Author: Dr. Diane Sanford

Psychologist Dr. Diane Sanford has been passionate about helping women improve their health and lead happier lives since counseling her first postpartum mom 25 years ago. She has re-focused her efforts on mind/body health, which is a part of greater Self-Care.

Stress less live better: how covid changed life forever

Posted on by Dr. Diane Sanford in Self-Care

Even before COVID, many people felt challenged and unable to cope with the ups and downs of daily life. The incidence of mental health conditions among children and teens, adults and the elderly were rising. There was more political, economic and social conflict and disparity. The differences between people had begun to matter more than what we had in common and there was a general feeling of tension and dis-ease.

Then COVID happened and all the dis-stress that was steadily growing, exploded. Life was uncertain. No one felt safe. Hope for the future? What future. While this may seem overly dramatic, the results of 3 years of chronic intense stress have affected all of us. The number of people reporting anxiety, depression and other stress-intensified health conditions has grown significantly. There have been global shortages of medical and mental health providers.

During COVID, teachers suffered from not being able to deliver optimal learning experiences and greater numbers of students fell behind. Neighborhoods became less safe and the incidence of violence more widespread. Our political and economic system became more broken. Disparities between social groups continued increasing. The “what’s in it for me” approach to life seemed to take over. “Working towards the common good” seemed had become a thing of the past.

Okay. Enough. So, what can I do? I’m JUST one person and this is way out of my league. Talking about this just makes me feel more stressed and depressed!!! The solution is simple but not easy. Like Ghandi said, “Become the change you want to see in the world.” Learn to stress less and live better in your own life and you will help create a calmer and more peaceful world. Babysteps, persistent practice and lots of experimenting will help you learn what works for you and lead to change. Remember, life is a marathon NOT a sprint.

That’s what my friends and I will be talking about online and in our new podcast for the rest of 2023. Our podcast will provide tools and tips to deal with life’s ups and downs that we all need now more than ever Besides each of us sharing what’s worked in our own lives personally and professionally, we’ll answer your questions and concerns with our combined experience and expertise of 100+ years as health professionals.

We will  also provide support for women of all ages and stages of life by having you share your stories and life lessons with us. Rafiki the wise guru monkey in the Lion King said, “Sometimes life hurts and we can either learn from it or run from it.” Join us as we become wiser and stronger together.

Mindfully Yours

Posted on by Dr. Diane Sanford in Self-Care

Today when I woke up, I felt sad that the holidays and winter vacation were over. A common feeling for many of us this time of year. Then I spoke to my boyfriend who suggested how I could stop myself from feeling bad. Fair enough. When you love someone, you don’t want to watch your loved ones feel and stay sad. As an overthinker, I would be the first to admit that dwelling on negative feelings is a treasured habit which I work effortfully to keep in check. LOL.

Fortunately, it didn’t last long. Can you guess what happened? First, I spoke to a friend who reminded me that each day is a gift without even knowing what I was going through. Then a counseling client came in and described a “light bulb” moment she’d had after she experienced some recent losses and intentionally decided not to get carried away with feeling bad. The universe moves in mysterious ways indeed.

The takeaway: Experience is always changing. Moments of positive, negative, and neutral feelings, thoughts and sensations, are just that. Moments. Until some other experience comes along and we feel differently. I am not talking about clinical depression or anxiety which are health conditions that require treatment. This week notice what’s on your mind and how it affects how you feel physically and emotionally. To help you with this, listen to my mindfulness exercise on “noticing.”

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

Namaste.

If Not Now, When?

Posted on by Dr. Diane Sanford in how to stress less, Mind/Body Health, Mindfulness, stress reduction

Whenever my clients tell me that after they started feeling better, suddenly they feel worse, I ask them if they’ve been practicing their healthier lifestyle habits including self-care and stress reduction which were helping them feel better. Usually, they say “No.” Most of them tell me they thought they didn’t need to practice any longer because they felt better and just expected it to last without committing themselves to making these changes part of their life. They are truly shocked when they learn that routinely practicing self-care and stress reduction is key to feeling good. But…it is.

