Your brain remembers what your mind tries to forget. 💛

We often talk about trauma as something that lives in our memories or emotions—but there’s a powerful part of the brain that plays a key role: the amygdala.

This tiny, almond-shaped structure acts like an alarm system, alerting us to danger. But after repeated or complex trauma, that alarm can get stuck in “on” mode—keeping us anxious, on edge, or reactive even when we’re safe.

For women and female-identifying folks, understanding how the amygdala responds to stress and trauma can bring clarity and compassion to what’s happening inside.

If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by a to-do list, struggled to manage your time, or felt paralyzed by indecision, you’re not alone. These are common symptoms of impaired executive functioning, particularly for women who are often juggling multiple roles and responsibilities. This blog will explore how mental health conditions can affect executive functioning, what that looks like in women, and strategies to manage day-to-day life when your brain feels foggy, disorganized, or just plain tired.

Whether your summer slows down or speeds up, changes in routine can deeply impact how ADHD shows up in daily life. And because women are often the ones managing the invisible labor of summer—childcare, vacation planning, family logistics, and more—these seasonal transitions can feel especially overwhelming.

Motherhood is often idealized as a time of joy and fulfillment. However, many mothers experience intense anger, commonly referred to as "mom rage," which can be surprising and distressing. Managing these powerful emotions involves understanding maternal rage itself, knowing the underlying causes of rage and identifying supportive coping strategies for your real life.

The perinatal period—a time spanning conception through the first year postpartum—is a transformative and often vulnerable chapter in a person’s life. For individuals with a history of early complex trauma, this period can bring unique emotional, psychological, and physiological challenges. The intersection of past trauma and the immense changes of pregnancy, birth, and early parenthood can shape a person’s experience in profound ways. However, with awareness, supportive care, and trauma-informed approaches, healing and resilience are possible.

Trauma rewires the brain to prioritize safety above all else. When the brain has experienced a threat—whether that’s childhood neglect, an abusive relationship, or a life-altering event—it learns to operate in survival mode. And survival mode doesn’t care about color-coded planners or meal prep schedules. For women who have experienced trauma, executive functioning difficulties can show up in a variety of ways,

When stress and anxiety creep in, it can feel like self-care requires more energy than we actually have. And while community care—the kind of support that comes from relationships, shared responsibility, and social connection—is what we really need, there’s also value in having small, intentional tools we can reach for in the moment. That’s where micropractices come in.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a form of depression that follows a seasonal pattern, often triggered by changes in light and weather. Most people associate it with the long, dark winter months when sunlight is scarce, but for some, symptoms reappear or intensify in spring. And if April’s gray, rainy days hit you harder than expected, you might be experiencing a lesser-known version of SAD.

Whether you’re managing anxiety, depression, or any other mental health condition, you have a legal right to take time off for therapy appointments under certain circumstances. You should always consult with your human resources department about the specifics of your benefits and workplace policies. In this blog, we’ll walk you through how to request intermittent FMLA leave for mental health therapy appointments and how to communicate with your employer effectively.

Two powerful and empowering therapeutic approaches—Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Radical Acceptance from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)—combine well to help us break free from the illusion of luck and take a more active, self-compassionate role in shaping our lives.

 Women’s mental health is still undermined by a lack of research and funding, societal pressures, unpaid labor, and the illusion of "self-care" as a solution.

Even more concerning, these burdens are not distributed equally. Women of color and those from socioeconomically divested communities face additional challenges due to systemic inequalities in healthcare, economic opportunity, and social support. To improve mental health outcomes for all female-identifying people, we must move beyond individual solutions and push for structural change.

(Part two of a two part series).