Amber Tindell MS, LPC

Feeling honored to be nominated as “best mental health provider” by my community’s mamas! OKC I love you and have loved serving you over the past years! If you have a moment, go in and vote sunrise wellness (my practice) to seal the deal! Voting ends March 3rd! https://forms.monday.com/forms/17bc2ca33856e63e6b178debebcdf22e?r=use1

Fun fact: In my years of therapy thus far, I would note that more often than not (an overwhelmingly large amount honestly) of mental health symptoms are actually wounds from childhood. Yes, there are absolutely symptoms that originate from traumas in later life, difficult relationships, etc… but even then. Often times  even in those situations, they impacted us the way they did because they reiterated or opened back up a child wound that was likely treated with a band aid and not effectively healed, etc…
 
As adults, our brains are developed and *fairly* stagnant. Our brain isn’t developing further at least… Our brain is mailable and flexible and wired to heal so no worries, we can still rewire. The reason I discuss and note childhood so often is because SINCE our brains were developing then… (not now) those interactions and experiences (the ones we remember or not) absolutely shaped who we are today. Our personality and brain continues to change throughout life transitions (University, marriage, children) but that foundation is formed in the developmental years.
 
Since therapy is  A TON of healing inner child wounds… I wanted to discuss some ways to reparent yourselves. Yes, you can reparent yourself… but you have to treat it as you would a delicate child.. Because there is a child still within you.
 
Have you ever had an emotional response that was big or overwhelming in comparison to the situation? Say hi, that was your inner child. The concept of reparenting ourselves involves greeting this inner child with compassion, welcoming them,  and then providing your inner child what it needed before and didn’t receive.
 
This reparenting technique takes a conscious effort and looks like “talking back” to your thoughts. Here are some common themes and ways to reparent the self.

Today, I am choosing gratitude. I feel as if we often neglect the emotional experience of gratitude in our day to day. Acts of gratitude are often expected or reciprocal in nature, which results in us not being as accepting and mindful of them. There is a ton of research that correlate people who practice gratitude and experience more positive emotions, getting better sleep, tend to express more compassion/kindness, and even having stronger immune systems!
 
If you are anything like me, this information is fun and exciting. I will go and listen to a few gratitude podcasts and I might write in my journal and “practice gratitude” for like, three days max. Then I get bored, forget, and all the steam has sizzled. (I’m human too and burn out and boredom are all too real.)
 
So here are some fun ways in which I integrate gratitude into my daily life so that I actually stick to it.
 
I get creative. I have a list of things that I literally have as being off limits. As in, I can’t be “just grateful for my family or job.” I force myself to identify what aspects of acts, etc that I am thankful for. Even if it is just pie or a candy bar. I don’t practice gratitude because I have to and it’s routine. We make it fun.
 
Bring other people in to your gratitude practice. Be social about it! Let your tribe and supports know that you are thankful for them. Write gratitude letters, gain a pen pal, give high fives and shout outs!
 
Back on the creative kick. Everyone assumes we are talking about journaling. But mix it up and be creative. You could make a gratitude jar! Ever moment you experience notable gratitude, you write it on a piece of paper and put it in the jar. Save the jar for New Years Eve and read them all or another special holiday! Social Media posts are another great option. Let your creative colors flare!
 
Take it seriously! You will sustain and experience longer positive effects if you believe in the process. Gratitude tends to grace you more when you are looking for it.
 
I hope you have an awesome week and I look forward to hearing about your moment of gratitude this week.

🎶 What is this feeling? 🎶 AND how do we ACTUALLY “feel our feelings.” If you have been in therapy with me you KNOW I tell you to feel your feelings… ALOT. But how do we actually do that?

The iconic song from Wicked isn’t just about Glinda and Elphaba’s rivalry—it’s also a reminder of how powerful it is to name and feel our emotions. Whether it’s “loathing” or love, anger or joy, acknowledging what we’re feeling is the first step toward understanding and processing it.

Here are the steps I teach to break down “feeling the feelings” (hint, it’s in the song 😉)

1️⃣ Pause and Notice: Take a moment to stop and check in with yourself. What sensations are you experiencing in your body?

2️⃣ Name It: Put your emotions into words. Are you feeling sadness, frustration, excitement, or something else?

3️⃣ Allow It: Resist the urge to push it away or judge it. Remind yourself that all feelings are valid and temporary.

4️⃣ Express It: Journaling, talking to someone you trust, or even listening to music can help you process the emotion.

5️⃣ Let It Move: Emotions are energy in motion. Let yourself cry, laugh, or shake it off as your body releases the feeling.

