Maybe you’ve never participated in mental health counseling before and you’re unsure about what it will be like. In such situations, when we don’t know what to expect, it’s typically far too easy for our minds to imagine all sort of stories as we’re trying to fill in the blanks.

But counseling needn’t be some mysterious or anxiety provoking thing. With that said, what exactly can you expect at your first counseling appointment?

Self-care can be a wonderful thing. And it’s become an increasingly popular trend, especially as the conversation about mental health awareness and wellness has spread. Maybe you gave it a try, and it did help reduce your worry and stress. But maybe it didn’t really seem to do much. Or maybe it seemed to make things worse. Is that even possible, you might wonder - can self-care actually increase your anxiety in certain cases? If this has been your experience, there are a few reasons why you might be having this reaction. And yes, there are some changes you can make in order to have self-care be more effective for you.