Well, this past week, I decided to disregard my own good advice about self-care and managing stress wisely. You’d think after 35 years of advising clients to ABSOLUTELY NOT stop practicing their stress reducing skills once they began feeling good, I’d know better. Wrong!!! When I realized I’d fallen back into my lifelong habit of overdoing and not taking enough time to rest and recharge, I knew it was time to make a different choice. Einstein said, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome.”

I reminded myself that if I wanted to keep feeling better, I needed to slow down, rest more and push myself less. After all, I’m still recovering from my temporary hearing loss but as human beings we are creatures of habit and old habits die hard. But, we can learn new habits that support our health and well-being if we choose to. Over time, these healthier choices can become our way of responding rather than our old unhealthy ones. With attention, effort and practice, change is possible. If not now, when

Here’s some podcasts and YouTube videos of exercises to help get you started: https://drdianesanford.com/media/podcasts/ https://drdianesanford.com/media/youtube/

Thankfully Yours

Posted on by Dr. Diane Sanford in Self-Care

I can’t tell you how much it’s been a comfort to me that so many of you reached out after my post 2 weeks ago with words of encouragement and love. You inspired me to remember how to keep from getting stuck in the pit of despair and reminded me of my own words and resilience. For this, I am immeasurably grateful.

So, I’ve decided to share some of my secret sauce for de-stressing that’s not mentioned in any of my books…watching animated Disney movies. They help distract me and for at least a while, and my anxiety subsides as I am transported into these heartwarming stories. A couple I’ve watched more than once lately are Encanto and Turning Red. Both are coming of age stories about remarkable pre-teen/tween girls who become fully themselves in spite of each of their family’s well-meaning intentions to protect them from harm and rejection. Enough said.

After living in a world of silence for about a week and feeling like one of these girls on their hero’s journey, my hearing started coming back and now I’ve regained most of my hearing. Soon, I expect to be fully recovered. A fortunate outcome indeed.

To all of you who have supported me on this journey, I would like to thank you with this Celtic poem (which is in one of my books):

May the road rise up to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back,
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
May the rain fall soft upon your fields,
And until we meet again may God hold you in the palm of his hand.

Taking a Leap of Faith

Posted on by Dr. Diane Sanford in Self-Care

Hello Followers!

One of my favorite sayings is “Man plans and God laughs.” Except when it happens to me. Like right now. The timing isn’t lost on me though. We’re already in the season of reflection and new beginnings with Easter, Passover and Spring. Time for the new little buds to come up from underground and stretch their delicate tendrils towards the sky. Instead, mine were plowed down, reminding me of how often I had to pull the weeds last year.

Back story: In 2009 I lost my hearing in my right ear to a “benign” tumor, which was successfully removed in 2014. Then I used to joke about being a psychologist who could only hear with one ear–which honestly works pretty well. Then last Sunday, I noticed I was having trouble hearing with the good one which sent me into a tailspin (from which I am still recovering) but coping much better than I thought and I want to share with you why.

Coping or Collapsing: I know it’s hard to believe you have choice in what happens next and that’s the lesson for today. Monday after seeing my doctor, I fell apart and decided I was doomed. I would never hear again. That’s how sneaky our auto-pilot is. Those reoccurring catastrophic thoughts that become so unruly and convincing especially under severe and prolonged stress (think COVID). However, because they feel strong, a nuclear bomb of automatic negative thoughts, we surrender our rational mind to our emotional, stress-ridden, fear mongering brain. The good news is you can do something about it.

What I’m doing: So I got out my light saber and prepared to do battle, knowing that distracting myself is the only mindfulness skill that works for me in an emergency. I cleaned my bedroom closet, my six-drawer dresser, decluttered boxes of stuff and re-organized and decluttered 4 bookcases. It helps that I’m on Prednisone 60mg to sustain my manic fervor. A while later I started feeling calmer. I controlled what I could and let go of what I couldn’t. I took the rest of the week off and made plans to see family and friends which comforts me. I did some yoga, took a lavender and lemon scented bath and washed and blowdried my hair because it’s stress-relieving I can still here that sound. Mostly I’m hanging in there and keeping my head above water. 

