Ana E. Baratta, PhD., LPC

As a mental health professional, I am constantly reminded of the importance of self-care in being an effective therapist but also in finding balance among my personal responsibilities as a mom, wife, and daughter. Many people use the term "self-care" very loosely and think that self-care is just a matter of scheduling some activities during your free time in order to have fun or to find some peace. However, self-care is more than that, it entails being aware of what kind of activities or behaviors help you to get energized on a daily basis. Self-care could include one or more of the following areas: physical, cognitive, spiritual and emotional. The key of effective self-care is knowing what works for you and being intentional about how you plan those activities based on your personal life experiences. What do I mean by this? Basically, what works for you during most of the weeks may not be effective when you are having a stressful week, or when you are going through a ...

This picture is from a memorial dedicated to all children regardless of their age. It states: My Precious Innocence You are part of me and will live in my heart forever I will always remember you For many people who have experienced one or multiple miscarriages, the sentiments expressed in this memorial are real. Grieving by itself is a very complex process which is not easy to explain to someone who has not experienced it. In the case of grieving after a miscarriage, it really gets more complicated. There are multiple reasons for such a struggle and it is important that if you have experienced an early pregnancy loss to be gentle with yourself and know that what you are going through is normal. Some of the challenges that women and couples who experience early pregnancy loss face are the following: Dealing with disfranchised grief. This term could be intimidating but simply it means sometimes miscarriage is not considered by some people (health professionals, friends, fam...