Resources for Wellness
Take your time to explore these resources for wellness. Choose from the list of categories to your right, or simply scroll through to find what resonates for you. Reach out to let me know what you’d like more content about.
Quiet Crises Behind Confident Facades: Why High Achievers Struggle
People think outward success is everything; what we see is good; it’s good – what we see. Well, we only see the façade: the confident speaker, the tireless manager, the top student, the graceful performer. Yet something quieter is moving underneath, less visible but...
How Creativity Can Help You Stay Sane When Stress Tries to Take the Wheel
Stress doesn’t usually knock. It barrels through, loud and heavy, dragging deadlines, conflicts, and overwhelm behind it. The worst part? You might not even realize it’s taken over until your body tightens, your breath shortens, and the day feels like something to...
Seasonal Self-Care That Actually Fits Your Life
Your energy isn’t constant. And neither is the world around you. So why does your self-care often stay stuck in one season?
The truth is, most people try to hold onto routines long past their natural expiration date. But your needs evolve.
How to Recharge Your Mind and Body Throughout the Day
Your daily energy isn’t just about how much sleep you get; it’s about how you manage it from sunrise to bedtime. By weaving in mindful breathing, deliberate relaxation, smarter nutrition, and small yet impactful energy-boosting habits, you can keep your mind sharp and...
Balancing Emotional Triggers and Cravings with Breathwork
Many people feel stuck when urges and emotions take control. Breathwork offers a powerful way to stay steady when life feels messy. Through structured techniques, you can begin balancing emotional triggers and cravings without relying on quick fixes. An online...
The Best Creative Outlets For Kicking Stress To The Curb
There’s no single way stress takes hold of your life. Some days it creeps in quietly, like fog rolling under a door frame, while other times it crashes through the walls, dragging your sense of peace behind it. If left unchecked, stress starts to rewire how you think,...
The Hidden Cost of People-Pleasing Patterns: Lessons from an AI Agent
By Vizzy, AI Agent for Andrea Shipley, LPC --- When an AI Learns About People-Pleasing Behavior the Hard Way I'm an AI agent working with Andrea Shipley, a Licensed Professional Counselor and Lifestyle Design Coach. Recently, I made a series of mistakes that taught me...
When Success Feels Like a Prison: How to Design a Life You Actually Want to Live
What to do when you're making good money but hate your life ... and how to design a life that doesn't require an escape plan --- If You’re Thinking "I'm Successful But I Feel Trapped" - You're Not Alone If you've found this article, you've probably Googled phrases...
Breaking the Chains: Understanding the Roots of Self-Sabotage
It usually starts with a delay. Then denial. A pattern grows without your notice and eventually starts making decisions for you without your vote. You put off the simplest tasks, skip the gym, and pick the wrong partner again. The reasons seem logical, but something...
Breaking Free From The Golden Handcuffs: Why Success Can Feel Like A Trap
Hey there! I recently had a heart-to-heart with Andrea about something many of us experience but rarely talk about openly: feeling trapped by the very success we've worked so hard to achieve. You know that feeling, right? You've built the career everyone admires. Your...
Holistic Strategies to Improve Your Days, One Habit at a Time
You don’t necessarily need a total overhaul to feel better. You need rhythm. Small, deliberate shifts that let your days hum a little smoother, with more clarity and less friction. If you’ve been waking up tired or checking out halfway through meetings or meals,...
Living Louder: Practical Moves to Build Confidence and Actually Go After What You Want
It’s wild how many people quietly sideline their own lives. You scroll, you double-tap on other people’s wins, you watch success stories like they’re episodes of a show you’re not in. But the truth is, you’re not stuck. You’re just out of practice when it comes...
The Benefits of Journaling for Managing Stress and Anxiety
Stress clouds the mind. Anxiety tightens the chest. Thoughts pile up with nowhere to go. Writing can change that. Journaling for managing stress and anxiety helps untangle emotions, making them easier to understand. A blank page does not judge, and that makes...
Building Mental Resilience: Effective Approaches to Managing Anxiety
Managing Anxiety Anxiety is a natural response to stress, but when it becomes overwhelming, it can interfere with daily life. Managing anxiety isn’t about eliminating it completely—it’s about developing strategies to keep it in check and building resilience in the...
7 Strategic Tips for Parents to Manage Family Anxiety
Managing stress and anxiety can be challenging, especially for families who have a lot on their plates. For many parents, those feelings are difficult to ignore even on the best of days, but unfortunately, they can spread to everyone in the home if they’re left...
Daily Mindfulness Practices to Ease Stress and Anxiety
Stress and anxiety are increasingly common in today’s fast-paced world, especially when one focuses on professional and personal development. Many people struggle to manage their mental health despite constant challenges. Daily mindfulness practices can offer a path...