Visit drdianesanford.com for resources and guided instructions on what you can do to keep from falling  into the pit of despair. Together, we can learn to Stress Less and Live Better.

And in the meantime…read Rachel Sanford, LCSW’s bio here and check out her blog post from last month here. Rachel is following in my footsteps and started practicing with me in January 2022 after obtaining her license in clinical social work in June 2021. She has the rare quality of being a bright and technically skilled therapist who is empathetic, intuitive, caring, respectful and compassionate. She is truly an “old soul” and I am her very proud mom! 

Wishing you a happy Passover, Easter, Ramadan or other holidays you might be celebrating this Spring!

Rachel is Accepting new Clients

Posted on by Dr. Diane Sanford in Self-Care

Hi followers!

Rachel Sanford here. Sanford 2.0, the younger Sanford, or just Rachel—whichever you prefer.

I’ve always been interested in psychology and mental health—not just because my mother is a wonderful psychologist—but because I’ve struggled with mental health since as early as I can remember. As a child, I noticed that I was different from my peers at school and dealt with anxiety and depression, I just didn’t know what to call them yet.

In undergrad I both started studying psychology, as well as finally starting to seriously address  and talk about my own mental health. I told my primary care doctor that I was feeling down, and she asked me to define how long (which I knew she was doing to get an idea of my diagnosis) and I told her the last couple years, although I knew it was much longer than that. 

I started on Zoloft and was taking it late in the evening but it messed with my sleep for a long time. Everyone is different and some of my friends do fine with taking it in the evening, but it turns out that if it’s keeping you up late you probably need to take it in the morning. I learned that years later after finally seeing a psychiatrist. It didn’t do me any favors that during most of my 20s I used alcohol to cope with stress in addition to trying to figure out my medication and other behaviors that would support my journey to improve my mental health. 

I took a couple years off after graduating with my Bachelor’s in Psychology and worked on eating disorder research—a disorder that is also part of my story. Dealing with my own mental health issues has included issues with having a positive body image, my relationship with food, and using exercise in moderation.

I have dealt with anxiety around social situations and public speaking and am now in a professional role where I do public speaking engagements monthly, recruit new partner organizations through meeting new people, and force myself to go outside of my comfort zone all the time. I believe that with support including therapy, practice dealing with uncomfortable situations and medication, people with mental health conditions can live normal lives and do things they tell themselves that they can’t.

After completing my Master’s in Social Work and becoming an LCSW, I’ve been able to start working with clients, which is what I’ve always wanted to do. I want to help people effectively deal with their mental health issues as logically and simply as they deal with physical health issues. I may not understand exactly what you’re going through, but I will do my best to listen and give you advice on how to best deal with your mental health so you can live and enjoy your life and get back to doing everything you want to do.

I’m currently accepting new clients, so please feel free to contact me at rachelsanford73@gmail.com or (314) 326-8677 to set up an initial session. My rates are listed on our website under my tab, and you can also find more information on my educational and professional background here. www.drdianesanford.com/rachel-sanford/

This is my assistant. She has no thumbs and a very limited attention span, so if there’s a delay in my response you know why.

Time to Celebrate: Introducing Rachel Sanford, MSW, LCSW

Posted on by Dr. Diane Sanford in Self-Care

Hello!

I am so excited to share this wonderful news with you!

My daughter, Rachel Sanford, will be joining my practice in January. Rachel completed her
Master’s in Social Work in 2018 and her licensure as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in June of this year.

Check out Rachel’s bio and more here.


We wish you and your families a happy and healthy holiday season, and we look forward to
working with you in the New Year!