Remember: Feeling your feelings doesn’t mean you’re stuck with them—it means you’re giving yourself permission to heal.

✨ What helps you make space for your emotions? Share below!

🧠✨ **What is EMDR?**

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a powerful therapy designed to help people heal from trauma and distressing life experiences. Unlike traditional talk therapy, EMDR focuses on using bilateral stimulation (such as guided eye movements) to help reprocess painful memories and emotions.

🔄 **How It Works:**
By accessing and reprocessing traumatic memories, EMDR helps the brain resume its natural healing process. It’s especially helpful for those dealing with PTSD, anxiety, and other emotional challenges.

💪 **Why It Matters:**
Many people find rapid relief from long-standing issues, often in fewer sessions than other therapies. EMDR can help you reclaim your life, break free from past pain, and move forward with greater peace and resilience.

Have you heard of EMDR before or experienced its benefits? Share your thoughts below! ⬇️

One way to increase your overall mental health is to engage in a emotional brain dump. Sometimes, we have this need to control a reaction to unpleasant feelings. Emotions are a difficult thing to try and regulate or even understand. In these moments we crave a sense of certainty because we don’t want bad feelings to take over. However, unprocessed and suppressed emotions do not help us to feel a sense of contentment. It actually does the complete opposite and results in us feeling more stressed, increased anxieties, and decreases ability to regulate them. One way we can process emotions is to write it all down and do a “mental dump” of what you’re thinking or feeling. When you are doing this, I’m not referencing a neat, beautiful bullet journal type of writing.. I’m more so suggesting a brainstorm type of quick, stream of consciousness type of writing. You will notice throughout this exercise that you start with short words, feelings, etc and then it will end with more thorough sentences (this is showing you are processing). This in itself is quite therapeutic and cathartic.
 
However, if you want to add some fun science to it here is an intervention I use with little kids (but low key it works so well I wish all my adult clients would do it too).. I call it 4 squares. And you take a piece of paper and fold it so that it results in four squares when you unfold it back out. Now.. Write down the feelings or thoughts/draw in the top left quadrant.. Then scribble it out… now do it again in the top right quadrant… scribble it out.. And keep going until you’ve done all 4. Likely, you will notice that your thoughts, feelings, or drawings of experiences changed as you traveled through the four quadrants. The scribbling is a way to implement “bilateral stimulation” which actually allows us to regulate, as well as tap into subconscious beliefs and rework them.

Have you ever heard of “flow” in reference to a psychological state? If you have ever been jamming to Lizzo on the peloton and each foot is perfectly on beat, and you are screaming the lyrics, and so in sync with… everything.. That’s flow.
 
That was also my experience this morning on the peloton so there is that. Lol. Flow is that moment that you are doing something that you really love. You are mindful, engaged and fully immersed in whatever activity you are completing and all the time in the world just passes you by, again.. This is flow. We experience uber amounts of energy, creativity, and happiness when we reach this state. So may call this “being in the zone.”
 
My favorite definition is that of Csikzentmihalyi and Csikzentmilhayli “ The holistic sensation that people feel when they act with total involvement. (1988).
 
There are a few key factors that must be present in order for flow to be induced and some of these look like: clear goals, yet challenging, you must be “doing” something, concentration, control, an ability to let self consciousness flow (I had to move my full body mirror for this and that is okay!), and unambiguous feedback helps!
 
Csikzentmihalyi (1988) has an awesome chart of what flow looks like on a x/y axis with challenging level versus skill level, I recommend doing a quick google search for this!
 
This is an easy algorithm to create positive emotions. Significant research has shown that entering a flow state results in positive affect and experiences.

Never pictured on the screen: The other sweetest co-worker,Milo. Too big to sit on momma therapists’ pregnant lap. So he gets a designated chair behind the screen. Will make telehealth appearances per request. 🐼

My favorite telehealth coworker. If you do telehealth with me, 9 times outta 10 you will also get your daily Pomeranian dose!

I’ve had to do ALL the things to ensure my mental health remains rounded with all this rain that we have gotten. For me, this looks like turning on all the lights in my house. Which goes against my no big light rule, but I’m trying to keep my nervous system alert! Bonus points if you DONT have LED in your house! Second, I allow myself rest if I need it and do not shame myself for it. (I slept 45 extra minutes today with my puppy). I’ve worked out every day. Even though I haven’t wanted too. I’ve upped my journaling to include some serious gratitude! And I’ve ate way more fruits and veggies! What works for you?!

New candle day in the office! Self love with a side or crystals for energetic healing!!