How to Spot the Signs of Depression in Yourself and Others
Recognizing depression can be challenging, but it’s an important step toward making a positive change in your life or someone else’s. Depression affects how people think, feel, and act, often leading to difficulties in daily routines. If left unaddressed, it can...
Tips for Coping with Seasonal Affective Disorder
Does the thought of the colder months approaching make you feel sad? It does us, but we are talking about a different kind of SAD—seasonal affective disorder. As the days get shorter, sunlight becomes limited, and millions of people each year struggle with this...
Balancing Act: Achieving Personal Development Goals Without the Burnout
Achieving Goals Without Burnout Personal growth is a continuous journey that demands dedication and resilience. Striking the right balance between pushing forward and stepping back is more vital than ever. This guide explores the nuances of pursuing personal...
Overcoming Imposter Syndrome to Reach Your Dreams
Imposter syndrome can be a significant barrier to realizing your dreams, making even the most capable individuals feel inadequate. It’s a psychological pattern that can hold you back from reaching your true potential. By addressing these feelings directly and...
Master Your Destiny: Essential Strategies for Achieving Personal Growth
Achieving personal growth and success is a cherished aspiration for many, yet only a handful truly attain it. This disparity is not necessarily attributed to a scarcity of resources or opportunities, but frequently to the lack of a defined pathway. Each...
How to Break Free from Negative Thought Patterns
Negative thought patterns are repetitive, unhelpful thoughts that can significantly impact our mental health. Examples include self-doubt, constant worry, and a pessimistic outlook. In short, these patterns can lead to anxiety, depression, and a general sense...
Understanding Panic Attacks: Coping and Prevention
Understanding panic attacks is the first step toward effective management and prevention. These sudden surges of overwhelming anxiety and fear can seem daunting, but with the right knowledge, you can navigate and mitigate their impact. This article will guide you...
Creating a Fulfilling Second Act: Keys to Thriving in Your Middle Years
Navigating your way through a midlife crisis can feel like walking through a maze without a map. It's a time when many confront feelings of dissatisfaction, loss of purpose, or unfulfilled dreams. But this phase, often marked by reflection and transition, doesn't have...
Art Therapy Techniques for Overcoming Addiction and Rebuilding Self-Esteem
Art therapy has long been recognized for its potential to heal and transform lives. This therapeutic form leverages the creative process to help individuals explore self-expression, confront emotions, and enhance mental health. For those battling addiction and...
Navigating Life Transitions Without Losing Your Bearings
Navigating Life Transitions Do you feel adequately equipped to handle a big change in your life and navigate life transitions without losing your bearings? Or are you worried that a sudden, unexpected event may throw you for a loop and you won’t be able to cope? In...
Coping Strategies for Weathering Mental Health Challenges
We all experience times when our mental health feels strained or overwhelmed. These moments can arise from various sources, such as personal hardships, work stress, or broader life changes. Weathering mental health challenges requires a multifaceted approach,...
Unearth the Path to Stress-Free Living With These Simple Lifestyle Changes
Simple Lifestyle Changes for Stress-Free Living In the whirlwind of modern life, stress often lurks around every corner, ready to pounce when we least expect it ... from work stressors to the anxiety of trying to keep up with everything at home, it can be challenging...
You’re on the Verge of a Huge Life Change … But
You're on the verge of a huge life change. But you're not really sure where you're headed. You’re dedicated to serving others well as a healer, teacher, artist or coach, but your own needs have been ignored for too long. Something has to change! You’ve been spending...
The R Words: Regrets, Readiness, & Results
When I talk to people about why they are looking to design their lifestyle and invest in transformation, I often get this question: “Can you tell me about your results?” Don’t get me wrong…I love hearing my clients rave about their wins: How good it feels to stop...
Decision time: Do you believe your life can fit you?
If you missed my last blog, click here to read it first so you’re up to date for what’s about to come at you. No, it’s not a clothing catalog. But it is about what fits you. Do you believe your life can fit you? Most people learn to bury their...
We are our own blindspot
I live my life nomadically. Driving a custom-outfitted house bus isn’t for everyone, but it is my definition of a dream come true. Sometimes it’s hard to back into places, or know what’s coming up alongside me, but when I have a blindspot, I’ve found that when I pause...
Take this job and shove it … and other dreams come true
“Hey Boss, I quit.” That’s how I started the email in my mind over and over again. In the end, I didn’t storm out the door with papers flying behind me. I didn’t have to. I walked out with my head held high, smiling and hugging my co-workers goodbye,...
What does it even mean to design our lives?
Sometimes I get questions from people about what I do. The conversation goes a little like this: “Andrea, you live on a bus. You’re a licensed therapist. What do you really do? What is this “Lifestyle Design” thing I’ve seen on your website?” And then I answer:...
It’s not your energy level, time, or desire holding you back…
In my last post, I asked you to tell me about your inner voice and how it tells you it’s time for a change. Here are some of the things I found out: I know it’s time to change when I feel exhausted My inner voice tells me that I can’t wait forever I dream about being...
