Carolyn M. Riker, MA, LMHC, LLC
  • Home
  • Questions about Counseling
  • Meet Carolyn
  • My Books
  • Blog

Counseling Corner Blog

Aging Isn’t Only Chronological; It is Also Soulful

9/24/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
Photo by Riccardo Mion on Unsplash
Of all the seasons I’m most connected to, it would be autumn. This association has changed over the decades. I’m in my 57th circle around the sun and autumn calls me home over and over. The subtle changes in the weather where those dog days of summer recede brings an appreciation to the transparency of autumn.

Aging isn’t only chronological; it is also soulful. I’ve rediscovered my true self in my emotional aging. Life’s tutelage has given me wisdom to see how I won’t accept any strikes against my being.


I stand without any leaves covering my silhouette. There’s less and less to hide and my autumnal self stands stronger as each season has led me to self-understanding. My symbolic leaves are frequently changing.

Life has changed me.


Read More
0 Comments

My Highly Sensitive Aging Self

8/17/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
Photo by Joshua Reddekopp on Unsplash

​My hair is greying at the temples where my thoughts dwell in a sea of clarity. All I feel are the zeros inside of circles. Such as the seasons, time, the earth, which turn me into a Tree, I am.

Skies see me and blink in earnest, nodding as I walk my way.

I’m learning to understand who I am.

Mistakes are my wisdom. Unknowing what I thought I knew, teaches me more than pretending. Asking for help to reach what I am unable to do, isn’t weak.

Sensitivity crafts me a vessel and we sail over seas not only to think but to weep. I’m not alone when the answers are few. More have come before me. That’s why the oceans are so salty.

And so, with this bit of overthinking, I can still smile and laugh with myself which lends me to poeticness too.

Let’s turn down the sun and let’s turn up the moon. Let’s trace the stars with our eyelashes. Let’s listen to the circles together. Let’s dream a wide dream.

Because we are all intrinsically interconnected — equally belonging to the circle of loving, living and dying.

Let’s make this world more true.
0 Comments

“The Most Terrifying Thing Is to Accept Oneself Completely.”

4/27/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
Photo by Gemma Chua-Tran on Unsplash
What is self-love? How do we learn to love ourselves? Are we born with this knowledge? What are the influences which teach us to love ourselves?

I’ve often wondered how some people can be comfortable and love who they are. How they respect their ideas, ways, and choices. They don’t seem the least bit bothered by their quirks; instead they embrace them. So, it would seem, self-love also needs a dose of self-worth and self-confidence.
When I researched about self-love, I pulled up over 1,240,000,000 sources. That’s a lot of humans seeking, writing and explaining the meaning of self-love.

As a licensed mental health therapist, I have discovered that for most people, self-love is a skill we develop during the course of a lifetime. We learn to love who we are and accept our faults as well as our gifts.

Over the years, I’ve learned the most about self-love from a small handful of trusted mentors, therapists, teachers, and friends who I admire for how they love themselves. Their modeling and guidance have helped me find my own inner appreciation. When we see what self-love looks like in another person — and through a lot of practice, acceptance, and encouragement — we eventually see it in ourselves.
​
To demonstrate the concept of self-love, I read through hundreds of quotes from my research and decided the following seven quotes captured the essence of self-love and what I’ve learned from each.

Read More
0 Comments

    About 

    Carolyn Riker is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) in private practice. She is also an author of three books. Her most recent book is "My Dear, Love Hasn't Forgotten You."

    Carolyn has a blog on Medium. You can follow her on Facebook page: Carolyn M. Riker, MA, LMHC, or her Instagram page.

    Archives

    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    December 2019
    March 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    December 2017
    October 2017
    June 2017

    Categories

    All
    Aging
    Counseling
    COVID-19
    Creativity
    Depression
    Education
    Equality
    Grief
    Highly Sensitive Person
    Injustice
    Justice
    Mental Health
    Nature
    Parenting & Children
    Relationships
    Self Care
    Self-care
    Self-love
    Social Justice
    Writing

    RSS Feed

Services:

Counselor
Author
​Writer

Contact:​

**Counseling Services**
carolynra7@hotmail.com​



© COPYRIGHT 2016. carolynriker.com ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • Home
  • Questions about Counseling
  • Meet Carolyn
  • My Books
  • Blog