Dr. Lena Agree, JD, PsyD – Licensed Psychologist and AssociatesDr. Lena Agree, JD, PsyD – Licensed Psychologist and Associates

emotional resilience

Prioritizing Your Mental and Emotional Well-being: Essential Strategies and Expert Guidance

Prioritizing Your Mental and Emotional Well-being: Essential Strategies and Expert Guidance

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Mental and emotional well-being refers to the capacity to manage emotions, maintain meaningful relationships, and function effectively in daily life, and recent studies show these capacities are foundational for productivity, health, and fulfillment. This article explains why prioritizing mental and emotional health matters, how core pillars like emotional regulation, self-care, and resilience work together, and which practical strategies produce measurable improvements in mood, stress response, and interpersonal functioning. Many high-functioning professionals and parents feel persistent emotional strain despite good external functioning; evidence-based approaches such as mentalization, attachment-focused interventions, and structured self-care can reduce suffering and improve long-term outcomes. You will find clear definitions, step-by-step daily practices, comparisons of stress-reduction techniques, and guidance on when to seek professional care. The guide…

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The Difference Between Coping and Healing – and Why it Matters

The Difference Between Coping and Healing – and Why it Matters

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Many people come to therapy believing that if they can just cope better, they’ll feel better. But coping and healing are not the same. Coping helps you survive, but healing helps you change. Coping manages the symptoms of pain, while healing transforms the source of it. Both are valuable, but they function differently. In this post, we’ll explore the crucial difference between coping and healing, why it matters for your emotional growth, and how therapy can help you move beyond survival toward genuine, lasting well-being. What Is Coping? Coping strategies are the things we do to manage distress in the moment. They don’t necessarily change the root cause of our pain, but they make it more bearable and keep us afloat when…

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The Difference Between Sadness and Depression 

The Difference Between Sadness and Depression 

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Written by Lena Agree JD, PsyD If you are feeling down, how do you know if you are experiencing sadness vs. depression? Understanding the differences is important so that you know what help and support are needed to start feeling better. Dr. Lena Agree’s practice in Birmingham helps people handle these emotional experiences. Below, we’ll explain the difference between each reality so you can see if it’s time to find professional support.  What Are Sadness and Depression? Sadness is a basic human emotion, and everyone experiences it at different points in life. There’s usually a clear trigger, such as loss, disappointment, bad news, and other temporary stressors.   In these cases, sadness is often adaptive. It’s a sign that you’ve experienced a…

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