May in Mental Health Awareness Month, and during the month mental health advocates strive to shine light on the importance of mental health, provide support to those who are impacted, and break down the stigma around mental health.
Generalized anxiety disorder is a mental illness that affects almost 7 million adults in the US every year. The ways the disorder displays itself vary among individuals, but it is certainly an illness that can take control of your life if you allow it.
In this episode, I speak with Leslie Stevens-Tavera, a licensed clinical mental health counselor on generalized anxiety disorder. We chat about the differences between generalized anxiety disorder and feeling anxious, ways to manage the illness, and how to support loved ones who battle this illness.
Leslie Stevens-Tavera is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor, life strategist, spiritual coach, and writer. She is licensed to practice therapy in both North Carolina and Virginia. Leslie co-founded The Congruence Counseling Group PLLC, a private practice in Carrboro, NC, to help meet the growing mental health needs of individuals in her community. She is a believer, and trusts in the infinite and limitless possibilities of God’s love.
By nature, Leslie is an empathic, intuitive helper. She shows up in life ready to serve and willing to provide support. She is a direct impact person. The clients that she serves come away from their sessions feeling heard, validated, and supported. With that, they are able to make healthy changes that impact all spheres of life. She is also a motivating public speaker, equipped to inform and enlighten others on the benefits of good mental health practices. Her passion in life is to help people understand their own thoughts, feelings and patterns, and to promote the healing process through that work. She is skilled in dismantling faulty belief systems, reframing maladaptive thinking patterns, and processing human emotions.
Leslie is also on her own journey towards living with intention. She shares how she recognized her life was out of balance and talks about her new priority for rest and loving herself first.
Memorable Quotes:
15:10: “Create safe space for people who are struggling…Open one’s heart and mind to let someone have their experience…let them label it as they desire to…don’t project and try to change or fix. Give them space to work out whatever issues they may be having, and give them safe space to do that with you…or allow them to find safe spaces with someone who will support them.”
20:15 “We can’t move them any more than they’re willing to be moved and will move on their own. All you can do is be the light. Live in your own authenticity and truth. Even if we don’t reach that person, we can still model and be the light for someone else.”
27:30: “People have to be taught how to love themselves before they can be taught how to love somebody else…because the paradigm of loving somebody else first and loving yourself last doesn’t serve and doesn’t make for sustainability.”
31:45 “A mantra needs to be beneficial, believable, and true.”
Leslie’s mantra: “If it’s not born out of rest, I don’t want it.”
Connect with Leslie: www.lesliestevenslpc.com
https://www.congruencecounselinggroup.com/
www.instagram.com/counselingwithleslie
Mental Health Awareness Month resources: https://www.nami.org/Get-Involved/Awareness-Events/Mental-Health-Awareness-Month
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