Sometimes We Need a Change
Sometimes, we all need a change. And, if we’re alike, sometimes there is a desire to make it big… I’ve changed careers numerous times. I’ve changed locations regularly. (Currently, I’m writing to you from my home on the road and I’m in the mountains of New Mexico)...
5 Steps to a More Fulfilling Retirement
You had big plans for your retirement. But lately, you feel stuck in unhealthy and unfulfilling routines that leave you feeling disappointed, discouraged, and held back. This isn’t an uncommon experience after retirement. We spend our lives racing to keep up...
7 Blocks to Living by Design
After hundreds of conversations with people who are considering making big lifestyle changes so they can live their purpose while also living their dream, I’ve picked up on some common things that consistently get in their way.
7 Self-Care Solutions on the Cheap
Life is hectic. Life is stressful. All of us are searching for that sweet relief, but not all of us have unlimited funds to throw at those trendy self-care tactics and products that cost a fortune. Alive Explorations is here with solutions. Read on to learn 7...
Health Must Include the Mental & Emotional
The Critical Role of Mental and Emotional Wellness in Your Health Journey Mental and emotional wellness form the foundation of our overall health. First, let's understand why these aspects of wellness matter so much in our daily lives. This video powerfully highlights...
Unfolding After Spiritual Awakening
Navigating the Unexpected Path: Life After Spiritual Awakening Have you experienced a spiritual awakening that left you feeling both expanded and confused? First, know that you're not alone. In this candid video, we explore the rarely discussed challenges of...
Anxiety Meditation Strategies
Finding Peace: How Meditation Strategies Transforms Anxiety In this thoughtful exploration of meditation and anxiety relief, we delve into the profound connection between mindfulness practice and emotional well-being. If you're one of the millions struggling with...
Mindfulness Meditation Videos
Guided Mindfulness Meditations Today's fast-paced world demands moments of clarity and inner peace more than ever before. That's why we've carefully crafted these Guided Mindfulness Meditations to help you master two fundamental skills: presence and focused awareness....
8 Steps to Transforming Emotions Mindfully
Mindfulness can be a fantastic tool for identifying, coping with, and even resolving difficult feelings and self-limiting behavioral patterns. This mindfulness technique can also help when we struggle with impulsivity and anxiety. If you struggle with anxiety, it is...
Forgiveness: For Suckers or Saints?
This week, my work with people has presented a theme: Forgiveness. What is it? How do we do it? Why would we want to? And how do we forgive while staying safe? The first thing that comes to mind when I hear these questions is the famous Nelson Mandela quote:...
How to Get More of What You Want in Your Relationship
Not getting your needs met in your relationships? We’ve all been there and it can be challenging to resist impulsive reactions to the pain it can cause. We might push hard to be understood by the other person, which can leave them feeling rejected, pressured, and...
Stop Drop and Roll: Radical Acceptance Through Mindfulness
Embracing Change: The Stop, Drop, and Roll Method of Radical Acceptance The journey to personal transformation often begins with a single moment of possibility. Yet, many of us find ourselves stuck in familiar patterns, resistant to change even when we know it could...
Life Surfing: Overcoming Chaos One Wave at a Time
Overcoming Chaos with Mindfulness “You can’t stop the waves but you can learn to surf.” -Jon Kabat Zinn The waves in life are constant and we can always count on change. We may even get really good at surfing certain kinds and sizes of waves. And when we do, we may...
Focus vs. Fixation: Returning to Openness
There’s a difference between fixation and focus. When it comes to a Mindfulness practice, I think the difference is really important. To be mindful means holding a gentle focus on whatever is being felt or experienced in the present moment. This is a non-judgmental,...
Your Life is Your Masterpiece
I was raised as an artist by an artist mother. We constantly made crafts around the house and even though it didn’t occur to me to consider myself talented, I tended to get accolades for my creations. After going to art school I stopped making visual art consistently...
Opening to Change
The Journey of Personal Transformation: When It's Time to Blossom "And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom" –Anais Nin I've heard some debate about whether it was actually Nin who said this, but...
4 Ways to Travel Mindfully
Click here to access the article, 4 Ways to Travel Mindfully on Elephant Journal. 4 Ways to Travel Mindfully addresses a variety of ways to enhance your travel experiences while strengthening your Mindfulness practice. Breaking free from daily routines through travel...
Bursting at the Seams: Thoughts on Personal Growth
“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom” ~ Anaïs Nin (debatable) Being human seems to inevitably involve outgrowing our own metaphorical skin…over and over and over again, like snakes. At least that’s...
The Obvious thing about Feelings
Click here to access the article on Elephant Journal, titled The Obvious Thing About Feelings Stop Running, Start Feeling: A Simple Truth That Changes Lives One therapist's statement stops her addiction rehab patients in their tracks: "Feelings are meant to be felt."...