With Warm Regards,
Dr. Diane Sanford (and Daughter)

October happenings

Posted on by Dr. Diane Sanford in Self-Care

It’s Fall: Time to Reflect and Reconnect

For many years, fall has been a contemplative time for me. The leaves on the trees are turning and the days are growing shorter. We celebrate holidays including Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, the start of the Jewish New Year; fall equinox which marks the end of the growing season and beginning of when the land becomes barren; and this year, we commemorated the 20th anniversary in the US of 9/11. It’s a good time to ask: “What has my life been this past year and what do I want it to become in the year ahead? What seeds of intention can I plant now that may blossom in the spring?”

To help you cope with this season of change, I’ll be posting the next few months about what you can do within yourself and in your life to make things go more smoothly. With COVID, the election and multiple stresses affecting all of us, it’s been a bumpy time already and our reserves for handling life’s ups and downs have become quite low. In the Jewish tradition of Tikkun Olam, let’s practice healing ourselves and our world by reflecting and reconnecting inside and out.

Namaste, Dr. Diane Sanford

Here are some resources and links to help you get started!

Stress Less, Live Better on Amazon and Audible
Introduction to Mindfulness Podcast

And here’s a funny video from Juggling the Jenkins in case you need a good laugh to lighten your mood.

If you’re interested in learning more about Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders, register for my upcoming virtual lecture for the Brown School. 

This workshop will increase your understanding of the etiology underlying postpartum clinical conditions and how to distinguish them from normal postpartum adjustment changes. Understand the risk factors associated with perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMAD’s) and early intervention strategies to decrease your client’s vulnerability to a clinical episode. We will explore evidence-based treatment approaches to PMAD’s including mindfulness-based interventions, Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT), and Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT).

Click Here to Register!

October Happenings

Posted on by Dr. Diane Sanford in Self-Care

It’s been a crazy ride the last few months in both my psychology practice and personal life so I haven’t posted much on social media. Social media is one of the first things to fall off my list when life becomes more stressful. With our current COVID crisis, I’m never certain how my day will go or how I’ll feel. Maybe some of you are having that experience too. Lol.

So, I’m taking this time to let you know of some events I have coming up and how to join in. Also, I’m sending you a video from Tiffany Jenkins, who I absolutely love, about “If our anxiety was brutally honest.” For me, laughter has been the best remedy for overcoming stress. Don’t miss out on what Tiffany has to say.

Stay sane, safe and well or like the rest of us, keep trying.

Namaste 

Recording of my most recent webinar with Heartland PMAD Consultants: https://youtu.be/cveFeoxFS_o

My upcoming virtual workshop on Perinatal Mood and Anxiety:


The Most Frequent Complication of Childbirth:
Understanding and Treating Perinatal Mood and Anxiety 
Friday, October 30, 2020
1:00 – 4:00 P.M. | 3 CEUs 
Because of the hormonal, psychological and situational changes of having a baby, 1 in 7 women will experience a postpartum mood or anxiety episode. The rates are higher, up to 1 in 4 women, among those in “at risk” groups. 

This workshop will increase your understanding of the etiology underlying postpartum clinical conditions and how to distinguish them from normal postpartum adjustment changes. Understand the risk factors associated with perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMAD’s) and early intervention strategies to decrease your client’s vulnerability to a clinical episode. We will explore evidence-based treatment approaches to PMAD’s including mindfulness-based interventions, Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT) and Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT). 
  REGISTER NOW  $60 General Admission*

Webinar Tomorrow

Posted on by Dr. Diane Sanford in Self-Care

Don’t forget to join me tomorrow for my zoom webinar at 10am about pregnancy, postpartum and early motherhood. We’d love to see you there!

To access the webinar tomorrow:

Join from a PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone or Android device: Please click this URL to join. https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89237250082

Or join by phone: Dial(for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location): US: +1 346 248 7799 or +1 253 215 8782 or +1 669 900 6833 or +1 646 558 8656 or +1 301 715 8592 or +1 312 626 6799 Webinar ID: 892 3725 0082 International numbers available: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kcUFYqVoaN