a danger to yourself or someone else, please contact 911. If you would like to no longer receive SMS correspondence Reply STOP to opt-out; Reply HELP for support; Message & data rates may apply; Messaging frequency may vary. Visit https://www.inspiredlifechico.com/contact to see our privacy policy and our Terms of Service.

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.
Office Hours: By Appointment Contact us!

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Changing Your Body Image After Weight Loss: Building Lasting Confidence

Micro-Moments for Self-Care: Bite-Sized Calming Practices Teens Can Actually Use

How to: Healthy Mental Health

Values: Our Life Compass

Hunger, Nutrition, and Mental Health

How To Let It Be: Even the “Bad” Stuff.

Boost Your Confidence in One Easy Mindshift

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